Strangers in the Hallway: A YA Novel in Verse

Senior year was supposed to be unforgettable. Cooper just never imagined it would hurt this much.

Eighteen-year-old Cooper Covington is still grieving the death of his grandfather when his best friend, Kerry Walker, delivers another devastating blow: she no longer wants to be friends.

Just like that, the senior year Cooper imagined disappears.

Then Brando Weston enters his life.

Confident, charming, and captain of the lacrosse team, Brando is the kind of boy Cooper never expected to want him back. Their connection is immediate, thrilling, and terrifying. For the first time in months, Cooper has something to look forward to-something that feels like hope.

But healing is never simple.

As Cooper navigates senior year, first love, college applications, grief, loneliness, and the complicated aftermath of a friendship breakup, Kerry's absence still follows him through the hallways. And when old wounds resurface, Cooper is forced to confront the question he's been avoiding:

Can you forgive someone without letting them back into your life?

Told in verse, Strangers in the Hallway is a raw and tender YA coming-of-age novel about queer first love, friendship breakups, grief, boundaries, and learning that moving forward sometimes means leaving someone behind.

Perfect for readers who love emotionally intense YA novels in verse, queer coming-of-age stories, complicated friendships, and bittersweet first love.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Willow River Press
Published: 06/09/2026
ISBN: 9781972197042
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.57d