Dumplin' and Pumpkin author Julie Murphy partners with Queer Eye star and Over the Top author Jonathan Van Ness in a funny, snappy, exuberant novel about a gender-nonconforming 18-year-old learning to celebrate and fight for queer people--with the help of a cheeky ghost living in a vintage handbag.
When sassy gay fashionista Sully's dream internship with a New York influencer falls through, they face the possibility of a summer--or longer--in their unsophisticated, prejudiced hometown. What they don't anticipate is finding the ghost of a "cuh-yuuuute" gay female impersonator from the 1950s in the potentially priceless leather bag they thrifted. Sully is additionally surprised by an unexpected romance, a deep dive into their town's queer history, and a shift in attitude from desperate escapism to considering the role they might have in "stand[ing] up for every other kid like me" if they stick around.
The high-octane combination of Murphy and Van Ness makes Let Them Stare a sparkling, thought-provoking, hyper-contemporary read, with regular references to cultural concepts and icons. Gorge! --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor