College was supposed to be Vanessa's redemption story.
One epic screw-up, and suddenly she was
that
girl-the cautionary tale whispered about in dorm hallways. But now she's back, armed with a fake smile, a well-pressed cheerleading uniform, and the determination to prove she's more than her past.
Enter Zack Rhodes: star quarterback, campus golden boy, and walking validation. When he sets his sights on her, it feels like a clean slate wrapped in expensive cologne and a winning smile. Sure, his world is a little over-the-top-riverside tailgates, tulip bouquets, mix CDs with her name in Sharpie-but Vanessa's too busy climbing the social ladder to question it. Even when it starts to wobble.
Then there's Luke Miller: her childhood friend turned current nemesis, now a rising star in his own right with a dangerously inflated ego to match. He has an uncanny ability to push her buttons, and zero interest in buying her well-practiced "I'm fine." She's earned a gold star in dodging him, his questions, and the inconvenient bubbles of doubt they stir up-because those bubbles? Popped. Gone. Forgotten.
Everything's going according to plan-if that plan includes walking on eggshells and getting whiplash from her boyfriend's (sorry, non-boyfriend's) mood swings.
But when her vision clears and the sparkle fades, Vanessa has to face the truth: if she wants something real, she'll have to stop pretending.
Riverbanks and Regrets
is a New Adult reimagining of the previously publishing YA novel When the Time Comes to Light a Fire by Nicole Campbell