The Summer We Ran

Audrey Ingram
The Summer We Ran

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Coming June 3, 2025

Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive dual timelines, The Summer We Ran weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decision two people must make in order to fulfill the futures they each desire.

In the summer of 1996, teenage Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.

Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant’s love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes and the teenagers find themselves pained by betrayal with little hope to repair the damage that’s been done. 

Now, two decades after their epic teenage romance abruptly ended in heartbreak, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, where secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, futures, and the love they once shared.

Buy Audiobook

Coming June 3, 2025

Does your past define your destiny? Told through multiple perspectives, rich with emotion and immersive dual timelines, The Summer We Ran weaves together a story of lost love, devastating secrets, shocking sabotage, and the painstaking decision two people must make in order to fulfill the futures they each desire.

In the summer of 1996, teenage Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.

Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant’s love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes and the teenagers find themselves pained by betrayal with little hope to repair the damage that’s been done. 

Now, two decades after their epic teenage romance abruptly ended in heartbreak, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, where secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, futures, and the love they once shared.

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The Summer We Ran

Audrey Ingram

Visit Audrey's Website

Audrey Ingram

Audrey Ingram is a native of Alabama and a graduate of Middlebury College and Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law in Washington, DC for fifteen years. She is the author of the forthcoming, THE SUMMER WE RAN, with Zibby Books. Her other work includes THE RIVER RUNS SOUTH and THE GROUP TRIP.

When not writing, she can be found digging in her garden or hiking the Blue Ridge mountains. Audrey currently lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

What people are saying...

"The Summer We Ran is a perfectly nostalgic story of love, loss, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. It’s exactly what I hope for in a summertime read.”

Annabel Monaghan

author of Same Time Next Summer

“Audrey Ingram’s The Summer We Ran is an exquisitely crafted tale of love, ambition, and the secrets that shape us. Weaving together past and present, rising political star Tess Murphy grapples with memories of a youthful, bittersweet summer romance with a man who is now her fierce professional rival. Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Summer We Ran is a page-turning, tender exploration of class, ambition, and the resilience of the human heart.”

Jamie Brenner

author of A Novel Summer

"At once a tender portrait of first love and a captivating tale of long-buried secrets, The Summer We Ran follows the upstairs/downstairs former couple, Tess and Grant, as they're unexpectedly pitted against each other as political rivals. A heartfelt story that explores how we never quite let go of the people we love when we’re young, Audrey Ingram shows us, one revelation at a time, how it may be possible to forgive the crush of the past, even if we carry the pain for a lifetime. I flew through it!"

Brooke Lea Foster

author of All the Summers in Between

"The Summer We Ran is a mesmerizing buffet of mystery, lost love, beautifully realized settings, and intriguing characters. Audrey Ingram weaves a story between past and present that you will not be able to put down. Please tell me a sequel is in the works."

Ethan Joella

author of The Same Bright Stars

"Timely and poignant, The Summer We Ran perfectly captures the societal, political, and moral complications that can both bring people together and tear them apart. Ingram writes complex, real, and beautifully flawed characters. I am forever an Audrey Ingram fan!"

Neely Tubati Alexander

author of Love Buzz