Second Star

A radical reinvention of J. M. Barrie's classic tale, Alyssa B. Sheinmel's Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up—and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy's journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove's charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward his nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete.

“Second Star is gorgeous: at once sun-soaked and haunted, elegant and strange. As perfect a book about loss, love, and California as I can imagine.” —Anna Godbersen, New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe

“This retelling of Peter Pan set in the surfing community makes some of its own magic.” —Kirkus Reviews

“While Barrie's classic transplants neatly to a contemporary surf-culture setting, the parallels come across more as a clever hook than an integral part of the story.” —Publishers Weekly