FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Danny Scudd is a 27-year-old Londoner with only a vague idea of who he is.

He might be a journalist, if the click-bait content he writes for his job at a culture app counts as writing (he doesn’t think it does). He might be a boyfriend, if only Tobbs, the man he considers his partner, hadn’t sent him to the clinic with a mysterious disease that turns out to be sexually transmitted. He might also be a best friend to his childhood pal Jacob, the biracial, nonbinary performance artist who’s always the center of attention, which is fine by Danny. One thing Danny, whose parents own a small-town fish-and-chip shop, is sure of: He’s gay. But even in his late 20s, he’s struggling to figure out who he is and who he wants to be. For someone who would rather tend to his houseplants than mingle at a house party, those questions feel overwhelming. But thanks to a new therapist, a breakup with Tobbs, an eviction from his flat, and a new home in Jacob’s creative queer commune in East London, Danny is forced to question everything he once knew about himself, his style, and the people around him. A memorable cast of characters helps propel Danny through this pivotal time as he experiences bad dates, becoming an (embarrassing!) meme, an unexpected promotion, and more. The story—told through humorous prose, text messages, diary entries, and the inner ramblings of Danny’s unfiltered mind—is an entertaining, fast-paced read.

A queer coming-of-adulthood story told with humor, tenderness, and quirk.