Out of Character

Queer 17-year-old Cass Williams doesn’t want anyone to know that she frequently spends her nights on Discord role-playing characters from her favorite book series—not her longtime best friend, popular athlete Tate; not his girlfriend, Rachel; not her parents; and definitely not her new girlfriend, Taylor. But when Cass’s parents suddenly announce they’re getting divorced, and her mother moves to Maine from their Minneapolis home to live with a man she met online, Cass and her father struggle to adjust to their new normal. To cope, she spends more and more time online before finding herself at a romantic crossroads: her relationship with Taylor has grown strained, due in part to Cass harboring secret romantic feelings for her online role-playing partner, Rowan, who she refuses to acknowledge exists IRL. This character-driven portrait—narrated by a confident “fat-girl” whose positive interpretations of her body type and queerness critically inform her hobbies, personality, and relationships—boasts a bevy of supportive characters, meaningful dialogue, and dynamic relationships. Hopeful with memorably constructive portrayals of healthy communication, Miller offers a strong debut. Main characters cue as white. Ages 13–up. (Feb.)