Right Beside You
Right Beside You by Tucker Shaw, published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR) on April 29, 2025, is a 336-page exploration of queer romance and coming-of-age set against a backdrop of both present-day and historical New York. The story follows Eddie, who, after high school, finds himself at a crossroads in life. When he moves to New York City to care for his great aunt Cookie, he discovers a vintage polaroid camera that transports him back to the early 20th century, where he encounters the vibrant underground queer life of the 1930s.
As Eddie navigates his dual existence, he grapples with his identity and burgeoning feelings for two boys: the enigmatic Francis from the past and the charming Theo from his present. This narrative intertwines elements of romance, science fiction, and historical fiction, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of love and self-discovery. Right Beside You presents a unique blend of timelines and emotions, making it a significant addition to the genres of LGBTQ+ literature and young adult fiction.
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“Deeply moving and thoroughly engrossing.” —Kirkus, starred review
In this fresh, speculative blend of queer romance and coming-of-age, Eddie meets Theo in present-day New York and Francis in a New York of the past… torn between eras and his heart, he must make a decision that will change his life forever.
High school has just ended and Eddie is at a loss for what’s next. He had a falling out with his best friend, and he never really related to the rest of his peers in the sleepy Colorado town he calls home. The future is bleak.
Until his ancient and eccentric great aunt Cookie asks him to care for her in New York City as she recuperates from an illness. Eddie leaps at the opportunity. Soon after he arrives at her tiny Greenwich Village apartment, homebound Cookie asks Eddie to use her vintage polaroid camera to snap pictures of her favorite places she can no longer visit. But something’s unusual about this camera. When he takes a photo, he’s launched back in time to an entirely different New York of the early 20th century.
As Eddie explores the underground queer life of the 1930s, he discovers new undercurrents of his own identity. Not to mention a dangerously handsome boy in scuffed boots and tattered stovepipe trousers who keeps popping up in his visions of the past.
But when Eddie begins to develop a crush on the mercurial Francis, a cute baker named Theo enters the picture—and he’s in the present. Caught between timelines and feelings, Eddie must make a decision about what he’s willing to chase: his romantic fantasies of the past or a reality that might just be what he’s wanted all along.
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