Second Chances in New Port Stephen
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” (Time) Chef’s Kiss.
Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This playful and sweet second-chance romance from Alexander (Chef's Choice) sends trans comedian Eli Ward to his parents' Florida home for Christmas—a visit he's dreading both because of the state's growing list of antitrans laws and because of his recent career implosion. An unexpected bright spot comes in the form of restaurant manager Nick Wu, Eli's high school best friend and pretransition boyfriend, who's still living in New Port Stephen to coparent his delightful four-year old, Zoe. When the men see each other again, attraction reignites—despite both of them believing Nick to be straight. The tone throughout is humorous, from Eli's easy banter with Zoe to an expedition to Eli and Nick's former high school that ends with their escape as it falls into a sinkhole, but Nick's struggle to redefine his sexuality is given the weight it deserves. Meanwhile, both men deal with complex family dynamics: Alexander leaves most of the transphobia in the hands of Nick's cartoonishly difficult ex-mother-in-law, giving Eli's family only a vague cluelessness where gender is concerned that is ultimately redeemed through a delightful photo-shoot redo of childhood photos. Readers wishing for breezy, reassuring queer romance will take joy in Eli and Nick's love.
