This book is so many things: a love letter to books, the escape and healing that comes with them, as well as embracing oneself, paired with love and attraction beyond appearances, and a heavy dose of body positivity.  Paul Coccia is such a lovely person in general, and his passion for body positivity and incorporating that representation into queer YA books really shined through. 

For this tour, I have been assigned a "theme analysis," and there were so many themes to pick from in this important book.  After analyzing the many themes I identified, I found that the primary themes were love, growth, and community - love for oneself, understanding that you can love yourself while still having insecurities, highlighting a love for books, and emphasizing the importance of community. Bobby, the main character, has my whole heart - being plus size, "extra," and being a master selector of books for people based on their needs made me feel so incredibly close to him.  As someone who uses bibliotherapy in his mental health work, I felt like watching Bobby was watching a little bibliotherapist in progress.  The romance was a slow burn and highlighted how attraction goes so far beyond the physical - and how one shouldn't have to "earn" affection.  Luke and Bobby made such an unlikely pair, and I loved how the theme included not only romantic love but love between friends and co-workers - and ultimately, how connection is key. 

I'm pretty sure at this point that Bobby is my soul animal, and this book and his story consumed my heart.  It is essential queer YA reading, and I sincerely wish that I had had it when I was a teen living in a plus-size body and never feeling like he could be himself - but it did feel like this book was healing that inner part of myself that I still carry around, and I feel so happy and lucky to have been on this tour.