Daniel, Deconstructed

by James Ramos

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Pub Date May 08 2024 | Archive Date Apr 08 2024

Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA | Harlequin Teen

Teens & YA

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Description

A nerdy high schooler learns to embrace his main-character energy in this witty and heart-healing ode to movie tropes, meet-cutes, and LGBTQ+ love.

Photographer and film buff Daniel Sanchez learned a long time ago that the only way to get by in an allistic world is to mask his autism and follow the script. Which means he knows that boisterous, buff, and beautiful soccer superstars like his best friend, Mona Sinclair, shouldn't be wasting time hanging out with introverts who prefer being behind the camera.

So when Daniel meets a new classmate, Gabe Mendes, who is tall, mysterious, nonbinary, and-somehow-as cool as Mona, Daniel knows exactly how this is going to play out. Mona and Gabe will meet cute, win their nominations for Homecoming Court, and ride off into the sunset together. Daniel just needs to do a little behind-the-scenes directing.

But matchmaking means stepping into the mystifying and illogical world of love, dating, and relationships, where nothing is as it seems and no one knows their lines. And when Daniel finds himself playing a starring role in this romance, he'll question everything he thought he knew about himself and his place in the world.

A nerdy high schooler learns to embrace his main-character energy in this witty and heart-healing ode to movie tropes, meet-cutes, and LGBTQ+ love.

Photographer and film buff Daniel Sanchez learned...

Advance Praise

FUNNY AND EMOTIONAL: James's witty commentary on relatable teen experiences makes for a highly enjoyable read. In a starred review, Kirkus called THE WRONG KIND OF WEIRD 'charmingly nerdy and romantic.' This book is set against a backdrop of photography and movie references.

AUTISTIC REPRESENTATION: Daniel realises over the course of the novel that being autistic doesn't mean he can't participate in high school rituals and relationships if he'd like to; he, too, can be the main character. James writes Daniel's autism from their own lived experience.

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: A diverse cast is led by Daniel, who is pansexual. Daniel's eventual love interest, Gabe, is genderfluid, and Mona is bisexual and eventually reveals she is aromantic.

EMMA HOMAGE: In the spirit of Emma by Jane Austen, Daniel learns from his matchmaking endeavor, and ends up with a love story of his own as he discovers just how messy--and rewarding--real life can be.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING: As Daniel integrates his inner and outer selves, and develops his understanding of how he does and can relate to others, he engages with the SEL categories of Self-Management and Relationship Skills.

FUNNY AND EMOTIONAL: James's witty commentary on relatable teen experiences makes for a highly enjoyable read. In a starred review, Kirkus called THE WRONG KIND OF WEIRD 'charmingly nerdy and...