If You Were Here

Johnson (Every Time You Go Away) offers both summertime romance and a historical mystery in this sensorial grumpy-sunshine love story set on Nantucket. Seventeen-year-old Lili Gardner is thrilled to be back on the island to fix up her late father’s house. But Lili has more on her mind than home renovations; she also hopes to solve a decades-old mystery about a distant relative accused of smuggling, which her father researched all his life. Following a tip from a neighbor, Lili visits McCleave’s Mermaid Museum, where she meets 19-year-old Wren McCleave, the museum’s cranky manager, who uses a wheelchair. While Wren’s father happily displays tourist-pleasing “mermaid” skeletons, Wren longs to exhibit their authentic historic objects. The teens’ interest in local lore—and Lili’s uncanny ability to charm Wren out of his perpetual crankiness—first sparks amiable companionship, then sunny romance, conveyed via lively prose. Alluring history about Nantucket’s maritime roots and its bustling present-day tourist scene enliven the idyllic seaside setting. Lili and Wren cue as white. Age 13–up. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (Apr.)