Masquerade

by Calum McSwiggan

The Prom meets Groundhog Day in the irresistible new queer romance from the author of Straight Expectations.

Prom is supposed to be the night you remember your whole life. But for seventeen-year-old Zach, it's about to become his whole life - after a kiss from a masked stranger, Zach finds himself stuck in a time loop, endlessly repeating the same day.

Zach thinks that the only way to break the cycle is to work out the identity of his mystery admirer. But when everyone around him is wearing masks of one kind or another, how can he ever find out who his true love might be?

Inclusive, feelgood romantic comedy perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Casey McQuiston.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Gay, Queer, LGBT, High School, Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2025

Reviews

[Rah Apitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

you know when you’re getting real invested in a mystery and it’s getting close to the end so you know the big reveal is about to happen, so you’re thinking, “wow, i’m sure there’s a bunch of details i’ve missed the whole way that will slot together and the twist will be really satisfying!”?

thats not what happened. the answer was so out of left field and, while the entirely of this book relied on a suspension of belief, there are only so many red herrings you can throw before a plot twist like this one feels… cheap. anyway.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was torn between 3 and 4 stars but i just read 150 pages in one sitting, which i rarely do so it has to be 4 stars.
it was rather hard to get into it cause the first chapter is 110 pages long and only about ONE DAY. but once the time loop started i was fully invested and while it was rather predictable, i was very pleased about them figuring out what the loop was really about.

[Morgan]

I'm not giving it a rating because I don't really have anything positive to say and I feel bad since there aren't many ratings.

I was excited when I saw the concept for this book but I wasn't a fan of the execution.
It was a little too much of everything and a little too much of nothing. I just didn't care. The time loop was poorly used, the kissed by a stranger trope felt almost like false advertisement considering how little it mattered. The bad guys were too bad, the good guys were too good no nuance on either side. Trying to twist around so much at the beginning about who could be the love interest but soon enough there's only one way it can go.
The first chapter was also way too long. I'm pretty sure it could have been cut in half and instead expend on the time loop part. The exposition of the book wouldn't be missing anything.

[Mathias Lyngs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really sweet and romantic queer YA feel good story. It’s not groundbreaking or a literary masterpiece, but I was engaged, entertained and charmed. The author combines a Groundhog Day-style narrative with a classic high school romance, sprinkled with a bit of mystery. I wish the romantic plot had remained a mystery all the way to the end, because by the halfway point it was pretty obvious who Zack would end up with. When the cover illustration, the description and the beginning of the story all set it up as a mystery about the anonymous, masked person who kissed him at midnight, I expect a plot that will leave my jaw on the floor in surprise at the end. So I’m a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a big plot twist in the end, but I’m happy with the romantic outcome, and I had a great time reading it and got that warm feeling a good feel-good story should deliver. But I end on 3 stars because of my disappointment with the missed potential and because is was maybe a little too much over the top and a little to unrealistic in the great love finale to my taste. Maybe they should have made a different cover and description, that doesn't give the expectations of a mystery and thereby a huge plot twist. But on thing I really love about this book is how it cheers for being kind, understanding and supportive for the people around you. And I liked the way the characters evolved. If you are looking for a sweet gay summer romance, this is definitely worth reading. Just don't expect a big mystery.

[Suzan de Bruijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! At first, it was a lot, since chapters are really long, and a lot happens. Then, the plot keeps twisting and turning…
A lovely story about friendship, love, claiming your voice and respect.

[Fabie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute read

[Emma-Rose Wilson]

4.6 this book was adorable hehehe

[Libra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I loved this premise and all the side characters were so fun to watch interact. I will say, while I liked Zach, he was also a little bland as the main character, I feel like I barely know anything about him (and I also didn't understand why everyone has or had a crush on him, like come on). I did really love Kellen, even though he was a bit hard to like at the beginning.

I also think they went from trying to solve the loop to crashing out a little too fast? I would have really loved to see some more fun/unhinged iterations of the loop involving the actual prom.

Despite all my small issues, this was still a super fun read and I flew through this book!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

It's the day of prom at Zach's boarding school. He wants to make a move on Cameron. And there's Ethan, and Josh, and Owen, and Tiffany, and Bec, and Chase, and Rhys, and Kellen, all with their own hopes for the day. It ends badly - and then... starts again?

Yes, it's Groundhog Day, with a couple of cute twists. Decently plotted and written. But a full third of the book is day 1: 110 pages for the first act. All in one chapter. So much setup, and it becomes a slog.

[Drakoulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, joyful, hilarious!

Easily Calum's best book so far, a queer spin on Groundhog Day with a lot of drama, a lot of heart, love, friendship, villains getting what's coming for them, a nerdy main character, oblivious boys, a teacher who is fed up with everything and a glorious finale!

I don't know why there's so little promotion for Masquerade, it has nothing to be jealous of the best YA LGBT books out there!

[Apple · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite the mediocre book in my opinion,
It felt more like a wattpad story than an actual thought out novel especially with the many modern pop references that already feel outdated even if the book was released less than a year ago.
It also felt like there was no real thought put into it with the many plot events or "twists" making little to no sense unfortunately.
All in all it just read like a childish fantasy written out like a fanfic.

[Logs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly decent execution of its premise, but I’m personally not particularly fond of it. I didn’t particularly like the characters, they fell a bit flat and there was arguably too many.

It was definitely a very queer book and a celebration of that, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this might be good for you.

However there are a lot of sexual references for a YA book, apt for teenagers but not everyone’s thing.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY loved this story that's inspired by Groundhog Day.
Zach's journey of finding out what his purpose in all this chaos is and also finding out more about himself and the people around him was such a fun read. I absolutely LOVED the banter.
♥

[Marije Vellinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1 dag uitgelezen, dat zegt genoeg denk ik. Echt een mega leuk en luchtig boek met zelfs de nodige shock factors hier en daar (had ik niet verwacht). De main "plot" is wel super voorspelbaar, maar dat mag de pret niet drukken.

[mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much. The writing style was great and the characters were so lovable. Such a feelgood story with tons of friends to lovers inside their friendgroup. The ending was perfect.

[Lily Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

really cute! I was excited to find out what would happen and read it all in one sitting 😅

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute and original. I liked the characters and the few "plot twist". Good for them really.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I do not regret reading it either. Fun read, but the whole plot kinda lacked in surprises.

[Alizé · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Hoppellinchen77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ‘m usually not a fan of time loops, but I had to read it because, I really wanted to know who it was that kissed Zach. But RHYS?! Noo 😭

And Kellen was right to break up with Rhys. Also, YES Tiffany get fcking exposed Bitch. Chase and Zach’s other best friend (I forgot her name) are soo funny sometimes

:,)

And the PE teacher, I cannot get into how funny she is enough, because what do you mean prom sets fire every year 🥲

[George Karanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is beautiful story and fun twists when they are in stuck time loop. I love the trans people representing on the book because it is rare. I am really enjoying it and sometimes it is so funny especially josh character 🤣. I am really impressed with the author.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read! I was instantly hooked because I love the concept of timeloops, that’s why I finished this in a day!

[Lisa Langegger · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO SPOILERS 💚

Omg I absolutely loved this book I Randomly picked this up and just thought this sound cute. I am so happy I started reading it right away and didn’t let it set on my bookshelf like most of my books 🤭 I didn’t expect the plottwist and I just genuinely think this was such a great storyline. Like the way you keep finding out more and more secrets as the book continues is amazing and had me guessing what’s going to happen the entire way through.

And the Characters were so funny and well written. Like everyone had their own little story and you could see different sides of them throughout the nights.

Anyway this book was really amazing and I am happy I read it Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun read, i found it easy to get through. the ending/romance wasn’t as satisfying as i hoped, but i still enjoyed it.

[Ivo Van de Geijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it was the concept of the story, there was a lot of repitition, which made it boring from time to time. However, I read it in a day and loved the complete ending.

[David Cowpar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was brilliant. I love the Groundhog Day like story. The only reason for a star loss is it’s a chapter per day and so the first chapter is over 100 pages long… which is just a little long for one chapter!

[Amber Dirkzwager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you have that feeling that you’re gonna love a book before you even started it. I’m so glad that feeling was right with this one🥹

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 3.5/5