Long Past Summer - by Noué Kirwan (Paperback)

About the Book

"It's hard to move on from a broken heart--and harder to move on from a broken friendship. Mikaela Marchand is living the polished life she always planned for: a successful New York lawyer, with a promotion in her sights and a devoted boyfriend by her side. She's come a long way from the meek teen she was growing up in small town Georgia, but the memory of her adolescence isn't far--in fact, it's splashed across a massive billboard in Times Square. An old photograph of Mikaela and her former best friend, Julie, has landed on the cover of a high-profile fashion magazine advertised all over the city. And when Julie files a lawsuit, Mikaela is caught in the middle as defense lawyer for the magazine. Not only will she have to face Julie for the first time in years, Mikaela's forced to work closely with the photographer in question: the former love of her life--and Julie's ex-husband--Cameron Murphy. Mikaela needs to win the case to get her promotion--and as a junior partner, she has no margin for error. But unresolved feelings still exist between Cam and Mikaela, and jealousy always made Julie play dirty... With flashbacks to summers of first loves and fragile friendships, Long Past Summer looks at the delicate and powerful thread that binds and breaks friends and flames"--

Book Synopsis

"Kirwan's excellent debut brings charm, complexity, and plenty of heat...This mature, steamy romance will have readers swooning." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Noué Kirwan's exquisitely-written debut left me breathless."--Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author of The Dating Playbook

"Long Past Summer is powerful."--Naima Simone, USA Today bestselling author

It's hard to move on from a broken heart--and harder to move on from a broken friendship.

Mikaela Marchand is living the polished life she always planned for: a successful New York lawyer, with a promotion in her sights and a devoted boyfriend by her side. She's come a long way from the meek teen she was growing up in small town Georgia, but the memory of her adolescence isn't far--in fact, it's splashed across a massive billboard in Times Square. An old photograph of Mikaela and her former best friend, Julie, has landed on the cover of a high-profile fashion magazine advertised all over the city. And when Julie files a lawsuit, Mikaela is caught in the middle as defense lawyer for the magazine.

Not only will she have to face Julie for the first time in years, Mikaela's forced to work closely with the photographer in question: the former love of her life--and Julie's ex-husband--Cameron Murphy. Mikaela needs to win the case to get her promotion--and as a junior partner, she has no margin for error. But unresolved feelings still exist between Cam and Mikaela, and jealousy always made Julie play dirty...

With flashbacks to summers of first loves and fragile friendships, Long Past Summer looks at the delicate and powerful thread that binds and breaks friends and flames.

Review Quotes

"Kirwan's excellent debut brings charm, complexity, and plenty of heat...This mature, steamy romance will have readers swooning." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This debut novel addresses what it's like to grow up with absent and deceased parents as well as the pressure on Black professionals to overperform while conforming to White norms. The harsh realities of Julie and Mikaela's fractured friendship, Mikaela's fraught relationship with her mother, and Mikaela's inability to see Cameron for who he is are all developed with skill and empathy. Mikaela's sister, Vanessa, pokes fun at her, providing pitch-perfect humor. Most of all, Mikaela travels a long road to stop hiding from her own emotions and needs....This fast-moving novel spotlights a smart woman's journey to find what she wants." --Kirkus Reviews

"In this deftly written and engaging novel, Mikaela and Cameron are well developed but flawed protagonists whose scenes together are filled with heated arguments and hotter sex. Flashbacks to their shared past provides glimpses of what they lost and why their present is so tumultuous. Secondary characters guide (and push) the couple through to their happily ever after. VERDICT Readers of angsty, drama-filled storylines will enjoy this love triangle, second-chance romance." --Library Journal

"Noué Kirwan deftly traverses decades to tell the story of New York City attorney Mikaela Marchand's intertwined relationships with her best friend and her first love....a sizzling love story you won't want to put down." --ESSENCE

"Noué Kirwan's debut novel Long Past Summer is more than a beautiful, scrappy and hard-won second chance romance. It's a story of the real, tangled and sometimes painful relationships of family, lovers and friendships. It also captures the empowering, healing relationship of a woman with herself. In a word? Long Past Summer is powerful." --Naima Simone, USA Today bestselling author

"A whip-smart, electrifying debut that marks Noué Kirwan as an author to watch." --Yaffa S. Santos, author of A Taste of Sage

"Noué Kirwan is a welcome, smart new voice in romantic women's fiction. Long Past Summer delves into family, friendships, and romantic love, deftly examining how our childhood influences our perceptions, and how discrimination impacts women trying to strike a balance between their own ambitions and their personal relationships. Not only that, but every reader will swoon over the eminently lovable hero, Cam. A winning debut from an author to watch." --Jamie Beck, WSJ and USA Today bestselling author

"It is rare to find a romance that spans decades, yet still leaves you craving more. Long Past Summer is that romance. Noué Kirwan's exquisitely-written debut left me breathless." --Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author of The Dating Playbook

"An emotionally charged novel in the vein of The Mothers and An American Marriage." --Bustle

"This book is an emotional whirlwind and is the perfect next read for fans of Seven Days in June." --BuzzFeed, Best Books of August 2022