Nominated for the Lambda Literary Award!

“An evocative story of the thrills of first love and the anguish of first loss. This will break you and heal you.” —Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’

Not to be missed by fans of Dustin Thao, Nina LaCour, and Becky Albertalli, this powerful novel from the acclaimed author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit paints a poignant portrait of love in the past, grief in the now, and the healing power of art.

Before: Jess has always struggled with the fire inside her. But when she meets Vivi, everything changes. As they fall for each other, Vivi helps Jess deal with her anger and pain and encourages her to embrace her artistic talent. And suddenly Jess’s future is a blank canvas, filled with possibilities.

After: When Vivi unexpectedly dies, Jess’s perfect world is erased. As she spirals out of control, Jess pushes away everyone around her and throws out her plans for art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever. Right when Jess feels at her lowest, she makes a surprising friend who just might be able to show her a new way to channel her rage, passion, and creativity. But will Jess ever be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi?

A beautiful exploration of first love and first loss, this novel effortlessly weaves together past and present to tell a profound story about how you can become whole again when it seems like you’ve lost the most important part of yourself.

Heartbreak and Healing: One moment, Jess and Vivi are planning a future together. The next, Jess is navigating a world without the girl who was her everything, forcing her to confront her own anger and sorrow.
An Artist’s Journey: Vivi encouraged Jess to channel her fire into art. But after the tragedy, can Jess pick up a pen again when every drawing is a reminder of what she’s lost?
Then and Now Narrative: Experience their love story as it unfolds in the past, interwoven with the raw, emotional reality of Jess’s grief in the present.
Found Family and Friendship: As Jess pushes away those closest to her, a surprising new friendship might be the only thing that can pull her back from the edge.

The Meaning of Birds

The Meaning of Birds