A trans teen is swept up in a whirlwind friendship with lethal consequences in this taut YA thriller, for fans of Sadie, Andrew Joseph White,...
A trans teen is swept up in a whirlwind friendship with lethal consequences in this taut YA thriller, for fans of Sadie, Andrew Joseph White, and HBO's Euphoria. BEFORE. Newly out trans guy Max is having a hard time in school. Things have been tough since his summer romance, Danny, turned into his bully. This year, his plan is to keep his head down and graduate. All that changes when new It Girl, Gloss, moves to town. No one understands why perfect, polished Gloss is so interested in an introverted skater kid, but Max blooms in the hothouse of her attention. Caught between romance and obsession, he'll do whatever it takes to keep her on his side.
AFTER. Haircuts, makeovers, drugs, parties. It's all fun and games until someone gets killed at a rager gone terribly wrong. Max refuses to believe that Gloss did it. But if not Gloss, who? Desperate to figure out truth in the wake of tragedy, Max veers dangerously close to being implicated--and his own memories of that awful night are fuzzy. Both sharp-edged thriller and moving coming of age, this gorgeously wrought novel is perfect for readers who want stories with trans characters front and center.
Author: Tash McAdam
Publisher: Soho Press Inc.
Published: 11/28/2023
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781641294898
Audience: Young Adult
Review Citation(s): Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2023
Publishers Weekly 09/11/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2023
Foreword 10/27/2023
School Library Journal 11/01/2023 pg. 67
Booklist 11/01/2023 pg. 76
About the AuthorTash McAdam is a Welsh-Canadian author, activist, and high school educator. Their publications include
The Psionics, and the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections
Blood Sport and
Sink or Swim. They are also featured in multiple anthologies. Tash is a recipient of the Shoot for the Moon fund for trans writers, and a founding mentor with the Gender Generations Project. When they're not writing or reading you can probably find Tash in a lake, lying on the carpet thinking about monsters, or getting a new tattoo. They enjoy regular cups of tea, existential philosophy, and sharp objects.
