Then Everything Happens at Once

White-cued Toronto native Baylee, 16, has had a crush for years on her neighbor, Freddie, described as having brown skin. As much as she craves romance and intimacy, Baylee doesn’t believe anyone as conventionally attractive as Freddie could be into “a fat girl like me.” These same insecurities cause her to doubt her white-coded online friend Alex’s flirtations. When it suddenly seems like Freddie is returning her feelings, the Covid-19 pandemic hits, forcing Baylee into quarantine. During lockdown, she begins a sexually intimate relationship with Freddie and wrestles with feelings of guilt as she continues to pursue a romantic relationship with Alex. Myriad secondary interpersonal conflicts complicate matters further, including Baylee’s responsibility protecting her 12-year-old sister Rebecca, who has cerebral palsy, from the virus, and her fraying relationships with her mother and Sri Lankan Canadian best friend Lara. Baylee is a headstrong and decisive protagonist whose seemingly boundless confidence realistically juxtaposes her deep-rooted insecurities. Girard (Girl Mans Up) portrays Baylee’s mistakes and triumphs with nuance while tackling negative self-talk and anti-fat rhetoric amid unprecedented crisis in this honest and believable portrait of a teen navigating her sexual awakening. Ages 14–up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Jan.)