Young Adult

A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the pavement?

There were witnesses: Quinn – a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan – and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his saviour could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team – half of whom are Rashad’s best friends – start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.

From award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love – and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalisation too many – Black, queer and transgender – to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages – after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned – Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle . . .

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognising the love you deserve.


'Definitely not a book to be missed.’ Buzzfeed

'This book is a gift, from start to finish.’ Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

‘An intricate love story for the ages.’ CNN Underscored

‘A firecracker of a book. Teens need this one.’ Casey McQuiston, bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue

‘Bold, empathetic coming-of-age story.’ The Bookseller

'Perfectly balances hardship, hope and happiness.’ Nic Stone, bestselling author of Dear Martin

'An essential purchase.’ SLJ (starred review)

'Boldly empathic, hopeful, and full of love.' Publisher's Weekly

'Beautiful.’ justin a. reynolds, author of Opposite of Always

'An unforgettable story.' ALA Booklist (starred review)

'Smart and engaging.' Horn Book Magazine