Only Mostly Devastated

Summers end, and with them summer flings. But Ollie’s relationship with Will was great, and when Ollie’s Californian family stays in North Carolina to help his sick aunt, he hopes that the fling can continue—if only Will would text him back. Ghosted, Ollie starts senior year at a new school, makes friends, comes out (he’s been out for years, but now he has to do it again), and realizes that Will goes to the same school. He’s a varsity basketball star, a closeted one. Narrator Ollie is deeply sympathetic, but both teens’ feelings—love, hate, lust, grief, and, for Will, insecurity about coming out—are convincing, as are conversations about the different dynamics of being out in San Jose and small-town North Carolina. Though Gonzales (The Law of Inertia) is Australian, she gets most U.S. details right in this Grease reboot, creating an inclusive cast and giving weight to many parts of Ollie’s multifaceted life, including his aunt’s illness, the cousins he babysits, and his friendships. Ages 13–up. [em](Mar.) [/em]