The Summer We Ran: A Novel

A National Bestseller An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for June A June 2025 Book of the Month Selection A Town & Country Best New Romance Novel 2026 Southern Book Prize Finalist

"The Summer We Ran is a perfectly nostalgic story of love, loss, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. It’s exactly what I hope for in a summertime read.” —Annabel Monaghan, author of Same Time Next Summer

Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive dual timelines, The Summer We Ran weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decision two people must make in order to fulfill the futures they each desire.

In the summer of 1996, Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken teenage daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.

Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant’s love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes.

Now, more than two decades after their epic teenage romance, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, and secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, their political futures, and the memory of the first love that shaped their lives.

© 2025 Zibby Publishing (Audiobook): 9798989923083

Release date

Audiobook: June 3, 2025