Amelia, If Only

Amelia Applebaum is a high school senior with a crush on Walter Holland, a moderately famous YouTuber whom she once impulsively invited to prom. Her friends think she is a little too invested in someone she has never met, but Amelia is certain they would click in person.

When Walter announces a meet-and-greet within driving distance, she sees her chance and tries to convince her friends to make the trip a last adventure before graduation, including her best friend Natalie, who is newly single, cynical about romance and always carrying a guitar.

The road trip brings shared playlists, wrong turns and emotional moments, and it pushes Amelia to look harder at what she actually feels. Becky Albertalli's young adult romance explores fandom and parasocial attachment, the gap between an online persona and the person behind it, queer identity, and the slow-burn closeness of a long friendship. It is warm, funny and tender, aimed at readers who like contemporary YA about growing up and figuring out what you really want.