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Mr. Yay
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26A hilarious, genre-blending speculative novel about rappers and dogs, love and marriage, private detectives, conspiracy theories, nostalgia, and embracing your true self, in a world where the past is different than what you remember.
Budding musician Fatty Bratty wakes up in his terrible apartment to a random dog. A dog that acts like he belongs there. Except Bratty doesn’t own a dog. He always wanted to but never did. So maybe this random dog is a sign: screw his parents’ expectations. Forget business school. Instead, over a manic week, he and his best friend write and record their first rap album. They call themselves Mr. Yay.
Bratty’s therapist Miriam remembers a different Mr. Yay, the one from the old children’s TV show, the washed-up actor turned first mate who sailed a boat captained by a dog and taught people to be themselves. To just be. But strangely, her husband, Jack, has no memory of the old show at all.
As Mr. Yay climbs the charts with his rap songs, Miriam watches her life unravel. Jack is increasingly absent, more secretive, reckless—he hardly resembles the man she married. Their friends start acting weird too: drinking excessively, splurging on motorcycles, quitting their jobs, not washing their hair, harboring raccoons. Jack also doesn’t remember things he should about his relationship with Miriam. But he suspects his memory hole is more than it seems. It’s not just that he’s forgotten the Mr. Yay show—it’s that, on the internet, and according to the studio and half the population, there is no Mr. Yay. There never was.
Witty, heartfelt, deeply weird and utterly original, Mr. Yay explores how we grapple with inexplicable sudden shifts in the world around us, and the conspiracy theories and identity crises they birth. If the past we remember has changed, are we who we think we are? Is anyone?
Budding musician Fatty Bratty wakes up in his terrible apartment to a random dog. A dog that acts like he belongs there. Except Bratty doesn’t own a dog. He always wanted to but never did. So maybe this random dog is a sign: screw his parents’ expectations. Forget business school. Instead, over a manic week, he and his best friend write and record their first rap album. They call themselves Mr. Yay.
Bratty’s therapist Miriam remembers a different Mr. Yay, the one from the old children’s TV show, the washed-up actor turned first mate who sailed a boat captained by a dog and taught people to be themselves. To just be. But strangely, her husband, Jack, has no memory of the old show at all.
As Mr. Yay climbs the charts with his rap songs, Miriam watches her life unravel. Jack is increasingly absent, more secretive, reckless—he hardly resembles the man she married. Their friends start acting weird too: drinking excessively, splurging on motorcycles, quitting their jobs, not washing their hair, harboring raccoons. Jack also doesn’t remember things he should about his relationship with Miriam. But he suspects his memory hole is more than it seems. It’s not just that he’s forgotten the Mr. Yay show—it’s that, on the internet, and according to the studio and half the population, there is no Mr. Yay. There never was.
Witty, heartfelt, deeply weird and utterly original, Mr. Yay explores how we grapple with inexplicable sudden shifts in the world around us, and the conspiracy theories and identity crises they birth. If the past we remember has changed, are we who we think we are? Is anyone?
- GenresScience Fiction
448 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
87 people want to read
About the author
Emily Jane
4 books308 followersEmily Jane is the USA Today bestselling author of fun, heartfelt, genre-bending novels. She grew up in Boise, Boulder, and San Francisco. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of San Francisco and her J.D. from the UC Law San Francisco. She lives on an urban farm in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Steve, their two kids, three cats, and a husky.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 24, 2025
ARC for review. To be published June 2, 2026.
4.3 stars
At some point in the wacky, wonderful book, someone describes what is going on as a “trans dimensional altercation.” Is it? I really don’t have the slightest idea.
What I do know it’s that it’s two stories with a lot of characters. Miriam is a therapist. She is doing Zoom sessions with a recent college graduate called Bratty. Then the story follows both Miriam and Bratty through all the other aspects of their lives. Bratty’s parents (well, stepmom) hate him, well, because of everything he says and does. He doesn’t want to go to law school. He wants to rap with his best friend since childhood, Tom. He suddenly has a dog named Tux that he doesn’t remember getting. Tux is a great dog.
Miriam is married to Jack. They have two kids, and a dog name Roxstar. They are living the normal, upwardly mobile life. Jack works all the time.
Then so very much happens…a trip across the U.S., lots of interesting drama with the neighbors, drama with Bratty’s parents, a rap duo, problems in a marriage, a television program that only a few people remember existing, a Very Good Golden Retriever. It’s fun, it’s imaginative, I found it very compelling even though I get the impression it wasn’t written for me. It’s a look at roads not taken and how much in like is still open. Oh, and metaphysics. I really liked it.
4.3 stars
At some point in the wacky, wonderful book, someone describes what is going on as a “trans dimensional altercation.” Is it? I really don’t have the slightest idea.
What I do know it’s that it’s two stories with a lot of characters. Miriam is a therapist. She is doing Zoom sessions with a recent college graduate called Bratty. Then the story follows both Miriam and Bratty through all the other aspects of their lives. Bratty’s parents (well, stepmom) hate him, well, because of everything he says and does. He doesn’t want to go to law school. He wants to rap with his best friend since childhood, Tom. He suddenly has a dog named Tux that he doesn’t remember getting. Tux is a great dog.
Miriam is married to Jack. They have two kids, and a dog name Roxstar. They are living the normal, upwardly mobile life. Jack works all the time.
Then so very much happens…a trip across the U.S., lots of interesting drama with the neighbors, drama with Bratty’s parents, a rap duo, problems in a marriage, a television program that only a few people remember existing, a Very Good Golden Retriever. It’s fun, it’s imaginative, I found it very compelling even though I get the impression it wasn’t written for me. It’s a look at roads not taken and how much in like is still open. Oh, and metaphysics. I really liked it.
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December 9, 2025AUTHOR NOTE:
This book is weird, delightful and so much fun!!!
Inspired by my little brother and his brief, glorious career as a rapper, my neighborhood friends and our fabulous parties, all the great kids in my life, and, of course, the dogs, I wrote this wild ride of a book. It made me cry happy tears. I hope you all love it.
Spoiler, in case you worry: the dogs will all be okay.
This book is weird, delightful and so much fun!!!
Inspired by my little brother and his brief, glorious career as a rapper, my neighborhood friends and our fabulous parties, all the great kids in my life, and, of course, the dogs, I wrote this wild ride of a book. It made me cry happy tears. I hope you all love it.
Spoiler, in case you worry: the dogs will all be okay.
September 12, 2025
Emily Jane has done it again! This amazing novel is a welcome and wonderful addition to Jane’s growing catalog of total bangers! She once again manages to meld the wacky and absurd with the genuine and heartfelt. Have you ever felt like you remembered something that never actually existed? Or have you ever felt like the past was more of a dream than something that actually happened? If so, you’re definitely gonna love this one. If not, you might still love it because it is so much more than just its bonkers premise. Mr. Yay is an exploration of what it means to be us. To be me. To be you. Are we actually who we think we are? Are our partners, our friends, our neighbors? Is the world what we think it is, or is it just a boat sailing the high seas being captained by a dog? After reading this book, I really don’t know anymore. I just know that I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more from this truly talented artist. Emily Jane is doing something no one else is and I’m so here for it! I can’t wait to read more!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Received as a NetGalley arc in exchange for an honest review
Mr Yay is an extremely entertaining story that pulls elements of sci-fi and social commentary to share a story narrated by a host of characters. Each of them feels as though something is off and the world appears to shift and change before their eyes in strange and seemingly random ways. The main narrators are 1 part of the rap duo "Mr. Yay" and his therapist, who are confronted by waves of the Mandela Effect, along with their friends and family members.
The story is quirky and clever and an excellent exploration of what may happen if everyone's "what ifs" collide.
Mr Yay is an extremely entertaining story that pulls elements of sci-fi and social commentary to share a story narrated by a host of characters. Each of them feels as though something is off and the world appears to shift and change before their eyes in strange and seemingly random ways. The main narrators are 1 part of the rap duo "Mr. Yay" and his therapist, who are confronted by waves of the Mandela Effect, along with their friends and family members.
The story is quirky and clever and an excellent exploration of what may happen if everyone's "what ifs" collide.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
fantastically effective book with some great plotting and effective story throughout. it worked really well. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews