I Wish You All the Best

I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they are thrown out of their home. With nowhere else to go, Ben reaches out to their older sister, Hannah, who left home years earlier and whom Ben has not seen in a long time. Hannah and her husband, Thomas, take Ben in, and Ben begins a new life at a new school, struggling with anxiety and trying to keep a low profile.

I Wish You All the Best, the debut young adult novel by Mason Deaver, follows Ben as they try to rebuild their life. Ben has decided not to come out at their new school, preferring to stay invisible until graduation. But then they meet Nathan Allan, a charming, outgoing classmate who befriends Ben and refuses to let them hide. As their friendship grows into something deeper, Ben begins to discover what it means to be loved and accepted.

Alongside the romance, the novel explores Ben’s relationship with Hannah, who carries her own wounds from their family, as well as Ben’s work with a therapist, their experiences with anxiety and their journey toward self-acceptance. The story balances moments of pain with warmth, humor and hope.

Tender and honest, the book has been praised for its authentic portrayal of a nonbinary teenager and its message of finding family and love.

I Wish You All the Best is a moving read for teens and adults who enjoy heartfelt contemporary fiction about identity, family and first love. It deals with family rejection and anxiety, which some readers may find difficult.