Yahoo LifestyleYour Official Reading List of the Best LGBTQ+ Books Ever
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Your Official Reading List of the Best LGBTQ+ Books Ever
This just in: You don’t have to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community yourself to enjoy a book with a queer narrative. There are more stories than ever featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer characters, and if you’re looking for a read that reflects your own experience or one that’s entirely unlike your own, we’ve got some of the best LGBTQ+ books ever written here for you to enjoy. Whether you’re into classic coming-of-age stories, steamy romances, or works of nonfiction, we’ve got ’em all, and they’re all so. damn. good.
Pride Month may be limited to 30 days in June, but there are plenty of ways to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community (or, ya know, the beauty of diversity in general) all year round, including doing something as simple as enjoying a great book. After all, reading queer stories is a learning opportunity for literally E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E on the gender spectrum—even those who are non-gender-conforming. Here are some of the best LGBTQ+ books of all time that need to be added to your reading list, stat.
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1) The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
Penguin Books
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$14.72
The Great Believers weaves the stories of a Chicago art gallery assistant who loses his friend (and soon everything he knows) to the 1980s AIDS epidemic and his friend’s sister, who grapples with her own loss 30 years later in Paris.
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2) Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters
One World
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$16.74
What happens when a detransitioned man discovers that he’s expecting a baby with his girlfriend (who also happens to be his boss)? He recruits his trans ex-girlfriend to help them raise the baby as an unconventional family unit, of course—and that’s exactly what happens in this laugh-out-loud debut.
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3) Here Comes the Sun, by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Liveright Publishing
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$14.83
Here Comes the Sun follows two sisters in Jamaica, the older one of the two hustling at an opulent resort in Montego Bay while hiding her secret preference for women and the younger one sent to school and surviving on her older sister’s profits.
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4) I Wish You All the Best, by Mason Deaver
Push
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$10.22
In this v charming debut, high schooler Ben comes out to their parents as non-binary...and they respond by forcing Ben to move in with their estranged sister and transfer high schools halfway through senior year. Luckily, a charismatic guy named Nathan befriends Ben, and it isn’t long before sparks are flying.
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5) Call Me By Your Name, by André Aciman
Picador USA
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$15.64
This book-turned-film (featuring everyone’s fave, Timothée Chalamet) is a beautiful love story centered around the blossoming relationship between young Elio and his father’s graduate student assistant, Oliver. With the northern Italian countryside as a backdrop to their summer romance, it’s hard not to feel the butterflies.
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6) Greenland, by David Santos Donaldson
Amistad Press
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$25.10
David Santos Donaldson’s debut is a quirky novel-within-a-novel following a young queer writer in Brooklyn as he attempts to finish his masterpiece—which tells the story of Mohammed el Adl, the young Egyptian lover of British author E. M. Forster—before his publisher’s deadline.
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7) The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Penguin Books
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$15.64
The Color Purple is a classic. Told through a series of painfully honest letters, the story follows Celie, a woman who lives in poverty and has experienced physical and sexual abuse at the hand of her father, and later her husband, all while exploring her sexuality.
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8) All the Things We Don’t Talk About, by Amy Feltman
Grand Central Publishing
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$26.04
In Amy Feltman’s second novel, a neurodivergent single father and his non-binary teen find their routine turned upside down when Morgan’s mysterious, magnetic mother—who left them years earlier—suddenly reappears in their life after being dumped by her girlfriend.
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9) Like a Love Story, by Abdi Nazemian
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
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$10.22
Like a Love Story takes place in 1989 New York City, following three teens—a closeted Iranian immigrant, an aspiring fashion designer, and an openly gay photographer—who find themselves in a love triangle that threatens all their bonds.
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10) On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Penguin Books
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$15.64
In poetic prose, Ocean Vuong writes a letter to his mother who cannot read. He paints a portrait of his family with roots in Vietnam and war, talks through his feelings about being the son of Vietnamese immigrants, and shares intimate stories about his first love and heartbreaking losses.
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11) If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Algonquin Young Readers
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$9.15
If you're a sucker for star-crossed lovers, then you'll be destroyed by this tearjerker, which follows the forbidden romance between two teenage girls in Iran and the lengths they go to in order to stay together after an arranged marriage threatens to tear them apart.
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12) Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
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$10.11
Felix Ever After tells the sweet and moving story of a transgender teen coming to terms with self-discovery while also falling in love for the first time. Ya, you'll wanna keep the tissues handy for this one.
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13) White Houses by Amy Bloom
Random House Trade
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$15.64
Amy Bloom's White Houses is a fictionalized retelling of the romantic relationship developed (and hidden) between Eleanor Roosevelt and "first friend" Lorena Hickok, an openly gay reporter who took a job in the Roosevelt administration.
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14) Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
St. Martin's Griffin
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$15.79
With his mother as President of the United States of America, Alex Claremont-Diaz also becomes a notable public figure. But with all eyes on him, his feud and physical altercation with British Prince Henry becomes a scandal that doesn't exactly bode well for their countries' relations. Both parties settle on a staged truce, which unfolds as an Instagrammable friendship...and then way more than that.
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15) Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
Mariner Books
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$15.79
Inspired by Nigerian folk tales, Under the Udala Trees tells the story of a young woman who comes of age during the Nigerian Civil War, understanding at once that she is attracted to women and that she will more than likely have to hide this fact of her identity as Nigeria recovers from the effects of war.
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16) Southernmost by Silas House
Algonquin Books
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$15.76
Southermost explores the aftermath of a destructive flood in a small Tennessee town and the evangelical priest who opens his home to two gay men, forcing him to question his past, his prejudices, and everything he once held true.
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17) The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund
Atria Books
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$25.11
Emme Lund's magical, allegorical debut is all about Owen, a boy who spends his life hidden away due to the chatty bird named Gail living in his chest. But when he's forced to flee home to live with his uncle and cousin, he finds a family who not only accepts the bird in his chest, but embraces every part of him fully. There, Owen learns how to live fully and openly.
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18) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Dutton Books for Young Readers
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$11.15
Set in 1954 Chinatown, Last Night at the Telegraph Club follows queer teen Lily as she discovers a lesbian bar where anything seem possible, even while Red-Scare paranoia threatens her family and everything she holds dear.
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19) The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara
Ecco Press
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$15.80
Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible Beauties takes place in 1980s New York City during the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, and tells the story of 17-year-old Angel, who escapes her traumatic past by entering the world of drag.
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20) You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Atria Books
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$25.11
Legendary author Akwaeke Emezi's latest novel is an achingly tender romance following a young bisexual artist who—five years after losing the love of her life in an accident—decides she's ready to get back into the dating scene. However, her new relationship is made complicated by the fact that she can't stop thinking about her boyfriend's dad. Enter: literally all the spice and drama.
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21) The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Page Street Kids
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$10.22
In this sweet debut, a closeted Bangladeshi Irish teen is determined to hide her queerness from her family, but that mission becomes increasingly challenging when her childhood best friend comes back into her life, igniting a new crush.
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22) You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
Catapult
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$15.59
Told in a series of vignettes, this debut follows an unnamed bisexual Palestinian-American woman as she struggles to find her place in the world. She travels through New York City, Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, and even a treatment center, and along the way, she meets new lovers and learns new things about herself.
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23) Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
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$10.11
16-year-old Simon Spier hasn't told any of his friends or family that he's gay. But once he finds someone else on his high school's confession website who also identifies as gay, he decides to email them under the guise Jacques. He unexpectedly falls in love with someone he's never met, but also risks being outed when his e-mails get into the wrong hands.
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24) Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu
Soho Press
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$24.18
This incredible coming-of-age novel revolves around Kalki, a blue-skinned Indian boy believed to be a human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu—and while he initially buys into the mythology, disillusionment sets in, and eventually, he moves to America to explore his sexuality and form his own identity.
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25) Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
Berkley Books
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$14.88
In this Hollywood rom-com with a twist, a starlet makes her assistant Emma laugh at a joke on the red carpet, but when the moment is caught on camera, the gossip mill immediately assumes they're in a relationship. The more time they spend together—first as colleagues, then as friends—they begin to wonder if the rumors weren't so wrong after all.
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26) The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
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$11.15
After her parents die in a car crash, Cameron Post is forced to move in with her conservative aunt and grandmother who live in Montana. She unexpectedly forms an intimate friendship with Coley, which Cam hopes will turn into something more. But when Aunt Ruth finds out about Cam's secret, she attempts to "fix" her by sending her to a "treatment center."
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27) High-Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez
Soft Skull
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$15.76
This hilarious memoir revolves around Edgar, a Florida-born gay man with Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican roots who was forced to come of age in the ultimate anti-gay space: his uncle's cockfighting ring in Nicaragua, where he was sent at 13 to "become a man."
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28) They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Quill Tree Books
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$11.95
When Mateo and Rufus both receive a call telling them they're going to die today, they're total strangers to each other—but thanks to an app called the Last Friend, they meet up for one last epic day on Earth together.
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29) Sissy by Jacob Tobia
G.P. Putnam's Sons
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$15.64
This deeply personal memoir tells the story of Jacob Tobia, who since they were a child raised in North Carolina identified both with their masculine and feminine side. Their femininity led people to label them a "sissy," a term Jacob reclaimed as a source of pride rather than shame.
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30) Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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$10.11
In Little & Lion, a teen named Suzette flies from her New England boarding school home to LA, where her stepbrother is struggling with bipolar disorder and in love with a girl—who happens to be the same girl Suzette finds herself falling for.
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31) Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Riverhead Books
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$15.64
Sarah Waters' first novel takes place in late 19th-century England, telling the story of an inexperienced young oyster girl who falls for music hall phenomenon and famed male impersonator Kitty Butler, eventually following her to London.
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32) Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
Riverhead Books
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$15.81
Garrard Conley grew up as the son of a Baptist pastor in a small town in Arkansas. At 19, his family discovered he was conflicted about his sexuality, and entered him into an institutionalized program. Garrard emerges from the torturous journey stronger, and more determined than ever to search for his true self.
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33) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Picador USA
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$18.60
Middlesex tells the story of Calliope Helen Stephanides and the journey of the Greek-American Stephanides bloodline—from a tiny Greek village with a view of Mount Olympus to suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Calliope explores her family history and unearths her kin's secrets in order to ultimately discover what set her apart from other girls, and turned her from Callie to Cal.
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34) This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Flatiron Books
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$15.79
When Claude tells his family that he wants to be a girl, his parents support his dreams, but try to protect him from the rest of the world by keeping it all a secret. Of course, this "secret" was never meant to be hidden forever.
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35) Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Back Bay Books
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$14.71
Author Arthur Less is approaching his 50th birthday when he decides to go on a literary tour to avoid attending the wedding of his ex-boyfriend Freddy, who he dated for 15 years. While he travels from country to country, he encounters new people, new obstacles, and experiences that trigger old memories, and ultimately he turns the trip into a quest for true love.
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36) When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
G.P. Putnam's Sons
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$14.72
This romantic comedy follows 28-year-old Kentucky-raised Katie Daniels, who has just been dumped by her art curator fiancé. She agrees to get drinks with self-assured native New Yorker Cassidy Price, whom she met at work. They form a solid friendship that makes Katie begin to question everything she thought she knew about sex and relationships.
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37) Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Dial Books
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$10.22
Juliet decides to come out to her Puerto Rican family the night before she flies to Oregon for an internship with her favorite author, Harlowe Brisbane. Her coming out is a disaster, and she isn't sure her mother will ever speak to her again. She seeks the advice of Harlowe, thinking that she'd know what to do, but when she realizes that her idol doesn't have all the answers, she has to figure it out on her own.
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38) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Vintage
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$16.69
Kafka is a 15-year-old boy who decides to flee his home in Tokyo for the seaside city of Takamatsu because of his father's abusive behavior. Before he leaves, his father curses him to an oedipal fate, and his path eventually leads him to a mysterious old man named Nakata, who is drawn to Kafka for reasons he doesn't understand.
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39) If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Flatiron Books
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$10.11
In this moving novel, a trans teen starts a new life at a new school, where she starts falling for sweet, easygoing Grant. However, the closer the two get, the more Amanda fears letting him in, as she's afraid he won't accept her if he knows the truth.
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40) Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Vintage
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$16.74
It's 1993. Paul Polydoris is a queer theory student by day, and a bartender at his university's only gay bar by night. He's also a shapeshifter, meaning he can morph his body and gender as he pleases. He crosses the country on a journey to find love and pleasure, encountering struggles along the way.
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41) Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
Scribner Book Company
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$16.74
In Milk Fed, a 20-something lapsed Jewish woman becomes deeply obsessed with calorie restriction and food rituals, though all that changes when she meets an Orthodox Jewish woman working at a frozen yogurt shop, who develops a nurturing and very sexy bond with Rachel.
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42) Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
Square Fish
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$10.22
Codi Teller is a 17-year-old who spends the majority of her time watching Netflix in the basement with her best friends, Martiza and JaKory...until they decide to crash a very ~cool~ party. Codi is super skeptical, because she's not sure she'll fit in with the straight kids, until she spots a guy named Ricky kissing another dude in the dark. And so begins an amazing new friendship.
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43) The Last Nude by Ellis Avery
Riverhead Books
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$17.00
Inspired by the life of artist Tamara de Lempicka, The Last Nude takes place in 1927 Paris, following the love affair between a young Italian-American runaway named Rafaela and a wealthy aspiring painter, who convinces Rafaela to serve as her muse.
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44) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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$13.94
When two teenage loners—an angry teen with a brother in prison and an annoying know-it-all—meet at a swimming pool, they initially decide they have nothing in common, but it isn't long before they develop a bond that changes both of their lives.
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45) In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Graywolf Press
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$14.72
In her memoir, Carmen Maria Machado recounts her harrowing experience with an abusive girlfriend through multiple genres and forms, working to explore both the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships.
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46) Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Wednesday Books
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$16.73
This modern-day Grease tells the story of young Ollie, who has a blissful summer fling with the dreamy Will Tavares. But when summer ends, Will stops replying to his texts. As fate would have it, the two meet each other again after a family emergency forces Ollie to move across the country and enroll in a new school—Will's school, Collinswood High. Cue all the drama.
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