The Notebook meets Love & Gelato in this heart-wrenching novel “full of deep romance and searing tragedy” ( Kirkus Reviews ) about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever. Seventeen-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her. He says he’d rather live in the present with Lexi, her stepmom, and her half-brother. Lexi loves her family, too, but is it so wrong to want to learn about the mom she never got to know? When Lexi’s grandma dies and secretly leaves her a worn blue chest that belonged to Lexi’s mother, Lexi is ecstatic to find a treasure trove of keepsakes. Her mom held onto letters, pamphlets, flyers, and news articles all from the same beautiful summertime getaway: Mackinac Island—plus a cryptic postcard that hints at a forbidden romance. If Lexi wants answers, this island is where she needs to go. Without telling her dad, Lexi goes to the gorgeous Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, reachable only by ferry. Cars are forbidden and bikes are the number one mode of transportation along the quaint cobblestone streets, and the magical hotel that rests alongside cozy cafés and bookshops. While following her mother’s footsteps, Lexi befriends an elderly former Broadway star and a charming young hotel worker while quickly falling in love with her surroundings. But though the island may be beautiful, it’s hiding unfortunate secrets—some with her mother at the center. Could some questions be best left buried beneath the blue waters? Cynthia Platt is the author of three picture books— A Little Bit of Love , Panda-Monium! , and Grow —as well as numerous Curious George books, the middle grade novel Parker Bell and the Science of Friendship , and the young adult novel Postcards from Summer . She is also a children’s book editor, working most recently at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt before starting her own children’s book editorial service. Chapter 1: Lexi (Now) CHAPTER 1 Lexi (Now) Sometimes when I was little I’d spin in circles till I got dizzy. Partly I liked the thrill of the spinning, like I’d created my own little hurricane with me at the eye of it. But I also liked what happened after my body stopped but my brain hadn’t caught up to that fact yet. Everything would still be twisting and turning. I’d look at the world around me, and it would be the same as it had been before I’d started spinning, but everything would look different, too. I sort of feel that way right now, but without needing to spin to make it happen. Even on a quiet night, our kitchen looks a little like it’s swirling from the off-kilter blur of color that is my half brother Connor’s art taped onto every possible surface. Tonight is not a quiet night. Dad chops veggies and hums as Connor literally runs in circles around the kitchen table fetching ingredients for him. My stepmom, Abby, smiles at them from her work-cluttered seat at the head of the table like nothing makes her happier than her two guys (as she calls them) making dinner. It’s a heartwarming scene, really. As I stand in the doorway, though, it’s hard not to wish that some of this familial warmth was aimed at me. It’s not fun to feel jealous of a five-year-old, especially one I love as much as I love this kid. But a tiny pang of envy hits me anyway. I barely remember my mom, and would’ve killed to have this kind of relationship with my dad when I was little. Or even now. Connor starts reciting the poem he “read” at his kindergarten graduation as he runs. “Kindergarten Is now done. On to first grade, Oh what fun!” He stumbles on every other word but since he’s five and adorable (even I can’t resist those dark brown curls and dimples), Dad and Abby don’t care. “Can you do it again?” Dad asks. “Really?” Connor’s eyes are wide with happiness. “Of course really,” Dad tells him. “It’s my new favorite poem.” Abby stops going through her work to listen to Connor recite the millionth rendition of this poem she’s heard over the last couple of weeks. “Wonderful, sweetie,” she says. “Just like you were at graduation today.” To be fair, Connor did do a pretty great job at his graduation ceremony, even if his paper graduation cap slipped over his eyes during his recitation. As the true child of two lawyers, he just kept talking like nothing had gone wrong. Even if he hadn’t, Dad and Abby would still tell him he’s the best. The pang of envy returns. When I turn back to look at the stairs, it becomes a wave of nausea. Because while everything’s swirling around down here, I know what’s waiting up there. The package arrived while Dad, Abby, and Connor were at the store, so none of them saw it. It’s addressed to me, or at least to some alternative-universe me: Alexandria Roth. My first name and my mom’s last name before she married Dad. The return addre