From the Publisher
"Lose You to Find Me is a can't-be-missed, read-in-one-sitting, absolutely unputdownable story about following your dreams while finding yourself. Full of banter, butterflies, and just the right amount of awkwardness, this coming-of-age story is truly a chef's kiss." — Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl and Some Girls Do
"Erik J. Brown perfectly captures how heart-warming and cringey falling in love for the first time can be. I couldn't stop laughing, I need Academy Award-worthy ice cream, and I'll never recover from that whole new interpretation of giving someone the finger." — Jason June, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Blue and Jay's Gay Agenda
"Laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely moving in turn. Erik Brown's LOSE YOU TO FIND ME has deep affection for its characters and its world—as will anyone who reads this book." — Amy Spalding, bestselling author of We Used to Be Friends
“A charming read about finding who and what really matters in life.” — Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
★ 10/27/2023
Gr 8 Up—Brown's sophomore YA novel is the queer romantic comedy readers need. High school senior Tommy works at Sunset Estates, a retirement community, hoping for an assignment in the kitchen to further his dream of going to culinary school and following in his father's footsteps. However, when he's assigned to train the new guy, he recognizes the name right away—Gabe, his very first crush from summer camp. Now Tommy must juggle the path towards his dream job, his dream boy from the past, and of course his football-player friend with benefits. It's a good thing he has the Sunset Estates crew to help him along the way. While many queer romances fall victim to the same old love tropes, this breaks the mold and adds laugh-out-loud moments. The plot and solid writing are captivating from the start. While relatively tame, the plot does touch on homophobia, grieving a parent, and sex (a heavy makeout scene does occur but is not overly explicit). Tommy is white, Gabe is Latino, and Tommy's best friend Ava is Black; a handful of supporting characters are also people of color. VERDICT With this novel, Brown reveals himself as an author to watch in the YA queer romance scene. Recommended first purchase for all collections.—Elizabeth Portillo
Kirkus Reviews
2023-02-25
Rising senior Tommy questions whether his long-held goals are really what’s best for him.
After working at Sunset Estates retirement community as a server for nearly three years, Tommy asks Natalie, his manager, for a recommendation to prestigious culinary school La Mère Labont, where he would follow his late father’s interrupted dream to become a chef. In her typical sadistic fashion, Natalie sets Tommy three tasks to earn her approval, including training new server Gabe, Tommy’s childhood crush. Though Mexican and Venezuelan American Gabe initially doesn’t recognize Tommy, who is implied White, the two connect and start flirting. The existence of Gabe’s boyfriend and Tommy’s occasional, emotionally unavailable, closeted hook-up partner complicate their potential relationship, however. Traumatic homophobic events from Gabe’s life occasionally punctuate the otherwise lighthearted yet sympathetic atmosphere; narrated through Tommy’s perspective, they represent tonal shifts that are not entirely smoothly integrated. The quips Tommy shares with Gabe as well as best friend and co-worker Ava, who is Black, and Sunset Estates residents and queer elders Al and Willa (both read White) make the short chapters fly past, engrossing readers in the clever repartee without diluting the genuine affection the characters share. An undertone of anxiety grows as college application deadlines approach and Tommy questions what he truly wants in life and what assumptions he’s made, grounding this story in reality while maintaining a hopeful outlook.
Snappy banter among a vibrant cast makes for a charming read about finding who and what really matters in life. (Fiction. 14-18)
