[Book Review] I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

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.

[Book Review] Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he's the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. Now that Max is getting older and his mother won't have as much control, she worries that the facade of effortless excellence she has constructed might crumble. Adding tot he stress, her husband has decided to run for public office. The media spot-light is about to encircle their lives.

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When a childhood friend abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won't his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding? And the biggest question of all: Who is Max Walker really?

A coming of age story like no other, Golden Boy is a fascinating exploration of autonomy, identity, and a family in crisis that you'll read in one sitting and never forget.