Book Recommendation: Turning Toward Eden by Cate Touryan

A Summer-y Historical Coming-Of-Age Novel

This week’s recommendation is my favorite YA historical fiction novel. With its atmospheric and historically accurate 1970s setting, it makes a great summer read not only for young adults but also for older readers.

Here’s the updated book description:

A 1971 California Coming-of-Age Mystery

Eden Lewis knows two things for certain: family’s a whole mess of trouble, and someone in the sleepy beach town is out for revenge.

Winner of the 2025 IAN Book of the Year Award (Cross-Genre Fiction); 2026 Illumination Award, Gold Medal (General Fiction); and 2026 IPPY Awards, Silver Medal (Best First Book)

For most fourteen-year-olds, California summers in the early 1970s mean sun and surf, despite the Cold War chill. Not for Eden. Her AWOL father has sent her life into a tailspin, crashing her in a shabby seaside bungalow.

Now she’s stuck caring for her severely disabled brother, Dex. Caught in her parents’ own cold war, Eden ditches Dex at every chance—pier fishing with Hollis, playing poker with the grizzled card sharks, and caterwaulin’ in the church choir. Never mind she’s not on speaking terms with the Almighty.

Then Raven arrives, an elusive Soviet girl whispered to be behind a rash of petty crimes. When the mischief turns deadly on the beach, rumors point to the “commie,” giving Eden a mystery to crack and a jailbreak from her duties—until suspicious eyes fall on her.

Desperate to prove herself innocent, Eden embarks on a reckless game of chase—one that draws danger to her doorstep, where uncovering the truth means betting Dex’s life.

Will she go all in, no matter the cost?

Here’s why this reader recommends it:

Cate’s captivating style pulled me into a 1970s summer filled with action, intrigue, and emotion. Her word pictures let me escape into a world of cool foggy mornings, warm sandy afternoons, and glorious starry nights all while experiencing the thoughts and feelings of her characters.

I felt their struggles (especially Eden’s and Dex’s) and hoped things would improve for them. I met characters who felt real (and I wished they were), including a wonderful dog. Some of my favorite characters are Liliya, Hollis, Jake, Anna, and Popeye.

I laughed at hilarious situations and enjoyed heartfelt moments that made me cry happy tears (I’ve found most authors rarely even go for those kinds of tears, let alone make me cry them). I loved how the layers of faith in the story don’t pressure a reader to attend church, as many stories do, but instead point to God.

As Harford Beach’s mystery unraveled, I found myself turning pages into the early morning, wanting to know how it would turn out. I recommend this book to readers who’d enjoy an emotional coming-of-age story with lovable characters, an intriguing mystery, and a historically accurate ‘70s vibe.

I will warn you that an animal (not the dog) dies, as does another good character, and that Eden’s relationship with her father and the plot’s comparison of the two may be triggering for readers who have bad fathers.

If you read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

And if you’d like to check out the author’s website, here’s the link for it.

Happy reading, and I hope to have more book recommendations coming your way soon.

Copyright © 2026 Li Mitchell