Federle, Tim. The Great American Whatever.

Federle, Tim.  The Great American Whatever.     Simon & Schuster/ 2016  288p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-4814-0409-9      hs/adult      Realistic fiction   E-BN           

Quinn is grieving hard for his sister Annabeth, who died in a car accident six months ago. His father left and his mother won’t leave the house, eat right, pay the bills, or move on in any way. Quinn’s best friend, Geoff, wants Quinn to get his life back and takes him to a party here Quinn meets Amir, the first man he can honestly say is his type. Throughout the story, Quinn puts some of his thoughts into screenplays, something he and Annabeth worked on together, he wrote and she directed ... but now that is gone. After being out in the world, Quinn discovers some things about Annabeth and what was really happening in her life that turn him around. Quinn and Geoff have a great relationship, as do Quinn and his mother, and the witty banter sounds genuine and heart-felt, even when people are not happy with one another. Readers will cheer for Quinn and hope for his recovery from such a tragedy.  This would be highly recommended for high-school libraries as there is language and sexual scenes, but they fit right into the story and add to it greatly.     

Summary: Quinn lost his sister in a car accident six months ago and hasn’t left the house since. His best friend, Geoff, is determined to get him back into the swing of life and starts by taking him to a college party with his sister Carly, where Quinn meets Amir, the first man he finds himself attracted to.

Grief-Fiction, Homosexuality-Fiction                              --Erin Daley