A thoughtful teenager caught between the firm beliefs of his religious mother and the quiet disillusionment of his father. As he navigates a summer of uncertainty before university, Martin takes a job at a second-hand shop and discovers an old novel, Aubade, whose story mirrors his own life in eerie and intimate ways.

Each page he turns blurs the line between fiction and reality, forcing him to confront questions of destiny, identity, and love. When he meets David, a university student whose confidence and warmth draw him in, Martin begins to experience the awakening of self that he never knew he needed.

Fran Leitner crafts a delicate balance between mystery and realism, creating a story that feels deeply personal yet universal. Through Martin’s eyes, we see how stories, our own and others’ can guide, heal, and even transform us.

A Twice Lived Summer is a touching exploration of what it means to grow up, break free, and write your own narrative, even when life seems already written.