Hannah Montana meets Heartstopper in this story of a teen pop star on the run from fame who finds family, love and gender euphoria when they become entangled with a local band.
Teen pop sensation Sasha may be famous, but they've always kept a layer of anonymity by covering their face to perform. Facing pressure to unmask in public, Sasha runs away to a nowhere midwestern city, planning to finish senior year and come out as nonbinary away from the limelight. But their plan falters from the moment they meet Wavelength, an alt-rock band, and their lead singer.
Lillian is struggling to keep the band together, caught in a mess of lyrics, late-night texts and ill-conceived love notes. She's torn between feelings for her ex-girlfriend (and ex-bandmember) and her new infatuation with Sasha. Maybe this stranger is the new singer and the new love she's looking for - even though Sasha's stories don't seem to quite add up.
If a whisper of Sasha's fame gets out, their new life is over. Sasha's manager is tracking them down, Wavelength is on the rise, and everyone's hearts are in the mosh pit. Turn off the houselights. The band's counting in.
Key Text Features
chapters
dialogue
lyrics There were shows with Admirer that blurred by, highway driving, reaching the final song and not remembering how I got there.
With Wavelength, I feel awake for every moment.
The lights in my eyes, unfiltered by a visor.
Taking my microphone off the stand.
Never putting it back.
Crouching at the front of the stage.
Reaching out to touch people's hands.
Laughing with eyes I meet.
Because who am I to reach toward?
The weight of sound around me.
The unfiltered kick drum beating across the stage.
Cyprus.
Quinn.
Lillian Hannah Montana meets Heartstopper in this story of a nonbinary pop star on the run who collides with a regular teenager and her alt-rock band. • LGBTQ+ LOVE STORY: Wavelength is a beautifully written dual-POV queer love story suffused with music and friendship. Sasha is nonbinary and Lilian is bisexual, and their relationship involves a lot of flirting, banter and identity-affirming moments of connection.
• CRITIQUE OF FAME: This YA novel is a smart critique of fame factories like the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon that monetize young talent, too often at the expense of the wellbeing and livelihood of child stars. At the same time, it's an homage to the DCOM and Disney Channel's original programming that readers will remember well from their own childhoods.
• QUEER TEENS IN A BAND: Wavelength is a queer Hannah Montana-esque story of fame and double-identities, full of gender euphoria and the found-family warmth of Heartstopper, and suffused with a love for music.
