The Summer Before - Hardcover

by Dianne C. Braley (Author)

"...a gripping and emotionally charged exploration of trauma, guilt, and the unyielding strength of friendship."-Anna David, NYT bestselling author/CEO, Legacy Launch Pad Publishing

"...a pulse-pounding recounting of how tragedy twists and shapes family, friendship, and life as we know it."-Taylor Higgins, International bestselling author of Between the Stitching

If someone you love was assaulted, abused, or was a victim of a crime-you are a secondary victim.

If the perpetrator is also someone you love, there are no words.

Madeline and Summer are more than best friends. They might as well be sisters; they've claimed the title, anyway-and sisters tell each other everything. But Summer has a secret she's been hiding for years. Someone's been hurting her, someone close, and when it comes out, it destroys everything around her with the force of dying stars.

Six years after the trial, Madeline is a haunted young woman trying to build a new life in Boston, but the guilt of her betrayal brings her to the brink of suicide. To let go of the past, Madeline must confront her father, mother, and all those involved with the trial that split her family apart-or continue her descent, finishing what she started to escape it.