Ronnie is a teen who is sent by her mom to a beachside town in the South to live with her estranged dad for the summer. Ronnie resents him for leaving so she vents by shutting people out. Her father, like her, is a talented pianist, but Ronnie has turned her back on this aspect of her life. While staying with her dad, she learns that he is helping rebuild a glass window of a local church which was partly damaged by a fire he supposedly caused. Her dad is also occupied with writing a song. Ronnie also meets Will, and they bond over caring for a turtle's nest outside her beach home. They become friends and spark a romance. Meanwhile, as Ronnie becomes more grounded in this new environment, she and her dad reconcile. One day, her dad collapses, and she finds out he has cancer. Ronnie also finds out that Will's friend caused the fire that her dad was blamed for, they fight, and they break up. Summer's over but she stays and takes care of her dad, and eventually finishes the song her dad wasn't able to complete. At the funeral at the rebuilt church, Ronnie sings the song she and her dad composed. Outside, Will is there to talk to her, they make-up. Ronnie accepting the musical legacy her dad has left her, goes to Julliard, with Will following her, intent on going to school in Columbia.
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Best part of story, including ending:
Father and daughter relationships are complicated, but the two mend their differences and bond over music.
Best scene in story:
When Ronnie sings her dad's song, and realizes how precious it was to have spent that little time with him.
Opinion about the main character:
Ronnie is a typical teen dealing with the divorce of her parents, and her rebellion is understandable.