SOLO STAN

Unexpected circumstances throw two boys—strangers to each other and each adrift after high school—together for one magical night.

Though he’s never had much luck finding it, Dakarai (who goes by Kai) believes wholeheartedly in true love and longs to find his “twin flame.” His close friends Bobby Bae and Winter Park—the stars of Tucker’s 2024 debut, Rules for Rule Breaking—are headed to college, a plan that Kai, who doesn’t feel ready to leave his North Carolina hometown, has put on hold. At his bookstore job, he encounters Elias, the store owner’s nephew from New York City, who’s been sent there because he was getting into trouble at home. He, too, isn’t interested in college. The boys, who are cued Black, get off to a rocky start that only intensifies when they each arrive solo at a concert for musical artist CYPHR. But when a blackout interrupts the concert, and CYPHR launches a citywide scavenger hunt to find the new surprise venue, they partner up—and realize they might even have to trust each other. Awkward pacing makes the novel difficult to get into; it takes a while to get to the meat of the story and then feels rushed toward the end. Nevertheless, readers seeking a wholesome whirlwind queer romance may be pleased. Notably, the story also portrays alternatives to college for high school graduates.

A sweet romance built on an irresistible premise, but clumsy execution will leave readers wanting more.