I might be a little biased because I absolutely love Maine. I even started this book while I was on my trip there.
Growing up, Vivian and Lucy each spent one month every summer at their father’s cabin in Maine—just never at the same time. After their father dies unexpectedly, they both arrive at the cabin and meet for the very first time, discovering they have a half sister they never knew existed.
As they navigate the grief of losing their father, they’re also forced to figure out what family means while juggling all the messy complications of everyday life. The story alternates between each sister’s perspective, giving both women a chance to tell their side.
The Maine setting was my favorite part. It captures the charm, beauty, and atmosphere so well that if you’ve ever visited, you’ll instantly recognize that feeling. It’s a family story about grief, sisterhood, and finding connection in unexpected places.
Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.
When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?