STAR-CROSSED SUMMER is a second-chance romance set in a fictional coastal Carolina town, where two costars fall in love, break up, and are reunited ten years later, forced to confront old wounds and lingering secrets.
Writing this book gave me the perfect excuse to dive into one of my pop culture obsessions: the real-life enemies-to-lovers romance of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Back in 2004, they didn’t get along during the filming of The Notebook, then somehow started dating once filming wrapped. Those unanswered questions - What changed? How did they go from enemies to lovers? - have fascinated me for two decades. Neither Rachel nor Ryan has ever filled in those blanks, so my imagination did what writers’ imaginations do: it began to build a story of its own…and STAR-CROSSED SUMMER was born.
STAR-CROSSED SUMMER was my opportunity to explore two genres I’ve been dying to tackle: second-chance romance and the classic beach read. It’s ridiculous how much fun I had - the angst! The pining! Turns out there’s nothing more delicious to write than two people who never quite got over each other.
STAR-CROSSED SUMMER is set in the fictional town of Seafolly, which is inspired by the South Carolina Lowcountry, one of my favorite places on earth. My family’s been vacationing there for the past ten years and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the area. Think cotton-candy sunsets, salt marshes glowing at golden hour, and boat rides through winding creeks. I wanted this book to feel like summer in story form, the kind you toss in your beach bag and escape into for an afternoon as the tide rolls in.
Spotify playlist for Star-Crossed Summer
Excerpt from STAR-CROSSED SUMMER:
Ryder smiled bashfully, spinning his beer in a circle on the table. “Honestly, I’m still surprised he cast me.”
I made a noise of dissent. “I’m not.”
It’s true; I wasn’t just stroking his ego. There was definitely something special about Ryder. He was talented, of course, but he also had that “it” factor, that certain je ne sais quoi, that kind of natural charisma and raw magnetism that commanded attention and drew people to him like bees orbiting a hive. When he talked to you, he gave you his full attention, like you were the only person in the world, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be. It was a heady feeling, like the sun was shining on you and you alone. And it wasn’t just me—I’d seen the effect he had on the women around him. He made them giggly, put a light in their eyes. Earlier, when he grabbed my hand to cross the street, I felt a staticky buzz in my joints that caught me off guard.
In other news, I might be developing a crush on my costar. Do not develop a crush on your costar.
I cleared my throat and got us back on track. “You were phenomenal in that audition. Plus, after reading the book, you really are the perfect pick for Holden, truly. And they wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t think you were up to the task.” I pause. “And in case you couldn’t tell, this pep talk is also for me.”
He grinned. “But let’s just be real about it. This face?” He made an exaggerated Zoolander “Blue Steel” expression, and I giggled. “It’s not the face of a romantic lead.” I tried to object but he wouldn’t let me. “Come on, my eyes are set too close together, they’re squinty when I smile, I’m 170 pounds dripping wet. Now J-Ham, on the other hand . . .” he said with a wag of his brows, and now I was the one throwing a wadded-up napkin at him.
He was talking about Jason Hamilton, our other main costar and the missing member of our fictional love triangle. Jason—or “J-Ham,” as he’d told us to call him, not that I could manage it with a straight face—was the classically handsome, picture-perfect Hollywood heartthrob you’d imagine as a romantic hero, right down to his cleft chin and flawless dimples, placed like perfect parenthesis around a dazzling smile. He had one of those gleaming toothpaste-ad grins, where a cartoon sparkle twinkled every time he flashed his pearly whites. Even his face shape was swoonworthy, all high cheekbones and blockish angles, like a Pixar-generated prince charming.
“Meh, that kind of perfection is boring,” I deadpanned.
“It’s not boring on you.”
My eyes snapped to his, and he held my gaze, a naughty smile playing on his lips. There’s that charmer again. It wasn’t uncommon for actors to be such brazen flirts—a lack of inhibition was practically a job requirement—but it was the first time I’d ever wanted to chuck my professional ethics and reciprocate. On second thought, maybe an on-set crush is harmless, the devil on my shoulder piped up. It might even help your performance!
I sidestepped his comment with a joke. “Getting into character early, I see.”
He arched an eyebrow as if to say, We both know you’re dodging, but I’ll let it slide this time.
I’d just taken a huge bite of my lobster roll when he asked, “So, will this be your first love scene?”
I nearly did a spit take. What a segue. I managed a nod through my coughing fit, my stomach tying itself into a complicated sailor’s knot.
“Same here. Nervous?”
Now there’s an understatement. “Extremely. I know Nate promised no nudity, but still, I just, I don’t know . . .”
“Same.” He leaned in, pushing aside his beer. “Listen, let’s make a pact. We do only what we’re comfortable with, nothing more and nothing less. I’ll have your back, and you’ll have mine. If we’re a united front, then they can’t pressure us into anything.”
Relief flooded through me. “Really? Oh, thank God! I’ve been worrying myself sick over this, thinking you’d be blasé about the whole thing while I’m busy throwing up in the corner.”
He winced in mock offense. “Um, ouch? I get that kissing me is hard work, but I don’t think it should make you sick.”
“Stop, you know what I mean.” His grin grew wider, and I smiled back, reveling in how easy this rapport felt with him. It wasn’t always like this—I’d been forced to fake it with plenty of deeply unpleasant, narcissistic actors—and I didn’t take his thoughtfulness for granted. “Anyway, I accept your pact.” I reached my hand out to shake and he gripped it in his large palm, and damn, there was that shock of electricity again. His eyes flared, and I think he felt it too.
“I’m so glad it’s you,” I blurted without thinking, and his brows shot up. “That I’m doing this with, I mean,” I stammered, belatedly embarrassed by my candor. Why not just make a pass at him while you’re at it?
“I’m glad it’s you, too,” he said sincerely, still clasping my hand. “You know when you left the audition room, Nate and I looked at each other and said, ‘Thank God’?”
A warm glow of pleasure swept over me. “Really?”
“He’d been looking for so long, I think he’d started to lose hope that the right Melody was even out there. He never said so, but I think he was questioning whether the movie would actually get made. But we both instantly knew you were the one.”
I squeezed his hand appreciatively before releasing it. “Thank you for telling me that.”
“What do you say we have fun these next few months, you and me?” There was a twinkle in his eyes as he held my gaze. “All you have to do is say yes.”
Copyright © 2026 by Devon Daniels
Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Matt Lanter
When a Hollywood starlet is unexpectedly reunited with the costar who broke her heart, their chemistry has her questioning what’s reel and what’s real in this heartfelt summer romance about first loves and second chances.
It’s been ten years since the fateful summer Scarlett Everhart filmed The Lost Letter, the tearjerking romantic drama that catapulted her to worldwide fame and set her on a collision course with Ryder Perry, the movie’s intense, irresistible leading man. The pair’s fiery onscreen chemistry captured audiences' hearts—while their whirlwind affair offscreen shattered Scarlett’s into a million pieces. Determined to move on, she made a vow: to focus on her career, leave Ryder in her past, and never, ever look back.
A decade later, Scarlett’s kept that promise. She’s become one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading ladies and is on the cusp of the biggest role of her career. And if she’s been unlucky in love, at least she’s managed to put her ill-fated relationship with her former costar—and the public’s obsession with the pair’s star-crossed romance—behind her. That is, until a sudden twist of fate thrusts her and Ryder back together in the seaside South Carolina town where they first fell in love, then fell dramatically apart.
As old sparks reignite, Scarlett is swept back into the love story that once defined her life, forcing her to reckon with the choice that tore them apart…and the devastating secret she’s been keeping since their breakup all those years ago.
Romance Comedy [ Berkley, On Sale: July 7, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593199251 / eISBN: 9780593199268 ]
Devon Daniels is a born-and-bred California girl whose own love story found her transplanted to the Maryland shores of the Chesapeake. She's a graduate of the University of Southern California (fight on!) and in her past life worked in marketing, product design, and music.
When she's not writing, you'll find her clinging to her sanity as mom, chef, chauffeur, and referee to four children, or sneaking off with her husband for date nights in Washington, DC. Meet You in the Middle is her first novel.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026