Carly is all set for a month at the shore, not by herself but with herself, precious time carved out to explore a craving for something she cannot name. But the overbearing clan of women she has never been able to say no to shows up on day one, replacing Carly’s special kick-off meal with her mother’s pork chops, her aunt’s sticky buns, and the salt and vinegar chips favored by drama queen cousin Celia.

Stir in a runaway teen with a mouth to match her disposition, a hot guitar player, a cool Southern boy, a gun-toting mother with a big secret, and a wiser-than-his-years boardwalk barista—and you’ve got the kind of summer stew that gives everybody heartburn!