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The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers

Author Adam Sass
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Paperback
$12.99 US
5.5"W x 8.25"H x 0.86"D   | 11 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Aug 15, 2023 | 352 Pages | 9780593464793
Age 14 and up | Grade 9 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile HL750L
A charming YA rom-com perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and What If It’s Us.
 
Micah Summers runs a popular Instagram full of drawings of his numerous imaginary boyfriends (ninety-nine so far)—though he's never had a real boyfriend before. But when a meet-cute with Boy 100 goes wrong, Micah embarks on a Prince Charming-like quest throughout Chicago to find true love—for real this time.


Will Boy 100 be the One?
 
Micah is rich, dreamy, and charming. As the “Prince of Chicago,”—the son of local celebrity sports radio host known as the King of Chicago—he has everything going for him. Unfortunately, he’s also the prince of imaginary meet-cutes, since he’s too nervous to actually ask boys out.
 
Instead, Micah draws each crush to share on Instagram with a post about their imaginary dates. Ninety-nine “boyfriends” later, his account is hugely popular, and everyone is eagerly awaiting Boy 100. So is Micah. He’s determined that Boy 100 will be different. This time, Micah will sweep the boy off his feet, for real!
 
So when Micah flirts with a hot boy on the L who’s wearing a vegan leather jacket and lugging a ton of library books, he is sure this is Boy 100. But right before he can make his move and ask for the boy’s number, the guy rushes off the train, leaving behind his pumpkin-embroidered jacket. The jacket holds clues to the boy’s identity, so Micah and his friends set off on a quest to return it. Along the way, Micah will discover that the best relationships aren’t fairy tales. In fact, the perfect fit—and true love—might be closer than he thinks.
"A charming and hilarious romance—as enchanting as a fairy tale!" —Robby Weber, author of If You Change Your Mind

"A touching story about discovering the beautifully messy truth that can blossom out of fantasy. In a sun-kissed Chicago that is, itself, a fairy tale, Micah’s quest for true love will grab your heart and squeeze in the most tender and earnest way possible." —Simeon Tsanev, Bookseller at Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago

"Oh my gay! A hysterical and heartfelt sensation in the making, full of drama and authenticity that only the genius Adam Sass could deliver." —Ryan La Sala, award-winning author of Reverie and Be Dazzled

"Once Adam Sass pulls you into Micah's world, you won't want to leave. The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is a well-balanced blend of wit, charm, and hilarity, tugging at all the right heartstrings in all the right ways. If you love delicious rom-coms with modern flare, Sass wrote the perfect book for you." —Robbie Couch, author of The Sky Blues and Blaine for the Win

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is delightfully entertaining and sincere. Sass has penned a vibrant, big-hearted reminder that every reader is worthy of an authentic love story.” —Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions and Right Where I Left You

"With clever plotting and charming—yet oh-so-complicated—characters, I was hooked from the very first page! Absolutely packed with heart and humor, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is the queer romcom of my dreams." —Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us and Golden Boys

"Hilarious, original, and unpredictable, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers expertly explores what it means to find The One, and how that can sometimes look very different to what the fairytales tell you. Adam Sass was born to write rom-coms!" —Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated and co-author of If This Gets Out

*"This is a well-written, sweet YA romance . . . [that] also explores realistic expectations when it comes to relationships . . . Sass has undoubtedly joined the ranks of breakout queer YA romance authors . . . This is not one to miss." School Library Journal (starred review)

*"Sass does a superb job of . . . injecting fairy tale elements into his captivating, highly readable story of . . . empathetic boys and their respective relationships. Swoons are in order." —Booklist (starred review)

"Refreshingly, even when relationships get messy, no one is the villain, and the story pushes back against the idea that young queer people have limited chances of finding love...Self-reflective with satisfying depth." Kirkus Reviews

"[In this] wistful rom-com with a “Cinderella” twist...Sass capably portrays complicated teenage interpersonal dynamics through realistic dialogue, and fills this sincere romance with teen pining, madcap shenanigans, and earnest first love." Publishers Weekly

“Micah uses his Instagram page to sketch out fairy tale versions of everyone he’s ever crushed on. He’s been too nervous to ask any guys out for real—until he meets Boy 100 on the train in a fated encounter, rescuing his forgotten pumpkin sweater. If Micah can find Boy 100, will he be the Prince Charming he’s always dreamed of? The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is a gay Cinderella reimagining with a twist, perfectly capturing feelings of first love and the ways he tend to lose ourselves in them. An enchanting and emotionally honest coming-of-age novel.” —Andrew King, Secret Garden, Seattle, WA
© Ian Carlos Photography
Adam Sass began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He’s sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) His debut YA novel, Surrender Your Sons, was named a best book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword INDIES, a best first novel for young readers by Booklist, won the Gold Medal for YA fiction at the IPPY Awards, and was a selection for ALA’s Rainbow Book List for 2022. His YA rom-com, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, was named a Best Book of 2022 by Seventeen and received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. He is also the author of the thriller, Your Lonely Nights Are Over.

Adam has been featured in Teen Vogue and the Savage Lovecast. He is also a recurring co-host on the popular podcast Slayerfest98, where he recaps Buffy the Vampire Slayer, horror movies, and other pieces of pop culture. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and dachshunds.

You can visit Adam Sass online at AdamSassBooks.com or follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @TheAdamSass. View titles by Adam Sass
How do I know it’s love? Because I’ve already thrown up twice, and I haven’t even asked him out yet. Although my friends could’ve done without that information, they agree that my anxiety-induced stomach issues provide the perfect excuse to skip school and ask out my first boy ever.
Who could focus on imaginary numbers or the Teapot Dome Scandal on a day like this? The signs that I should finally make my move are everywhere: the typical gray soup of overcast skies has finally broken apart over the Chicago skyline, giving way to a hopeful Tiffany blue. It’s the first warm day we’ve had in half a year, which is perfect for my current mission because I
can slip into my favorite black tank top that makes it look like I have ripped arms (twist: I don’t!). I don’t feel guilty skipping. I’ve already finished most of my finals, junior year is basically over, and half the seniors won’t even be present today.
Like Andy McDermott.
I’ve been circling Andy all through May with the steely-eyed focus of a shark circling a drowning sailor. He’d been dating this girl in my pottery class for almost a year, but she cheated on him during spring break, they broke up, and then Andy started showing up at our school’s LGBTQ+ club meetings.
As secretary of the club, the only meeting minutes I recorded that day were OMIGAWD ANDY IS HERE.
Hannah, my best friend (and best spy), managed to learn that Andy would be ditching class to go to Grant Park to record TikToks for his band. So that’s where I’m headed, as fast as my penny board will take me.
The miniature hot-pink skateboard bucks under the weight of my overstuffed satchel, but I easily correct my balance. I am, after all, a little toothpick boy who is seventeen but looks twelve. Spring wind whips against my face as I glide across the rust-colored bridge between my home on the Gold Coast and the Loop downtown. When I reach the lake, I realize the entire city has chosen to play hooky: sailboat owners, bicyclists, joggers, picnickers—each of us desperate to take advantage of the first hint of warmth since October.
Yet the soothing wind does nothing to quiet the acid bubbling in my stomach.
Today is the day Micah Summers asks out his first boy, win or lose.
It better not be lose!
When I finally stop my board outside of a stone barrier leading into Grant Park, a stroke of luck finds me: Andy McDermott is already here. And he’s alone. It’s unfathomably rare to find Andy without his circle of intimidating friends.
Yet here he is without them, in line at a street-side hot dog cart.
Andy is a boy straight out of a fairy tale—but, like, the vaguely punk kind from Descendants. He has curly dark hair dyed aquamarine at the tips, a smattering of freckles over his lightly tanned cheeks, a stud earring, a flannel shirt tied around his waist, and silver rings on every finger. Ideal retro-music-video vibes.
Breathing steadily, I lick moisture back into my lips, clip my board to the back of my satchel, and join Andy in line.
He doesn’t see me yet. My heart won’t settle.
The hot dog vendor—a boisterous older white woman decked out in Chicago Bulls merch—waves Andy forward to take his order.
How am I supposed to start a conversation? Once I manage that, how do I ask him out in a way that’s casual enough to not be off-putting, yet direct enough to avoid our date becoming a passionless friend hangout?
In real life, boys aren’t fairy-tale princes; they’re terrifying, unknowable creatures who hail from the woods of mystery.
No time to breathe. I leap to my phone for backup and text Hannah: Emergency! McDermott is in line ahead of me getting hot dogs. What do I do?
Her reply comes swiftly: Ask him out!
I nearly strangle my phone. Since seventh grade, Hannah has dated one pristine, popular boy after another—and she’s always the one who gets asked out first—so I don’t know why I think her advice will ever be applicable to me, a gay boy who hasn’t even reached a middle schooler’s dating level yet.
Thank you, Hannah, but how? I reply.
Just ask him if he wants to eat hot dogs together. But, like, make it SOUND like “hot dog” is code for something else.
You’re making jokes while I drown!
Offer to buy his lunch!
At last, a concrete, actionable first step! Hannah is the queen.
“—run it through the garden,” Andy tells the hot dog vendor in his coarse, husky voice.
“That’ll be four fifty,” the vendor says.
I lunge forward, credit card outstretched, before Andy finishes hunting for his wallet. “It’sonme,” I blurt in a single, mishmashed syllable.
Andy staggers backward, shock etched across his scruffy face.
Oh no. I moved too quickly.
“Sorry!” I raise my arms in surrender for some unknowable reason. “It’s, um, on me?”
Andy flutters long lashes, and his startled expression softens into a crafty smile. That’s nice. Breath returns to my chest. “Oh, hey,” he says. “Micah? From the school club thing, right?”
He recognizes me!
“Yes, uh . . .” I say, handing the vendor my card. My gaze leaps around wildly, landing on anything but Andy. The plan is breaking apart fast. To Andy, this twerpy little white kid he barely knows just jumped out of nowhere and isn’t explaining why.
“Are you getting a dog, too, hon, or just buying his?” the woman asks.
The sidewalk is swirling. No way I could eat anything. “Just his,” I mumble.
“Well, thanks,” Andy says, his friendly tone powerless to relax me.
With ungodly effort, I meet his eyes—dark brown and flecked with gold. He’s smiling.
It’s too much attention. My stomach squeezes.
Smile, Micah. I obey. Too much teeth! I close my lips. Now you look queasy. I am queasy! Andy’s smile begins to fade. You’re losing him!
“I don’t know what you’re doing tonight,” I blurt.
Andy’s pierced eyebrow rises. “You . . . don’t know what I’m doing tonight?”
The sentence was supposed to be I don’t know what you’re doing tonight, but if you’re free, do you want to go to a movie/dinner/whatever. But of course, I chickened out on the important part, so I sound like a creep!
“Here’s your card, sweetie,” the vendor says before handing Andy a tinfoil-wrapped hot dog and bag of SunChips. A woman behind me nudges her children ahead to order, and Andy and I shuffle out of line together.
Literally what am I doing? Do I just follow him around all day like some sad ghost?
“I mean, if you aren’t busy tonight . . . uh . . .” I stammer.
Mercifully, Andy knows where I’m going with this. Wincing slightly, he leans closer. “Hey, Micah . . . I’m super flattered, but—”
“No worries!” I gasp. “Happy graduation, happy hot dog, bye!”
I sprint in the opposite direction with the intensity of a gazelle about to become a jaguar’s lunch. I don’t slow down until the toxic pool of acid inside me disappears.
My heart shrivels inside my chest. Once again, I couldn’t do it.

About

A charming YA rom-com perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and What If It’s Us.
 
Micah Summers runs a popular Instagram full of drawings of his numerous imaginary boyfriends (ninety-nine so far)—though he's never had a real boyfriend before. But when a meet-cute with Boy 100 goes wrong, Micah embarks on a Prince Charming-like quest throughout Chicago to find true love—for real this time.


Will Boy 100 be the One?
 
Micah is rich, dreamy, and charming. As the “Prince of Chicago,”—the son of local celebrity sports radio host known as the King of Chicago—he has everything going for him. Unfortunately, he’s also the prince of imaginary meet-cutes, since he’s too nervous to actually ask boys out.
 
Instead, Micah draws each crush to share on Instagram with a post about their imaginary dates. Ninety-nine “boyfriends” later, his account is hugely popular, and everyone is eagerly awaiting Boy 100. So is Micah. He’s determined that Boy 100 will be different. This time, Micah will sweep the boy off his feet, for real!
 
So when Micah flirts with a hot boy on the L who’s wearing a vegan leather jacket and lugging a ton of library books, he is sure this is Boy 100. But right before he can make his move and ask for the boy’s number, the guy rushes off the train, leaving behind his pumpkin-embroidered jacket. The jacket holds clues to the boy’s identity, so Micah and his friends set off on a quest to return it. Along the way, Micah will discover that the best relationships aren’t fairy tales. In fact, the perfect fit—and true love—might be closer than he thinks.

Praise

"A charming and hilarious romance—as enchanting as a fairy tale!" —Robby Weber, author of If You Change Your Mind

"A touching story about discovering the beautifully messy truth that can blossom out of fantasy. In a sun-kissed Chicago that is, itself, a fairy tale, Micah’s quest for true love will grab your heart and squeeze in the most tender and earnest way possible." —Simeon Tsanev, Bookseller at Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago

"Oh my gay! A hysterical and heartfelt sensation in the making, full of drama and authenticity that only the genius Adam Sass could deliver." —Ryan La Sala, award-winning author of Reverie and Be Dazzled

"Once Adam Sass pulls you into Micah's world, you won't want to leave. The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is a well-balanced blend of wit, charm, and hilarity, tugging at all the right heartstrings in all the right ways. If you love delicious rom-coms with modern flare, Sass wrote the perfect book for you." —Robbie Couch, author of The Sky Blues and Blaine for the Win

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is delightfully entertaining and sincere. Sass has penned a vibrant, big-hearted reminder that every reader is worthy of an authentic love story.” —Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions and Right Where I Left You

"With clever plotting and charming—yet oh-so-complicated—characters, I was hooked from the very first page! Absolutely packed with heart and humor, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is the queer romcom of my dreams." —Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us and Golden Boys

"Hilarious, original, and unpredictable, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers expertly explores what it means to find The One, and how that can sometimes look very different to what the fairytales tell you. Adam Sass was born to write rom-coms!" —Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated and co-author of If This Gets Out

*"This is a well-written, sweet YA romance . . . [that] also explores realistic expectations when it comes to relationships . . . Sass has undoubtedly joined the ranks of breakout queer YA romance authors . . . This is not one to miss." School Library Journal (starred review)

*"Sass does a superb job of . . . injecting fairy tale elements into his captivating, highly readable story of . . . empathetic boys and their respective relationships. Swoons are in order." —Booklist (starred review)

"Refreshingly, even when relationships get messy, no one is the villain, and the story pushes back against the idea that young queer people have limited chances of finding love...Self-reflective with satisfying depth." Kirkus Reviews

"[In this] wistful rom-com with a “Cinderella” twist...Sass capably portrays complicated teenage interpersonal dynamics through realistic dialogue, and fills this sincere romance with teen pining, madcap shenanigans, and earnest first love." Publishers Weekly

“Micah uses his Instagram page to sketch out fairy tale versions of everyone he’s ever crushed on. He’s been too nervous to ask any guys out for real—until he meets Boy 100 on the train in a fated encounter, rescuing his forgotten pumpkin sweater. If Micah can find Boy 100, will he be the Prince Charming he’s always dreamed of? The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is a gay Cinderella reimagining with a twist, perfectly capturing feelings of first love and the ways he tend to lose ourselves in them. An enchanting and emotionally honest coming-of-age novel.” —Andrew King, Secret Garden, Seattle, WA

Author

© Ian Carlos Photography
Adam Sass began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He’s sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) His debut YA novel, Surrender Your Sons, was named a best book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword INDIES, a best first novel for young readers by Booklist, won the Gold Medal for YA fiction at the IPPY Awards, and was a selection for ALA’s Rainbow Book List for 2022. His YA rom-com, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, was named a Best Book of 2022 by Seventeen and received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. He is also the author of the thriller, Your Lonely Nights Are Over.

Adam has been featured in Teen Vogue and the Savage Lovecast. He is also a recurring co-host on the popular podcast Slayerfest98, where he recaps Buffy the Vampire Slayer, horror movies, and other pieces of pop culture. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and dachshunds.

You can visit Adam Sass online at AdamSassBooks.com or follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @TheAdamSass. View titles by Adam Sass

Excerpt

How do I know it’s love? Because I’ve already thrown up twice, and I haven’t even asked him out yet. Although my friends could’ve done without that information, they agree that my anxiety-induced stomach issues provide the perfect excuse to skip school and ask out my first boy ever.
Who could focus on imaginary numbers or the Teapot Dome Scandal on a day like this? The signs that I should finally make my move are everywhere: the typical gray soup of overcast skies has finally broken apart over the Chicago skyline, giving way to a hopeful Tiffany blue. It’s the first warm day we’ve had in half a year, which is perfect for my current mission because I
can slip into my favorite black tank top that makes it look like I have ripped arms (twist: I don’t!). I don’t feel guilty skipping. I’ve already finished most of my finals, junior year is basically over, and half the seniors won’t even be present today.
Like Andy McDermott.
I’ve been circling Andy all through May with the steely-eyed focus of a shark circling a drowning sailor. He’d been dating this girl in my pottery class for almost a year, but she cheated on him during spring break, they broke up, and then Andy started showing up at our school’s LGBTQ+ club meetings.
As secretary of the club, the only meeting minutes I recorded that day were OMIGAWD ANDY IS HERE.
Hannah, my best friend (and best spy), managed to learn that Andy would be ditching class to go to Grant Park to record TikToks for his band. So that’s where I’m headed, as fast as my penny board will take me.
The miniature hot-pink skateboard bucks under the weight of my overstuffed satchel, but I easily correct my balance. I am, after all, a little toothpick boy who is seventeen but looks twelve. Spring wind whips against my face as I glide across the rust-colored bridge between my home on the Gold Coast and the Loop downtown. When I reach the lake, I realize the entire city has chosen to play hooky: sailboat owners, bicyclists, joggers, picnickers—each of us desperate to take advantage of the first hint of warmth since October.
Yet the soothing wind does nothing to quiet the acid bubbling in my stomach.
Today is the day Micah Summers asks out his first boy, win or lose.
It better not be lose!
When I finally stop my board outside of a stone barrier leading into Grant Park, a stroke of luck finds me: Andy McDermott is already here. And he’s alone. It’s unfathomably rare to find Andy without his circle of intimidating friends.
Yet here he is without them, in line at a street-side hot dog cart.
Andy is a boy straight out of a fairy tale—but, like, the vaguely punk kind from Descendants. He has curly dark hair dyed aquamarine at the tips, a smattering of freckles over his lightly tanned cheeks, a stud earring, a flannel shirt tied around his waist, and silver rings on every finger. Ideal retro-music-video vibes.
Breathing steadily, I lick moisture back into my lips, clip my board to the back of my satchel, and join Andy in line.
He doesn’t see me yet. My heart won’t settle.
The hot dog vendor—a boisterous older white woman decked out in Chicago Bulls merch—waves Andy forward to take his order.
How am I supposed to start a conversation? Once I manage that, how do I ask him out in a way that’s casual enough to not be off-putting, yet direct enough to avoid our date becoming a passionless friend hangout?
In real life, boys aren’t fairy-tale princes; they’re terrifying, unknowable creatures who hail from the woods of mystery.
No time to breathe. I leap to my phone for backup and text Hannah: Emergency! McDermott is in line ahead of me getting hot dogs. What do I do?
Her reply comes swiftly: Ask him out!
I nearly strangle my phone. Since seventh grade, Hannah has dated one pristine, popular boy after another—and she’s always the one who gets asked out first—so I don’t know why I think her advice will ever be applicable to me, a gay boy who hasn’t even reached a middle schooler’s dating level yet.
Thank you, Hannah, but how? I reply.
Just ask him if he wants to eat hot dogs together. But, like, make it SOUND like “hot dog” is code for something else.
You’re making jokes while I drown!
Offer to buy his lunch!
At last, a concrete, actionable first step! Hannah is the queen.
“—run it through the garden,” Andy tells the hot dog vendor in his coarse, husky voice.
“That’ll be four fifty,” the vendor says.
I lunge forward, credit card outstretched, before Andy finishes hunting for his wallet. “It’sonme,” I blurt in a single, mishmashed syllable.
Andy staggers backward, shock etched across his scruffy face.
Oh no. I moved too quickly.
“Sorry!” I raise my arms in surrender for some unknowable reason. “It’s, um, on me?”
Andy flutters long lashes, and his startled expression softens into a crafty smile. That’s nice. Breath returns to my chest. “Oh, hey,” he says. “Micah? From the school club thing, right?”
He recognizes me!
“Yes, uh . . .” I say, handing the vendor my card. My gaze leaps around wildly, landing on anything but Andy. The plan is breaking apart fast. To Andy, this twerpy little white kid he barely knows just jumped out of nowhere and isn’t explaining why.
“Are you getting a dog, too, hon, or just buying his?” the woman asks.
The sidewalk is swirling. No way I could eat anything. “Just his,” I mumble.
“Well, thanks,” Andy says, his friendly tone powerless to relax me.
With ungodly effort, I meet his eyes—dark brown and flecked with gold. He’s smiling.
It’s too much attention. My stomach squeezes.
Smile, Micah. I obey. Too much teeth! I close my lips. Now you look queasy. I am queasy! Andy’s smile begins to fade. You’re losing him!
“I don’t know what you’re doing tonight,” I blurt.
Andy’s pierced eyebrow rises. “You . . . don’t know what I’m doing tonight?”
The sentence was supposed to be I don’t know what you’re doing tonight, but if you’re free, do you want to go to a movie/dinner/whatever. But of course, I chickened out on the important part, so I sound like a creep!
“Here’s your card, sweetie,” the vendor says before handing Andy a tinfoil-wrapped hot dog and bag of SunChips. A woman behind me nudges her children ahead to order, and Andy and I shuffle out of line together.
Literally what am I doing? Do I just follow him around all day like some sad ghost?
“I mean, if you aren’t busy tonight . . . uh . . .” I stammer.
Mercifully, Andy knows where I’m going with this. Wincing slightly, he leans closer. “Hey, Micah . . . I’m super flattered, but—”
“No worries!” I gasp. “Happy graduation, happy hot dog, bye!”
I sprint in the opposite direction with the intensity of a gazelle about to become a jaguar’s lunch. I don’t slow down until the toxic pool of acid inside me disappears.
My heart shrivels inside my chest. Once again, I couldn’t do it.