A New England summer in a seaside town brings lawyer Natalie Kimball face to face with her high-school past. One summer a young man was killed in a car accident, which changed everyone's life. Now she has returned to take her place in the small family law firm, and old memories are stirred.

Maureen Cole is getting married and impulsively she asks Natalie to be one of her bridesmaids, as a partner for her brother Bruce. Bruce was held responsible for his friend's drunken driving and after the Naval Academy has led a life on the road as a computer consultant rather than face the townsfolk. Accustomed to flashing platinum cards and frequent flyer points to get what he wants, Bruce comes to learn that life doesn't always work that way.

Natalie is hiding the fact of her hearing impairment. She is good at lip-reading but Bruce notices her extra-loud phone ringing and the subtitled TV and guesses. The challenge of picking up her law business is made harder by her father's assumption that she should stick to routine office work; Natalie plans a meet-and-greet party for potential clients. Bruce had hoped to fly out of town, but his grandfather's sudden-onset Alzheimer's disease complicates matters and he takes the old man fishing to try to restore some connections. Thrown together with Natalie, they enjoy the coast and a Sandcastle Sculpture Festival, and the young people come to admire and desire each other, but Bruce still plans to leave.

This is a well-thought-out tale about a brave young woman overcoming her impairment to realise her potential, and a seemingly high-achieving man who has been refusing to face censure and so has a hollow life. Learning to care for each other and for those around them makes all the difference and enables them to find happiness. Romance fans will enjoy THE LONG WAY HOME as will lovers of scenic Maine.