A witty, heartfelt novel about a young woman who leaves everything behind to work on an oyster farm in a small New England town. Recently fired from her dependable career as an actuary, and recovering from a messy breakup with her fiancé, thirty-two-year-old Cece Downing is holed up for the summer in New London, Connecticut, without a plan. Mounting financial debts soon force Cece to take the first job opportunity that comes her way—one she’s wholly unsuited for—as a deckhand on an oyster boat. Surprisingly, Cece finds herself loving the job: working with her hands, breathing the fresh sea air, and learning the ins and outs of oyster farming. And despite her overbearing mother’s pleas to get a “real” job and reunite with her wealthy fiancé, Cece plunges headlong into an ill-advised romance with her neighbor, a handsome shipyard worker named Morgan. When a proposal to expand the oyster farm throws the community into an uproar, pitting wealthy waterfront owners against blue collar workers, Cece finds herself caught in the middle. And as a family crisis forces her to reevaluate her reckless choices Cece must come to terms with what she’s willing to sacrifice for the life she wants to live. “ Cece Downing’s Start Over Summer is a perfect beach read—fun, thoughtful, romantic!” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward "This novel has everything I love about a New England summer: it’s warm, fun, the people are witty, and there’s a hot guy who works in the boatyard. I fell in love with our heroine Cece Downing as she searched for love and meaning amidst the oysters. Soon Wiley has gifted us wonderful characters and a totally satisfying story." — Annie Hartnett, national bestselling author of Rabbit Cake and The Road to Tender Hearts "An intimate coastal portrait of reinvention, tracing a woman who trades certainty for saltwater. Wiley's prose is precise and restrained, with an observational grace that carries the novel forth like a steady, well-kept tide." — Weike Wang, author of Rental House A native of Nyack, New York, Soon Wiley is the author of the novel When We Fell Apart . He currently teaches English in the Upper School at Greenwich Country Day School, where he also serves as chair of the English department. He resides with his family in Connecticut.