Told over the course of one heartbreaking summer, THE SHORE by Katie Runde, is a poignant story of love, loss, grief, and a dose of hope. This was a much, much heavier read than I was expecting from a book set on the Jersey Shore. I was expecting more of a beach read and although I enjoyed it, August was likely not the right time of year for me to dive into this one blind.

Teen sisters Evy and Liz live in the small town of Seaside, NJ...the quainter version of its wild MTV neighbor Seaside Heights. Evy and Liz have typical summer jobs, typical friends, and typical teenage angst, but all is not as it seems. Their father, Brian, was diagnosed with a brain tumor the year before and as his condition deteriorates, he uncontrollably morphs into a completely different person. Their mother, Margot, suffers along with them as they helplessly watch Brian drift away from them.

Family dramas are almost always my jam, but stories about life-changing illnesses are going to be a heavy lift for me. Ultimately I'm glad I picked this one up because despite the grief, the story did resonate with me.