Carrie Mesrobian

Set in a single sweltering summer, the story of two traumatized teenagers picking up the pieces of their lives in the wreckage of a bizarre gothic mansion. Seventeen-year-old Leo Arceneaux has been raised by his mother and uncle, having lost his father in a shockingly random murder when he was two. Connor Rigby is the teenage daughter of a wealthy lifestyle influencer. She has no idea who her father is. As summer begins, Leo and Connor both find themselves in a small town in rural Minnesota, living in the rundown grandiosity of Connor's mother's family's estate. Rigby Mansion is a secluded gothic monstrosity that Connor's mother is slowly renovating without ever actually being present. Leo is there as a summer landscaping laborer, working to pay off a debt to his mother and uncle, and Connor arrives shortly after, having left behind wreckage of her own and looking for a place to lie low away from her mother. Connor and Leo soon find themselves in an unfamiliar but intense relationship--not simply a summer romance but something that feels important and somehow tied to the combination of this particular blazing-hot summer and this weird house in the middle of nowhere. When an accident on the estate's grounds reveals the bones of two long dead people, Leo and Connor become obsessed with the couple buried beneath the fountain. Neither of them can say exactly why, but they're sure that somehow these two corpses are tied to the to whatever comes next in their lives.

A TOP 10 RAINBOW LIST BOOKWilliam C. Morris YA Debut Award nominee Carrie Mesrobian delivers a "raw, sympathetic coming-of-age story that] uncovers the messy, painful, yet vitally important process of self-discovery" (Booklist, starred review) when a high school senior comes to terms with his attraction to both his girlfriend and his male best friend.It took Will Caynes seventeen years to have his first kiss. He should be ecstatic...except that it was with his best friend, Angus, while they were both drunk and stoned. Will's not gay, but he did sort of enjoy whatever it was he felt with Angus. Unsettled by his growing interest in Angus, Will avoids his friend and even starts dating a sophomore, Brandy. When he's hooking up with her, he's totally into it, so he must be straight, right? Then why does he secretly keep going back to Angus?Confusing as Will's feelings are, they're a welcome distraction from his complicated home life. His father has started drinking earlier each day when he should be working on never-ending house renovations. And his mom--divorced and living in a McMansion with her new husband--isn't much help, unless she's buying Will a bunch of stuff he doesn't need. Between the two of them, neither feels like much of a parent--which leaves Will on his own in figuring things out with his girlfriend and best friend. He loves them both, but deciding who to be with will ultimately hurt someone. Himself, probably the most.