The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will

August 21, 2023
MacGregor (The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester) employs an edgy-feeling second-person POV and omniscient narration to deliver a bittersweet portrait of an agender teen finding true family following parental abuse. Olive-skinned Will is almost 18 when their mother, who dealt drugs to make ends meet, dies of a heart attack in front of them. Having previously experienced foster care, Will is desperate not to reenter the system and strives to keep their mother’s death a secret. Will starts their senior year with more peace and freedom than they have ever experienced, but things grow perilous when Will’s mother’s past comes back to jeopardize Will’s newfound independence. After they discover a hidden stack of letters addressed to them from former foster mother Raz—the only adult they have ever truly felt loved by—they enlist their best friends’ help in finding Raz, who Will believes can keep them safe. During their search, they encounter Julian, a genderqueer emancipated teen who understands Will in a way no one ever has. Flowery and overly expository prose sometimes leads to choppy storytelling, but MacGregor sensitively renders Will’s harrowing circumstances, culminating in an emotionally satisfying resolution. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary.

September 15, 2023
A nonbinary, demisexual Maryland teenager comes to grips with the death of their mother and their own lifetime of struggle. Will has just witnessed the death of their mother--if Frances was even worthy of that title; they haven't called her Momma in a while. Will doesn't feel bad that she died: Frances was terrible to them in life. Her death might mean a new start, but only if they can last the next four months until they turn 18 without being sent back to foster care. All Will wants is to live on their own terms and be reunited with former foster parent Raz, who was the mom Will wishes they could have had--Frances returned to take them away before Raz could adopt them. Will knows that they can make do on their salary and that best friend Hannah and her older brother are here to support them throughout this journey and all its ups and downs. Written in the second person, this work puts readers in Will's shoes, following their harrowing story in a deeply personal way. Will's life is one of perseverance and possessing the desire to move forward despite extreme hardship. The story also highlights how youths who have been through traumatic experiences can ultimately thrive. Agender Will doesn't know who their father is and is implied biracial; the supporting cast is diverse in race and sexual orientation and identity. An intense and introspective exploration of trauma and survival. (author's note) (Fiction. 15-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 31, 2024
Grades 9-12 Here's a scenario: your (abusive, neglectful) mother, Frances, dies, blaming you. For Will, this could be a way out, or the first step to something even worse. After finding both a stash of letters from Will's former foster-mother, Raz, as well as evidence that Frances was trafficking drugs, things look even murkier. Raz is nowhere to be found, but her next-door neighbor, Julian, joins Will, Will's friend Hannah, and her brother, Matt, in unraveling the mysteries of where Raz went, what Frances was involved in, why the superintendent's son Levi keeps targeting Will, and if, just maybe, Will might be feeling something romantic for Julian. Will is agender, on the asexual and aromantic spectrums and quite possibly autistic, and Julian is genderfluid; multiple characters are POC. MacGregor's second YA novel makes an artistic leap to second-person narration that gives Will distance from the many sources of pain and trauma in their life, and the author's experiences being queer and autistic give Will and Julian deeper nuance.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.