Where do I even begin with this story? It hit all the right notes. As Ollie falls in step with a fierce trio of girls, he has to wrestle with the fact that the boy he loves might not be in a place to openly love him back right now–and that it isn’t his fault. And, of course, Will is on the basketball team and very much still in the closet, so as far as his friends are aware, he and Ollie have never met before, much less dated. Right after starting out at his new school, Ollie is shocked to find that his new school is also where Will goes.

The two part ways at the end of the summer, only for Ollie to find out that, because his aunt has cancer, his family is going to stay in North Carolina for the year…and that Will has ghosted him. Quick plot rundown: Ollie, an out-and-proud gay teen from California, spent his summer at the lake in North Carolina, where he managed to fall in love with a pretty sweet guy named Will. In other words, it is everything the world of light, contemporary YA thrives on, and I am so here for it. Only Mostly Devastated is essentially a gay retelling of Grease, only with more humor (and emotions), broader social awareness, healthier relationships, and none of the “change the most fundamental aspects of your personality just to please a boy” nonsense that fills the end of the original musical. Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, LGBTQ+Ĭute, queer, and oh-so-diverse, this might be my favorite book I’ve read this year thus far.

Only mostly devastated characters