Story for the Week
***SPOILERS*** SPOILERS***SPOILERS***
Question: Does a romance require a happily ever after? I noted SPOILERS for the Story of the Week because, once you know my take, you’ll know whether the book reviewed has a happily ever after. 🤷🏼♀️ If you follow any sort of book posts on social media, you are aware of the debate over whether a romance must have a happily ever after (or at least a happy for now).
I’m going to go ahead and say it: The book reviewed in today’s post is not a romance. Yes, I included the genre as a category because NetGalley categorized it as both romance and young adult. But as far as I’m concerned—and based on the accepted “rules” of the genre—it’s not a romance.
Love story? Yes. RomanTIC? Yes. Romance? Nope…nuh uh…no way…not in any way, shape, or form.
I have mentioned before that romance as a genre has a pretty specific formula. Two people meet, they fall for each other, they get together, they split up over some sort of conflict that could usually be avoided if they just talked to one another, and then they get back together. And they live happily ever after (HEA)…or at least happy for now (HFN). The couple closes out the story happily together.
When I read romance, I expect that formula. The HEA doesn’t qualify as a spoiler because a romance requires the HEA. The enjoyment of the story comes from the journey, the interactions between the main characters, the witty banter, the pull of the will-they-or-won’t-they even though you know they will.
A couple of months ago, however, Threads contained some serious debate on this question. One person said that she just started blocking people who disagreed. One went so far as to say that those who disagree should “get the f*** out of our genre.” People get heated about their romance. 🫣
Some readers insist that a book can be a romance without an HEA, and a lot of them use Nicholas Sparks as an example. When Sparks released The Notebook in 2000, I bought it based on the quote on the back of the book, which I saw in a Facebook post: “I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”
I read the book in one sitting. Would I classify it as a romance, even though the two main characters die at the end? I would, actually. Noah and Allie definitely achieved their happily ever after. They got married, had children, lived a long and happy life, and died peacefully in their sleep. That is the ultimate HEA.
But even Sparks doesn’t classify his books as romance. They have romantic elements, but most of them would fall into the category of romantic fiction or dramatic love stories. His second and third books, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, are definitely dramatic love stories. Maybe it’s semantics, but I would not classify either of them as romance.
The book reviewed below comes thisclose to being a romance. But alas, the main characters do not finish their stories together. It’s beautiful and romantic and heartbreaking. And it’s definitely not a romance.
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Last Kiss of Summer by Jessica M. Felleman
320 pages
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 28, 2026
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
Publisher’s Description
Nothing breaks like a heart.
When Sera Watkins and her family arrive at their summer house on Cape Cod, she has one goal in mind: protect her heart from the boy who broke it, her next-door neighbor, Luke Tisdale. The problem is, Luke still has a piece of her heart—literally. When Sera received a new heart as a baby, the healthy valves of her old heart were given to Luke. Forever bonded, Luke and Sera grew up together spending sun-soaked days swimming at their secret beach and painting at art camp.
Then, two summers ago, their friendship almost turned into something more. Key word: almost. Because one fateful night, everything changed. Sera’s health took a turn for the worse. A family secret sent Luke spiraling. And they weren’t there for each other when it mattered the most.
Now Sera is ready for a fresh start, which means no more pining over the boy next door. But Luke has grown up a lot since she last saw him, and the chemistry she felt two summers ago? It’s still there. Sera isn’t sure she’s brave enough to risk it all again, but when she gets some difficult news, she realizes there’s no time to waste. Maybe it’s finally Luke and Sera’s moment, their chance to enjoy the sweet kiss of summer together—before it’s too late.
************
Main Characters:
- Sera – just finished high school, planning to take a gap year before college, family lives in Boston and spends summers at their beach house on Cape Cod, planning to work as the teacher for the town’s summer art camp, she went through a heart transplant as a toddler and Luke received the healthy valves from her heart in a domino transplant surgery
- Luke – Sera’s childhood best friend, they had a falling out and haven’t spoken in two years, works for his grandparents’ antiques and interior design shop that his parents run
- Maddy – Sera’s other best friend, also friends with Luke and feels torn between the two of them, a local to Cape Cod who works at her family’s diner in town
- Iris – Sera and Luke’s teacher from summer art camp, doing a six-week art fellowship in Paris
Jessica M. Felleman’s debut young adult novel will take you on quite an emotional roller coaster. Told mostly from Sera’s first-person perspective, with a handful of chapters from Luke, the story unfolds over the course of the summer after Sera and Luke graduate from high school. The two have not spoken since the summer two years ago when they both admitted to having feelings for the other.
A lot has happened since they last saw one another. Sera’s doctor hopes she has about five years before her health starts to decline. Luke’s family situation is in a bit of turmoil. Despite the fact that they used to tell each other everything, neither of them shared what happened two summers ago. And neither of them understands why the other person seemed to pull away.
Felleman does a great job of describing the small town of Northport, the center of which is a single street of independent shops. I could picture Sera and Maddy walking along the shops to the beach—with Sera noticing things that have changed dramatically since she was there last.
A lot of the story centers around art. Both Sera and Luke love art and create using different mediums. They communicate best while they work side by side. There are a lot of things they need to work through this summer, and creating new pieces together helps them start to rebuild the bond they grew up with.
But Sera also faces her failing health and needing a new heart. The author is spot on showing the anticipatory grief Sera and her family experience, understanding that Sera may die sooner than they expect. Sera wants to be able to enjoy the summer without her parents and her sister hovering and watching her every move. They are also understandably concerned that she might do something to make her condition worse.
A little over halfway through the book, I guessed what I assume is intended to be a pretty big twist. I made a note that I didn’t think it would be possible, and the author actually addresses it in her Author’s Note, indicating that it felt right for the fictional story. I am also not the target audience. If I were a high school student reading this book, I don’t think it would ever have occurred to me, and it would have shredded me emotionally. As an adult, I can appreciate the heartbreak, and I agree with the author. It creates a bittersweet ending to the story.
This is a story to be read curled up with a favorite pet on a comfortable chair where you can get into your feels. As I said earlier, it’s beautiful and romantic and heartbreaking. And it’s definitely not a romance. 😉
If you enjoyed this post, please comment below. Subscribe for regular updates, and share it with your friends. If you’re interested in starting a conversation, send an email to booksundertheblanket@gmail.com.
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links on my site.
