The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Ollie is white Will is Venezuelan American. Sweet and tart in equal measure, this novel reminds us that legalizing gay marriage didn’t necessarily make coming out in America any easier. Scenes between Ollie and Will are tender and tense, complicating both boys’ emotional journeys authentically. The diverse supporting cast-particularly Ollie’s new trio of female friends-is so richly characterized that readers will swear they bump into these girls in the halls every day. Watching the central lovers struggle to grow toward one another is just one of the many pleasures offered by Gonzales’ ( The Law of Inertia, 2018) second novel. Ollie just wants a fresh start, but Will makes that impossible, doing everything from sitting at his table at lunch to transferring into his music class. Suddenly Ollie finds himself starting senior year at a new school without friends, without his beloved band, but with Will, a varsity basketball captain who not only isn’t out, but initially refuses to be seen with him.

Then his aunt’s cancer advances to such a critical stage that his parents decide to relocate the family from San Jose to Collinswood, North Carolina, to take care of her. First, his summer crush, Will, ghosts him and stops answering his texts. Ollie’s year is not turning out the way he planned. Summer lovin’ gets a Southern twist in this addicting coming-of-age gay romance.

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