Debut author Katie Norton’s young adult dual-timeline novel connects two girls across seventy years through an apron, poetry, and Sylvia Plath.

A gentle yet powerful story of mental health, first love, and hope amid uncertainty, perfect for readers who love All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir.

Dorothy, 1954.

Since her mother’s death four years ago, Dorothy has run the household, caring for her younger brothers and grieving father. But she dreams of college and writing. When she meets Charlie, a wealthy summer islander, Dorothy begins to imagine a bigger future—one where she can finally set aside her mother’s apron.

Ella, 2024.

After a difficult year of mental health struggles, Ella and her parents are settling into a fragile new normal. Worried about her friend Marty’s unsafe home life, Ella searches for answers. When she finds embroidery on an old apron, it leads to poetry, hidden messages, and an unexpected connection to Sylvia Plath. As Ella and Marty try to piece together the meaning behind the words, the past begins to speak in ways neither of them expected.

Debut author Katie Norton connects two girls across seventy years in this dual-narrative YA novel exploring mental health, Sylvia Plath, friendship, relationships, hopes, and dreams as Ella and Dorothy learn from the past and grow into the women they want to become.