Eleanor & Park meets Perks of Being a Wallflower in this bittersweet 1980’s story about love, loss, and a comet that only comes around every ninety-seven years.

When Carrie looks through her telescope, the world makes sense. It’s life here on Earth that’s hard to decipher. Since her older sister, Ginny, died, Carrie has been floating in the orbit of Ginny’s friends, the cool kids, who are far more interested in bands and partying than science.

Carrie’s reckless behavior crosses a line, and her father enrolls her in a summer work camp at a local state park. There, Carrie pulls weeds and endures pep talks about the power of hard work. Despite her best efforts to hate the job, Carrie actually feels happy out in nature. And when she meets Dean—warm, thoughtful, and perceptive—she starts to discover that her life can be like her beloved night sky, with black holes of grief for Ginny and dazzling meteors of joy from first love.

• Grief and Loss: Still reeling from the death of her sister, Ginny, Carrie finds herself floating in her sister’s old friend group, a constant and painful reminder of everything she’s lost.
• Forced Proximity: Sent to a summer work camp as punishment, Carrie expects nothing but pulling weeds and misery. She doesn’t expect to meet Dean, a thoughtful boy who sees the real her.
• 1980s Nostalgia: Set to a soundtrack of The Replacements, The Velvet Underground, and The Psychedelic Furs, this story is steeped in the bittersweet feeling of a 1980s summer.
• First Love: A tentative first romance that feels as rare and dazzling as the comet Carrie is waiting for, proving that even after the deepest loss, joy can arrive like a meteor shower.