What do you think?
Rate this book
Encore!: A Graphic Novel
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26In this queer rom-com graphic novel for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom, two ex-best childhood friends reconnect again in high school only to discover they might be something more than friends. Based on the popular Webtoon of the same name!
Senior year is in full swing, and Clay’s determined to have a good year filled with friends, theater dreams, and newfound confidence. But when his ex–best friend, Aron, suddenly reappears in his life—and his theater class—it throws a wrench in all of Clay’s plans. Annoyingly, the two are paired up during an improv exercise, and being vulnerable together onstage swirls up all sorts of old, complicated feelings. Even more annoyingly, Aron is acting like there’s nothing weird or confusing about being back in each other’s orbits again. Which is ironic, since Aron was the one who ghosted Clay in the first place.
As their class assignment continues and they spend more and more time together, Clay isn’t sure he can keep his old feelings buried. But can he trust Aron again, after everything they’ve been through?
Senior year is in full swing, and Clay’s determined to have a good year filled with friends, theater dreams, and newfound confidence. But when his ex–best friend, Aron, suddenly reappears in his life—and his theater class—it throws a wrench in all of Clay’s plans. Annoyingly, the two are paired up during an improv exercise, and being vulnerable together onstage swirls up all sorts of old, complicated feelings. Even more annoyingly, Aron is acting like there’s nothing weird or confusing about being back in each other’s orbits again. Which is ironic, since Aron was the one who ghosted Clay in the first place.
As their class assignment continues and they spend more and more time together, Clay isn’t sure he can keep his old feelings buried. But can he trust Aron again, after everything they’ve been through?
256 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
2 people are currently reading
2875 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 22, 2026
Thank you HarperAlley for the ARC.
This was an absolutely adorable graphic novel! Perfect for fans of heart stopper it was giving queer high school musical vibes!!
Aron and Clay used to be close but now they aren’t. When all star popular swimmer Aron is forced to take a theater class they are brought back together and suddenly it’s more then friendship in the air!
I loved how age appropriate this felt. I loved the trans rep and though some anxiety from Clay was shown, no one ever made it into a problem. I loved the group of friends around clay and the clear communication to resolve problems.
The art style was also very enjoyable and easy to follow along to. Stunning work! Perfect for heart stopper lovers who are going to be sad once the last book comes out!
This was an absolutely adorable graphic novel! Perfect for fans of heart stopper it was giving queer high school musical vibes!!
Aron and Clay used to be close but now they aren’t. When all star popular swimmer Aron is forced to take a theater class they are brought back together and suddenly it’s more then friendship in the air!
I loved how age appropriate this felt. I loved the trans rep and though some anxiety from Clay was shown, no one ever made it into a problem. I loved the group of friends around clay and the clear communication to resolve problems.
The art style was also very enjoyable and easy to follow along to. Stunning work! Perfect for heart stopper lovers who are going to be sad once the last book comes out!
Review of advance copy received from Verlag
Thank you so much to the publishers for the ARC!!
Sometimes a graphic novel finds you at just the right time when life feels overwhelming and you just need a cute fluffy heartfelt comic about the most adorable set of queer characters to warm your heart. I loved every bit of this!
Being a teen IS rough man and juggling all the new desires of your heart for the first time is ever tougher! So glad I could spend time with these absolute cuties and I will recommend this to absolutely everyone!!
Sometimes a graphic novel finds you at just the right time when life feels overwhelming and you just need a cute fluffy heartfelt comic about the most adorable set of queer characters to warm your heart. I loved every bit of this!
Being a teen IS rough man and juggling all the new desires of your heart for the first time is ever tougher! So glad I could spend time with these absolute cuties and I will recommend this to absolutely everyone!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There's something about a queer YA graphic novel that just hits me right in the heart every time.
Encore follows Clay, a queer trans boy navigating his senior year of high school, as he reconnects with his childhood best friend, Aron. The two boys drifted apart in middle school, with both of them having different interpretations of why that happened. When Aron suddenly has to join Clay's theatre class to ensure he has the necessary credits to graduate on time, they're thrust back into one another's orbits. Over time, as they're reminded of all the ways they fit together, it becomes clear to both Clay and Aron that their feelings for one another aren't just platonic anymore.
This book is bursting at the seams with queer joy, found family, teenage angst, and a very sweet romance. Clay's struggles with self-esteem and fearing he'll be left behind by the people he cares about felt so true to his stage of life. I loved Aron's journey to realizing—and accepting—that he's gay, and I found it really charming that it went hand in hand with his girlfriend, Erica, coming to terms with her own asexuality. They were able to offer love and support to one another at the end of their relationship, and I think that's what everyone needs when they're going through a period of such important self-realization. The cast of side characters is incredibly diverse, with so many different queer and trans identities, races, and body types represented on the page. And, of course, it's worth mentioning that the illustrations are bright and colorful and beautiful, a perfect complement to the lovely, warm story being told.
If you love Heartstopper or any other queer coming-of-age stories, I think this will be right up your alley, too.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAlley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
Encore follows Clay, a queer trans boy navigating his senior year of high school, as he reconnects with his childhood best friend, Aron. The two boys drifted apart in middle school, with both of them having different interpretations of why that happened. When Aron suddenly has to join Clay's theatre class to ensure he has the necessary credits to graduate on time, they're thrust back into one another's orbits. Over time, as they're reminded of all the ways they fit together, it becomes clear to both Clay and Aron that their feelings for one another aren't just platonic anymore.
This book is bursting at the seams with queer joy, found family, teenage angst, and a very sweet romance. Clay's struggles with self-esteem and fearing he'll be left behind by the people he cares about felt so true to his stage of life. I loved Aron's journey to realizing—and accepting—that he's gay, and I found it really charming that it went hand in hand with his girlfriend, Erica, coming to terms with her own asexuality. They were able to offer love and support to one another at the end of their relationship, and I think that's what everyone needs when they're going through a period of such important self-realization. The cast of side characters is incredibly diverse, with so many different queer and trans identities, races, and body types represented on the page. And, of course, it's worth mentioning that the illustrations are bright and colorful and beautiful, a perfect complement to the lovely, warm story being told.
If you love Heartstopper or any other queer coming-of-age stories, I think this will be right up your alley, too.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAlley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A second chance friendship becomes friends to lovers between a theater kid and a swimmer: a tale as old as time!
Clay has two best friends, Hana and Alex. He doesn’t like to talk about the friend who used to be there and then suddenly wasn’t. But on the first day that he felt comfortable enough to finally use the boys restroom, who does he run into? Aron, the best friend of the past, along with his newest girlfriend.
Aron is the star of the swim team, but his senior year plans may be ruined if he can’t make up two credits in the arts. That’ll be no graduating and, definitely, no swimming. So with limited options to choose from, he chooses theater.
Now the forced proximity of spending every day together gets even worse when they get paired together for class. Proving that the friendship that was always there could be once again with a little work and maybe a little romance.
I do love queer love stories, but I really enjoy when a book has so much representation that it’s spilling out. There were 3 trans kids, including one person who’s nonbinary, an asexual person, and people all over the spectrum. Both Clay and Hana are trans and also in same sex presenting relationships. So to say that I was excited for the array of letters all over the place may be the largest understatement ever made. LGBTQIA+, with a double underline on that plus!
I’m always here for great stories and even more when they give me all the queer joy!!!
Thank you to HarperAlley and NetGalley for my gifted eARC.
Clay has two best friends, Hana and Alex. He doesn’t like to talk about the friend who used to be there and then suddenly wasn’t. But on the first day that he felt comfortable enough to finally use the boys restroom, who does he run into? Aron, the best friend of the past, along with his newest girlfriend.
Aron is the star of the swim team, but his senior year plans may be ruined if he can’t make up two credits in the arts. That’ll be no graduating and, definitely, no swimming. So with limited options to choose from, he chooses theater.
Now the forced proximity of spending every day together gets even worse when they get paired together for class. Proving that the friendship that was always there could be once again with a little work and maybe a little romance.
I do love queer love stories, but I really enjoy when a book has so much representation that it’s spilling out. There were 3 trans kids, including one person who’s nonbinary, an asexual person, and people all over the spectrum. Both Clay and Hana are trans and also in same sex presenting relationships. So to say that I was excited for the array of letters all over the place may be the largest understatement ever made. LGBTQIA+, with a double underline on that plus!
I’m always here for great stories and even more when they give me all the queer joy!!!
Thank you to HarperAlley and NetGalley for my gifted eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This story was so cute! Clay is starting his senior year and he’s determined to have a good year. One thing that sucks is that in theater they are starting out with Improv and Clay hates improv, he doesn’t like that it’s not structured, but at least his friends are there. Only things get worse when his ex-best friend Aron joins theater and they get paired together on their improv unit. Now he’s forced to spend time with the guy who hurt him in middle school, just ghosted him like Clay wasn’t important. The worst thing is Aron is acting like nothing ever happened and they are still friends. But as they two spend more time together, old feelings start to resurface. Clay starts to see that Aron is a good guy. But can he trust those feelings? After all Clay trusted Aaron once and that turned out horribly. A super cute and quick graphic novel about ex friends who maybe become something more! This one was super queer, had lots of charm and sweetness! Miles Toriko Burks writes and illustrates a sweet story about second chances that I completely consumed!
March 2, 2026
This book was beautiful! The storyline is fantastic and the artwork is eye-catching and vibrant. Clay and Aron were childhood friends who drifted apart in middle school. Now it is senior year, and they find themselves thrust together again when Aron must take a theatre class to ensure he has the right credits to be able to graduate. Theatre is Clay’s safe space, and he isn’t thrilled to find his former friend in his class, especially when the two of them end up paired together for a class project.
This is a great coming-of-age story with a lot of LGBT representation! You’ll get lost in this story and definitely won’t be ready for it to end. There are so many wonderful characters within the pages of this book, you will definitely find one that you connect with. Of course, there are the typical high-school age challenges that you would expect to find as well, friendship strains, dances, etc.
This is a great coming-of-age story with a lot of LGBT representation! You’ll get lost in this story and definitely won’t be ready for it to end. There are so many wonderful characters within the pages of this book, you will definitely find one that you connect with. Of course, there are the typical high-school age challenges that you would expect to find as well, friendship strains, dances, etc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC of this book!
4 stars
This graphic novel is a good read for high school age students. It has excellent representation of ethnic groups, especially Asian, Latino, and biracial individuals, as well as the LGBTQIA+ community.
The illustrations are very well-done and have a warm and friendly feel. The story feels a little disjointed, but my 15 yo child, who I had read it also, reported that it read like any other graphic novel.
The story follows two boys who were childhood friends and are renewing their friendship after drifting apart in middle school.
4 stars
This graphic novel is a good read for high school age students. It has excellent representation of ethnic groups, especially Asian, Latino, and biracial individuals, as well as the LGBTQIA+ community.
The illustrations are very well-done and have a warm and friendly feel. The story feels a little disjointed, but my 15 yo child, who I had read it also, reported that it read like any other graphic novel.
The story follows two boys who were childhood friends and are renewing their friendship after drifting apart in middle school.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley & HarperAlley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love the art style, it's so stylish yet cozy!
The only thing I didn't really like was Clay, I feel like he needed a therapist instead of letting his frustration out on everyone, lol. He does at least develop eventually.
I love the art style, it's so stylish yet cozy!
The only thing I didn't really like was Clay, I feel like he needed a therapist instead of letting his frustration out on everyone, lol. He does at least develop eventually.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Amazing read!!! I love the storyline so muchhh!!! A very sweet and simple story. A lil bit misunderstanding and then they reconcile back. In the end their group of friends expanded. I love the ending so much!!! Love the art also!! Very cute!!!
.
.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
.
.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
wow, I loved this so much more than I thought I was going to. It was beautiful in both storytelling and art style. I did not expect this to be trans coming of age story but I’m so glad it was. It adds so much to the story.
I seriously need everyone to pick us up when it comes out because it is just again so beautiful and if you love heartstopper, you need to read this!
I seriously need everyone to pick us up when it comes out because it is just again so beautiful and if you love heartstopper, you need to read this!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
a charming young adult story with wonderful illustrations. the story is fun and relatable and the characters feel like real teens making real choices. the pacing is great, and the story kept me smiling and rooting for clay and aron. this is going to be a fun one to recommend!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I thought this was a cute graphic novel about former friends who find themselves thrust together in high school and the opportunity forces them to manifest some personal growth.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews