Shells Only Open in Summer

For the following languages please contact Laura Karayotov – Lester Agency:

Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, Georgian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Slovak, Ukrainian.

As they do every year, Léna and Phoebe are spending their summer holiday on the Basque coast. While Léna dreams of nothing but surfing and partying on the beach, Phoebe is still reeling from a difficult first year at university. The two sisters barely speak to each other and their family is on the verge of collapse. But this summer, there’s Inaya: the girl who shakes up Léna’s world. Then there’s Isaac, Phoebe’s first love, whose heart she broke last summer. Most importantly of all, there are things the two sisters have never said to each other.

A summer novel that delicately explores family relationships, friendships and love during the passage to adulthood. Two sisters, things left unsaid, first love, new encounters: the summer when everything changes.

Strong themes and key words: family, sisters, summer, first love, sexual orientation, university

“The most promising author of our generation!” – Audrey, Le Souffle des Mots (121,000 YouTube subscribers, 104,000 Instagram followers)

Winner of the Prix Jeunes Adultes de Livr’à Vannes 2025. Finalist in the Prix Vendredi 2025

+10,000 GFK copies sold since publication in June 2024

A delicate summer novel about coming of age

A unique style, a superb page-turner

A third novel after two great successes: unanimous feedback from readers and booksellers!

A unique style of writing, equally enjoyable on both light and serious subjects, commenting on both society and intimacy

A strong contemporary voice in the style of Alice Oseman (Loveless, I was born for this) or Sally Rooney in English