by Dustin Thao
First published 2024
Eric Ly sits in a coffee shop, lost in the imaginary worlds he builds inside his mind. These mental escapes help him survive the crushing weight of losing his best friend. Then Haru Tanaka walks through the door and takes the seat beside him. Eric met this boy during a summer in Japan, but that feels like another lifetime. Now Haru has somehow found his way back into Eric's world. There's just one problem. Eric is the only person who can see him. At first, having Haru around feels like a gift. Eric finally has someone who understands him, someone who makes the loneliness bearable. They talk for hours and share memories that feel completely real. But as days pass, Eric starts questioning everything. The line between his imagination and reality begins to blur. When Eric realizes he might be losing his grip on the very thing keeping him together, he faces an impossible choice. He must decide what's real and what he's willing to sacrifice, even if it means saying goodbye to Haru forever.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy, contemporary, magical-realism, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Japan
304 pages · Hardcover · Wednesday Books
Content warnings: mental-illness