Today we’re spotlighting Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights by Celeste Dador!
Read on for more about the author and the book!
About the Author: Celeste Dador
Celeste Dador is a Filipino-American author who writes cozy rom-coms with festive flair. A former reality TV show finalist on America’s Next Great Author, Celeste has also been selected for several competitive author mentoring programs. Celeste lives in the D.C.- area, where she blends her love of romance and public service into her stories. Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights is her Young Adult debut. When writing adult romance, which includes a dash of spice, she uses the pen name C.C. Dador, including her New Adult romance debut Merry Ex-mas (Requited, 09/29/26). Find out more about her at her website or follow along on Instagram.
About the Book: Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights
Filipino American author Celeste Dador pens a swoony summer escape where picture-perfect First Daughter Abby learns to embrace the unexpected when she meets a frustratingly cute photographer who turns her life upside down. “Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights” (May 12, 2026, Delacorte Romance) fuses cozy, “Gilmore Girls”-esque small town charm with the forbidden “royal romance” tension of Red, White, and Royal Blue, with an American twist. In this heartwarming debut, Celeste crafts a diverse American love story that will enchant readers with a summer full of bucket list adventures, independence, and fireworks.
She wanted normal. He gave her unforgettable.
All first daughter Abby Cary-Alzona wanted was one normal summer before college. No headlines. No drama. Just a chance to breathe. But a run-in at the White House with Gabriel Calabrese—a maddeningly carefree small-town photographer—ends in a pizza delivery scandal that makes front-page news.
Suddenly, Abby’s carefully laid plans vanish, and she’s exiled to a charming country inn run by Gabriel’s family to escape the fallout. Now she’s stuck with the last person she wants to see.And as they team up to save his family’s Fourth of July festival, sparks fly—especially when Gabriel helps her chase a summer bucket list full of things “real” teens get to do. Parties. Picnics. Maybe even a first kiss . . .
Soon, the sarcastic, camera-obsessed boy is everything she never saw coming. Can a First Daughter write her own love story—or has it already been decided by protocol, polling, and public opinion?
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~Excerpt~
CHAPTER 1
“Smokeshow” and “hot guy” are phrases you don’t typically hear during Mom’s work parties, but of course my sister missed that memo years ago. Fortunately, we’re in the privacy of my upstairs bedroom, away from spying eyes and gossip-hungry ears.
I lower my phone, where my feed shows most of my classmates at end-of-the-school-year parties. Not me. I’m mentally preparing myself to keep an eye on the “rambunctious” member of the family. My head tilts sharply as I beckon my little sister away from my bedroom’s second-floor window. The royal-blue curtain, which Mom’s designer selected, provides a stark contrast to Elle’s sparkly citrine-yellow ball gown, the gown she and Mom eventually compromised on.
Since I’m the “dependable” one, no one had to weigh in on my dress. My white-gloved hands flatten my lavender sheath dress against my thighs—very Jane Austen meets Jackie O. It’s classic and maybe a little predictable, but I prefer playing it safe.
A stubborn strand of my sister’s brown hair has fallen from her updo. “Tsk tsk,” I say as I tuck it back into place for the millionth time. Oblivious, Elle continues to talk about the “hottie” outside like a reporter live on the scene. I sigh. Freshman year has turned my sister boy crazy. To her, the “American dream” refers to a cute guy. For the rest of my family, it’s what everyone in this country deserves.
I force all five feet, two inches of myself to stand tall. “Young lady”—my voice is overly crisp and clipped as I impersonate our mom—“you mean attractive and smart.”
Elle smirks as she fans herself with her neon-green nails, a color she picked despite my repeated suggestions for Essie’s Ballet Slippers—my go-to pale pink.
“Nope. I definitely mean smokeshow,” she says.
“Smokeshow? Hay naku. Is something burning?” I throw up my hands, this time imitating Mom’s sister Tita Karra’s sonorous accent when she slips into Tagalog to scold us.
Elle’s giggle is my reward. Only Elle knows that imitating voices is my thing. I’ve got several governors and many of our teachers down pat. Impersonations are one of the few things that have gotten her—and if I’m being honest, also me—through the years and years of monotonous VIP functions.
I wrestle Elle’s sequined dress straps back into place; she was too busy with her amateur red-carpet fashion analysis of our guests to notice. “Hold on,” I protest as she turns away.
“He might be gone,” Elle groans as she rushes back to my window to press her nose against it. My pearl earrings jostle as I shake my head at my sister.
“Like I said, total hottie,” Elle continues. “Loving the dark wavy hero hair. And sweet! Are those Chuck Taylors with his tux?”
Exhaling loudly, I stand behind her and follow her gaze, where guests in predictable black tie and grand ball gowns parade about our manicured lawn below. It’s a perfect June evening, meant for showing off the historic grounds of our home under the star-spangled night sky—but most guests aren’t stopping to smell the fragrant flowers in our rose garden; they’re rushing to get inside to the party instead.
“None of these guests strikes me as hot unless balding and boring is your thing,” I say.
She huffs. “He must be inside already. I’ll find him when we get downstairs.”
My cheeks flush. That’s the last thing I want her to do. An awkward encounter with one of Mom’s VIP guests orchestrated by my sister. Hey, Abby, meet this hottie, Elle would shout across the room, causing people to stare. My number one rule in life: Don’t create any headaches for Mom. She’s got enough on her plate. “Please don’t. I’m not interested.”
A wicked grin curves her lips. “I’m just wondering if you’re ‘not interested’ because of your date tonight?”
I fiddle with my amethyst necklace. Heat spreads across my cheeks. “Sorry. I’m not sure what you mean.” But of course I do. Whether Oliver Darby is officially my date tonight is something I’ve been worrying about too—and something my sister has been teasing me over for years.
Title: Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights
Author: Celeste Dador
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance
Age Range: Young adult
