LITTLE PIECES OF LIGHT

Two childhood sweethearts navigate the pressures of adolescence and difficult family dynamics.

Emery Wallace and Xander Ford formed an instant connection when they first met in Rhode Island on the Fourth of July at the age of 10. Xander, who was in town from Maryland for his family’s annual trip to see his dad’s relatives, was obviously poor, while Emery was clearly a rich girl. They decide to become pen pals, but neither one receives an answer to their letters, and even though Emery looks for him at their meeting point each Independence Day, Xander doesn’t appear. Seven years later, Xander is back in town with his ailing dad. The pair is reunited when Emery—answering an ad and not realizing who posted it—hires Xander to be her calculus tutor. After some initial friction over the dropped communication, the sparks fly. But as their emotionally charged, physically intense relationship grows, they face challenges—Emery struggles with her controlling father’s demands for perfection, and Xander’s father has early onset dementia. In flowery language, Scott’s vivid, highly emotional story explores love, loss, and grief. The chapters alternate between the leads’ first-person perspectives, building tension and showing how they find themselves through their mutual love. Scott thoughtfully explores difficult topics young adults might experience, such as emotional abuse, parental conflict, and socioeconomic differences. Main characters present white.

A passionate romance about a couple who find the missing pieces of themselves in one another.