Inheriting a gay bar from your secretive great-uncle? Awkward. Trying to save it while catching feelings for the wrong girl? Complicated. From the author of She Drives Me Crazy comes an exuberant YA novel about queer joy, found family, and standing your ground.

When eighteen-year-old Louisa Wade inherits a gay bar from her late great-uncle, she figures theres been some kind of mistake. Theres no way Uncle Georgefootball legend and hometown hero of Rustin, Alabamacould have secretly owned a queer bar right?

But The Frisky Cricket is real, and so is the messy legacy Uncle George left behindincluding his grumpy ex-partner, Hatch, who wants nothing more than to sell the bar. Louisa may have zero business experience, but shes determined to keep it open for the vibrant queer community that calls it home.

As the summer heats up, Louisas crusade puts her on a collision course with Aubrey Calhoun: the pretty, popular, and sharp-tongued daughter of Rustin Universitys newly crowned football coach. The girls start off on the wrong foot, but a tentative truce leads to late nights, shared secrets, and a growing spark.

But things threaten to sputter out when Coach Calhoun sets his sights on The Frisky Cricket, scheming to replace it with a new athletic facilitycelebrating Uncle Georges football career while erasing his queerness. Now Louisa must decide if she can fight for Uncle Georges legacy without losing sight of herself in the process.

Don’t miss the other YA offerings from Kelly Quindlen, “master at portraying the teen experience.” (SLJ)
*HER NAME IN THE SKY: Kelly’s debut novel that started it all, a sapphic romance about two best friends who fall in love and find the courage to chooseand bethemselves.
*SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY: a sapphic enemies-to-lovers, fake dating rom-com about a high school basketball player and the pretty cheerleader she gets into a fender bender with.
*LATE TO THE PARTY: a queer coming-of-age story about what it means to be a “real” teenager and an ode to late bloomers everywhere.