Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

“[Minnie is] my best friend, so we know stuff about each other’s families. As in, I know her gran’s a lesbophobic cowboy and she knows my dad ditched us for his second family ten years ago and I haven’t seen him since. The usual girl stuff.”

Celine here uses the phrase “usual girl stuff” to reference her deep emotional connection with her best friend, a contrast to the expectation of the phrase as suggesting frivolousness. This reshaping suggests that serious matters are actually commonly discussed between female friends, rejecting a characterization of girls and girlhood as inherently unserious.

“She said something this morning about, like, toxic canon and how literary gatekeeping being intertwined with heartless cisheterosexist white supremacist capitalism has poisoned Western creative culture.”

Jordan here references Minnie’s comments in their shared literature class, where Minnie has pointed out the ideological limitations in the traditional literary canon. Her phrasing (echoed through Jordan) suggests that both Gen Z characters have a facility with the language of social justice. That Jordan, a football star, admires these qualities, subverts the traditional “jock” stereotype that imagines all athletes as conservatively invested in traditional gender roles.

“The worst thing about being a minority is occasionally needing to back Bradley up in public.”

Celine’s quip about the underrepresentation of Black students in her school both suggests how race (and racism) are a real part of her life while suggesting that Hibbert does not intend to give racist ideologies space in her novel. Celine’s commitment to defending Brad against (implied) bigotry shows that her belief in racial justice is far greater than her dislike of Brad, even at the most intense part of their mutual dislike. That she can joke about this being the “worst thing” about being a racial minority in her school suggests that instances of overt racism are unlikely to be given space in Hibbert’s comedy about Black love, joy, and triumph.

“‘I’m dyslexic,’ Katharine says simply. ‘As a child, that one difference in the way my mind works convinced teachers I was incapable. So they gave up on me, and I gave up on my dreams.’”

Katharine’s causal reference to her learning disability is significant to Brad, who still struggles with accepting his OCD as something that does not make him “less than.” Katharine’s dyslexia builds upon the theme The Reality of Neurodivergence and Chronic Illness. Katharine’s success as a person with dyslexia offers Brad a vision of success, no matter his neurodivergence. Her understanding of others’ (incorrect) assumption that dyslexia made her “incapable” echoes some of Brad’s hidden self-doubt, and her implied rejection of this idea helps him begin to reject it for himself, as well.

“‘You must be Bradley Graeme,’ he says […] ‘and Celine…Celine Bang…?’

Bradley beats me to it. ‘Bangura,’ he says, sounding annoyed. Which, yeah. It’s literally phonetic.”

Brad’s irritation at the BEP staff member’s stumbling over Celine’s name highlights how the treatment of racialized names as inherently difficult to pronounce is a racist microaggression. Brad’s defense of Celine, even while they are still “enemies,” shows that he also follows her earlier assertion that they must support one another against bigotry, no matter their personal feelings for one another.

“Analogue hobbies fascinate me. Why write stuff down when you could just film, record a voice-over, and throw some sparkles at it?”

Celine’s flattening of all non-digital hobbies as “analogue” highlights the ubiquity of digital activities in the lives of Gen Z teens. Her use of “just,” however, obscures the effort she puts into her TikTok channel, as evidenced by the list of things she adds as part of making a video, even in her offhanded accounting.

“Our parents know the, er, parent-safe parts (you can’t tell them all your feelings, or they’ll get upset; that’s just a basic of proper parent-care).”

Though the novel continually challenges the idea that teens are obligated to protect their parents from things, neither does it assert that teens are obligated to share all their feelings with their parents. This balance, between operating independently and still relying on their parents’ help is characterized, in the novel, as one of the many nuances of maturation that teens must learn to navigate.

“Sometimes—not so much now, but a lot when I was younger—I felt like one of those little kids who squeezes a doll so tight its head pops off.”

Celine’s metaphor recognizes that her tendency to cling to people (a manifestation of her lingering anxiety about her father’s abandonment) is something maladaptive. By connoting it to a child’s actions, however, Celine frames this as something that can be overcome, if she chooses to face her feelings head-on.

“It never occurred to me that some people deal with the weight of everyone else’s judgment and their own. That never occurred to me at all.”

Celine’s confidence, though an asset, also prevents her from fully understanding others around her. Hearing Aurora’s description of believing the cruel things others said about her helps her understand not only Aurora but Brad as well. This is part of her progress in dismantling her assumptions about herself and others to make peace with her past.

“She’s going to help me feel balanced, the way she used to.”

Celine’s playful punch on both sides of Brad’s arm shows that she treats his OCD as a fact of life, something that makes Brad feel “normal”—a feeling he likes. The reference to how this is something Celine “used to” do highlights Brad’s dawning awareness that rekindling his friendship with Celine will help bring back the comfort of their childhood.

“Maybe Donno is a bad guy, but trust me; he could be so much worse. The thing is, I wish he would be better.”

As he assesses his friend’s behavior, Brad realizes in real time that while Donno’s challenging home life provides an excuse for Donno’s unkindness, Brad is also tired of offering his friend this unspoken excuse. This highlights Brad’s movement away from pleasing others at all costs and toward pursuing his own values and goals.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. Or with you having OCD, obviously. I just wanted to piss you off, but it was horrible and untrue and you’re…fine. Better than fine. Anyone who knew you would want you, okay? So. Yeah.”

Celine’s retraction of the cruel words she spoke years before is an important turning point for her relationship with Brad. Though she is saying something that Brad knows, at this point, to be true, hearing Celine express it nonetheless has a healing effect.

“You don’t need to be special or significant to have value. You’re just important, always, and people either see that or they don’t.”

Giselle’s comment about Celine’s inherent worth points out the fundamental flaw in Celine’s plan to shame her father. These comments, coming from someone who loves Celine, help Celine understand the subliminal logic of her “Steps to Success,” which she had not previously considered, and helps her begin her shift toward choosing a life for her own happiness, not for revenge.

“Oh yeah; it turns out Michaela Digby is indeed gay, so Jordan has transformed his interest into general hero worship.”

Jordan’s movement from crush to friendship with Minnie subverts stereotypes about hypermasculine athletes—and stereotypes about what masculinity is. Instead of being hurt that Minnie is uninterested in him, Jordan accepts her as she is and accepts the relationship they can have.

“‘I realize it’s pointless, but you know what they say about the definition of insanity.’

‘Are you allowed to say things like that?’

‘Hang on, let me consult with the mentally ill council.’ Brad pauses. ‘Yes.’”

Brad’s ability to joke about his OCD indicates his condition as something he is increasingly comfortable with as a part of him, rather than something that diminishes him. Celine’s question about whether Brad is “allowed” to make such a joke shows her understanding of the importance of avoiding stigmatizing language around mental illness.

“If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s showing my own feelings, and he teases them out of me without even trying.”

Celine’s dislike of showing her feelings—and the way she shoves them down until even she can’t recognize them—is one of the major things she must overcome in the novel, highlighting the theme Internal Feelings Versus External Presentation. Brad’s ability to make her face those feelings shows the novel’s claim that a good romantic partner not only supports you but pushes you toward things that are good for you, even when those things are uncomfortable.

“I’m about to change my entire life plan because the first one wasn’t an overemotional mistake, so what exactly is my love worth? What’s it going to do?”

The recognition of her plan as misguided shakes Celine’s confidence. Though she has learned that she cannot “earn” her father’s love, her shaken confidence still makes her doubt that Brad will consider her love “worth” anything.

“Jordan bursts out laughing. ‘Writing a book is your most tortured and forbidden secret? I love you, man. Don’t ever change.’”

Though Jordan’s reaction to Brad’s confession that he wants to be a writer could be seen as dismissive, Jordan’s laughter makes Brad feel that the worry he has been holding onto is perhaps not as dire as he feared. That Jordan follows this by an assertion of his love for his friend shows this laughter to be good natured.

“Because I’ve been thinking of all of this wrong, haven’t I? Thinking I need to be good enough to study. But maybe studying is what’s supposed to make me good enough.”

Brad’s realization that he should be kinder to himself for not already knowing everything about writing highlights one of the tensions between applying to and attending university. While secondary school students are encouraged to see university acceptance as a matter of accomplishment, this viewpoint neglects to account for the point of university: education.

“I’ve been thinking that I need someone to talk to and […] maybe that someone should be a professional? To help take care of my feelings. Like going to the dentist. Like Brad said.

I don’t know. It’s just an idea.”

Celine’s slow acceptance toward the idea of therapy shows that though she accepts Brad’s OCD, she still struggles to entirely disregard the stigmas around mental healthcare. Her metaphor, adopted from Brad, of treating this like any other kind of preventative care, normalizes therapeutic intervention to overcome trauma.

“It’s casual and practical because, duh, but coordinating colors seem more effortlessly put-together and green looks amazing on me. I’m an autumn.”

Brad’s attention to his appearance subverts the stereotype that this is an interest exclusive to girls and women. Celine, by contrast, thinks little about her appearance. Hibbert frames this, moreover, as in line with Brad’s attentiveness to detail rather than an overtly gendered quality.

“Now that I know I’ll be studying English, I’ve started to have all kinds of hopes.”

Once Brad decides to follow his own path, instead of one he thinks his father wants for him, university becomes something he looks forward to, rather than dreads, even though the unknown future limits his time left to woo Celine. Hibbert thus presents the development of the self as an essential element for a “happily ever after,” particularly in YA, and that the future is characterized by more than a romantic future.

“I’m sorry, to both of you, if we’ve ever made you feel like you can’t…live the lives you want.”

Trevor’s apology to Brad and Mason continues the novel’s framing of the positive effect that an apology can have, even for a hurt that is accidental or long past. This puts Trevor in even sharper contrast to Celine’s father, who has failed to make amends for the hurt he caused.