When the Lights Stop Blinking

Four summers. Four chances at love.

For Billy Burne, the Jersey Shore isn't just a vacation destination- it's a way of life. Despite having spent every summer of his life vacationing "down the Shore" with his large family, this summer is going to be different. Feeling a sense of newfound independence after his freshman year of college, Billy has decided to spend the entire summer with his elderly Aunt Pearl and Uncle Junie in their bustling Bellebridge home, just a block away from the beach. His goal? Make some money as a musician playing the Shore haunts just like Bruce Springsteen. But the universe- and his aunt- have other plans.

Leah comes from a "crap town in Pennsylvania" and has an equally "crap family". To make matters worse, she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She thought that a year at college would help her figure it out but it's just left her even more confused. When the chance comes along to nanny for a wealthy Main Line family in Bellebridge for the summer, she jumps at the opportunity. How hard could it be watching two kids while sitting on a beautiful beach?

After a chance meeting, Billy and Leah's lives in Bellebridge become irrevocably intertwined. As feelings grow, so do the complications that come with them. The biggest problem? They both have to return to college (and their normal lives) at the end of the summer. As Labor Day approaches and Bellebridge begins its descent into the lazy off-season, the traffic lights on the barrier island turn to all blinking yellow lights- the signal to the locals that summer is officially over. Leah and Billy promise each other that they will "see each other when the lights stop blinking".

Over the course of the four endless summers that comprise their college years, Billy and Leah face the changing tides of family, friends, relationships, and coming to terms with adulthood. For fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty, When the Lights Stop Blinking is a heart rending depiction of how love can change the course of a person's life.

Author: John Rotondo
Publisher: Gemini Press (NY)
Published: 07/11/2023
Pages: 350
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781955858274
Audience: Young Adult

About the Author
John Rotondo lives in New Jersey with his wife and very talkative son. He is a true New Jersian through and through with his deep love the Shore, the New York Mets, and, of course, Bruce Springsteen. When he is not writing or teaching teenagers the finer points of Mrs. Doubtfire's story structure, you can find him having a glass of wine with his very large and very fun family.