Solo Stan

After his friends bail on him for the summer, 18-year-old Dakarai Barbier attends a CYPHR concert alone. There, Kai runs into his new coworker Elias Davis, also 18, who’s just moved from New York City to Raleigh to stay with his uncle following a physical altercation. When the concert is canceled due to a power outage, the two find themselves with time to kill. Then CYPHR announces a secret show for which admittance requires participating in a scavenger hunt that incorporates a series of riddles. As Kai and Elias work together to solve the clues, each one sends the teens across town, prompting them to perform random acts of kindness. Along the way, their fledgling friendship grows, as does a quiet mutual attraction. But as they learn more about each other, they must contend with their own insecurities. Focusing on a lived-in character dynamic set against an idealized metropolitan backdrop, Tucker (Rules for Rule Breaking) crafts a joyful queer rom-com that’s reminiscent of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Kai and Elias’s adventures have a hazy, fairy tale–like vibe that complements the novel’s low-stakes conflict and liminal-feeling happenings. Kai and Elias are described as having brown skin. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (June)