It Goes Like This

by Miel Moreland

Overview

In Miel Moreland's heartfelt young adult debut, It Goes Like This, four queer teens realize that sometimes you have to risk hitting repeat on heartbreak.

Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they've been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school, never expecting to headline anything bigger than the county fair.

But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens' band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste's starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Gina and Celeste step further into the spotlight, Steph disappears completely, and Eva, heartbroken, takes refuge as a songwriter and secret online fangirl...of her own band. That is, until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they'll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.

"It Goes Like This was everything my music nerd heart needed AND wanted. Lyrical and heart-wrenching...beautiful representation, sweetest longing and the pop-star romance of my dreams; Swifties will swoon happily with this story tattooed on their hearts." —Erin Hahn, author of You'd Be Mine and More Than Maybe

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250767493
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	05/18/2021
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	271,850
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Miel Moreland is the author of It Goes Like This. When not writing—and sometimes while writing—she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet, and currently resides in Boston.
Miel Moreland is the author of It Goes Like This and Something Like Possible. When not writing—and sometimes while writing—she is likely to be found drinking hot chocolate and making spreadsheets. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she has a Midwestern heart but wandering feet, and currently resides in Boston.

Editorial Reviews

03/22/2021

Garnering two Grammys and countless fans, Moonlight Overthrow was the perfect musical combination of four queer friends, all former middle school classmates—until it wasn’t. Now, a year and a half after the band’s breakup, they’re barely in touch. Celeste’s a star solo act in New York; Eva, who was blindsided by the simultaneous endings of the band and her romance with Celeste, is in college, writing music and running an anonymous Tumblr account about the group from L.A.; Gina, the band’s sole person of color, is a successful actor; and Steph, who now identifies as nonbinary, is back home in Duluth. There’s no reunion in the works, despite online rumors about the topic, but after their hometown is hit by massive storms, the band agrees to do a benefit concert. It’s difficult, though: hurt feelings need to be worked out, Steph prioritizes their family over the group, and the band’s not used to performing together anymore. And then there’s Eva and Celeste’s unfinished story. Debut author Moreland switches between the bandmates; though their voices feel undifferentiated at times, she also uses interview transcripts, social media posts, and breathless fan reports to create a funny, romantic, and moving picture of four young musicians trying to figure out their complicated personal and professional desires amid media scrutiny. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jessica Errera, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for It Goes Like This:

The Nerd Daily's "Anticipated Queer Book Releases You Can’t Miss In 2021"
Buzzfeed's "Contemporary Books We're Looking Forward To Reading In 2021"

"Debut author Moreland...uses interview transcripts, social media posts, and breathless fan reports to create a funny, romantic, and moving picture of four young musicians trying to figure out their complicated personal and professional desires amid media scrutiny." —Publishers Weekly

"This engaging novel...delivers a memorable story surrounding gender identity, love, and friendship; readers will be clamoring for more." —Booklist

"Compulsively readable...a love letter to friendship and platonic love...an absolute winner." —The Nerd Daily

"This novel is a home run. In their personal journeys, the sympathetic protagonists make good role models for teens worried that every mistake or course change is permanent; the characters demonstrate that growing up, changing your mind, and admitting you screwed up are all fine." —School Library Journal

"It Goes Like This was everything my music nerd heart needed AND wanted. Lyrical and heart-wrenching...beautiful representation, sweetest longing and the pop-star romance of my dreams; Swifties will swoon happily with this story tattooed on their hearts." —Erin Hahn, author of You'd Be Mine and More Than Maybe

"A breathtakingly heartfelt debut, It Goes Like This is a stunning and poignant coming of age story that centers queer kids in all their nuance. I wish I could read it again for the first time. Like our favorite songs, this story will stick with you long after you’ve reached the end." —Kalynn Baron, author of Cinderella is Dead

"A poignant debut about friendship, falling out, falling in, and finding one’s way...will have you singing in your seat and fangirling long after you finish the final chapters." —Jaye Robin Brown, author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

"Moreland’s writing instantly pulled me in, seamlessly weaving together multiple points of view to tell a rich, gripping story full of heartbreak and joy. A spectacular debut about queer love, life, and friendship, It Goes Like This is a song I never wanted to end." —Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl

"It Goes Like This is a touching and delightful exploration of queer friendship, love, and art. I want to live in this fun, heartfelt, and important book ‘til the moon crashes into the sea." —Auriane Desombre, author of I Think I Love You

"A moving story of friendship, love, and growing up. Like the best of melodies, it will stay with you long after it’s over." —Caleb Roehrig, author of Fell of Dark

"A delicious escape, the kind of book where you dive in and just want to stay a while. A journey through memory, love, family, and loss...This novel was a soothing balm to my heart." —Aminah Mae Safi, author of This is All Your Fault

From the Publisher

05/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—In middle school, Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph formed a queer pop band called Moonlight Overthrow that made them superstars. Last year, however, not only did the band break up, but Eva's longtime girlfriend, Celeste, dumped her for a solo career. Now Eva attends college, Celeste sings, Gina stars in movies, and no one knows about Steph, who moved home to Duluth, IA. But after a major storm lays waste to Duluth, Gina suggests one last benefit concert for Moonlight Overthrow. Each band member has reasons for agreeing, and their fandom goes wild. Over one long week at Steph's house, they all consider what they lost and gained by ending the band—and their relationships—and figuring out what they really want for the future. This novel is a home run. In their personal journeys, the sympathetic protagonists make good role models for teens worried that every mistake or course change is permanent; the characters demonstrate that growing up, changing your mind, and admitting you screwed up are all fine. The nonchronological structure effectively fleshes out their backstories piece by piece, and interstitial social media clips represent fan culture honestly and fondly. The protagonists are all white except Gina, who is Black, and are cisgender except for genderqueer Steph. Although swearing and colloquial body part terms occur frequently, romantic interludes and references are not explicit. VERDICT Fans of bands and bandom will love these queer college-age former pop stars reuniting for a benefit concert, personal reflection, and a hopeful future.—Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA

School Library Journal