Missy Loves René

Raised in Montreal by a tender-hearted mother and a cautious, devoted father, sixteen-year-old Missy grows up believing compassion can change a life. Then, on a cold autumn night in 1978, she meets René-a homeless nineteen-year-old with a tragic past, a gentle spirit, and nowhere to go. What begins as a reckless act of kindness becomes a secret life built on stolen keys, hidden rooms, whispered promises, and impossible choices. As Missy shelters René above her father's shop, their bond deepens into something neither of them fully understands: part friendship, part rescue, part love, and part destiny. But when René becomes a witness to a violent crime, the fragile world they have created collapses. Fearing for his life, Missy leaves everything behind-her family, her future, and the safety of home-to help him escape south. Along the way, she must confront the truth that love can save, but it can also blur the line between devotion and danger. Tender, nostalgic, and emotionally rich, Missy Loves René is a coming-of-age love story about compassion, risk, survival, and the painful beauty of becoming oneself through another person.