“Raw beauty and honesty are the verse novel’s greatest strengths.” - Kirkus Reviews Readers will become attached to Mack and will want to know exactly how this love triangle plays out.” - School Library Journal “This slow-burn novel in verse is a raw, real, deep dive into the messy internal world of its relatable main character. “An emotional free verse novel… traces a slow-burn love triangle that avoids excusing Mack’s actions, centering a protagonist whose emotional arc unpacks themes of young love and self-acceptance alongside intersections of body image, gender identity, race, and sexuality.” - Publishers Weekly The vivid, multifaceted depiction of teenage emotions makes this highly recommended.” - Booklist (starred review) “Stonewall winner Atta’s novel in verse is an exquisite and detailed look at friendship, compromises, family, and love, deftly capturing Mack’s insecurities in a voice authentic to the high-school experience….

Fin seems fearless, and his confidence could just be infectious.Īward-winning author Dean Atta crafts a beautifully nuanced and revelatory story in verse about the exquisite highs and lows of first love and self-discovery. Then Mack meets actor Finlay on set, and the world turns upside down again. It’s awful to be so far away from Karim, and it’s made worse by the fact that Karim can be so hard to read. He has had a crush on Karim for as long as he can remember, and he can’t believe it when gorgeous, popular Karim seems into him too.īut when Mack’s father takes on a new directing project in Scotland, Mack has to move away, and he soon discovers how painful long-distance relationships can be. Mack is a hopeless romantic-likely a hazard of growing up on film sets thanks to his father’s job. The ideal next read for fans of Kacen Callender, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Becky Albertalli. St Joseph's University (Brooklyn Voices Series)įrom the Stonewall Award-winning author of The Black Flamingo comes a romantic coming-of-age novel in verse about pursuing the love we know we deserve.

Only on the weekends dean atta