When secrets tear love apart, can the truth mend it?—from The Globe and Mail–bestselling author Marissa Stapley.

When secrets tear love apart, can the truth mend it?

Mae Summers and Gabe Broadbent grew up together in the idyllic Summers’ Inn, perched at the edge the St. Lawrence River. Mae was orphaned at the age of six and Gabe needed protection from his alcoholic father, so both were raised under one roof by Mae’s grandparents, Lily and George. A childhood friendship quickly developed into a first love—a love that was suddenly broken by Gabe’s unexpected departure. Mae grew up and got over her heartbreak, and started a life for herself in New York City.

After more than a decade, Mae and Gabe find themselves pulled back to Alexandria Bay by separate forces. Hoping to find solace within the Summers’ Inn, Mae instead finds her grandparents in the midst of decline and their past unravelling around her. A lifetime of secrets that implicate Gabe and Mae’s family reveal a version of the past that will forever change Mae’s future.

From the bestselling author of Mating for Life comes a poignant generational story about family and secrets. With honesty and heart, Marissa Stapley reminds us of the redemptive power of love and forgiveness, and that, ultimately, family is a choice.

Marissa Stapley is an award-nominated journalist and the bestselling author of the novels Lucky, soon to be an Apple limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy, The Lightning Bottles, Mating for Life, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and The Last Resort. Her writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines across North America, including The Globe and Mail (Toronto), National Post, Toronto Star, Reader’s Digest, Elle, and Today’s Parent. She has taught creative writing and editing at the University of Toronto and Centennial College. She lives in Toronto with her family. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MarissaStapley or like her page on Facebook (Facebook.com/MarissaStapleyAuthor) for updates and contests!

Marissa Stapley's profile page

“The complex and moving saga of a non-traditional family with deep bonds and even deeper secrets. Set against the idyllic background of a far-flung seaside town, the finely drawn characters of this novel test the limits of friendship, love, and forgiveness. A story that lingers long after the final page is turned.”

Andrea Dunlop, author of Losing the Light

“Fans of Nicholas Sparks will adore Things to Do When It’s Raining, an irresistible tribute to first love, second chances and the powerful legacy of the past. Elegant and heartfelt, Marissa Stapley’s writing is a gift.”

Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale

“Regrets, secrets, and hidden longings swirl beneath the surface of this beautifully atmospheric story of love found, lost, and rediscovered. I couldn’t stop reading.”

Shelley Noble, NYT bestselling author of Whisper Beach and The Beach At Painter’s Cove

“The intensity of the lasting love and friendship between Gabe and Mae is emotionally powerful and finely wrought, and Stapley complements this story about the difficult choices family members make for those they love with an evocative setting.”

Publishers Weekly

“There is something so intimate and true in the sentence, 'Every marriage harbors secrets, secrets about why it works or why it doesn't work, secrets between two people that the rest of the world can never be privy to.' Profound and intimate, raw and real—Things to Do When It's Raining is hard to put down. Loved the ending but hated to have it end!”

Nan Rossiter, New York Times bestselling author of Firefly Summer

“I enjoyed Things to Do When It's Raining enormously. A lovely book full of emotion and wisdom.”

Marian Keyes

“A tightly woven story that beautifully illustrates how tragedy and human weakness can cause heartbreaking ripples for years and generations to come.”

K.A. Tucker, bestselling author of He Will Be My Ruin

“A haunting, gripping novel about family secrets and love lost and found. It's a story that will resonate with anyone who has returned home to find that places have as much power as people to wound, and heal.”

Elizabeth Renzetti , author of Based on a True Story

“Evocative, wise and infused with heart. A deeply moving story about family, love and loss, the novel shows how secrets can either haunt us or set us free, depending on who we trust them with. One of my favorite books this year!”

KARMA BROWN, bestselling author of Come Away with Me

“Commercial fiction at its best. Compelling, heartfelt and well-crafted. A gem of a page-turner.”

Toronto Star

“A story worth savoring.”

Hello Magazine

“Spellbinding. . . . I fell in love with Mae Summers from the first page, and I followed her, heart between my teeth, as she uncovered family secrets and reconsidered her place in the world. Full of engaging characters, sensitivity and insight, Marissa Stapley’s newest novel is a beautiful, emotionally acute saga that makes us all reconsider the meaning of love and family.”

Danila Botha, author of Too Much on the Inside

“Things to Do When It’s Raining has heart and soul and guts, and it has achingly beautiful prose and characters so dear and real I couldn’t bear to say goodbye when I reached its final page. It’s a book about friendship and secrets, grief and regret, the peculiar shape of families and the redemptive nature of love. And it is, quite frankly, one of the best books I have read in a very long time.”

Jennifer Robson, bestselling author of Moonlight over Paris

“Written with compassion and insight, Things to Do When It's Raining is a truly captivating novel with exquisite prose and moments of bittersweet tenderness.”

Nicola Moriarty, author of The Fifth Letter

“A generous book about imperfect people, a novel about the family we choose, the mistakes we make, and how love, flawed and searching and messy, is the only path to forgiveness. It’s also a gorgeously written page-turner, and when I finished it, I flipped right back to page one to savor it just a little bit more.”

Lauren Fox, author of Days of Awe

“A charming tale with an enchanting setting, Stapley’s latest (after Mating for Life, 2014) is an engaging read about keeping secrets, starting over, and loving the family you choose.”

Booklist