Brian’s world implodes on his birthday: his parents are gone, he and his brother are in a foster home, and everything is too much for the newly minted 13-year-old to handle. His lifeline is Ezra, the closest person he has to friend. But Ezra has his own troubles. All his friends are growing up and one of them seems to be straying away. He wants everyone to stay the same and worries that his friends won’t accept something that he just discovered about himself. 

I adore how instead of being a two-boy-vs-the-world story this is about finding your people. Because of their friendship, Brian and Ezra realize the importance of human connection and begin reaching out and back to those around them. By the end, even though everything isn't okay, I'm confident that Brian and Ezra will be all right. Chad Lucas did a wonderful job crafting a story that manages to remain light despite touching on a lot of (real) difficult issues that a tween might face. There are points that you will feel so bad for the characters, but Lucas always manages to bring the mood back up.

Overall, this was a joy to read.