When You Come Back to Me by Emma Scott

When You Come Back to Me

Emma Scott, Eric London, Zachary Johnson

Sourcebooks · Print & ebook · January 20, 2026

A M M Romance pick for readers exploring When You Come Back to Me.

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Genres
YA Romance - LGBTQ+, Contemporary YA Romance, Dating & Sex for Teens
Published
Sourcebooks, January 20, 2026

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Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Contemporary YA Romance.

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For older readers: Exodus, Truly Madly Deeply, One True Loves

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About this book

From USA Today bestselling author Emma Scott comes the second in an emotional series of interconnected, coming-of-age YA romances. At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys... Holden Parish survived his parents' horrific attempts to make him "the perfect son." After a year's stint in a Swiss sanitarium to recover, he has vowed to never let anything—or anyone—trap him again.

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Brilliant but broken, he seeks refuge behind alcohol, meaningless sex, and uses his wicked sense of humor to keep people away. He only has to ride out one year in the coastal town of Santa Cruz with his aunt and uncle before he inherits his billions and can make his escape. Disappear. Falling in love is not in the plans. River Whitmore. Star quarterback of the Central High football team, Prom King, Mr. Popular, ladies' man. He leads the perfect life...except it's all a lie. His father has River's future in the NFL all planned out, while River's dream is to run the family business in the town that he loves. But his mother's illness is tearing the family apart and River is becoming the glue that holds them together. How can he break his father's heart when it's already shattering? River's carefully-crafted façade explodes when he meets Holden Parish. A guy who dresses in coats and scarves year-round, drinks expensive vodka, and spends his free time breaking into houses for the fun of it. They're complete opposites. River seeks a quiet life, away from the spotlight. Holden would rather have dental surgery than settle down. Holden's demons and River's responsibilities threaten to keep them apart, while their undeniable attraction crashes them together again and again, growing into something deep and real no matter how they resist. Until one terrible night changes everything. *Please note, this book contains spoilers for The Girl in the Love Song.

Why It Clicks

Come here for

  • Second-chance ache
  • Contemporary YA romance feel

Expect

  • YA emotional register
  • Longer immersive stretch

Where it sits

YA Romance - LGBTQ+96%
Contemporary YA Romance68%
Dating & Sex for Teens47%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Romance
  • Contemporary YA Romance
  • YA Romance - LGBTQ+
Authors
Emma Scott, Eric London, Zachary Johnson
Publisher
Sourcebooks
Published
January 20, 2026
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
YA Romance