A road trip rom-com about heartbreak, social media hijinks, and learning to be happy with who you are, perfect for fans of Heartstopper, Becky Albertalli, and Phil Stamper.
When their ex-boyfriends get together and start Instagramming a disgustingly perfect summer of love, Jack and Nate decide to concoct a mutual Insta-worthy summer adventure of their own to prove they’re just fine and everything’s great. Of course, it’s hard to have an epic summer road trip when they’re stuck in a van with Nate’s midlife crisis–bound parents and his annoying younger sister. And it’s been years since Jack and Nate have said more than a few sentences to each other. But their followers don’t have to know any of that. How hard could faking the high life be? Posting as @TheHeartbreakBoys, the duo stumbles into one hilarious situation after another—and each discovers that maybe the cure for heartbreak has been the boy riding next to him all along.
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Gr 9 Up—English 16-year-olds Jack and Nate, cued as white, are polar opposites. Unapologetically, fabulously gay Jack is positive that he and his popular boyfriend, Dylan, will be crowned king and queen of their prom—that'll show the haters! Meanwhile, closeted, neurotic Nate loves his boyfriend, Tariq, enough to come out at the prom during a speech. Except, that's when everyone finds out Dylan and Tariq are together and planning an Instagrammable summer break. An enraged Jack decides that he and Nate—former best friends—must retaliate by Instagramming their own fantastic summer. Unfortunately, theirs is a mishap-prone road trip with Nate's parents, and extrovert Jack continually drives introvert Nate up a tree. How were they ever even friends? Could they ever get their friendship back? Could it lead to more than that? Told in chapters alternating the boys' points of view, this hilarious rom-com overflows with lively, distinctive characters, and a lot of heart. The road trip is full of hapless episodes that Jake manages to twist into Instagram photos to rival Dylan and Tariq's, in the process exposing how unreliable a story social media can tell. The romance develops slowly and believably, with requisite misunderstandings, as the former best friends get reacquainted and remember all the fun they had as kids. Cursing and sexual references are teen-relevant. VERDICT A delightful, opposites-attract rom-com.—Rebecca Moore