As You Walk On By follows seventeen-year-old Theo Wright, who has it all figured out. His plan is foolproof— exceling at his school so he can get scouted by college recruiters and then live the dream by going to Duke on an athletic scholarship, exactly what his dad always wanted for him. The next big goal, in comparison, is pretty simple: have the perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares him to prompose to Theo’s crush at a party, he’s ready to put it all on the line for that perfect night. But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party continues on. There’s just one tiny thing standing in the way of him having his existential crisis in peace—he’s not alone in the room. As more of Theo’s classmates show up one by one with their own ghosts they’re hiding from, Theo realises he’s not alone in being confused and scared, not by a long shot. And what starts as an unexpected meeting between him, his ex-best friend, a quiet outsider and a few familiar faces might just turn into new friendships that’ll last a lifetime.
As You Walk on by is as close to perfect as books get for me these days. Winters truly put everything in this book —from complex friendships and the challenges that come with re-evaluating them, to incredibly sweet queer romance that kind of melts your heart and learning how to make up for the mistakes you made in the name of protecting the ones you love. Add to that an incredibly fleshed-out, diverse cast of characters that feel like you’ve known them all along and you have a masterpiece. Coming-of-age stories can sometimes feel like too much or too little, but Winters somehow strikes the perfect balance between hard-hitting topics and funny moments that make this novel work so well.
One of the elements of this story that nearly broke me (you know, like, in a good way) is how Winters approaches being an ally and what makes a friendship work. What happens if your best friend, who seems to be your biggest fan, biggest ally…doesn’t really stand up for you when it matters? Only gives a noncommittal shrug instead of saying, “hey, that’s my friend and it’s not okay to talk about him that way”? We definitely don’t talk enough about this in real life. Sure, there’s ghosting and there’s friendships breaking apart for good (and totally ridiculous) reasons but Winters here offers an incredibly vulnerable, nuanced look at what it means to truly be an ally and what kind of horrid turmoil it causes in your heart and mind to question the people you thought you could always trust, no matter what.
Theo’s friendships are a central theme of the novel and I loved how there’s not really a good and evil division here—we have people (including Theo) making mistakes, but not everyone owns up to them, and not everyone grasps what they did wrong even when they’re told. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an accurate portrayal of how you sometimes feel obligated to overlook certain things when you’ve been friends for a long time but at some point, enough is enough. And I bet everyone who will read this book may re-evaluate their own friend groups after this.
Lest you think this book is only heavy-handed, there is also so much queer joy within these pages. And most of that joy happens in the room where Theo meets people who turn his whole world upside down, in just a few hours. I loved how open these characters were with each other under these less-than-ideal circumstances. Each of them is hiding from something at that party—and in their lives—but what starts out as hiding turns into finding a piece of themselves in that room. I loved the subtle nod to how every one of us behaves differently depending on who we’re surrounded by. Everyone in the room blossoms into the best version of themselves and while it’s a struggle to cling to that version once they leave the room, I loved how Winters reminds us with this book that to be yourself is always the best course of action. The right people will find you and love you for exactly who you are.
All in all, this book was an absolute delight and shows you that nothing bonds you quite like being on the outskirts—but that it might just be the best place to be sometimes in order to find where you truly belong. A perfect blend of a sincere exploration of what makes a friendship work and much-needed light-hearted moments of queer joy, As You Walk On By is a warm hug for anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast.
As You Walk On By is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 17th 2023.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The Breakfast Club meets Can’t Hardly Wait with an unforgettable ensemble cast in another swoony YA contemporary from award-winning author Julian Winters!
Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves exceling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.
But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame . . .
I’m happy to say, our city library has 12 copies of “As You Walk On By” on order, and hearing of it some time ago, I got myself at the front of the “on hold” line. As soon as the library gets it, I will be one of the first contacted to pick it up.