You Wouldn’t Dare

When Juniper Nash Abreheart’s mother informs her that they’ll be leaving White Coral Key, Fla., to move in with her boyfriend Paul and his mercurial daughter Tallulah on the South Shore, Junie struggles to accept that she’s about to leave behind everything she’s ever known. Though Junie and Tallulah’s parents hope that the teens will bond while working at the Abreheart’s café over the summer, the pair is hesitant to get to know each other. Junie’s life is further complicated by increasingly tense dynamics among her friend group caused by a secret dalliance gone awry. Knowing her time in White Coral Key is almost up, Junie endeavors to repair her broken relationships and prepare for her future. Script excerpts from Shakespearean musical Midsummer Madness, the production that Junie is helping to stage at her community theater, begin each chapter. Markum (This May End Badly) crafts well-drawn, mostly white protagonists via zippy dialogue and employs an unconventional locale peopled by a tight-knit community of intersectionally diverse year-round denizens and lively tourists, to deliver a bustling, summery tale that navigates messy relationships and forgiveness. Ages 13–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US. (Mar.)