Jack's on Fire

A Modern Queer Fairy Tale

by Owen Lach

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Pub Date Sep 27 2022 | Archive Date Dec 27 2022

LGBTQIAP+ | Teens & YA

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Description

What if you were a queer teenage musician outed by his vengeful ex-boyfriend and not a fairy tale princess trapped in a castle tower? What if your wicked stepmother was your ordinary, thoughtless, uncaring mother? What if your fairy godmother was your older brother? What if your Prince Charming was captain of the JV soccer team? Maybe you’d be forgiven for not realizing you were living in a sort of fairy tale.

Faced with the impossible choice of staying home to risk being sent away to Father Sullivan’s special school for exceptionally happy boys or moving in with his older brother in California, 16-yr-old Jack Martin leaves behind everything he knows in Minneapolis to go to San Francisco. He finds himself at a new school with new friends and the freedom to be himself. Then sparks fly when Jack meets Damon, his Geometry tutor (and captain of the JV soccer team.) But Jack wonders if Damon feels those sparks, too. And does their budding friendship have a chance to become something more?

Jack’s On Fire is a heartwarming, modern, queer fairy tale about friendship, chosen family, and young, queer love perfect for fans of Heartstopper. Sure, there aren’t any fairies or wands. But what else would you call it when everything starts magically going your way?

Advance Praise

"I found the book really sweet. I loved how positive the relationships were and that the focus was on queer joy. The tenderness of these boys and their relationship won my heart."

Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author

"Jack’s on Fire is a charming, triumphant tale of a queer boy’s journey to find acceptance, community, and love."

Queerspace Magazine

"Jack’s On Fire is a charming “hang out” novel set in an idealized world. Light on plot but filled with lovely characters you’d like to meet in real life. If you like Jack, you’ll love spending time with this book. In a YA queer romance market filled with variations on a theme, Jack’s On Fire bucks the trend to go warm and lo-fi."

The Queer Review

"I connected with Lach’s interpretation of a fairy tale so much because it showed that coming into yourself as a queer teen can be a wholesome and loving experience. Jack’s adventures in California are so wonderfully happy, loving, and supportive that it made my heart soar as a queer reader, and I would absolutely recommend Jack’s on Fire to anyone looking for a wholesome and magical take on young queer love.”

Pine Reads Review

"I found the book really sweet. I loved how positive the relationships were and that the focus was on queer joy. The tenderness of these boys and their relationship won my heart."

Ryan Douglass, New...