As You Walk On By
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The Breakfast Club meets Can't Hardly Wait with an unforgettable ensemble cast in another swoony YA contemporary from award-winning author Julian Winters!
Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves exceling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.
But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After queer Black 17-year-old Theo's public promposal goes sideways, he must reconsider his past actions, current relationships, and future goals in this earnest romance by Winters (Right Where I Left You). Best friends Theo, Darren, and Jay have a tradition of daring each other into humorous and occasionally embarrassing situations, such as belting out Mariah Carey in their Louisville, Ky., magnet school's quad, a welcome distraction from his father's expectations. Jay dares Theo to ask his crush, Christian, to prom; Theo accepts, excited for the opportunity to have his "big magically gay prom night." When Theo promposes at a house party, however, Christian reveals that he has a boyfriend. Convinced that Jay knew and set him up, Theo and his friends have an emotional blowout fueled by years of Theo's buried frustration stemming from internal turmoil as the least affluent and only queer person in their group. Hiding out in an empty bedroom, Theo is eventually joined by fellow partygoers, including his former best friend, Aleah, each of whom is struggling in the aftermath of a hurtful conflict. Creating an outstanding, intersectionally diverse supporting cast whose personalities glimmer with dynamic energy, Winters skillfully centers showing up for oneself and communicating honestly amid an infectious celebration of queer romantic gestures. Ages 12–up.
