READY WHEN YOU ARE

Two First Australian teens fall for each other in secret.

Summer on the Mish means plenty of time for 17-year-old Jackson to spend with his two best mates and girlfriend, Tesha. But try as he might, Jackson can’t perform during sex. He blames the grog. But when cute, mysterious Tomas arrives, released from juvie and visiting Jackson’s family for Christmas, it’s clear there might be more to the story. Forced to share a room with Tomas, Jackson connects with him over art. When the boys realize their mutual attraction, life gets sizzlingly complicated. At first, they keep things quiet; no one on the Mish can know. But the harder they fall, the harder it is to keep their relationship a secret—and the less Jackson and Tomas want to. Published in Australia in 2021 as The Boy From the Mish, Yuin author Lonesborough’s YA debut is a sweet will-they, won’t-they romance with welcome Indigenous Australian representation. What starts as a slow-burn love story riddled with internalized homophobia blossoms into a beautiful relationship alongside discussions of racism and classism. The first-person present-tense narration offers a sense of immediacy that makes every moment count, from raucous parties to romantic bushwalks. The sights, sounds, and inhabitants of the fictional rural Koori community, which is informed by Lonesborough’s own life, are richly rendered.

An affirming, textured coming-out story.