By Ronnie Riley

Indie Introduces

May 1, 2024

Fiction

Paperback

Themes2SLGBTQIA+Emotions and Social AwarenessFamily and FriendshipInclusion & Diversity

Age / Grade 8-12 / Grades 3-6 12-14 / Grades 7-8

Content Mental Health Transphobia

From a web of lies and social anxiety to true friendship and queer joy; this is the wonderful second book from the author of the Indie Next List pickJude Saves the World.

Why go through the stress of making friends when you can just pretend? That works for Eden (and their social anxiety) . . . until their mom declares she’ll be throwing them a birthday party and all their friends are invited. Eden needs to find a way to turn fake friends into real ones — fast.

Eden’s three “friends,” Duke, Ramona, and Tabitha, are all real kids at the school — but they’ve never actually spoken to Eden. Now Eden must do whatever it takes to convince them or trick them into being their friend — at least until the party is over.

When things start to go better than Eden could have ever hoped, and the group starts to genuinely bond, Eden finds themselves trapped in a lie that keeps getting deeper. What happens if the others discover that Eden hasn’t been honest with them from the very start?

This book by Indies Introduce author Ronnie Riley is full of queer joy and — ultimately — true friendship.