Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions

A year after his beloved older brother Goldy died from alcohol poisoning, Indian American high school senior Sunny Gill is still reeling in this debut. Goldy left Sunny his journal, which Sunny begins to fill with a “Series of Rash Decisions”: cutting his hair and shaving his beard, visible signs of Sunny’s Sikh faith, and going to prom on the night of Goldy’s barsi, which honors his death anniversary, are the first to-dos on the list. But on prom night, Sunny’s Nigerian/Ghanian British best friend Ngozi gets Hmong classmate Mindii Vang to draw Sunny away from the dance, persuading him to attend the Snollygoster Soiree, a cosplay event in honor of Sunny’s favorite fantasy book series. Told in Sunny’s introspective, often stream-of-conscious voice, what unfolds is a night of rash decisions: blazing across town on a motorcycle; “Hmong-level spicy” sausages from a food truck (“a rash decision... for you anyway,” Mindii says), and crashing a roller-skating party. Sunny and Mindii connect not only over their shared interests, but their values—including their deep love for family and culture—and their grief in a prom night rom-com that leads with friendship and pathos. Ages 12–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Agency. (Feb.)