This is the last summer Emaline has before she attends college in fall. She wonders what it would be like to have a summer fling as she has dated Luke since her freshman year of high school. Emaline does not want to be like her mother who had a summer romance and ended up pregnant, but she wonders if change would be better.
While some things stay the same--her dad constantly remodeling the house--change does occur for Emaline this last summer: she and Luke break up; she kisses Theo the same day and begins dating a "dater"; her older sister, Morgan, brings in changes to the family rental business; and her father and half brother move to Miss Ruth's house after she dies to sell it. Emaline has to adjust to these changes around her while learning what type of person she is and wants to be.
I don't know if reading this during the summer is such a good idea because when Emaline refers to the countdown of days until school begins in the fall, it only makes me think about how few days I have left until school begins, and I have to begin work again.
