a stubborn, fidgety teenager whose voice threads the whole book—she's fierce, doubtful, and quietly hilarious in the same
breath. Then there's the dog, Fetch, who isn't just a
pet but a
Catalyst: loyal, mischievous, and oddly wise in the way pets can be in fiction. Their bond drives most of the emotional scenes, especially when the plot forces Maya to choose between comfort and risk.
Around them orbit Jonah, Maya's pragmatic friend who balances her impulsiveness with steady, sometimes achingly patient care, and Ms. Rivera, an older neighbor who functions as a kind of moral compass and holds family history Maya never
knew. The antagonist isn't a single villain so much as a looming development project led by Carter Haines, whose corporate pressure exposes the town's fractures. Secondary folks—Maya's mother Evelyn, who wrestles with past grief, and Mr. Delgado, the salvage-
shop owner with a soft spot—fill the world out. I love how the characters feel like people you'd run into at a coffee shop; they linger in my head long after the last page, which is the
sign of a book that truly worked for me.