'An ode to first love, being seen, and finding your joy' - Buzzfeed

It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if Mahalia had a coming-out party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, Black joy, and queer pride.

Mahalia Harris wants.

She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend, Naomi.
She wants the super-cute new girl Siobhan to like her back.
She wants a break from worrying-about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.

Then inspiration strikes: It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a coming-out party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms.

The idea lights a fire beneath her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the coming out of her dreams. But it's not long before she's buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia's party be over before it's even begun?

A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.

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"Camryn Garrett writes with wholehearted sincerity-sharp edged truth braided with irrepressible joy. Mahalia's story lives, breathes and glows. I'm in love with it every day of the week!" -Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda

"A perfect ode to romantic comedies, wrapped in a dazzling rainbow dress." -Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl

About the Author
Camryn Garrett was born and raised in New York. When she was thirteen, she was selected as a TIME for Kids reporter, where she interviewed celebrities like Warren Buffett and Kristen Bell. Her writing has appeared in the Huffington Post, MTV, and Rookie Magazine. In 2015, she was named as one of MTV's 8 Inspiring Teens Using Social Media to Change the World. Camryn is also interested in film, having spent the summer of 2017 at New York University's Summer Filmmaking Workshop. She is a proud advocate of diverse stories and writers. You can find her on Twitter @dancingofpens, tweeting from a laptop named Douglass.

Reviews
"Camryn Garrett writes with wholehearted sincerity-sharp edged truth braided with irrepressible joy. Mahalia's story lives, breathes and glows. I'm in love with it every day of the week!" -- Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda
"A perfect ode to romantic comedies, wrapped in a dazzling rainbow dress." -- Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl



Book Information
ISBN 9780241562741
Author Camryn Garrett
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Random House Children's UK
Weight(grams) 202g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm