Lynette Ferreira’s young adult novel, Samantha and the Empath, introduce Daryl, a student who possesses the involuntary ability to sense and influence the emotions of those around him.

While he easily navigates the feelings of others, he is unsettled by Samantha, a classmate whose internal world remains mysteriously inaccessible to his powers.

As Daryl struggles with his growing fixation on her, he discovers a discarded envelope that hints at her troubled personal life.

Samantha, meanwhile, endures a hostile home environment involving an abusive stepfather, leading her to suppress her own emotions as a survival mechanism.

Their paths collide after Daryl saves her from a car accident, sparking a tense and awkward dynamic between them.

Driven by a mix of protective instinct and frustration over his blind spot, Daryl eventually asks Samantha to spend time with him, attempting to bridge the gap between his supernatural insight and her guarded reality.