WHO WE ARE IN REAL LIFE

Teen fans of tabletop role-playing games fall for each other while confronting homophobia in their school and community.

Bisexual Darcy just moved from the city to the small town of Unity Creek with her two moms. One mom is the new doctor in town, and the family immediately faces pushback for being queer. At school, fierce Darcy befriends sweet, soft-spoken Art after they end up paired for an assignment and discover their mutual love of RPGs. Their friendship blossoms into a crush, but Darcy still has a boyfriend, one whose emotional manipulation is making it hard to break up with him. Darcy also bonds with the few other queer students at school and sets out to start a queer-straight alliance—only to learn that Art’s father is their biggest opponent. With a narrative that switches between Darcy’s and Art’s perspectives, lovable characters (who are cued white), and fiction based on their Dungeons & Dragons campaign (which has parallels to their real-life dilemmas), this story will appeal to fans of contemporary queer slice-of-life stories. The homophobic harassment Darcy’s family faces in their new rural community isn’t sugarcoated, but the optimistic yet realistic ending with some unresolved conflicts will leave readers with hope. The game sections tie into the story nicely, but they sometimes disrupt the flow of the otherwise fast-paced, romance-forward tale.

A charming story about standing up for what’s right.