The Boy Next Door, by Dan Helpingstine

A kiss. A scandal. A lifetime of consequences. Seventeen-year-old Don Hathaway is drowning in grief after his firefighter father dies in the line of duty. Numb, withdrawn, and drifting through his senior year, Don finds unexpected solace in Alice Roland—his English teacher and the older sister of his best friend—who sees his intelligence, challenges his silence, and helps him laugh again. Their connection is real, fragile, and destined to be misunderstood. When a single moment sparks a school scandal, Alice’s career is derailed, and Don carries the guilt into adulthood—through broken relationships, therapy, and the long shadow of his father’s heroic legacy. Years later, as a journalist, Don is forced to confront the past when Alice’s novel—The Boy Next Door—ignites a fierce censorship battle in their hometown. A coming-of-age story that spans adolescence into adulthood, The Boy Next Door explores grief, love, moral gray areas, and the courage it takes to stop chasing perfection—and finally choose a life that’s your own.