First Kiss #35

A young woman named Polly hears constant warnings that Simon Marsh is bad news—a troublemaker and heartbreaker—but she's skeptical of the gossip and decides to call him out herself. When she finally spends time with Simon, she discovers that beneath his dangerous reputation lies a nice boy who's been deliberately cultivating a legend, and their clash of wills leads to an unexpected spark between them.

A high school senior yearns for her first real romance—until she meets Mike, her cousin's charming friend, and finds herself swept up in what feels like genuine love. But as summer unfolds, Jean discovers that she's been in love with the idea of being in love, not with Mike himself, and must face a difficult truth about the difference between infatuation and real connection.

Two childhood sweethearts separated by duty and expectation reunite in New York City, where they've both escaped the lives their families planned for them—he abandoning banking to pursue architecture, she building an independent career of her own. As Eleanor and Richard rediscover each other over quiet evenings in the city, old feelings stir, but the past won't let go so easily: there's still the matter of a ring, hurt feelings, and the question of whether they can build something real together, or if they're just two lonely people clinging to what's familiar.