The Maple Effect

June Crow has spent every summer of his life in Bass Lake, California; soaking up the sun, getting in trouble with his beloved best friend, and escaping the reality that is his otherwise miserable life. Summer is what makes June’s world go around—hell, even his name suggests that—so when his parents decide not to renew their contract renting the cabin, June decides he deserves at least a chance to say goodbye. This is his last summer, after all. So, he runs away. Simple, right? As it turns out, nothing is simple when you’re eighteen. Not the cabin. Not the lake. And certainly not Aaron Valentine; the insecure, attractive, afraid-of-the-dark boy from Portland who shows up in the middle of the night. Read more