THE LAST SUMMER BEFORE WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT

For Claire Hart, being a townie in a bucolic seaside town in Maine in 1980 means always being aware of what she is not: rich like many of the summer visitors.

For high school valedictorian Claire, this is a “summer of freedom”—a gift from her dad before college. What starts off as a random day in town becomes a turning point in the cadence of the next few weeks when Claire is swept up by Pepper Toohey, daughter of a plumbing supplies magnate, and brought along on her family fun day. Claire’s not just meeting one Toohey—she encounters a whole network of cousins, including Pixie, Pike, and Cheddar. Claire’s invited onto their yacht, and she spends her first relaxing day in forever sailing with them. She even earns a nickname, “Flipper,” when she dives into the cold water to save Cheddar’s mom’s Schipperke who’s fallen overboard. And so begins a summer of stepping into a world she’s only heard whispers of, one revolving around lawn games, clambakes, and drama. A Toohey bad boy takes an interest in Claire, and of course, there’s the blond, enigmatic Pepper and the lure of her alpha girl friendship. This book reads as a cautionary tale, one that highlights the temperamental nature of class schisms. The story is deceptively straightforward: Readers will root for Claire throughout, and a surprise twist at the end has a visceral impact. Characters are cued white.

A beach read that explores enduring social themes.