Quiet character-driven stories are sometimes rare gems, and William Grant’s WITH YOUR FRIENDS has soft, poignant moments that tug at the heart. It’s a slice-of-life type narrative, following high school senior Peter Hansen through the ups and downs of his last year before starting college, where he finds a group of friends after a chance meeting in a coffee shop. Kevin, Ryan, and Mallory welcome the reserved but amiable Peter into their group right away, and he finds solace in their eager friendship, their easy banter, and their quirky dynamics while escaping his toxic home environment. As vignettes of teenage life, the book tackles hard issues with grace and nuance, treading carefully through struggles of self-harm, suicide, and loss and grief of all different kinds. Kevin grapples with the loss of his parents and his carefree childhood, while Peter witnesses the bitter end of his parents’ failed marriage, and Mallory parts with a fleeting love as she makes tough decisions about her academic future. Homophobia does play a part in Ryan’s battle with his mental health and suicidal thoughts; it’s briefly described and happens off-page.

Obviously, their enduring friendship is the glue that holds this whole narrative together, tied to themes of forgiveness, community, and tragedy. There’s a few tear-jerker scenes throughout, written by Grant with insightful dialogue between the characters. While the book is told exclusively from Peter’s narration, he has some thought-provoking introspection and observations of not only his own internal conflict, but those of the people around him who’ve welcomed him into their lives. His friend group has a good sense of humor, a charming quirk about them. They weather each storm of emotional turmoil together, and it’s nice to see their closeness, their love for each other. Romantic or platonic, both are represented and carry equal importance. The queer romance between Peter and Ryan is sweet and heartfelt, though they don’t spend enough time together in the buildup—just the two of them—so it often feels one-sided on Peter’s part, especially since Ryan doesn’t speak much.

The story sometimes feels a little too quiet, where extraneous details don’t necessarily add to the narrative, key developments are sometimes glossed over, or Peter remains too passive a character while he’s towed along by his louder friends from one event to another. He does balance out the group with his vulnerability, and there are a couple of scenes where Peter finally finds his voice toward the end, but with his character arc, it seems like he should’ve packed a bigger punch—most notably where his lingering grievances with his father are concerned. However, there’s an honest sensitivity about WITH YOUR FRIENDS, and that in itself deserves merit, especially for a debut work.

A coming-of-age Young Adult story featuring sweet queer romance and quirky characters, William Grant’s WITH YOUR FRIENDS is a quiet, character-driven story that tackles difficult issues with grace and nuance.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader