Summer People - by Sara Hosey

About the Book

"A young woman must uncover dark secrets and confront those she loves most to find the truth hidden in her community. Christmas Miller, from the town of Sweet Lake, New York, has just graduated high school and is looking forward to seeing her best friend, regular summer visitor Lexi. Their happy reunion is short-lived however, as they attend a heated town hall meeting on Sweet Lake's invasive algae problem where hostile, narrow-minded attitudes expressed by locals contribute to an uncomfortable misunderstanding between the friends. They go outside to talk things out and find Lemy, Christmas' gay friend, unconscious in the lake; he survives but ends up in a coma. Determined to solve the algae problem, discover what happened to Lemy, repair her relationship with Lexi, and explore a budding romance with Brooklynite Rory, Christmas has a lot going on. As the story progresses, many difficult topics are explored with sensitivity. Christmas has ADHD, and her portrayal gives readers insight into the challenges that can stem from others' lack of awareness of neurodivergence while highlighting the positives of embracing your identity. The characters are written with a comfortable familiarity that allows readers to relate to what they endure and root for their happy outcomes. Most characters are white; Lexi is described as "half Dominican" (her remaining ancestry is not named), and Lemy's husband is Chinese American. A timely mystery exploring multiple complex themes with coming-of-age elements."--

Book Synopsis

Christmas thought her ADHD was a liability. Turns out, it is a superpower.

Seventeen-year-old Christmas Miller is looking forward to a summer of sunbathing and waterskiing at her home in Sweet Lake with Lexi, the one friend who gets her completely, ADHD and all. But the day of Lexi's arrival, the girls have an almost-argument and worse, that night, they discover another friend, Lemy, floating face down in the lake. Though reeling from her rift with Lexi, Christmas is determined to find out who attacked Lemy, even if it means she must confront her own mother's possible involvement in the crime.

Christmas would do anything to protect her beloved Sweet Lake community, but when the lake becomes polluted and people around her start getting hurt, Christmas must face the profound problems in Sweet Lake--and in her own family.

About the Author

Sara Hosey is the author of the novel Iphigenia Murphy and the novella Great Expectations, as well as short fiction that has appeared in publications including Cordella Magazine and Casino Literary. Sara has also written an academic book about popular culture, titled Home Is Where the Hurt Is: Media Depictions of Wives and Mothers. Along with being a writer, she has worn many hats. But these days, she teaches English at a community college. When she's not working, she likes to spend time with her family and pets in her home in upstate New York.