Brighter Than the Moon

Shy foster kid Jonas and self-assured vlogger Shani met online, and so far, that's where their relationship has stayed, sharing memes and baring their souls from behind their screens. Shani is eager to finally meet up, but Jonas isn't so sure--he's not confident Shani will like the real him . . . if he's even sure who that is.

Jonas knows he's trapped himself in a lie with Shani--and wants to dig himself out. But Shani, who's been burned before, may not give him a chance: she talks her best friend Ash into playing spy and finding out the truth. When Ash falls for Jonas, too, he keeps that news from Shani, and soon they're all keeping secrets. Will it matter that their hearts are in the right place? Coming clean will require them to figure out who they really are, which is no easy task when all the pieces of your identity go beyond easy boxes and labels.

Lauded writer David Valdes offers a heartfelt, clever, and thought-provoking story about how we figure out who we want to be--online and IRL--for fans of David Levithan and Adam Silvera.

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Published: 01/10/2023
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.92lbs
Size: 8.35h x 5.59w x 0.94d
ISBN: 9781547607167
Age: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2022
Publishers Weekly 11/14/2022
Booklist 01/01/2023 pg. 59
School Library Journal 02/24/2023 pg. 1

About the Author

David Valdes is the author of Spin Me Right Round, a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens, and the nonfiction books Homo Domesticus, The Rhinestone Sisterhood, and Today Show pick A Little Fruitcake, as well as a dozen produced plays. A former Boston Globe columnist and HuffPost blogger whose posts have received over a million hits, he currently writes an advice column for Medium, and was recently featured in the New York Times's Modern Love column. He also teaches writing at Boston Conservatory and Tufts. David lives in the Boston area with his daughter.

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