I Wish You All the Best

by Mason Deaver Narrated by MW Cartozian Wilson

Overview

Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, Mason Deaver's stunning debut will rip your heart out before showing you how to heal from tragedy and celebrate life in the process.

"Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives." -- Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens AgendaIt's just three words: I am nonbinary. But that's all it takes to change everything.When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives." — Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda"Tender and bursting with humanity, I Wish You All the Best tells a heartwarming queer love story without compromise." — Meredith Russo, Stonewall Award-winning author of If I Was Your Girl"A beacon of hope in a broken world. We all need this book." — Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin"Emotional and heartfelt... This is the sort of novel that goes beyond being important; it has the potential to save and change lives." — Kheryn Callender, Stonewall Award-winning author of Hurricane Child and This is Kind of an Epic Love Story"I Wish You All the Best reminds us that, when we open up to love, we have the capacity to become our most authentic selves." — Adib Khorram, Morris and APALA Award-winning author of Darius the Great is Not Okay"A truly unique and beautiful debut." — Adi Alsaid, author of Let's Get Lost"Profoundly poignant and often swoon-worthy... a stunning gift to the world." — Jay Coles, author of Tyler Johnson Was Here"An important and inspiring novel about identity, acceptance, friendship, familial relationships, and the people who become your family." — Sabina Khan, author of The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali"A soft, sweet, and incredibly important story about a nonbinary teen finding their voice. This book is going to be so important to so many people." — Alice Oseman, author of Radio Silence and Heartstopper"A welcome addition to the growing body of LGBTQIAP+ literature." — Booklist"An honest coming-of-age and coming-out story... Deaver's treatment of Ben's nonbinary identity creates a realistic portrayal of their journey toward self-acceptance... through sympathetic characters and a hopeful narrative of empowerment." — Kirkus Reviews"A powerful illustration of the ways that compassion and love can overcome intolerance." — Publishers Weekly"Deaver shows us that love, like gender, is fluid and nonbinary." — NPR

Kirkus Reviews

2019-02-20

Deaver's debut delivers an honest coming-of-age and coming-out story about 18-year-old queer, nonbinary Ben De Backer.

The novel centers on conflicts within a North Carolina family that drive the narrative after Ben comes out to their parents and is kicked out of the house. Welcomed by their older sister, Hannah, who they haven't spoken to in more than a decade, and her husband, Thomas, they begin a new life, enter therapy, and begin to find peace as they finish their senior year. Ben finds comfort in art classes, which become a safe haven as the art teacher takes them under her wing. Ben's loneliness abates thanks to budding friendships, but when their connection with another student, Nathan, hints at something more, Ben struggles to find the confidence to risk sharing their truth again. Dealing with new friendships, family rejection, first love, anxiety, and personal growth, this novel is grounded in familiar YA terrain while exploring themes of gender identity. Deaver's treatment of Ben's nonbinary identity creates a realistic portrayal of their journey toward self-acceptance. Ben and their family are white, Nathan is brown-skinned (ethnicity unspecified), and a few secondary characters are ethnically diverse, including a nonbinary character who is a Muslim immigrant and hijabi.

Holds appeal for readers of all genders and sexualities through sympathetic characters and a hopeful narrative of empowerment. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170566365
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

"I . . ." I can do this. Just keep breathing.There's that tightness in my stomach, like something is just twisting and twisting and it won’t let go until the moment is over. And everything will unravel, and I'll feel free."I wanted to tell you two something."Dad looks at me now.This is it.It's kinda funny actuallythe script I wrote for myself, the one I typed in Word so I'd cover everything I wanted to, it's just totally gone from my memory now. Like someone zapped it all away.Maybe that's for the bestmaybe this is how I'll be the most honest with them.If it just comes from me and not some rehearsed version of myself, maybe that will helpmaybe that'll be better? I tell them. Slowly.At first, relief floods over me. I think I can actually feel myself relax.I just wish that feeling could've lasted longer.

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