Last Kiss of Summer

by Jessica M. Felleman

Genres: Young Adult; YA Social Themes; YA Romance; YA Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

A beautiful, heartbreaking love story about two teens who find their way back to each other through a second chance romance.

"An achingly tender reminder to hold onto life with both hands . . . the perfect blend of hope and heartbreak, sure to stay with you long after you've finished reading." —Jennifer Dugan, bestselling author of Some Girls Do

Nothing breaks like a heart.

When Sera Watkins and her family arrive at their summer house on Cape Cod, she has one goal in mind: protect her heart from the boy who broke it, her next-door neighbor, Luke Tisdale. The problem is, Luke still has a piece of her heart—literally. When Sera received a new heart as a baby, the healthy valves of her old heart were given to Luke. Forever bonded, Luke and Sera grew up together spending sun-soaked days swimming at their secret beach and painting at art camp.

Then, two summers ago, their friendship almost turned into something more. Key word: almost. Because one fateful night, everything changed. Sera’s health took a turn for the worse. A family secret sent Luke spiraling. And they weren’t there for each other when it mattered the most.

Now Sera is ready for a fresh start, which means no more pining over the boy next door. But Luke has grown up a lot since she last saw him, and the chemistry she felt two summers ago? It’s still there. Sera isn’t sure she’s brave enough to risk it all again, but when she gets some difficult news, she realizes there’s no time to waste. Maybe it’s finally Luke and Sera’s moment, their chance to enjoy the sweet kiss of summer together—before it’s too late.

Release date: April 28, 2026

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Print pages: 320

Sample

Chapter One

Sera

There's this moment on the Sagamore Bridge where time stretches out. From way up here, you can glimpse the ocean just beyond the canal. Even through the early morning fog I can see it-a sliver of blue, promising me a good summer, maybe even a great one. I've been waiting for this. It's been a painful two years since my family came down to Cape Cod, and it's felt like even longer. I fiddle with the beaded bracelet on my wrist-a reminder not to waste the time I have left.

I was born with a heart defect and had a transplant as an infant. My heart came from a girl named Edith B. Eichman, EBE for short, and two summers ago, it started to fail me. But I've been stable since January, and after two years of being stuck in Brookline to be near my doctor, we're finally coming back to our happy place.

As our car creeps slowly over the bridge, I nudge my sister out of the way and snap a photo. I send it off to Maddy with a text to meet me for coffee before her shift. I can't wait to see her. We've planned to spend all summer doing our favorite things-thrift shopping, lying around at Northport Beach, walking the nature paths, eating Maddy's baking concoctions, and going art hunting. I have time to make up for.

"No photos," Abbi groans, and tugs the hood of her oversized sweatshirt over her red curls.

She let her boyfriend, Cam, borrow her car for a gig in Providence, so she got stuck with the early wake-up call like the rest of us.

"The sun is barely up, and it's overcast," I tease, knowing she was out late with her friends from Emerson like she has been almost every night since finals were over. How she maintains a 4.0 GPA with a double major in Political Communication and Journalism, a minor in Environmental Studies, and such an active social life is some kind of genetic marvel I didn't inherit. "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"Because they're vintage." Abbi's voice is low, warning. "I wouldn't dare shove them in a tote bag."

"Because you're tired?" I toy with the idea of calling her out for being hungover, but I'm too giddy to start a serious round of negging that I'm bound to lose anyway. I count that as emotional growth. Graduating from high school must have anointed me with some new level of maturity. Or maybe it's just self-preservation.

"Just look." I point past her face, and she swats my hand away.

"It's the ocean-big deal. I've seen it hundreds of times."

"Abigail," I whine a little, knowing I should be nicer to her after all she's done for me in the last couple years: taking a semester off school last fall when I had surgery, being my emotional support as things got bad and my friends from school politely faded away. Without her and Maddy, my second-best-no, best-best-friend, I think I would've kicked the bucket from sheer boredom instead of heart failure. No volleyball, no school, no art camp, just one day after the next of Is today the day I die?

"Seraaaa," Abbi whines back, but there's a smile at the corner of her freckled cheek, so I know she's not mad at me. "Don't forget to make a wish before we're off the bridge," she reminds me, tucking herself back up into a ball. "Maybe that Luke hasn't gotten any cuter."

"Luke's not that cute," I mutter.

Abbi snorts, seeing right through me even with her eyes closed.

I sigh, annoyed, and pivot back to my window. The familiar murky blackish green of the canal makes my heart ache as it winds south around a corner into the mist.

I've been trying not to think about Luke, my once-upon-a-time best friend, and Abbi knows it.

Two years ago, as we drove home to Brookline a few days early, my bridge wish was for there to be nothing seriously wrong with my heart. Clearly that didn't work. After weeks of back-to-back appointments and tests and monitoring, I was diagnosed with stage-three hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I barely had time to think about my crush on Luke and how wrong I'd been to think he liked me back. It wasn't until weeks later that it really hit me. He'd rejected me. And he hadn't even checked in to see why we'd left the Cape so abruptly.

After a year of trial and error, I had minor surgery last October, and then we finally found a medication that works. EBE will need to be replaced one day, but my doctor says I have about five years before my health starts to decline. I'm feeling good now, and I want to do all the things I didn't get to over the last two years. I have a job teaching at my old art camp, and my parents agreed to a gap year for me to think about what's next. I'm not sure what that will be, but I know I want more. More time for fun and travel and as many new things as I can squeeze in before I need a new heart and have to slow down and get through that major surgery. I have plenty to think about without dwelling on Luke and how much of a crap friend he turned out to be, or what could've been between us if I hadn't misread everything.

As we exit the bridge and pick up speed again, I swear the clouds part. We've finally left mainland Massachusetts behind for the next three months, and the summer is wide open. Everything here feels brighter. The trees are a deeper green, and the air is warmer even in the damp misty weather. It feels like the whole place is celebrating our return. I'm not going to let Luke ruin this summer.