Bookish Buys: The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
Bookish Buys
Inspired by The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
Wearing a yellow dress paired with delicate boat earrings might seem like a simple style choice—a nod to sunshine, freedom, maybe even a dash of coastal charm. But in truth? It might just be the quiet, powerful declaration that you're stepping fully into your main character era.
It’s Lia Juma energy through and through.
In The Summers Between Us by Noreen Naji, Lia returns to Pike Bay with a perfectly curated life in hand: the career, the guy, the approval. But beneath that polished surface? A secret, a longing, and a past she thought she left behind. That yellow dress? It’s not just about looking good—it’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be. It’s joy, boldness, vulnerability, and maybe a whisper of rebellion. A reminder of summer days spent barefoot by the water, of stolen glances and unfinished sentences, of a time when you let yourself dream freely.
And those boat earrings? They’re subtle but powerful. A nod to the bay, to navigating choppy emotional waters, to setting sail even when you’re not sure where you’ll land. They’re not just accessories—they’re anchors to your truth.
Because just like Lia, you might be realizing that the life you built doesn’t mean much if you left your heart behind in the process. And stepping into that yellow dress, clipping in those earrings—it’s not about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about saying, I’m ready to remember. I’m ready to feel. I’m ready to be me again.
So the next time you slip on something that feels just right, let it be more than an outfit. Let it be a reclaiming. A soft kind of bravery. A summer-soaked invitation to revisit old dreams and maybe, just maybe, rewrite the ending.
Because sometimes the life—and love—you crave has been waiting at the bay all along.
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Bookish Buys: The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
About The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja:
A decade apart, a painful secret—can two childhood sweethearts find their way back to a love that defies cultures and time?
Lia Juma thought she’d buried the dreams of her heart long ago. But when she’s forced to return to her family’s summer cottage on Pike Bay, the life she’s carefully crafted begins to unravel. The perfect immigrant daughter, Lia has carved out a successful career as a corporate lawyer and has just started dating a man who fulfills all her mother's criteria for the ideal son-in-law. But underneath her polished life lies a secret she’s never spoken of—one she fears could have destroyed her family a decade ago.
Back at the bay, Lia stumbles upon memories she thought were long forgotten and, at the centre of it all, is Wesley Forest—the boy she left behind, the boy who knew her dreams better than anyone. Their friendship and young love once burned bright, woven through long sun-drenched days and whispered promises of a future together. But when family pressures and heartbreak pulled the two lovers apart, they were forced to follow separate paths.
Now, Wes is back in her life, and with him, old wounds and feelings surface. As the two confront the choices and secrets that divided them as teenagers, Lia must decide if she can heal from the past and finally embrace the life and love she’s always craved. Could a second chance with Wes be worth risking everything for?
Told over the course of five years in the past and one summer in the present, Lia will discover that sometimes, the only way forward is through the heart’s deepest scars.
