Two summers. Two lives at a crossroads. One island that changes everything.

Elizabeth Margaret (EM) has always done what’s expected of her. Harvard. Law school. A future already mapped out at her father’s firm. She’s the perfect daughter—the girl who never disappoints. But when a mysterious aunt she’s never met invites her to spend the summer at a secluded bed-and-breakfast off the coast of North Carolina, Em makes the first reckless choice of her life.

Island life is slower. Freer. Filled with sunlit days, long-held family secrets, and a sense of belonging Em never knew she was missing. And then there’s Cade—magnetic, infuriating, and impossible to ignore—who challenges everything she thought she wanted and everything she’s afraid to admit she needs.

As the summer unfolds, Em is forced to confront a life-defining question: What if the future planned for her isn’t the future she wants?

Meanwhile, on the same island, Levi is running—from fame, from pressure, and from a music career that no longer brings him joy. Once a place of comfort, the island is now his last hope for rediscovering his voice. Gwenny arrives seeking something different but just as urgent: a fresh start. Haunted by past mistakes and long overlooked, she’s determined to rebuild her life one quiet step at a time.

What neither of them expects is each other.

As long days fade into warm, unforgettable nights, first love and second chances intertwine. But healing isn’t simple. The lives they left behind—and the choices they’ve avoided—are waiting. And not every summer is meant to be an escape.

The Summer My Life Began is a heartfelt, romantic coming-of-age series about first love, second chances, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to choose yourself—even when it changes everything.

Some summers don’t just change your plans.They change your life.