From award-winning author Kyle Lukoff comes an emotionally charged and unexpectedly funny not-quite-love story, set against the backdrop of college orientation.

For Thomas, attending Erickson University is bigger than trading in small-town Vermont for life in Manhattan. It’s a chance for reinvention, to ditch the “nice trans boy” persona he’s been stuck with since middle school, and finally just be a normal-ish guy.  

Blending in has never been Annabelle’s style, but ever since her most recent (and completely disastrous) breakup, she’s been counting down the days until she can escape to college across the country. Nobody in New York City knows anything about her or her exes, so it’s the ideal opportunity to become a new and improved Annabelle.

When Thomas and Annabelle meet, sparks fly. Neither one can believe they’ve found someone so perfect before classes even start. But when Thomas finds out that Annabelle hasn't been completely honest about her dating history, he begins to question whether she’s more interested in dating him, or dating someone like him. And try as she might, Annabelle can’t seem to stop her history from repeating itself.  

In his first young adult novel, award-winning author Kyle Lukoff revisits his beloved protagonists from the Newbery Honor book Too Bright to See and Different Kinds of Fruit, with a whirlwind romance as messy and meaningful as New York City itself.