Art prodigy Lydia Holden hasn’t painted in months.

After being trained to paint by her grandfather, a talented artist in his own right, everyone expected Lydia to be the next big name in the art world. But ever since his sudden passing, she hasn’t been able to pick up a paintbrush. Now, in an attempt to live up to at least one half of her family’s legacy, she’s following in the footsteps of her highly successful parents by focusing on her academics instead. She’s doing well on her new path, until she’s paired up with the one person she can’t stand—Aiden Rockholm, her fellow art prodigy who spent years ruthlessly critiquing her paintings—on a school project that could set her up for success in the academic world.

Having no other choice but to work with Aiden, Lydia prepares for a less than enjoyable semester full of arguments and setbacks. As it turns out though, working with Aiden isn’t so bad once they agree to bury the hatchet—which actually allows them to start seeing each other for who they really are. But spending time with Aiden eventually leads to tapping back into her artistic side, and even though they start finding the success with their project she was hoping for, Lydia can’t help but wonder if her decision to pursue academia over art is truly the right one.
With her project, her family’s multiple legacies, and her future all up in the air, Lydia will have to decide which path she wants to take—painting, academics, or a different option she never considered until now—before she loses her chance to leave her own mark on the world.

The Paths We Carve is a contemporary coming-of-age novel filled with lots of heart, emotion, self-discovery, and sweet romance that will be sure to tug at your heartstrings.