The Way Back to You

For fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, a witty, poignant novel about second chances, letting go, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

Six months ago, Ashlyn Montiel died in a bike accident. Her best friend, Cloudy, is keeping it together, at least on the outside. Cloudy’s insides are a different story: tangled, confused, heartbroken.

Kyle is falling apart, and everyone can tell. Ashlyn was his girlfriend, and when she died, a part of him went with her. Maybe the only part he cares about anymore.

As the two people who loved Ashlyn best, Cloudy and Kyle should be able to lean on each other. But after a terrible mistake last year, they’re barely speaking. So when Cloudy discovers that Ashlyn’s organs were donated after her death and the Montiel family has been in touch with three of the recipients, she does something a little bit crazy and a lot out of character: she steals the letters and convinces Kyle to go on a winter break road trip with her, from Oregon to California to Arizona to Nevada. Maybe if they see the recipients—the people whose lives were saved by Ashlyn’s death—the world will open up again.

Or maybe it will be a huge mistake.

• Enemies to Lovers: He was her best friend’s boyfriend. She was the one he could never figure out. Now they’re trapped in a car together, and the line between hate and love has never been blurrier.
• A Road Trip Romance: From the misty roads of Oregon to the sun-drenched highways of the Southwest, Cloudy and Kyle are on a journey to find pieces of Ashlyn—and might just find their way back to each other.
• Second Chance Romance: A terrible mistake drove them apart last year. This one impulsive trip is their only chance to forgive the past and face the feelings they’ve both been denying.
• Grief and Loss: A raw and heartfelt exploration of life after loss, told from the dual perspectives of the best friend and the boyfriend Ashlyn left behind.