THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

Eighteen-year-old Louisa hasn’t been back to the small Alabama town where she grew up since coming out as queer a month ago.

Six years ago, she moved to Connecticut with her mom after her parents’ divorce. Her dad stayed in Rustin along with Louisa’s conservative grandparents and beloved great-uncle, George, a football star and hometown hero. When George dies suddenly, Louisa returns to Rustin for the funeral and discovers that he bequeathed her his ownership stake in the Frisky Cricket, a gay bar. Louisa soon discovers that the presumed straight George had a male partner in both business and romance. Bar co-owner Hatch is a gruff man who begrudgingly agrees to let Louisa attempt to revitalize the struggling bar, while Rustin University plans to buy the property to build a football complex. Meanwhile, Louisa’s childhood best friends have been hanging out with the new football coach’s Type A—and annoyingly attractive—daughter, Aubrey. Although Louisa and Aubrey initially clash, over time attraction grows between them. The loveable regulars at the Cricket and countless references to classic dishes like fried okra and cornbread ground Louisa’s story in a vividly realized Deep South setting. Louisa is an authentically teenage character; her friends and found family hold her accountable for the mistakes she makes, and her apologies and personal growth show nuance. The central characters are cued white, and there’s racial diversity in the supporting cast.

A love letter to the tightknit queer communities of the South.