Two childhood friends.
A summer quest for love.
The confession that changed their friendship forever.
#1 Amazon New Release
Teen & Young Adult Asian American Fiction eBooks
Teen & Young Adult Geography & Cultures US Fiction eBooks
Teen & Young Adult School & Education
Teen & Young Adult US 20th Century Historical Fiction eBooks
Amazon Bestseller
Teen & Young Adult Asian American Fiction eBooks
Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self-Esteem
Teen & Young Adult School & Education
Teen & Young Adult United States Historical Fiction
Teen & Young Adult US 20th Century Historical Fiction eBooks
What Readers are Saying About The Unsaid Summer
“I saw myself in this story and in the characters and it felt exactly like *my* life and *my* love story, like it was written just for me. Trust me — you will be invested in Bradley and Sammie (the main characters) and by the end, care very deeply about them. And while there won't be any spoilers here, the story stays with you well after the ending, leaving you wanting more.”
— Jeanette L.
“This novel is brilliantly told in the form of a letter. A letter that most can imagine writing when experiencing a deep longing to reconnect with a person who has made a significant impact in their lives. The Unsaid Summer is revealing and vulnerable and so very relatable. This story evokes feelings and (sometimes painful) memories of ‘self’-searching and the profound experience of falling in and out of love.”
— Desiree
“For me, THE UNSAID SUMMER ranks among the great Coming-of-Age stories of the last several decades. In literature and film. Like those stories, the novel is driven by an exciting, vulnerable voice that forced me to reflect and meditate on every event until the story’s final moments. And the bittersweet, uplifting feeling I had while flipping that last page still lingers.”
— Michael D.
“Just finished reading it, and ahhh, I LOVED it! The entire time I was captivated... felt like I was right there experiencing the experiences and feeling the feelings. The author's words don't simply paint a picture, they absolutely bring the world to life. Seriously. Wow.”
— Veronica B.
“Humanity captured to a perfect rhythm with amazing characters painted in masterful detail. I found my head bobbing to the imagined sounds emanating from its pages and my feet shuffling on the carpet… ‘quick, quick slow…quick, quick slow.’”
—Michael G.
“For the young reader, this story can save you a lot of time. Before you go on a journey of trying to be someone, read this. You might save yourself from the heartache the protagonist of this book endures; you might skip the dark night of the soul and never need a reckoning between who you want to be and who you authentically are.
“Or you could, as many of us do, find these truths through your own trial and error. But I doubt you'll be able to present these truths as artfully as they are written here.”
— Dresden
To keep up with the latest news about The Unsaid Summer
sign up for my personal newsletter below!
The Unsaid Summer
SYNOPSIS
In 90s California there is no hotter star in pop culture than Brad P.
And Bradley P.—a Filipino-American teen growing up in Los Angeles—could not feel more different from the handsome, charismatic actor with whom he shares the same name.
As Bradley deals with the complex emotions of life, his therapist instructs him to write a letter to his best friend, Sammie. Through the letter, Bradley unveils the journey that he and Sammie took the summer his whole world changed.
How far out of Bradley’s comfort zone was he willing to step? What did he do when he realized the woman he truly loved, but maybe a moment too late?
And when it all came down to what hadn’t been said that summer, did Bradley take the path he desired or was he too afraid to face the fear of rejection?
The Unsaid Summer is a bittersweet, literary, coming-of-age story permeated with Bradley’s raw sense of longing for acceptance: acceptance from the girl he has a crush on, acceptance from his parents, and mostly—as a young man who often feels he doesn’t fit amongst his peers and in society—acceptance from himself.
With a cast of remarkably crafted, wonderfully diverse, and memorable characters, The Unsaid Summer takes readers on a nostalgic ride of love, self-discovery, and heartache as the reader learns all that Bradley left unsaid that summer.
Josef Lemoine
Josef Lemoine is a Filipino-American writer living in Southern California, where he was raised by his Filipino mother and multiracial father. Since 2011, he has worked in story development for a renowned entertainment company, helping to design the world’s most beloved theme parks, attractions, and immersive experiences.
Josef earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in creative writing and literature at California State University, Long Beach. While attending, he discovered slam poetry and competed in the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. He was also awarded the James I. Murashige Jr. Memorial Scholarship for best short story.
His fiction and poetry have been published in several literary journals. In February, 2021, he was featured as Moon Tide Press’ poet of the month. Under a different title, his debut coming-of-age novel—The Unsaid Summer—was a runner-up for the 2022 Red Hen Press Fiction Award. It was released in October, 2023.
Josef lives in the San Gabriel Valley with his wife, son, and daughter.
“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.”
— Joyce Carol Oates
Recognition
Josef’s upcoming novel was runner-up for the 2022 Red Hen Press Fiction Award.
Josef was named Moon Tide Press Poet of the Month for February, 2021.
