‘Only Mostly Devastated’ by Sophie Gonzales

And life was too short to play chicken with something as important as the person you loved.

‘Only Mostly Devastated’ by Sophie Gonzales is a novel that follows the complicated love story of Ollie, an out teenager, and his sweet and attractive crush, Will.

After spending a magical summer together at the lake, Ollie is hopelessly in love but heartbroken when they have to part ways. Then, he is devastated when Will suddenly stops replying to his texts. When a family emergency forces Ollie to stay in town and transfer to a new high school, he finds himself face-to-face with Will … who now mostly ignores him in public, afraid of being outed to his basketball friends.

The story beautifully explores themes of identity, coming out, grief, friendship, and the pressures of toxic masculinity—while still delivering plenty of warmth and humor. It’s one of those affirming YA novels I wish I’d had as a teenager. Plus, it has bi representation!

CW: (internalized) queerphobia, death of a family member, outing, peer pressure