A twisted YA contemporary about a rivalry to be crowned homecoming king that doesn’t shy away from letting its queer and disabled protagonists be messy.

Content warnings include: transphobia (misgendering, deadnaming though deadname is not revealed on-page, TERF rhetoric), ableism specifically directed against austisic people, threat of blackmail/outing, bullying, violence, teenagers getting drunk, theft, dysphoria, sexism, homophobia, harmful gender roles, autistic student being denied accomodations (though teacher doesn’t know he’s autistic).
Mentions of: sexual harassment and assault, racism, death of family member, child abuse.

First up, I want to mention that the book goes a lot deeper and darker and more twisted than the fun, upbeat impression the cover and description lead you to believe. Not only are transphobia and ableism ever-present topics, but both protagonists do some seriously wrong things as they become hyperfocussed on their goal of winning the homecoming king title.

That said, I loved that both Jeremy and Lukas were allowed to be this messy, make mistakes, be angry and toxic and mess up. Jeremy is a white, out gay trans boy who just started HRT, and he’s cheer captain as well as student body president, and Lukas is white, autistic, cis, head of homecoming comittee, and also Jeremy’s ex-boyfriend. For both queer and disabled rep in media, especially within the YA range, there is still a certain pressure for said rep to be perfect and wholesome, so I loved to see these boys go through all sorts of bad emotions, lack impulse control, do the wrong thing and hurt each other – even if it was sometimes hard to read and I found some of their actions appalling.

I particularly enjoyed Jeremy’s portrayal as unafraid to take up space, being loud and angry and speaking up for himself, all while we still get to see how vulnerable he is on the insight, and how the constant microaggressions both beat him down, fuel his anger, make him act out and push his friends away. It was infuriating and heart-breaking, but also uplifting and ultimately hopeful within the confines of the plot.

I also liked how Lukas’s autism was depicted, though being undiagnosed myself I don’t feel like I can speak about its authenticity. Much like Jeremy’s experiences with transphobia, Lukas experiences a lot of casual ableism, in the form of how he is treated by his family, interpersonal interactions, and being denied the accomodations he needs to be able to study properly. He, too, uses this as fuel for his ambition, though he acts out in a very different way to Jeremy.

There was an underlying second chance romantic subplot, but to be honest I wouldn’t categorize the book as a romance. The hurt the two protagonist cause each other and outsiders and their ambitions and anger plays a much bigger roles than their romantic feelings. There is a happy ending, though, for almost everything, even if some subplots didn’t get a conclusion. This didn’t feel unfinished, but fit the tone of the book very well.

Also great were the side characters, many of whom were queer or POC or both. I especially adored Sol, a nonbinary Latinx computer genius who gets more or less involuntarily drawn into Lukas’s and Jeremy’s drama, but ends up being very crucial to the plot. They as well as other side characters were dynamic, complex people with their own goals and issues, and definitely not just there as plot devices or to get hurt by the protagonists (though the latter happens a lot).

Aside from the mildly stiff first chapters, the book was well written. I read it in a single day, staying up late to finish it. It was engaging from beginning to end, handling many more topics aside from transphobia and ableism, like broken families, toxic masculinity, breakups and romance, harassment and bullying, messy friendships, old traditions and money and bureaucracy, and how they all intersect, especially with sexism.

I do think this is a great YA debut, and I do recommend the book to anyone who can handle the content warnings.

I really enjoyed this book, and had a difficult time putting it down once I started reading. The characters jumped off the page and I felt very connected to them from the very start. I did expect this to be more of a rom-com, but be warned that it's definitely a heavy-hitting, painful, gut-wrenching book. And while there is a lot of sweetness, this is most certainly not a rom-com.

3.5

May the Best Man Win was a great read! I was really excited to read this, and it didn't quite match my expectations, but I still liked it.

The two main characters, Jeremy and Lukas, are a former couple who had a bad breakup. When the time comes for Homecoming, they find themselves competeting against each other for the title of Homecoming King. All the while, they are both struggling with their own identities and problems.

May the Best Man Win deals with a lot of difficult and serious topics. For the most part, I would say that the author does a decent job (though I can't speak for some of the communities). There was good representation of trans, gay, autistic, non-binary, and POC characters. I did feel like some of the characters and stories were glossed over a bit. I wanted to learn more about Sol, in particular, and who they were as a person. I felt like the book dragged on a bit in the middle. Jeremy and Lukas grew on me, but I have to admit, they weren't my favorites in the beginning. This book was definitely a little cliche and predictable, but that didn't take away from the story for me. I was still wanting to read more of what was going to happen.

Overall, this was a good read that I would recommend.

Disclaimer: eARC provided by NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.

I'm gonna preface this by saying I really wanted to like this book. The cover, the synopsis, everything about it screamed it would be something I loved so much so that it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I was thrilled that I got approved for the arc and I'm sad to say it was less than satisfactory. Up until the end I was seriously considering one staring this book, but the way it wrapped up gave it some points.

I am a really character driven person and the fact that I could not stand one of the two main characters really brought this down considerably for me. I want to say that, as a trans person, I have dealt with internalized transphobia and I know what that's like, that is not my issue with Jeremy, however. With the way that Jeremy's character arc was set up, I expected there to be a big change from him at the beginning of the book to the end and, while there is some development, it isn't enough to make him likeable. He made some bad choices that weren't really addressed later on and that really bugged me. It seemed almost like there were no permanent consequences to his actions.

Next, the neurodivergent rep was something that bugged me. As someone who is neurodivergent, I felt that Lukas being autistic was always something that was spoken of in a very taboo way. When we first find out he had a disability, we are never told what it is. It is simply referred to as his disability. His internalized ableism isn't treated with the same respect as Jeremy's internalized homophobia which doesn't strike me very well. I really wish that was addressed more because internalized ableism isn't talked about super often. It would've been a refreshing change of pace.

Again, I really did want to like this book. Credit where credit is due, I couldn't stop reading it. It's like a car crash, you can't look away. You want to know what happens next if only to get some resolution. All in all, if you want to read a book about queer high schoolers competing for the homecoming crown, You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson is amazing and sapphic and actually gives their POC characters the spotlight they deserve instead of only being there to further the white main characters' plot.

Thanks Netgalley and Publishers for an arc of this book.

I went into this book fairly blind but was hooked from the start.

TW: Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexual Assault, Death of a sibling,

This book was a lot heavier in content than I expected it to be but I loved the growth of the individual characters along with the growth of the relationship between Jeremy & Lukas. There's so many things that go wrong in their duel for the homecoming king crown but the ending isn't rushed when wrapping things up. Part of me wishes the epilogue was a little more into the future to see where their relationship was at post graduation and that some scenes didn't drag out too long so we would've gotten more of them. Also, there was a lot of LGBTQ+ rep in this book but the prominent rep was more specifically gay rep & trans rep.

Overall, Jeremy & Lukas had a great storyline and I'm so glad I was able to read an arc of this novel.

Oh, man. I did not expect this book to put me through the wringer the way it did!

The two heroes, a trans guy and an autistic guy, both gunning for the Homecoming King crown, are both complicated people with a lot of darkness under the surface. You can tell they don't just *want* to win, they *need* to, because that crown symbolizes everything that can heal what's broken in their lives.

Of course it's easy for us to say you can't fix your problems that way. They don't care what we think. They're getting that crown, and if they have to do stupid and dangerous and cruel things to do it . . . well, they might just.

Jeremy has this to say about himself:

<blockquote>Most of the older trans guys I’ve met, both online and in real life, are boring, responsible father figures with lots of cats. All of them have insightful transition advice that involves managing your anger, putting extra care into your close friendships, and a lot of bullshit things mentally healthy people do. None of them understand I’m seeking advice on how to be the obnoxious little shit I am at heart. </blockquote>

And yes, he is an obnoxious little shit. I loved him for it. If you like perfect heroes, you won't. If you're always secretly rooting for chaotic bad boys, you'll be on his side.

He does conceal some inner fragility, which of course is the nougaty center I love bad boys for:
<blockquote>Asking for love as a trans person, with the blunt hammer weight that word carries, feels like walking on fragile, cracking ice. Asking for love as the angry mess I am feels like inviting dark water to swallow me whole. Of course, I didn’t want to test his love for me. I knew it would have a breaking point. I just didn’t want to learn where that was.</blockquote>

For all that, though, I related to Lukas more. He thinks he can fix all his problems by making charts and then working himself to death. He's the Good Boy of the story, but he also does some stupid and hurtful things.

I read a lot of action novels where whole planets are going to be blown up in thirty seconds, but I never break out in sweats the way I did at some of the tense moments in this book. You know how in high school, everything seems so *big,* like if you get in trouble or if someone spreads a rumor about you, it is the literal END OF THE ENTIRE WORLD? This book made me feel that.

I think, on a deep level, the real theme of this book is that we all think we're the only one hurting, messed up, broken, insecure. We imagine everyone else is doing just fine. And that can make us cruel, because we see our own fragility and everyone else's brave front and think nobody else can be hurt but us.

Definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for providing the eARC. All opinions are my own.

May the Best Man Win features dual perspective reading style between our two main characters, Jeremy and Lukas. The author uses this style of storytelling well balancing the two perspectives so that the reader understands what is going on. The writing style was one I truly loved.
One of the main characters of May the Best Man Win, Jeremy is trans. He wished to be crowned homecoming king. He learns that his ex-boyfriend who he dumped before coming out is also going for the crown. Through the book you witness their rivalry for the crown. The relationships throughout the book are well fleshed out. The author gives a great look into what it’s like being someone who is trans. There are a few downsides to this book though. I felt while the plot was very fast paced which I loved there were times where things happened that felt unnecessary. It made the plot feel like it dragged despite things continuously happening keeping the plot packed.
Overall I have this book a 5 out of 5 stars because this book features a lot of good representation and the plot was really interesting and for the most part well executed.

I wanted SO badly to like this story. Based on the gorgeous cover and intriguing synopsis alone, this was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. I'm very sad to say that I did not enjoy this book whatsoever.

May the Best Man Win follows two characters as their lives intertwine during a race for prom king. Jeremy Harkniss is a trans boy, who is eager to prove his manhood by winning prom king. Lukas is the quarterback of the football team, the most popular guy in the grade, and is a shoe in for prom king. The plot twist? Pre coming out and transitioning, Jeremy, the cheerleading "It Girl" was dating Lukas.

One of the main struggles Lukas faces throughout the book is his struggle with autism. Though my mom has autism, I do not and thus I can't speak on the representation of Lukas's autism as I'm not qualified. I will say, however, that Lukas's autism is rarely mentioned except when it's necessary to explain his actions, which happens rarely. The symptoms of his autism are only discussed when he has trouble learning in his AP Bio class, and when he has an occasional hard time reading tone. What I didn't like about this representation was how little resolution there was to it: Lukas had a hard time learning in class, and nothing was ever done about the *systemic* inequality that he faced in the classroom. He sometimes had a hard time reading or inflecting tone in conversation, but he never indicated this to the characters he was talking to that knew he had autism, thus communication errors were never solved.

Jeremy struggles with his manly identity throughout the book, which is pretty common for trans characters. Jeremy quite literally always takes his issues out on his friends. The whole book is him basically setting his relationships on fire. The book often shows his anger issues, although they're never developed past acknowledgement. To say that Jeremy is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read would be an understatement: his constant unwillingness to think of anybody but himself is rarely understandable, and always annoying as hell.

I found myself dragging through the first half of the book, just wishing and hoping that it would get better. The plot picked up speed during the second half, although it was very sporadic and at times hard to follow. The book unfortunately never got better, but I persisted through the second half so that I could write this review.

The one redeeming quality I found in this story was the diverse cast, although I found a lot of the characters were sidelined and not done justice. One of the main side characters, Sol, is a nonbinary Latine kid; another side character, Naomi is an Asian girl. Ultimately, both of these characters were only used to advance the plot and character development of Jeremy and Lukas forward. We never got to explore who Naomi and Sol were beyond their relationships to Jeremy and Lukas, which I think is a shame, because I would've loved hearing more from them about how the careless actions of Jeremy and Lukas affected them than just a couple lines.

All in all, I wouldn't say this book is worth the read. As somebody with sensory processing disorder, something I like to say about books like this is: "if you want to know what it's like to have sensory processing disorder, just read this book in a brightly lit room." This book is at times very messy, which some people may find beauty in, but I just found a headache.

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN has amazing autistic, trans, nonbinary AND poly representation - it has amazing representation overall, but those are the ones that I can personally attest to. We love a good lover-to-enemies-to-lovers plot as well as beating up transphobes through the law!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an arc of this book.

After dumping his long term boyfriend before transitioning, Jeremy Harkiss decides to throw everything he has into campaigning for Homecoming King his senior year. His confused ex-boyfriend, Lukas has his own reasons for running against Jeremy as he tries to navigate his crumbling family and confusion over the break up. The two boys go head to head as they tear their worlds apart to get what they think they want.

I loved this book with my whole heart. I was caught up instantly in the story, and so curious to find out why Lukas and Jeremy had broken up and what their lives would look like. Everything escalates so far, and there is so much drama. There were times when I wasn't sure how any of the characters in this book would be able to forgive each other, but it also read very true to the way teenagers can get over things that are important to them.

Jeremy and Lukas are definitely an opposites-attract couple, and there was so much fire and chemistry between them. I also loved the diverse cast of characters included in this book and their friends (and frenemies) and their families.

This book deals with heartbreak, gender and sexual identity, bullying and harassment, cheerleading and football, college applications and failed Biology Tests. The writing and details were so rich and everything came together in terrible and beautiful ways that absolutely broke me and then put me back together.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Pub date: May 18, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Deadnaming, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Cursing, Misogyny , Racism, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Violence, and Vomit

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. For now, this one is going to have to be a DNF for me, which I really tried to avoid, because I wanted to like this book so badly! A lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sports fiction was what I was hoping for. I was over the moon to see a transman as a main character in a high school romance, and the cover is absolutely adorable. Unfortunately, for me, the personalities didn't click. I understand why they are they way that they are and I still will absolutely purchase this book because I think the content and what the author presents is important and realistic, but I found myself not as interested in it because of the narration. Spoilers to follow!


So, my main gripe was with Jeremy. He's one of our main characters and one of our narrators, and he has recently come out as publically trans and is dealing with the fallout of going to school with people who he has known for his entire life now seeing him in a different light. Jeremy is incredibly determined to show his peers that he is a man but at the same time has always been, in many ways, the person that they know him to be. He has some internal struggles over still enjoying things that may be more traditionally feminine but feeling as though he can't enjoy them anymore, which I found myself relating to on multiple levels. I think his journey of getting to know other queer people in the school is an important one, especially for someone like Jeremy who was/is a "top dog" captain personality in the school who hadn't even realized the GSA club really existed in the first place, or at least not to the extent that it does. I think that his story is very important and I related to a lot of his struggles, but my problem was the way he treated other people. Jeremy, as other reviewers have pointed out, was not a good friend. We can see in the way that other character speak about him (Naomi) that even before he came out he wasn't always a very good friend. That turned me off from wanting to read his narration, and the more I did, the more I dreaded it. I much preferred reading Lukas' chapters over Jeremy's, but I also think I would have disliked Jeremy MUCH more if we didn't get a look inside of his head and only had his actions to base his character.

For Lukas, I found myself realizing I don't think I've ever read a book from the perspective of an autistic character before. I enjoyed his narration much more than Jeremy's, and I found it interesting to see how his perspective works with the story and his background and aspirations. If I go back and finish this book, which I still might and will update my review when I do, I'll be going back for Lukas.

Overall I think this book contains important perspectives and while I may not have the drive to finish it right now, I do want to see where Jeremy and Lukas end up, so one day I may change my mind! 3.5 stars.

This is a book I really enjoyed, and would highly recommend to friends. Although Theo basic plot was what I expected, it went about things in a way that I did not expect, but in a good way. It’s nice seeing representation in books when you don’t expect them, and they are done in a good way. I loved how when one of the characters realized they were gay, there was no over the top reaction from them and they took it in stride. I look forward to being able to read more of Z. R. Ellor’s work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Children's for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The way my heart is soaring after reading this, even hours later, is a true testament to how incredible this book is. The way ZR was able to be so realistic with the messiness of high school, but allowing all of his characters to learn and grow? It was an absolute delight to read!

The fact this was a cheerleader and football player being messy and gay.. it truly gave me everything. I loved Jeremy's character. His need to want to be seen for who he was. Everything about him made my heart swell and simultaneously break. I just wanted to hug him. Lukas, oh Lukas, My little cinnamon roll. I adored Lukas. What a fantastic character. He was such a complimentary figure to Jeremy. I don't want to spoil anything, but I also really enjoyed the found friendships, the relationships, the representation. It was all so fantastic. Everything was so well done, from the plot, to the character arcs, to the way this could really describe the dramatics and need for attention I felt/experienced in high school, I LOVED this. I can't get over it. Plus, hello? Have you seen the cover? How could you not love it?

It's even hard to get my thoughts out because I just have so many on how much I loved this. I think my favorite part was the fact that it wasn't neat and they weren't totally perfect. I loved that they were messy, and had issues and messed up. It was relatable. Fantastic, truly. I highly recommend y'all checking this out when it comes out!

This book was a lot different than what I thought it would be going in. I thought it would be like a super light rom-com style book. And it definitely had it’s rom-com elements! But I think the stories are a bit more heavy and complicated than that. This book is more about two teenagers dealing with societal, parental etc. pressures and it kind of bringing out the worst in both of them. And I really enjoyed it. I love when authors write teenagers as authentic and flawed as they humanly are.

And I can already see so many adult readers calling the characters in this problematic etc. and I’m fully ready to fight on both Jeremy & Lukas’ behalf. Because they’re teenagers dealing with things a lot of people could never understand or comprehend dealing with at such a young age. And I think there are a lot of adult readers that don’t let teenagers be imperfect on paper in YA.

The rep in this was awesome! Of course there was the trans rep and the other lgbtq+ rep. But I did not expect there to be autism rep and that was a fucking awesome surprise.

So, basically this book is about imperfect teenagers being a little messy while dealing with huge things personally and it has a sweet love story at its core that I think a lot people will really enjoy.

CWs: transphobia, misgendering, grief, ableism, homophobia, bullying, physical violence

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It's still a lovers-to-strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers. It just was more Romantic Drama with humor than rom-com. But it was still an enjoyable read!

Jeremy Harkiss, Cheer Captain and SGA President, just came out as a transgender boy, but he doesn't want that to be the only thing that defines him, so he sets off to add Homecoming King to his resume to show that he's more than his gender identity and to show the transphobic students and alumni that he's more than the box they want to put him in.

Meanwhile, Lukas Rivers is drifting. His older brother recently died, his ex broke up with him and came out as transgender, his parents are fighting more, and he's struggling to keep it together. Homecoming King will make his parents and grandparents see him (not his brother). But when his ex decides to run against him, Lukas sets out to sabotage.

The characters were great for the most part. Jeremy and Lukas are jerks at parts of this novel, but they are called out on it, mostly every time. Sol, Lukas's neighbor and friend, stole the show with their impeccable style and attitude. Naomi, Jeremy's best friend, is struggling with being second to Jeremy's ghost of yesteryear. Ben is caught in the middle, as SGA VP, Naomi's brother, and Lukas's best friend. Reading about how Ben, Naomi, and Sol have to navigate the not-so-calm-waters between the two ex's was a nice perspective (especially in a dual POV book).

The only thing I really dislike about this novel is how obsessive and awful the two leads become in the desire to be Homecoming King. It's not cutesy rom-com shenanigans; it's darker. Luckily they get called out by a lot of people: themselves, friends, and each other. So, it was bearable because of that.

Because of the two lead's decision making skills, (aka making the "wrong" choices), my reading device was nearly a causality of being tossed across the room. It's the whole do-not-do-that-please and the character DOES THAT. Jeremy and Lukas were really well-written to cause such a dramatic response while reading, though.

All in all, this was a good read. It might not have been the rom-com I was expecting. It deals with the dangers of coming out, gender & sexuality, as well as, not blaming your LGBTQ+ status or disability for your jerk actions. The writing was also pretty good. There's so much to like about this novel, even though it nearly got tossed across the room a few times. :)

Special Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press for the e-ARC. I really enjoyed reading this,

Rep Included: Trans MC, Autistic MC, Gay Characters, Trans Nonbinary Secondary Character

I was lucky enough to receive an e-book ARC version to read. Having immersed myself in LGBTQ YA contemporary fiction lately, I expected something along the lines of angst, self-discovery, a happy, fluffy ending.

Spoilers: this book is <i>angry</i>.

It is not at all what you expect. It hits you in the face with the anger Jeremy faces daily in his attempt to convince his family, his peers, and the world that he is a <b>boy</b>. Jeremy makes no secret that he is trans and trying to carve out his new place in a high school that's always known him as a girl. He struggles with transphobia, dysphoria, and bullying. Throw in hormone replacement therapy and his chapters become an introspection into one person's transition and how testosterone causes volatile emotions to come to the forefront. Jeremy makes a couple of comments about this throughout the book, about his pediatrician warning him that testosterone can cause anger and about how he wishes he could be happy and positive again (the latter appears in the epilogue).

Jeremy's POV provides one window into a world where transitioning is brutal, heart-wrenching, messy, and unpredictable. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. No one is safe from the anger that cascades out of Jeremy, causing a tidal wave of rage throughout the school.

Throw in Lukas. He dated Jeremy prior to his transition, which resulted in a nasty break-up, leaving both sides hurt and harboring residual feelings. His brother died, leaving his family in tatters. And t top it all off, Lukas harbors a secret: he has autism, albeit high-functioning. He's trying to be the one-man BandAid for his family, his friends (who are also falling apart, caught as they are in Jeremy's wave of self-destruction), and his entire school as he heads up the Homecoming Committee. While it was nice to see a main character with autism, it provided a heart-wrenching introspection into what life could be like if someone with that diagnoses attempts to go through school without any sort of accommodation plan (5-6 AP courses, RB on the football team, and head of the homecoming committee).

This book covers many things that most authors leave unsaid and untouched: the social stigma of IEPs/504 plans; neurotypical people looking down on those who aren't and attempting to force them to meet neurotypical standards; dysphoria to the extreme; transphobia, homophobia, and the works; rich white gay boys looking down on the rest of LGBTQ+; the ASD experience; etc.

Ellor <i><b>DOES NOT</b></i> sugarcoat this story. It is not happy. It is not fluffy. There's a hopeful ending, if you squint a little bit. But it is not outright happy. Ellor refuses to pull punches here because this is a story that needs to be told. Truthfully, it is painful to read. It is a brual, heart-wrenching, life-altering story. But is one that the world needs to hear.

I almost didn't finish this book. It's well-written, the story is good. There's nothing wrong with it. The main characters (Jeremy and Lukas) are really awful to each other and the people around them and it was hard to root for either one of them.

I'm glad this book exists and I know there are many people who will love it. It just wasnt for me.

I was really impressed by this book. In the beginning, I was afraid it was going to be a bit of an Issues Book--like a starter guide for transgender issues--but quickly it became clear that while Jeremy's trans identity was central to the narrative, as it was to his life, there was a lot more to the story. I loved how messy both Jeremy and Lukas were, and how the narrative allowed them to make mistakes and hurt people with their choices without villainizing anyone. They were real, deep characters and I really enjoyed the time I spent reading about their lives. While the plot got a little holey at the very end (why did the stolen money threaten the dance? shouldn't it have already been paid for before the week of?) overall it was a really satisfying book with a colorful and endearing cast of characters.

This isn't the sweet romantic comedy the book cover makes it out to be, but that's not a bad thing.

I enjoyed this, not as much as I had hoped, but I was invested right away in Lukas and Jeremy's story. I wanted them to be together, I groaned at the misunderstandings, and I was thrilled at the teases of more.

There was a sweetness underneath the anger, the pain, and the meanness. You knew these characters were hurt but still felt something for each other. I just think maybe at times the mean spiritedness was a little more prominent than the romance. That's the only gripe I have about this book.

But it ended just how I had hoped it would, and honestly I do recommend it. Just know going in that it's a bit deeper than just a cute second chance romance, which is why it's so great.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I swear I’m not biased because the author is my friend and indulges my need for monthly game nights! I really really loved this!
If you’re expecting a quirky rom com, this isn’t that, this book is angry in a brutally honest way, it’s messy and honest and timely and ultimately victorious and that’s what I loved about it! It could’ve easily been a straightforward romantic comedy but honestly queer teens deserve angry because a lot of them ARE ANGRY, and they deserve validation from a book like this. Hell I’m almost 25 and I teared up because I felt particularly seen at one point.

Fight like hell, find your people, don’t be afraid to take up space. That’s such a powerful message.

Also, the book is damn funny. I lost track of how many times I had to put my phone down because I was laughing so hard I started crying I wouldn’t read straight.

Additionally, really good autistic representation can be hard to find and I haven’t seen that talked about much in the buzz around this! It has it, y’all!