Dan Clay's Becoming A Queen would be pegged as a romance.  And it is a superb romance.  When Mark is dumped by his long time boyfriend he spirals into a period of despair.  So when Ezra who he's attracted to shows that the feeling is mutual there are times his insecurities almost sabotage a relationship that has the potential to be solid and sort of awesome. 

     But it's also about identity.  People expect Mark to peg himself as CIS or trans.  But he's still trying to figure it out.  Can he be a boy who likes to wear dresses?  And his dad seems to refuse to think of the issue.

     And there's a third theme that makes this book more appropriate for college freshmen than for high school freshmen.  Big brother Eric is the family's golden boy, their high achiever.  He's also the only one who can really help Mark when he's at his lowest.  Nobody does enough when he is having trouble with alcohol.  Even after he's arrested he convinces his parents it was just a bad day.  And they send him back to college...

     ...where he dies of alcohol poisoning.

     Becoming A Queen acknowledges the rawness and complexity of emotions of a teen who has lost not only his brother, but his closest friend living  in a home with parents who are grieving the loss of a son in a society that expects healing to be convenient, linear, and fast.

    So in addition to MATURE high school and college students I recommend this book to parents, teachers...anyone who works with teens because we're losing too many to substance abuse... 

     ...And will continue to do so as long as we're unwilling to really address the issue

Jules Hathaway.