The Last Summer (Of You & Me), from New York Times best-selling author, Ann Brashares (most well-known for her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series) tells the story of two 20-something-year-old sisters, Riley and Alice, and their childhood friend Paul.

The friends grew up spending their summers at their parents' beach houses in Waterby, a place that quickly became their safe haven. Brashares' steady, affectionate narrator describes the troubles the friends face upon Paul's arrival to Waterby after two summers away.

Paul and Alice's attraction to each other is something that the pair has long ignored but simply cannot ignore any longer. Worried how Riley might feel about the new relationship between them, Paul and Alice decide to keep things secret. It proves to be too much when Riley begins to suffer from some series problems of her own, and Alice must choose between her loyalty to her sister and her love for Paul. For reasons her devotion to Riley forbids her from explaining, Alice leaves Paul feeling angry, confused and rejected — their relationship seemingly reduced to a mere fling.

Although The Last Summer is meant to be a summertime novel, it is a tearjerker perfect for the transition out of what has been a seemingly endless winter.

Tori Velarde is a junior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach her at tori@velardenm.com .