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Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, Mason Deaver's STUNNING debut will rip your heart out before showing you how to heal from tragedy and celebrate life in the process. 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.… (more)
User reviews
But there is something weird in the dynamic with Ben's parents and also with their
That said, this was still a good, quick read, and I'd like to see more from this author.
use the correct pronouns for the first time and now getting it why they are so important to them. One point that really came across to me is that we need to protect and love our children.
The parents were very difficult to understand. Their dad was ultra controlling and seemed to have very narrow views. Their mother wanted to love her son, but she could not be trusted to keep a deep secret. Nathan's came closer to the attitude that I feel most comfortable with, "I love you, no matter what, it does not make a different on how you want to be, as long as you are yourself and are happy.
An important and heartwrenching story with a sweet enby-boy romance. Thank you, Mason Deacon.
Trigger Warnings: misgendering, homophobia, anxiety, depression
When Ben finally decides to come out to their parents that they're nonbinary, everything goes south and Ben's out on the streets in just their
So much happens within just the first three chapters alone that my heart breaks for Ben and all I want is for them to have a happy ending. I believe this is a book that needs to be added to everyone's reading list.
- It really dives into how being closeted, even slightly, can affect mental health.
- How living a life that isn't 100% true to you is agonizing (in Ben's case, misgendering).
- The book, in my opinion, shows what it's truly like to have a panic attack and trying to figure out the triggers and then going through the steps to try and calm your nerves.
- It shines light on those who haven't really had much light shined on them in mainstream anything. There is a pansexual character in the book and so far, I've only read one other book with that representation and it made me smile.
- The book also brings up the struggle of figuring out "how and why do I want to label myself?" Rather that's to live your life to the fullest, to connect to others, or to give yourself a sense of being, everyone's reasons are different and Ben's story mentions that quite a bit.
Though I understand the book was focusing on Ben's journey as they begin coming out as nonbinary and trying to work through their anxiety and depression, I do wish some of the relationships were more flushed out. I feel like scenes were just glazed over and I just wish I would see more of Ben's friendships grow.
Ben starts a new high school in the town their sister lives in but is still afraid to come out to their new friends, in part because of how traumatizing coming out to their parents was. They have panic attacks and are in therapy. Eventfully, they start medication as well.
This book was so well done. The author is nonbinary as well and their author’s note explains how they have drawn on their experiences as well as the experiences of others to tell this story. This book will lead to greater understanding for those people who want to learn more about what it means to be nonbinary and will make any nonbinary readers feel like they are not alone. Highly recommended.
The plot was not what I was expecting. Based on the synopsis and Deaver's previous novel, I was expecting
TW: Suicidal thoughts, attempted self-harm