The State of Us

by Shaun David Hutchinson

Overview

"Dre and Dean have got my vote!"—Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

When Dean Arnault’s mother decided to run for president, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone, least of all her son. But still that doesn’t mean Dean wants to be part of the public spectacle that is the race for the White House—at least not until he meets Dre.

The only problem is that Dre Rosario's on the opposition; he’s the son of the Democratic nominee. But as Dean and Dre’s meet-ups on the campaign trail become less left to chance, their friendship quickly becomes a romantic connection unlike any either of the boys have ever known.

If it wasn’t hard enough falling in love across the aisle, the political scheming of a shady third-party candidate could cause Dean and Dre’s world to explode around them.

It’s a new modern-day, star-crossed romance about what it really means to love your country—and yourself—from the acclaimed author of We Are the Ants and Brave Face, Shaun David Hutchinson.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062950321
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	560,346
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.60(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shaun David Hutchinson is the award-winning author of several books for young adults and the editor of multiple young adult anthologies. A native Floridian, Shaun currently resides in Seattle, where he spends his free time running, baking, and designing virtual worlds. He can be found online at shaundavidhutchinson.com or on Twitter @shauniedarko.

Editorial Reviews

"Dre and Dean have got my vote!"

 Adib Khorram

04/27/2020

Andre “Dre” Rosario and Dean Arnault have one big thing in common—a parent running for U.S. president—but, at first glance, little else. Mexican-American Dre, a Democrat, is gay and out, and his dad rose to prominence defending asylum seekers. Buttoned-up Dean is white, on the asexual spectrum, and closeted, and his Republican mother wants trans soldiers banned from the military. But since no one else understands the pressures they’re under, that’s what brings them together, the two 17-year-olds soon finding that they more they talk, the closer they get. Which doesn’t mean it’s easy: Dre has problems with Dean’s mother’s politics, and Dean doesn’t know how his perfectionist mother would handle knowing who he really is, from his sexuality to his career goals. Things get more complex when the third-party candidate, a cartoonishly sleazy businessman known “for exploiting anyone and everything he could,” tries to make them a campaign issue. Though Dean’s diction veers from believably formal to somewhat robotic, Hutchinson (Brave Face) creates two likable characters in a love-against-the-odds story that effectively takes up the well-timed issue of how to love people whose beliefs one doesn’t share—whether they’re parents or prospective partners. Ages 13–up. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Dre and Dean have got my vote!" —  Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

"While the joyful love story is front and center, Hutchinson’s deft handling of his characters provides a perfect—and surprisingly subtle—vehicle for relating the inner journeys of queer and questioning teens, most notably Dean’s exploration of his place on the asexual spectrum. Charming, humorous, nicely paced, and never dull, this timely romance will appeal beyond its genre—a must for all collections." — Booklist (starred review)

“Two likable characters in a love-against-the-odds story that effectively takes up the well-timed issue of how to love people whose beliefs one doesn’t share.” — Publishers Weekly

"A supremely charming YA romance set against the 2020 Presidential election!" — Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop

From the Publisher

"A supremely charming YA romance set against the 2020 Presidential election!"

Cathy Berner

"Dre and Dean have got my vote!"

Adib Khorram

"While the joyful love story is front and center, Hutchinson’s deft handling of his characters provides a perfect—and surprisingly subtle—vehicle for relating the inner journeys of queer and questioning teens, most notably Dean’s exploration of his place on the asexual spectrum. Charming, humorous, nicely paced, and never dull, this timely romance will appeal beyond its genre—a must for all collections."

Booklist (starred review)

Sweet, funny, and heartbreakingly optimistic—it's the uplifting read we all need right now.

Christina Lauren

"A knockout of a book that will tug at your heartstrings."

Mason Deaver

08/07/2020

Gr 8 Up—In the alternating viewpoints of cool Dre and uptight Dean, Hutchinson takes us into a relationship with more complications than most. Both teenage boys are the only children of vying Presidential candidates and, fittingly, they first meet in an election event green room. Dre, son of the liberal Latino candidate, is comfortably out to his family and his friends, while Dean's conservative mother, the opposite candidate, is not gay-friendly and Dean himself, who is white, is only beginning to admit to himself that he's somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum. The blossoming friendship between the boys occurs in crossing paths on the campaign trail, in private app chats, and phone calls. Hutchinson imbues all the minor as well as main characters with credible personalities and provides a thoughtful depiction of how different kinds of interpersonal relationships within and beyond families shape individuals and friendships. VERDICT This is more than just an election year story and will have staying power in high school and public library teen fiction collections.—Francisca Goldsmith, Lib. Ronin, Worcester, MA

School Library Journal