HOLY mother of fucks. major content warnings (see synopsis below) but this blew my mind in the best way possible.
in a future world, a homophobic, transphobic, boy traumatized by his father's disappearance and his legacy of toxic masculinity—falls for his gay best friend and his new trans friend (or at least not in the conventional way). More like, in a highly repressed, self-loathing way (his possible asexuality and neurodivergence doesn't make things easier for him, and for his friends, either.)
this is a story about queerness, parenting, mental illness, the cognitive-affect disconnect that may explain many conservative points of view, drugs, and finally, allyship and love.
the title of the book explains itself in the most satisfying way, and one of the therapy scenes has one of the most unique narrative arcs.