Coretta Scott King Honor author Kwame Mbalia and Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly have teamed up to write a YA rom-com about wholesome yearning and a whole lot of cringe.

In On Again, Awkward Again, first-year high school students Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway learn to accept that love isn’t always a perfect performance—it’s often a series of mishaps, mistakes, and hilariously awkward interactions. The book is due in April 2025 from Abrams Children’s Books, with an announced first printing of 150,000 copies. The cover, designed by Micah Fleming, associate art director at Amulet Books, is revealed here for the first time.

Prior to teaming up as co-authors, Mbalia and Kelly hit it off on the conference circuit and long admired each other’s work. “We had to figure out what kind of book we could write together, and it dawned on us that we could write a really funny rom-com,” Kelly said. “Part of the reason is because, when we’re together, we’re constantly laughing, teasing each other, and making jokes. It felt like the right time to do something funny and not angsty—a sweet story.”

Describing the brainstorming process that led them to their novel, the pair said they played to their strengths as writers. “I start with character,” Kelly said. “[Pacey and Cecil] are very different from their peers, but they have no angst about it.” She developed Pacey; Mbalia developed Cecil. “Kwame is very good at plot points: ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?’ ”

“I come from an adventure quest story background,” Mbalia said. “Erin creates characters that you feel drawn to. They are not self-conscious; they’re completely in tune with who they are and what they’re good at and what they like to do. And then all of a sudden they’re hit by the feelings bus and they’re dazed and confused. I stack up the blocks neatly into place and Erin makes you feel for the character that is weaving through them.”

Mbalia and Kelly did initially wonder how the writing would happen, but their rapport made it easier than expected. “Kwame came up with a beat sheet to start us off,” Kelly said. “We would meet periodically on Zoom to touch base and took turns writing chapters. It was pretty efficient.”

Like their teen characters, the authors brought their own awkwardness to the assignment. “At age 14, everything feels very intense and all-consuming,” Kelly said. “Adults are often pedantic or dismissive toward those feelings, but when you are 14 and in love, it’s legit. Both of us mined our teen years and what it felt like to have a crush or to be in love or to be loved.”

While the mechanics of school may have changed since Mbalia and Kelly were teenagers, the experiences of “everything revolves around this one person, or, alternatively that feeling of getting your heart ripped out for the very first time” are evergreen, Mbalia said. “I thought that the best way to make an impression [on my crush] was to skip down seven stairs and smoothly say, ‘What’s up?’ I accidentally kicked her down the stairs. At that moment, all I could think was if I didn’t say hello I would spontaneously combust into tiny glitter Kwames.”

The authors said they were mindful of the book’s age range as they wrote. “There’s no sex,” Kelly said. “I don’t know if we could write a sex scene without giggling the whole time. A lot of kids who are in middle school are ready to move on to YA, but their parents may be uncomfortable with handing them a YA romance. This is something for those readers.”

Mbalia added, “Also, there are teens whose reading list in high school is depressing book after depressing book. A little levity really helps with that age category as well.”

Maggie Lehrman, associate publisher at Abrams Children's Books, called the co-authors a dream team. “I’ve been a fan of theirs for years,” she said, “so I was thrilled to get to work with them on their first YA. They innately understand the embarrassment and excitement of falling in love, and at the same time they get how funny that can be. This book is a celebration of individuality and making mistakes and finding that person who gets you, even when you don’t make sense to anyone else.”

The cover art is equally celebratory. In designing it, Fleming said she “got to flex some funky muscles that have been in the closet for a while. I really enjoyed imagining what these characters would look like and feel like and how their world might exist in full color, because the authors painted such a wonderful picture of the characters. I loved the idea of geeking out with all the bright colors and patterns.”

Mbalia and Kelly hope that readers find joy and lightness in On Again, Awkward Again. “I want people to cry from reading the book, but tears of laughter,” Mbalia said. “I want that knee-slapping, rib-clutching, tears-streaming-down-the-face laughter. One, because it burns calories, and two, because that means that we have done our job. I hope that Pacey and Cecil and their unapologetic, weird, nerdy, authentic selves remind readers that they don’t have to dull themselves or shrink themselves in order to find friendship or even love—there’s someone out there for everyone.”

On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia. Abrams, $19.99 Apr. 15, 2025 ISBN 978-1-4197-7563-5