Review: I Wish You All the Best

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finished on June 18, 2021

Favorite Scene/Quote: "And you've seen twitter, right? A cesspool."

4.5/5 rounded up

I bought this book a short while back because it had a nonbinary main character in it and I had heard good things about. A few days ago, I was finally able to read it and I am so glad that I did.
    
Ben is forced out of their home when they come out to their parents as nonbinary. With no other options they contact their sister for help. A sister they haven’t seen in a decade. She helps them by giving them a room, getting them enrolled into a new school, and getting them in touch with a therapist. Ben plans to stay under the radar in their new school, but that plan goes belly up when Nathan decides to make Ben his new friend. Nathan is fun and charismatic and there seems to be more than just friendship between them.

The characters in this book are amazing. Ben is an absolute sweetheart and I wanted to protect them with everything I had in me. Nathan is a force of nature at times, but he means the best. Ben’s sister doesn’t always get it (or get it right) but she is trying. Her husband is as well. The characters all felt real and honest. They worked together and the relationships between them felt developed and earned. It felt good when Ben and Nathan got together. I loved watching Ben and their sister have to confront the problems between them.

This book could be painful at times, but it works so well. Deaver writes Ben’s emotions so well. Their feelings towards their parents and their sister. How they feel about seeing a therapist and being kicked out of the house. All of it was written so authentically. Especially the parts where even Ben wasn’t quite sure how they felt about some things.

This book was excellent. It’s a book that anyone who can, should read.

Bonus Favorite Quote: "Thanks for being a friend, Betty White."