The Guy Gets Teddy by Chase Connor

Life is hard for everyone. But if you throw in religious parents, the death of a brother, and a desire to act, sing, and dance--when you don't look the way everyone expects (or wants)--it can be particularly difficult. This is the story of Baxley Theodore Miller--Teddy. He acts, he sings, he tries to dance (he's working on it), he's gay, he's overweight, his parents are religious, and the one person who loved him just as he is has died. That doesn't mean that life stops moving. Teddy wants to follow his dreams...and maybe find love along the way. Why can't a gay, overweight kid have it all? Teddy finds himself in an experimental performing arts LGBTQ+ summer camp after his senior year of high school. There he will find out what he is truly made of--and maybe make a few friends along the way. But when a handsome, friendly, kind boy starts to show interest, Teddy realizes that maybe he's never understood love at all. With the help of his bunkmates: Rufus, an enthusiastic asexual boy, and Chastity, a lesbian who is a lot kinder than she seems, Teddy realizes that maybe he has to change his way of thinking before he can change the world. Love doesn't just find you, you have to decide to find love, and it all starts with loving yourself.

Young Adult • Romance/Contemporary • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+