Small Buried Echoes - Hannah Layne

Devon and Charlie had a year that left them not knowing which way was up. Childhood friends turned support system and unexpected roommates, they anchor themselves into their routines to keep each other from spiraling.

Charlie knows how to keep moving.

The aftermath of her devastating loss has landed her in summer classes, chasing a feeling she can’t explain and trying to find a way back to the person she was before grief changed everything, all while living under the same roof as the one man she’s not supposed to fall for.

Devon knows how to keep things buried.

Doc was his best friend. Charlie was the girl they all grew up with. Now that they’re living together for the summer, Devon is forced to confront the feelings he’s spent years pretending don’t exist. Wanting Charlie feels like a betrayal of the friend they both lost and Devon isn’t sure he’s ready to find out what happens when he stops denying it.

But falling for each other means confronting the guilt that comes with finding something worth living for in the aftermath of their greatest loss. Neither of them knows what they’re allowed to feel, especially when the person responsible for Doc’s death is still out there and the police don’t have enough evidence to get the warrant they need.

Charlie and Devon thought the summer would be about learning how to cope in their grief, they never expected it to teach them how to feel alive again.