A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENEMY

Queer teens reprise their James Bond–inspired hijinks.

Only 19 days after their wedding, 17-year-old newlyweds Nico Hall and Sam Solomon are already keeping secrets. Since their breakout mission in A Different Kind of Brave (2024), both white-presenting boys have been recruited as spies, but they can’t reveal this fact to each other. Their mission focuses on an anomaly that’s on a collision path with Earth—and the six-day countdown to the expected impact is on. Field agent Nico—code name “Parkour”—ends up in Hawai‘i, verifying the danger with an optical telescope. Meanwhile, Sam—aka “the Knitter”—is tasked with thinking up contingencies as an analyst for a “sensitive and compartmented information facility.” Dangers surrounding the pair escalate while things also heat up between them, as Sam worries that Nico still hasn’t said “I love you” back. Luckily, their missions eventually bring them closer to finding out the truth—in more ways than one. But can they “pull the wig off this whole thing,” save the world, and save their marriage? Amid the heavy flirting and passion, the lovelorn spies have a meaningful conversation about monogamy. The alternating third-person narration effectively builds tension, but for such high stakes as mass destruction, the resolution’s payoff falls a little short. Still, the Bond references and cool gadgetry abound in this fast-paced sequel—this time, notably including some AI.

Slightly less rizz than its predecessor, but still worth the ride.