Then Everything Happens at Once

From Lambda Literary Award–winning and acclaimed author of Girl Mans Up M-E Girard comes a stand-alone sex-positive coming-of-age story about a teen named Baylee who’s torn between her heart and her hormones as she navigates her feelings for her best friend Freddie and new friend Alex. Perfect for fans of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega.

Sixteen-year-old Baylee has never been kissed, but she wants to do way more than that. She’s had a huge crush on her gorgeous best friend and neighbor, Freddie, for years, but since she doesn’t look like the type he normally dates, the judgmental voice in her head tells her he’ll never see her as more than a friend.

Then Baylee meets Alex online, and she starts to fall for this sweet, funny barista who likes her just as she is. But when Freddie makes a move on Baylee and a virus shuts the world down, Baylee will find herself torn as everything starts happening at once and she’s left navigating the messy waters of love and desire. It helps that she’s observed her friends’ relationship drama, so she knows exactly what mistakes not to make . . . right?

M-E Girard delivers a rich, honest, boundary-pushing story about a girl exploring her desires.

M-E Girard’s debut, Girl Mans Up, won the Lambda Literary Award and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, where she splits her time between writing YA fiction, being a mom to a toddler, and working as a registered nurse. M-E dedicated the bulk of her nursing career to working with special-needs kids, and more recently she was an ER and ICU nurse during the first waves of the pandemic. A 2013 and 2015 Lambda Literary Fellow, M-E is a proud feminist who is endlessly fascinated with what it means to be a girl—especially a queer, fat girl. 

“A pleasurable, emotional, and authentic coming-of-age story.” -Kirkus Reviews

Girard (Girl Mans Up) portrays Baylee’s mistakes and triumphs with nuance while tackling negative self-talk and anti-fat rhetoric amid unprecedented crisis in this honest and believable portrait of a teen navigating her sexual awakening. -Publishers Weekly

"Girard's strength as a writer is in giving Baylee voice as an outwardly stronger person whose inner thoughts exist in a state of turmoil. The character and story are highly relatable and potentially validating for readers who are figuring out their identities or those who could benefit from their own tumultuous teenage experiences—especially during the pandemic—being externally validated." -Horn Book Magazine

Give to high school readers seeking stories about finding your self-worth. -School Library Journal