I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne, Noah returns from her summer camp, on the eve of her seventh grade year, to discover that her two best friends are suddenly rather different: they’re into boys now. Noah doesn’t quite know why; they’re the same boys they’ve gone to school with for years, so why the abrupt interest in getting their attention? In kissing them, even? But Noah doesn’t want to feel left out, or thought of as immature, so when her friends ask, she lies and says she has a crush on one of their schoolmates, Archie. After all, maybe if she tries to flirt with him, she’ll start to feel the same things her friends are feeling. Fake it till you make it, right? However, Noah keeps thinking about—rather than Archie—the new student in school, Jessa. She’s not sure why, though…

I read this in a day, and it’s so charming.

As you might have guessed from the description, this is a coming of age story for Noah, wherein she discovers that, unlike most of her friends, she’s not interested in boys. And yes, these kids are young to be thinking about romance, but lots of kids start having crushes at this point, so it makes sense. I even remember a sleepover in seventh grade when a group of my friends had a big discussion about which boys they were crushing on. Interesting times. But anyway.

Noah’s journey involves some lying to her friends, but also lying to herself. As she spends more time thinking about what she’s actually feeling, she has to grapple with being truthful with others and herself, so honesty and accountability are two lovely themes at play here. There are also some fun shenanigans to balance out the serious aspects, from Halloween decorations to cute animals at the local animal shelter, where Noah volunteers.

As for characters other than Noah, I quite liked them! Archie is a sweet kid, and his rapport with Noah is delightful. Jessa, Zoey, and Luna—Noah’s school friends—are a great group of kids. They act and sound like regular kids, and Horne wisely avoids any slang specific to any particular generation; this is a story that could, I think, be relatable to any age group. I also really liked Noah’s parents and her sister Brighton, as well as Lydia, the woman who runs the animal shelter. The cast are all realistic figures with distinct personalities, but also all show how support and friendship can help someone trying to discover something new about themself.

In the end, Noah Frye Gets Crushed is a lovely story. Wonderful characters, good balance between serious and humorous, and realistic scenarios combine to weave a great story about self-discovery and acceptance, about friendship and crushes, about honesty and forgiveness and kindness. Any kid—queer or not—will find something valuable and entertaining here. But queer kids especially, I think, would benefit from reading this.

Noah Frye Gets Crushed will be published on May 28th, 2024!