These links show the original reading lists. Inclusion is not a guarantee of suitability for your child.
Kacen Callender - Author
This is a relationship-centred YA story about second chances, shifting friendships, and communication. Its distinctive element is Ollie's deafness and the way sign language, texts, and context shape interactions.
deafnessAmerican Sign Languageaccessibility in friendshipconflict avoidancefriendship strainpessimismgroup dynamicssexualityracial diversityhomophobiafriendship support
Fiction
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Themes in Context
Communication and deafness
Ollie is deaf and uses sign language; other characters adapt, while phones and surrounding context help convey exchanges.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: Communication difference is treated as an ordinary part of relationships, with frustration acknowledged without pity.
Talk about: What does the book make visible about adapting communication, and what might remain outside its focus?
Conflict avoidance and changing friendships
Nate's pessimism and tendency to give up shape his interactions with Florence and Ollie, while the wider friend group adjusts to changing relationships.MixedMixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.Mixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.
How the book presents it: The book presents competing or mixed signals about this.
Talk about: How do avoidance and pessimism affect Nate's friendships, and what helps the group adjust when relationships change?
Identity and social environment
The characters are described as diverse and comfortable with their sexuality; homophobia is notably not presented as a problem in the story.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: The social world is portrayed as broadly accepting and supportive, rather than organised around prejudice or exclusion.
Talk about: Would this accepting environment feel truthful or useful to a reader whose experience is different?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may appeal to readers who enjoy intertwined friendships and a gradual romance, especially stories where characters negotiate rejection, boundaries, and feelings without homophobia being a central conflict.
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What Deserves Attention
The book includes romantic feelings, break-ups, rejection, friendship strain, a parent grieving a father's death, and frustration around communication. Nate's pessimism and avoidance may also require patience.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How might a reader respond to the characters' ways of handling rejection and changing boundaries? Would the quiet, supportive treatment of difference feel reassuring or leave important experiences unexplored?
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Reading Approach
If relationship stories are a good fit, read alongside the teenager rather than focusing only on the eventual pairing. Pause to discuss communication choices, consent around advances, and how grief affects family decisions.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Communication and deafness: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Conflict avoidance and changing friendships: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Identity and social environment: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
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