The Top of the World

By Ethan Joella

Book Overview

A heartbreaking, life-affirming new novel by Ethan Joella--author of the Read with Jenna Bonus Pick A Little Hope--about a young woman searching for answers about her brother's last days.

June 1975. Maggie Bishop has just graduated high school, the future hers to embrace--but she's still reeling from the death of her older brother, Chip. A devastating diagnosis the summer before prompted Chip to leave home for a few months, never revealing where he went. Maggie's search for clues leads her to The Red Maple Inn, a mountaintop resort in the Poconos.

At the Red Maple, Maggie is welcomed into a tight-knit community. As she unravels secrets about her brother's final days, she begins to connect with the people he loved, and whose lives he touched. Through the warmth of strangers, Maggie begins to heal and is able to help others cope with loss.

Set in a nostalgic resort town over two transformative summers, this dual-narrative novel explores sibling relationships, coming of age, and the quiet power of human connection. Perfect for fans of emotional storytelling and small-town summer books, The Top of the World is a timeless story about memory, grief, second chances, and hope.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668024624
• ISBN13: 9781668024621
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An emotional novel of loss and grief that's uplifting and hopeful

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own unless otherwise noted. I loved this, even though if someone had told me I’d feel this way about a book focusing on the last summer of a young man dying of leukemia, I’d be surprised. But I’ve read a few other 5-star novels by Ethan Joella, and this book confirms he’s a must-read author for me. Although it’s a novel of loss and grief, it’s also uplifting and hopeful. Taking place in the summers of 1974 and 1975, the story alternates between Chip and his younger sister Maggie, both engaging and likable characters. And there are several other characters that make this a heartwarming, page-turning story. The publisher’s summary puts it well: “Set in a nostalgic resort town over two transformative summers, this dual-narrative novel explores sibling relationships, coming of age, and the quiet power of human connection. Perfect for fans of emotional storytelling and small-town summer books, “The Top of the World” is a timeless story about memory, grief, second chances, and hope.” This is a quiet, emotional novel with humor and heartbreak that will stay with me. I highly recommend.