Those Summer Nights

After 17-year-old white and Jewish Hannah Klein returns home from a rehabilitative boarding school for substance dependency, she’s eager to put her pain—caused by a catastrophic ankle injury that ended her Olympic soccer future, a massive blowout with childhood best friend Brie Bradley, and her beloved Bubbie’s death—behind her. A summer job working with friends new and old at entertainment multiplex Bonanza is the perfect distraction. She spends her shifts tiptoeing around Brie; hanging out with her younger brother, Joey; and flirting with charming Patrick Cho and Joey’s extremely hot best friend Ethan Alderman. But when planning Bonanza Olympics—a tournament that includes mini golf, bowling, and laser tag competitions—dredges up her shattered Olympian dreams and broken relationships, Hannah struggles between moving forward and staying stuck in everything she’s worked tirelessly to overcome. Alternating past and present timelines occasionally muddle narrative focus, and Hannah’s substance dependency is only briefly explored, but a biting first-person narration that never turns cynical lends itself well to the novel’s hopeful atmosphere. Silverman (Recommended for You) thoughtfully depicts complex, racially diverse characters and solidly establishes intricate interpersonal relationships, which together elevate this summery romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)