A modern Caulfield meets Harold and Maude with an ADHD twist—Darkly Witty, Achingly Real
WINNER — 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award for New Adult Fiction
BLUEINK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK — Starred Review
KIRKUS REVIEWS — "Get It"
FINALIST — 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Inspirational Fiction
"You'll hate yourself for putting it down to go to bed, but you'll remind yourself that you're trying to make it last." —Dr. Moses Altsech, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Oscar Danielsson is eighteen, brilliantly ADHD, and about to ruin his life—again.
He looks like a promise waiting to be kept. His biggest fear is everyone discovering he's not what they expect at all. Between his spectacular mistakes, self-medicating, and overwhelming existential dread, hiding in his room feels safe, even if it means blowing high school graduation.
One hazy mistake too many launches Oscar on a mysterious cross-country road trip with his free-wheeling Grammy, who's done playing by the rules. Leaving behind his girl crush, beloved dog, and comforting vices is torture. But Grammy has a secret that changes everything—and Oscar discovers one of his own.
Oscar is the defiant anti-hero you can't stop rooting for. Grammy's his unlikely wingman. Together they're almost okay.
Perfect for readers who loved: A Man Called Ove, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, It's Kind of a Funny Story, or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
A boy. A lie. And the Great American highway.
A 2026 In the Margins Top 10 Fiction pick, Promising Young Man is character-driven intergenerational fiction BookLife Reviews calls "deeply relatable"—whether you're in high school, college, or deep in your career; whether you've ever felt like a square peg in a round world or watched someone you love struggle to fit in.
It's a story about learning the path you're "supposed" to follow isn't always the right one, and finding the guts to follow your own. It handles mental health struggles, substance use, addiction, suicidal ideation, and self-harm with care.
Can Oscar find redemption before he runs out of road?
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