e-ALC, 05:30:00
Narrated by: Arya Shahi & Major Curda
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Read from: May 8-9, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: homophobia, Eating Disorder, Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia, Hate Crime, Misogyny, Outing, Racial Slurs
For Readers of: 2sLGBTQ+, Audio, Contemporary, DEAR, Holy Crap, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Dual POV, Dual Narrator, Realistic Fiction, Religious Diversity (Baha’i Faith), Sports, Stand-alone, YATwo teen boys grapple with identity and accountability and set off a ripple effect within their community after a school assembly is disrupted by a shouted slur.
Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different—or so it seems.
When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore.
Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings—about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.
As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.
Timely, raw, and deeply thought-provoking, this novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Y’all this book made me so mad. I wanted to throw it SO BAD. But I had to remember I was listening to the audio on my phone lol But then I remembered, that’s the sign of a good book. Anything that can invoke that much emotion out of me is a damn good book.
*LEAVE NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT THE END SPOILED* Ok so I got so mad because in the end someone apologizes to him. But he “doesn’t know when or if he will accept it” because what they did was so wrong. Um sirrrrrr did you forget how we got here? He did the literal exact thing. He even said, “I did the time in ISS and apologized, what more do I need to do?” He did the EXACT THING HE ACCUSED OF THEM. Not saying that either one of them should have forgotten about anything, but I am saying stop throwing stones. And like, the lesson here was intent vs impact and there was nothing said about that. He didn’t mention that at all in the end. He just kept being mad that they “left him.” Idk it annoyed me and made me feel like he learned nothing.
*OK YOU CAN COME BACK* The other characters were so much better. I was annoyed with Farshid for acting like that to his mother. Because how dare you? She’s trying to help you. It wasn’t like she was asking for him to do much or even like she was making assumptions about him, he was just being mean. Not cool man, not cool. And if you thought that’s what macho men were doing to their moms, be for real, that is not it.
I loved the way we saw both sides to the story tho. I felt fully immersed into it. I didn’t care to be in Dayton’s head. He was not a good person. Because what kind of person thinks it’d be funny to shout a slur? What kind of person surrounds themselves with people that would even tell him to say that. let alone listen to them? I just, I couldn’t. And then the ending where I felt like he didn’t learn anything… I just didn’t like being in the head of him. On the other side it was hard to be in Farshid’s head too. I didn’t like the whole mom thing and then I think I got teary more than once with his ED and him suppressing himself. This is just an all around emotional book.
I loved this, but I wish there had been more of a lesson? Yeah he learned a little because he stopped hanging around the “yes men” but there was no real like explanations. And I refuse to believe that someone learns intent vs impact by themselves. But with a lot of discussion and a deeper look into other things like the friends they keep, I think this is going to be one I think about for a long time.
Overall, I give this
