¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons

LGBTQ advice columnist Brammer debuts with a frothy, episodic memoir written in the format of answers to such questions as “How do I make peace with the years I lost in the closet?” Brammer recounts his rural Oklahoma childhood, being bullied in middle school, and early sexual experiences, including a confusing relationship with a closeted Christian. He also discusses trying to reclaim his Mexican American heritage in high school by working at a Mexican restaurant and how coming out on Facebook “helped me work up the courage to admit it to myself.” After encountering Grindr for the first time as a college junior “desperate for the knowledge... [of] how to date and hook up and live as a gay person,” Brammer eventually launched his advice column on the dating app in 2017. Though he has a genuine interest in helping others and frankly details a suicide attempt and other intimate matters, Brammer’s writing regularly slips into clichés (his New York apartment is a “shoebox”; his abuela is “a very short, very brown woman” who watches telenovelas). Fans will appreciate a closer look at Brammer’s life; others will wish for greater depth. (June)