Problematic Summer Romance

The Prologue takes place before Part 1, “Seven Days Before the Wedding.” Maya laments to a friend that she doesn’t want to go to her brother Eli’s destination wedding in Sicily because she doesn’t want to see Conor Harkness—Eli’s best friend who Maya’s been in love with for three years. Ten months ago, Conor stopped talking to her, and Maya is still hurt. After everything Maya and Eli have been through as siblings, Maya says, “[I]f my brother wants me at his wedding, I’m going. End of story” (3).

Maya manages to arrive in Sicily a day later than Eli wanted by offering to fly with his oversized dog. During the flight, Maya mentally prepares herself to see Conor again, but all her preparation dies when she shares a ride to the wedding party’s villa with Conor’s girlfriend, Avery. Maya wants to hate her on principle, but she can’t because Avery seems nice, and she “like[s] nice people” (11). Avery can’t believe the resemblance between Maya and Eli, stopping just short of admitting how handsome she thinks Eli is.