From the mind of Mason Deaver, writer of YA novels I Wish You All The Best and The Ghosts We Keep, comes a brand new romantic comedy featuring transgender characters!

"Just days before spring break, Neil Kearney is set to fly across the country with his childhood friend (and current friend-with-benefits) Josh, to attend his brother's wedding—until Josh tells Neil that he's in love with him and Neil doesn't return the sentiment," the official description reads. 

It continues: 

"With Josh still attending the wedding, Neil needs to find a new date to bring along. And, almost against his will, roommate Wyatt is drafted.

At first, Wyatt (correctly) thinks Neil is acting like a jerk. But when they get to LA, Wyatt sees a little more of where it's coming from. Slowly, Neil and Wyatt begin to understand one another… and maybe, just maybe, fall in love for the first time…"

Deaver has shared the brand new cover exclusively with PRIDE!. Ahead of the cover reveal, we had a quick chat with them about what this book release means to them, hopes for what readers take away from LGBTQ+ stories like this one, and the importance of centering trans people in all kinds of narratives. 

PRIDE: What was your first thought seeing the book cover?

Deaver: Oh I thought it was perfect! I think I was expecting the designers to go the illustrated route, it's in vogue right now and both my previous books have that similar style, but the moment I saw the cover, I knew that it fit perfectly. Neil's life in the book is a total dumpster fire, between his relationships with his parents, his friends, his love life, it captures the book perfectly and I have no idea what other versions of the book could even look like, that's how perfect it is!

What does this book mean to you personally?

It means everything to me, honestly. The Feeling Of Falling In Love has been with me since 2017, it's the book I wrote while I queried I Wish You All the Best and I've spent four years working on it, changing the story, getting the characters right, making it perfect. To see it finally being brought to life and to have other people read it? It's an amazing feeling! And to have a romantic comedy starring a trans main character, with a trans love interest? It feels so rare, even during the rise of the queer rom-com, to get a romcom with a trans person at the center, it feels so important to me, and I'm glad that I get to tell this story.

Why is it important to you to tell these kinds of LGBTQ+ stories?

Because we deserve happiness. There's something special about romantic comedies, they come along with their own sets of rules and tropes that other genres don't really share. There's something special about a romance story, something hopeful. Every reader deserves to see themselves at the heart of a love story. Black readers, Latinx readers, trans readers, gay readers, asexual readers, readers with different physical abilities, neurodiverse readers, and so many more. We all deserve to see a love story with someone like us as the star."

What do you hope readers take from the book?

I'm always writing for my trans readers, first and foremost, everything that I write is always going to be for them. The Feeling Of Falling In Love is no different from my previous books in that I really hope that they come away feeling loved, knowing that they deserve the same kindness and respect as anyone else, that they should never be afraid to stand up for themself, and that I'll always be in their corner beside them.

The Feeling of Falling in Love's expected release is May 17, 2022. Pre-order here.