Kara Demaio

Summers After Kara Demaio

It's been two years since her best friend, Tate, was murdered, and Ayla is still learning how to live with the guilt and anger that she feels about his death, especially after finding out that three of the people who attacked them are getting away with it.

Her boyfriend, Jase, struggles with Ayla's newfound ways to deal with her grief, as she turns to alcohol to avoid her problems - something that brings back painful memories for Jase of his own mother's battle with addiction. Worried that Ayla will fall victim to the same demons as his mother, Jase wonders whether he should hold on tighter or let her go.

As the two of them attempt to make their relationship work in the aftermath of Tate's death, both Ayla and Jase learn that trauma and loss affect everyone differently, and that navigating grief is a very personal journey.