Remember when you felt such big emotions as a teenager, big enough to flood every moment of your day and take you from euphoria to tears and back in thirty minutes? Linus and Harrison are best friends who are not only navigating life as black, gay kids but have come to the last day before Linus is moving to South Carolina. Harrison wants to make the perfect “Ferris Bueller” type of day where they skip school, take a train from Baltimore to DC, meet up with Linus’s crush, and experience something unique before he moves. But part of growing up is learning that there is no perfect day. You have to grab the day that comes before you and make it the best it can be. Linus and Harrison have an epic day together, that’s for sure. And there is a huge amount for the reader to unpack, from all-out racist interactions to exploring the purpose of Pride, to family relationships, to the meaning of love. Eric Thomas brings the heart of hearts out in one day in the life of Linus and Harrison. This will get checked out by kids. My hope is that they hang on for the end. There is so much activity in the day, it felt a little overwhelming to keep track of the new acquaintances/few side characters. But this is right on par to relate with Linus and Harrison’s emotions as they know that their tomorrow will be the end of everything that was normal in their lives before.. and they are scared because their limited and sheltered life hasn’t allowed them to see beyond the day.