The Lovers, the Liars, and Me

A teen travels to Jamaica hoping to answer questions about her absent mother, only to discover more about her identity than she could have ever expected—and find herself caught up in an unexpected love triangle—in this dazzling young adult coming-of-age novel by award-winning author DeAndra Davis.

Jaliya Powell has never had a real adventure, a real boyfriend, or spoken up for herself. She has never even been kissed. Despite being valedictorian of her high school class, Jaliya is used to fading into the background.

But this summer will be different.

This summer, Jaliya is visiting her uncle and his family in Jamaica. Under the guise of one last vacation before college, she plans to uncover the truth about her estranged mother, whose absence has always been an unspoken mystery. But much has changed in the seven years since she last visited.

Her cousin now has a life of his own and keeps her at a distance. Her childhood crush is still impossibly charming—and even more unavailable. Her aunt and uncle are not quite the people she remembers. And then there is India: vibrant, free-spirited, and magnetic in a way that unsettles everything Jaliya thought she knew about herself.

As Jaliya searches for traces of her mother across the island, she becomes entangled in complicated relationships, buried secrets, and an unexpected first love.

By the end of a summer that changes everything, Jaliya must choose between who she has always been and who she is becoming.