WORST-CASE SCENARIO

A nonbinary high schooler in Seattle finds romance while dealing with their mental health.

Sidney Walker has big plans for their junior year, with aspirations to become president of the Queer Alliance. Unfortunately for them, their nemesis, Forrest Hirschler, also decides to run—and when the votes are tied, Sidney must serve as co-president with someone who doesn’t even care about the club. Forrest once said the QA was corny and pointless, and now that he’s helping to run things, all he wants to do is throw a party. However, as the two learn to work together, friendship—and then something more—begins to blossom. While the romance is sweet, it’s easily overshadowed by the much more powerful plotlines exploring Sidney’s relationship with their father, a newly recovering alcoholic, and their struggles with increasingly upsetting intrusive thoughts and feelings of anxiety. The prose is uneven; at times, it veers toward over-explanation, slowing the pace with unnecessary details. But when it’s at its best, the writing is readable and straightforward, depicting Sidney’s feelings and experiences authentically and poignantly. Teens seeking a realistic and compassionate depiction of mental health challenges and those who enjoy low-key love stories will find this novel resonates. Sidney and Forrest are cued white, and their friend group is racially diverse.

An honest depiction of OCD paired with a cute queer romance.