Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Sexy new adult romance meets swashbuckling adventure when ex childhood friends Paige and Seb reconnect to finally track down the treasure that has been a legend in their small Michigan beach town for decades. Perfect for fans of The Goonies and Netflix’s Outer Banks who are craving more romance!
Star pupil Paige Malone just finished her first year at Harvard. Dropout Seb Jansen spent that time pumping gas for wealthy yacht owners at a Lake Michigan marina. They haven’t seen each other since high school. A shame, considering that they were once inseparable childhood friends who combed their coastal hometown’s sun-kissed beaches along with a couple of other middle-school pals—hunting the Golden Venus, a legendary local treasure that’s distantly connected to Paige’s family.
A treasure rumored to be worth millions of dollars. If it even exists.
These days, however, the former BFFs have traded adventure for reality. Paige is home for the summer and is spiraling after losing her college financial aid. While across town, Seb fell in with a bad crowd and now regrets his life choices, big time. Both feel colossally stuck. And alone.
But when Paige stumbles upon a hidden secret in her grandmother’s beach cottage, she must get their old treasure-hunting gang back together to finally unravel the mystery that has eluded her family for generations. Who knows: the thrill of the hunt might help Paige and Seb find a path back to their lost friendship…or something more.
The Summer of Lost Things brings the summer heat with its combination of a high stakes treasure hunt and a swoony love story.
Tropes
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Second-chance romance
- Treasure hunt
- Family secrets
- Partners in crime
- Summer love
- Small beach town setting
- Overachiever x bad boy
- Loveable rogue
When four childhood friends reunite a year after graduating from high school, they never expected to reconnect wholly and get back to their same level of friendship in The Summer of Lost Things by Jenn Bennett.
Set in Michigan, this friends-to-lovers romance has plenty of twists and turns, and several highs and lows. Seb and Paige reconnect for a summer of adventure and treasure hunting. The two spend a lot of time reminiscing, and when they start their treasure hunt, things go awry fast. The author paints vivid descriptions, and the characters are not always who they present themselves as.
Paige is attending Harvard as an art history major; Jaz is still trying to figure out life after a gap year; and rich kid Benny is a tech genius who’s also attending college. Seb is trying to get his life back on track after being sent to boot camp to be straightened out, and when he and Paige connect as more than friends, he seems to ground her as they talk through their issues and the missing years.
The couple shares steamy moments and engages in sleuthing to solve a mystery. The story ended abruptly, with a chance at a sweet happily-ever-after, but we are left wth several loose ends.
The Summer of Lost Things is set on the water in Michigan, with a small portion in Boston, and can really get you in the mood for summer and its many adventures.
Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of young adult books, including: ALEX, APPROXIMATELY; STARRY EYES; and SERIOUS MOONLIGHT. She also writes romance and fantasy for adults. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, won the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly annual Best Books list. In addition to being a writer, she’s also an artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. She was born in Germany, lived in several U.S. states, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She currently lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs.
