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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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KISS AND TELL

Adib Khorram

This is a smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram.
Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend--leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all--and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.

But Hunter isn't really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T's shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the star of the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble - for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself.

Adib Khorram lives in Kansas City, Missouri. When he isn't writing, you can probably find him trying to get his hundred-yard freestyle under a minute, learning to do a Lutz jump, or steeping a cup of oolong. His debut novel, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, earned several awards, including the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. He is also the author of Darius the Great Deserves Better and the picture book Seven Special Somethings: A Nowruz Story.
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Published 2022-03-22 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Comments

Khorram deftly makes the story work, calling on readers to empathize with Hunter's pride and embarrassment, questions about how he should look and be, and maybe even his belated realization that the band's other members also receive public scrutiny.

This is a love letter to boy bands... [Adib Khorram] effectively encapsulates the ecosystem of celebrity and fandom - and cultivates a strong, contemporary social message... An absolute bop; Khorram's best yet.

Adib has crafted a sparkling, modern fairytale effortlessly woven with yearning, social justice, and sweet but complex friendships bursting with lovely little rays of hope.

Portuguese: Casa dos livros Editora Ltda ; Russian: Popcorn

Khorram does a terrific job of taking readers inside the world of pop music, especially showing the stress involved in celebrity... [he] handles these dramatic complexities like a master, and readers will be grateful for his skill.