I Wish You All the Best 12+

About this book

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.

Reviews

"Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives." -- Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"Tender and bursting with humanity, I Wish You All the Best tells a heartwarming queer love story without compromise." -- Meredith Russo, Stonewall Award-winning author of If I Was Your Girl

"A beacon of hope in a broken world. We all need this book." -- Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin

"Emotional and heartfelt... This is the sort of novel that goes beyond being important; it has the potential to save and change lives." -- Kheryn Callender, Stonewall Award-winning author of Hurricane Child and This is Kind of an Epic Love Story

"I Wish You All the Best reminds us that, when we open up to love, we have the capacity to become our most authentic selves." -- Adib Khorram, Morris and APALA Award-winning author of Darius the Great is Not Okay

"A truly unique and beautiful debut." -- Adi Alsaid, author of Let's Get Lost

"Profoundly poignant and often swoon-worthy... a stunning gift to the world." -- Jay Coles, author of Tyler Johnson Was Here

"An important and inspiring novel about identity, acceptance, friendship, familial relationships, and the people who become your family." -- Sabina Khan, author of The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

"A soft, sweet, and incredibly important story about a nonbinary teen finding their voice. This book is going to be so important to so many people." -- Alice Oseman, author of Radio Silence and Heartstopper

"A welcome addition to the growing body of LGBTQIAP+ literature." -- Booklist

"An honest coming-of-age and coming-out story... Deaver's treatment of Ben's nonbinary identity creates a realistic portrayal of their journey toward self-acceptance... through sympathetic characters and a hopeful narrative of empowerment." -- Kirkus Reviews

"A powerful illustration of the ways that compassion and love can overcome intolerance." -- Publishers Weekly

"Deaver shows us that love, like gender, is fluid and nonbinary." -- NPR