Cruel Summer

There are no rules this cruel summer…

Samantha Parker’s seemingly perfect suburban life shatters when her husband Will makes an unthinkable request: an open marriage. Rather than watch their twenty-year relationship crumble, Sam proposes a bold alternative—a summer apart, no contact, complete separation. She’s certain that when autumn arrives, they’ll reunite and everything will return to normal.

But life has other plans.

When Will’s best friend Logan Martin—a gruff, solitary classic-car restorer—offers Sam an escape route in the form of a cross-country delivery trip, she accepts. What begins as an uneasy alliance between two people who’ve never quite gotten along transforms into something neither expected. Against a backdrop of winding highways and stunning landscapes, Sam discovers parts of herself she’d buried beneath years of being the perfect wife and mother.

From bestselling author Maisey Yates comes a deeply emotional story about rediscovering yourself when everything falls apart. This compelling women’s fiction explores the complexity of long-term marriage, the courage it takes to choose an uncertain future, and the unexpected places we find connection. Perfect for readers who love stories about second chances, self-discovery, and the messy, beautiful reality of starting over.

As summer draws to a close, Sam faces an impossible choice: return to the comfortable familiarity of her past, or step boldly into a future she never imagined—one that might just set her free.

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