From award-winning author Kyle Lukoff comes an emotionally charged and unexpectedly funny not-quite-love story, set against the backdrop of college orientation

For Thomas, matriculating at Erikson, the storied Ivy League University on New York's Upper West Side, is about more than trading in small-town Vermont for life in the big city. It's about returning to the place he was born, walking the same streets his late uncle did in his early 20s, and finally, finally getting a chance to ditch the "nice trans boy" persona he's been carrying since coming out in middle school. Not that Thomas isn't nice or trans, but he longs to be just one of the guys, another face in the crowd.

Blending in has never been Annabelle's aim, but ever since her most recent (and most disastrous) breakup, she's been counting down the days until she can escape Seattle's claustrophobic queer scene for the relative anonymity of NYC. No one at Gilman College, or its sibling school Erikson, knows anything about Annabelle or her exes. It's the perfect fresh start, and this time, everything will be different.

When Thomas and Annabelle meet, their connection is electric. Neither one can believe they've found someone so perfect before classes even start. But as the heady thrill of new love (and lust) begins to fade, both teens will discover that what you think you want isn't always what you need.