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Little F
A new epic novel about a teenage queer runaway from cult classic author of Blackwave and Valencia Michelle Tea.
In Spencer’s fantasies, the breezy, queer streets of Provincetown, MA, are utopia, a place where he can be free. Yet when a violent attack in his suburban Arizona schoolyard sends him to the hospital, he decides queer utopia can’t wait. And one night, with the help of his best friend, the teenage witch Joy, he hitches a ride to find it.
The cross-country road odyssey that follows brings Spencer from new moon rituals in Arizona canyons to Texas bus stations, from the luxe drag stages of Houston’s Montrose district to the jazz-soaked streets of the French Quarter and beyond. This new novel from Michelle Tea tells the story, by turns raw, romantic, and sweet, of a sheltered boy taking his first leap into queer life, among all the complicated queers who live it.
In Spencer’s fantasies, the breezy, queer streets of Provincetown, MA, are utopia, a place where he can be free. Yet when a violent attack in his suburban Arizona schoolyard sends him to the hospital, he decides queer utopia can’t wait. And one night, with the help of his best friend, the teenage witch Joy, he hitches a ride to find it.
The cross-country road odyssey that follows brings Spencer from new moon rituals in Arizona canyons to Texas bus stations, from the luxe drag stages of Houston’s Montrose district to the jazz-soaked streets of the French Quarter and beyond. This new novel from Michelle Tea tells the story, by turns raw, romantic, and sweet, of a sheltered boy taking his first leap into queer life, among all the complicated queers who live it.
232 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2025
8 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Tea
50 books1,023 followersMichelle Tea (born Michelle Tomasik) is an American author, poet, and literary arts organizer whose autobiographical works explore queer culture, feminism, race, class, prostitution, and other topics. She is originally from Chelsea, Massachusetts and currently lives in San Francisco. Her books, mostly memoirs, are known for their views into the queercore community. In 2012 Tea partnered with City Lights Publishers to form the Sister Spit imprint.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 4, 2025
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: A new epic novel about a teenage queer runaway from cult classic author of Blackwave and Valencia Michelle Tea.
In Spencer’s fantasies, the breezy, queer streets of Provincetown, MA, are utopia, a place where he can be free. Yet when a violent attack in his suburban Arizona schoolyard sends him to the hospital, he decides queer utopia can’t wait. And one night, with the help of his best friend, the teenage witch Joy, he hitches a ride to find it.
The cross-country road odyssey that follows brings Spencer from new moon rituals in Arizona canyons to Texas bus stations, from the luxe drag stages of Houston’s Montrose district to the jazz-soaked streets of the French Quarter and beyond. This new novel from Michelle Tea tells the story, by turns raw, romantic, and sweet, of a sheltered boy taking his first leap into queer life, among all the complicated queers who live it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Road novels lend themselves beautifully to the coming-of-age genre. In a road novel, the main character is by definition seeking some unknown, longed-for thing...adulthood is that thing, the long-dreamed-of delights of not being under someone else's thumb, making your own decisions....
I know, I know, it's as far from reality as a time-travel novel is. The traveler/comer-of-age doesn't know that (yet) so let it ride while the trip educates the youth into disillusionment's many pleasures. ...wait...pleasures? Spencer is, like so many of us formerly young queer lads going to run head-first into reality and find it pretty good.
Escaping homophobia is not possible, but getting out of a bully's sights is not a bad idea. As Spencer moves to other peoples' whims, aka hitchhikes, to get to Provincetown, the world shows him a bright face. He meets people who help him, in spite of taking him away from the direction he's set; lots of endearing, heartfelt chats; sleeping on couches (my back twinged just typing it); finding his first reciprocated love.
A lovely story, but not one we haven't read before (over thirty, anyway), so best really as a gift for your sweet young giftee. You know the one...not ready to come out; not ready for The Talk; but turning life over in their mind painfully loudly.
Give them this book to give those gears a bit of "others before you have been there, here's what they say about it" lubrication before you, their parents, and the rest of us go deaf.
The Publisher Says: A new epic novel about a teenage queer runaway from cult classic author of Blackwave and Valencia Michelle Tea.
In Spencer’s fantasies, the breezy, queer streets of Provincetown, MA, are utopia, a place where he can be free. Yet when a violent attack in his suburban Arizona schoolyard sends him to the hospital, he decides queer utopia can’t wait. And one night, with the help of his best friend, the teenage witch Joy, he hitches a ride to find it.
The cross-country road odyssey that follows brings Spencer from new moon rituals in Arizona canyons to Texas bus stations, from the luxe drag stages of Houston’s Montrose district to the jazz-soaked streets of the French Quarter and beyond. This new novel from Michelle Tea tells the story, by turns raw, romantic, and sweet, of a sheltered boy taking his first leap into queer life, among all the complicated queers who live it.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Road novels lend themselves beautifully to the coming-of-age genre. In a road novel, the main character is by definition seeking some unknown, longed-for thing...adulthood is that thing, the long-dreamed-of delights of not being under someone else's thumb, making your own decisions....
I know, I know, it's as far from reality as a time-travel novel is. The traveler/comer-of-age doesn't know that (yet) so let it ride while the trip educates the youth into disillusionment's many pleasures. ...wait...pleasures? Spencer is, like so many of us formerly young queer lads going to run head-first into reality and find it pretty good.
Escaping homophobia is not possible, but getting out of a bully's sights is not a bad idea. As Spencer moves to other peoples' whims, aka hitchhikes, to get to Provincetown, the world shows him a bright face. He meets people who help him, in spite of taking him away from the direction he's set; lots of endearing, heartfelt chats; sleeping on couches (my back twinged just typing it); finding his first reciprocated love.
A lovely story, but not one we haven't read before (over thirty, anyway), so best really as a gift for your sweet young giftee. You know the one...not ready to come out; not ready for The Talk; but turning life over in their mind painfully loudly.
Give them this book to give those gears a bit of "others before you have been there, here's what they say about it" lubrication before you, their parents, and the rest of us go deaf.
October 27, 2025
michelle tea really solidified herself as a writer of such honestly written queer stories with this book. i felt like i was in the passenger seat of spencer's wild journey, from phoenix to austin to new oreleans (even his imaginary uncle's house in provincetown) i really hope that this book finds its way into the hands of a lot more queer people (both young and old) and gives them the same sense of queer joy & endearment i felt. i had a c t u a l tears in my eyes reading the last few pages and i already know i'll be giving this a reread sometime soon
June 5, 2025
For the right audience, I think this will be a godsend. Wonderfully written, maybe a bit formulaic (which is okay) and a handful of contrivances, but contrivances and formula be damned, it's a very good coming-of-age-queer story that will touch many readers. The ending is a bit much, and I felt compelled to tape my eyes into their sockets to keep them from rolling right out, but there's also a glimpse in the final pages that perhaps the ending is a bit more open to nuance than meets the eye.
Four stars.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Four stars.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
November 11, 2025
very different from tea's other books, very sweet
August 1, 2025
3.75 Stars
After Spencer, a gay 13-year-old, is brutally beat-up by a classmate, he runs away from home in attempt to flee towards his dream: moving to Provincetown, MA (a town known for their acceptance of queer folk). Spencer hitches rides with strangers, sleeps on a drag queen's couch, finds his first love, and so much more in this road-trip novel. It was funny, tense, and emotional all at once.
As a huge lover of coming-of-age, found-family, and queer stories, I adored this book. It made the queer, angsty (and occasionally bratty), teen that still lives inside me feel seen and comforted. This is another read that oddly felt like an indie movie I would've loved and watched in high school.
After Spencer, a gay 13-year-old, is brutally beat-up by a classmate, he runs away from home in attempt to flee towards his dream: moving to Provincetown, MA (a town known for their acceptance of queer folk). Spencer hitches rides with strangers, sleeps on a drag queen's couch, finds his first love, and so much more in this road-trip novel. It was funny, tense, and emotional all at once.
As a huge lover of coming-of-age, found-family, and queer stories, I adored this book. It made the queer, angsty (and occasionally bratty), teen that still lives inside me feel seen and comforted. This is another read that oddly felt like an indie movie I would've loved and watched in high school.
November 24, 2025
Little F— by Michelle Tea is a heartwarming, queer coming-of-age road trip novel that will make you feel hopeless and hopeful about the state of humanity.
I don’t normally read YA, but Michelle Tea is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited when X sent me a copy of her newest novel. It’s 2010, and Spencer is a shrimpy 13-year-old living in the bland suburban expanse of Phoenix, Arizona. He understands that he is gay, but so far, his only gay experiences have taken place in his air-conditioned bedroom, where he Googles things like ‘gay cities’ and ‘drag queens.’ His research leads him to the magical gay paradise of Provincetown, MA, a place he wants to be so badly that he invents a gay uncle (a retired Harvard professor, no less) who, after a traumatic gay bashing incident that sends him to the hospital, Spencer decides to run away to.
It’s a fast-paced novel that leads Spencer through the seedy underbelly of the American Southwest. He’s introduced to truly heinous people (check the trigger warnings), but he also meets good-hearted, if morally corrupted by need, people who are willing to help him for nothing in return.
Spencer’s POV is what really made this novel work for me. Sarcasm and biting wit are often coping mechanisms and self-protective measures for queer kids who are, for various reasons, unable to or unwilling to hide behind the mask of heteronormativity. This mask fades as he learns to be himself in an increasingly dangerous world, aided by the kindness and love of other queer people that is strong enough to overshadow the darkness. While the novel ends on an undeniably cheesy note, I feel that it was fitting here, as it gives the characters and young readers a sense of hope and belonging that’s still so necessary.
I don’t normally read YA, but Michelle Tea is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited when X sent me a copy of her newest novel. It’s 2010, and Spencer is a shrimpy 13-year-old living in the bland suburban expanse of Phoenix, Arizona. He understands that he is gay, but so far, his only gay experiences have taken place in his air-conditioned bedroom, where he Googles things like ‘gay cities’ and ‘drag queens.’ His research leads him to the magical gay paradise of Provincetown, MA, a place he wants to be so badly that he invents a gay uncle (a retired Harvard professor, no less) who, after a traumatic gay bashing incident that sends him to the hospital, Spencer decides to run away to.
It’s a fast-paced novel that leads Spencer through the seedy underbelly of the American Southwest. He’s introduced to truly heinous people (check the trigger warnings), but he also meets good-hearted, if morally corrupted by need, people who are willing to help him for nothing in return.
Spencer’s POV is what really made this novel work for me. Sarcasm and biting wit are often coping mechanisms and self-protective measures for queer kids who are, for various reasons, unable to or unwilling to hide behind the mask of heteronormativity. This mask fades as he learns to be himself in an increasingly dangerous world, aided by the kindness and love of other queer people that is strong enough to overshadow the darkness. While the novel ends on an undeniably cheesy note, I feel that it was fitting here, as it gives the characters and young readers a sense of hope and belonging that’s still so necessary.
May 16, 2025
Michelle Tea has knocked it out of the park once again. This book is a celebration of and cautionary tale for young queer people. I am hoping it will circulate among queer youth in knowing they are not alone and never to blame.
The story centers around Spencer,who is gay bashed at high school yet is blamed for antagonizing the basher. His parents do not support him, his father is closeted and thusly he runs away in search of the "perfect gay uncle who will nurture him in Provincetown."
This journey takes him on many adventures, and he meets up with another gay teen runaway who has no family and is prone to crime and theft. Together, they travel haphazardly and, although initially very different, come to appreciate each others' different experiences and outlooks on life.
They wind up in New Orleans, where the story comes to a head, and both Spencer and his partner's pasts collide. The ending seemed a little far fetched, as it seemed too neatly concluded. However, that takes nothing from the vitality and heart of this essential coming-of-age story.
Thanks to EdelweissPlus for the eARC.
The story centers around Spencer,who is gay bashed at high school yet is blamed for antagonizing the basher. His parents do not support him, his father is closeted and thusly he runs away in search of the "perfect gay uncle who will nurture him in Provincetown."
This journey takes him on many adventures, and he meets up with another gay teen runaway who has no family and is prone to crime and theft. Together, they travel haphazardly and, although initially very different, come to appreciate each others' different experiences and outlooks on life.
They wind up in New Orleans, where the story comes to a head, and both Spencer and his partner's pasts collide. The ending seemed a little far fetched, as it seemed too neatly concluded. However, that takes nothing from the vitality and heart of this essential coming-of-age story.
Thanks to EdelweissPlus for the eARC.
October 10, 2025
Reading Little F felt like hopping into a stolen car with a map full of dreams and no real plan just the wild, aching hope of finding somewhere you finally belong. Michelle Tea captures that reckless, tender rush of queerness and self-discovery so vividly that I swear I could smell the desert air and the cigarette smoke from every roadside diner Spencer passes through.
Spencer’s voice broke my heart in the best way. He’s innocent but burning with hunger for love, for freedom, for a life that makes sense. Watching him run from Arizona toward this imagined queer utopia in Provincetown is both beautiful and terrifying, because you can feel how badly he needs it to exist. And yet, what he finds along the way drag queens, witches, bus stations, heartbreak, community is even more powerful than the dream itself.
Michelle Tea doesn’t shy away from the messiness of coming of age, or the contradictions of queer spaces the danger and the magic, the loneliness and the joy. It’s raw, funny, and full of grit and glitter in equal measure. By the last page, I felt like I’d taken that road trip right alongside him.
Spencer’s voice broke my heart in the best way. He’s innocent but burning with hunger for love, for freedom, for a life that makes sense. Watching him run from Arizona toward this imagined queer utopia in Provincetown is both beautiful and terrifying, because you can feel how badly he needs it to exist. And yet, what he finds along the way drag queens, witches, bus stations, heartbreak, community is even more powerful than the dream itself.
Michelle Tea doesn’t shy away from the messiness of coming of age, or the contradictions of queer spaces the danger and the magic, the loneliness and the joy. It’s raw, funny, and full of grit and glitter in equal measure. By the last page, I felt like I’d taken that road trip right alongside him.
October 13, 2025
Spencer is thirteen and winds up in hospital after a violent encounter with a homophobic bully. His own mother doesn’t believe the attach was unprovoked so when they arrive home he rings his best friend Joy and tells her he’s going to run away. He’s decided he’s going to Provincetown, a queer utopia in his mind, to live with a made up gay uncle.
This is very funny but the whole time I was thinking “he is thirteen!! A baby out on these streets!”. Spencer has thoughts that seem to be beyond his years but he’s also very sheltered and naive. At times he’s stupid. Because he is THIRTEEN and thirteen year olds are definitely stupid on occasion.
Overall I found this a combination of sweet and mildly stressful. I enjoyed the host of characters Spencer came into contact with. I will definitely read more of Michelle Tea’s writing (I cannot believe this is my first of hers??)
*read via Edelweiss
This is very funny but the whole time I was thinking “he is thirteen!! A baby out on these streets!”. Spencer has thoughts that seem to be beyond his years but he’s also very sheltered and naive. At times he’s stupid. Because he is THIRTEEN and thirteen year olds are definitely stupid on occasion.
Overall I found this a combination of sweet and mildly stressful. I enjoyed the host of characters Spencer came into contact with. I will definitely read more of Michelle Tea’s writing (I cannot believe this is my first of hers??)
*read via Edelweiss
January 11, 2026
Michelle Tea is my favorite writer and I have always loved everything she’s done but this one did not click for me. It’s truly a departure from everything else she’s done and reads heavily like a YA novel that it was hard for me to enjoy at times because it was so so whimsical.
November 4, 2025
So funny and magical and cinematic and sweet <3
November 30, 2025
Cried and laughed simultaneously in the book's last pages which I don't think has ever happened to me before!!!
December 16, 2025
2025 is the year of queer roadtrip stories
December 17, 2025
Michelle Tea in fine form! Really fucking smart and fun and hilarious and feelgood and hard to quit. I loved this.
January 3, 2026
I feel like I've read a lot of road trip novels lately. Little F is perfectly sweet, hopeful, celebratory, and heart-warming.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews