Skin Hunger

This note-perfect sequel to Escaping Indigo builds on the first book’s strengths and delivers on all its promises. Drummer Ava is on a plane flying toward her grandmother, who needs help moving into an assisted living facility, and away from everything she loves—her home, her successful musical career, and her best friend and fellow bandmate, Tuck—when she meets Cara, a kindly dancer who just might upend everything. Ava relatably struggles with a sense of validation for her identity in several directions; she doesn’t feel she’s “bi enough”; she’s not very close with her well-meaning, conventional family; and she can’t share her feelings for Tuck without risking the loss of their relationship and perhaps even wrecking the band. The opportunity for romantic happiness with Cara, and for a relationship that’s more than a gratifying one-night stand, forces Ava to confront her doubts and insecurities and find the true value of the life she has. Lang’s novel is gentle and tenderly crafted, with earned happiness in an ending that’s carefully designed to fit these characters and their lives. (Nov.)