Where You’ll Find Us

by Jen St. Jude

A profound, beautifully written and deeply moving YA novel about trans identity, queer history and found family with a high concept hook – from the critically acclaimed author of If Tomorrow Doesn't Come, for fans of We Are Okay and They Both Die at the End.

Calla Quick has no future.

At least, that’s how it feels. Her parents disowned her via text message, and now she can’t afford to go to an all-women’s college with her girlfriend Ramona like they planned.

But Calla wonders if maybe that’s for the best―because even though Calla told Ramona her parents disowned her because they found out she’s gay, the truth is, Calla has been questioning whether she’s a girl at all. Calla wishes she had more time to figure everything out, and one night, her wish is seemingly granted.

When Calla and Ramona stumble upon a mysterious farmhouse the woods, they meet five teens who claim they’ve lived there for decades. The land, which they call Amaranth, acts as a safe haven for queer kids throughout history―a place free of hate, free of violence, free of time itself. Here, Calla can be Cal and use they/them pronouns, and they feel instantly accepted.

They don’t have to worry about the future because at Amaranth, it will never come―until one night when the clock strikes twelve.

Now under a literal ticking clock, the housemates must find a way to stop time again or face going back to their harsh realities, but as Cal learns everyone’s story, they begin to wonder what queer people lose when their history is lost to time.

Genres: Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2026

About the author

Jen St. Jude (they/them) is the author of If Tomorrow Doesn't Come and Where You'll Find Us. They live near Chicago with people (and an old dog) they love.

Reviews

[lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book and I, we went on a rollercoaster because there were so many parts that I did not enjoy but also parts that I really loved and I was so close of dnfing because I really struggled with the pace of the story and the characters.
But safe to say that Jen St. Jude made me cry my eyes out all over again.

But let’s start with the idea itself. I LOVED the idea of the book. Imagine being at a safe place where other queer people greet you and you can stay as long as you like wouldn’t you want that too? Because this world treats us like absolute shit so id definitely go there too. The magical twist is that the other characters are from the past and kind of stuck in there since time doesn’t exist at that house which makes it even cooler. Living at this safe place forever.

But boy did I struggle with the characters. It didn’t feel like a safe place to me because they’re were kinda really mean to Cal throughout the book and I still wonder how these people really became friends over time. Especially Ambroisa WHO WAS REALLY KEEN ON STEALING RAMONA from Cal just saying?!!! At the same time the author also started another romance story for Cal and it felt just too much for me within this short time that the characters shared with each other. Especially that Ramona and Cal were still a couple at that time.. idk it felt very icky for me. So yeah I wasn’t fond of the found family trope in this book .

The ending kinda saved the book for me a bit because otherwise I would’ve given the book 2 stars. The characters kinda made up WHICH WAS LONG OVERDUE
and for the first time I had the impression that these people could actually become friends.

And then the real ending came and hit me because obviously it had to be heartbreaking again. God this is such a unique book with so much potential that wasn’t used unfortunately. I do hope that many more people will pick up this book ( and if tomorrow doesn’t come ) because Jen St. Jude has the talent and the ability to write the most magical, beautiful & heartbreaking stories that the world has seen. I really really loved their writing style. Can’t wait for their next work.

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

I had a feeling going in that I was going to love this book, but even as I felt predisposed to like it, I was startled by the extent to which it moved me.

This is, at its core, a story about time--how there's never enough of it, how the one you're born into can seem like the wrong one, and how it can feel like both the enemy and the thing you want more of more than anything else in all the world. The residents of Amaranth are there because they're fleeing the problems of their own eras, but those problems are staggering and sometimes life-threatening--as in the case of Lionel and Ambrosia, two teens from the 90s who are HIV-positive and cannot get access to either meds or clinical trials, and for whom a return to their own time would almost certainly constitute a death sentence. Cal, the main character, isn't running from anything as immediately life-threatening as that, but they're at a crossroads in their life where no choices seem like the right ones, and every potential path forward feels like it comes at a cost of who they are. The opportunity to stay a while in a place where time has stopped, with a queer community who understands them intimately in a way the world at large isn't able to, is seductive in a way that I understood deeply.

St. Jude (whose previous book, If Tomorrow Doesn't Come, was also magnificent) juggles big discussions of gender and queer history in a way that's both accessible and informative, and I appreciated the lack of villainous characters--Cal's girlfriend, Ramona, is one of the reasons they're afraid to reveal they aren't a girl, since they know it would mean the end of the relationship; I was pleased that St. Jude didn't go the angle of making Ramona a transphobe who rejects Cal because of their trans identity, as it made for a more satisfying, richer story about all the kinds of love in the queer community. And maybe that's what I loved most about this book: it is just so, so brimful of love of every kind. Romantic love, friendship, love for your found family, and for the queer community at every point in history. Not all that ashamed to say that I was fighting for my life by the end of this book--I was on an Amtrak reading the last few chapters and really, really struggling not to bawl in front of all the commuters. Highly, highly recommend.


This book is incredibly smart, incredibly complicated, and filled to the brim with so much love--not just romantic love, but the bonds of friendship, of found family, and of queer community. It tells a story where time is both the enemy--specifically,

[Birdie Schae · Rating 5 out of 5]

a queer classic in the making—beautiful, devastating, and so very hopeful. my heart is full!

[ReadingOceanside · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What is family if not the people who help you survive the world, love yourself, and when it’s time… let go?” 



Where You’ll Find Us is a whimsical fever dream; a cross between the queer history and lifesaving found family of It’s A Sin, meshed with the escapism and timeline magic of Narnia

This book is an ode to the safe spaces queer people have made for each other throughout history, even in the darkest of times. It is proof that in every lifetime our souls have always been a beacon of hope for one another. We have suffered unspeakable horrors, but also survived them.

This book devestated me. It was viscerally poignant, because although a fictional novel, the character’s lives mirrored very real experiences lived by queer people throughout history. It struck me that despite the varying time periods, there has NEVER been a safe, easy time to be queer.

I loved that one of the main themes of the book was Cal’s gender questioning. It felt very real to me and what I am currently living through. One of the things I struggle with the most is constantly second guessing myself, and the author nailed the level that this infiltrates every thought and interaction. Even the descriptions of hunching your shoulders to hide your chest was entirely relatable.

One of the best things about this book is the found family. I was absolutely heart warmed by Abe’s support to Cal’s gender journey and flawed by some of his words about using she/they: “is it an invitation to know all of you? Or is “she” just a compromise? Or an apology, even?” Ouch. I felt that. This book really made me face some home truths about my own identity and the way I hide who I am to avoid inconveniencing other people.

It also made me realise how cut off I have made myself from others, because if I am by myself I don’t have to be disappointed by people misgendering me or making assumptions. I loved all the silly little hangouts the group had and the way they told each other about their own time periods. I just wanted them to get to live in that bubble for longer. The ending absolutely broke me. I was sobbing as I finished the book. Don’t get me wrong, in many ways the ending was happy (particularly for Cal, who was able to fully embrace themselves AND work out what they wanted to do with their future) but the romance between Cal and Abe being soul-deep and then having the characters parted and never able to meet again made mY HEART HURT SO MUCH. I HAVE NOT RECOVERED YET. OUCH.

I think this book is so important. It will be relatable to trans people and make them feel less alone (which is lifesaving!), but it is also a timestamped snapshot of how queer people have lived. This book is YA and I am 28. But I wish I read this whilst I was growing up, I think it would have helped me to understand myself a lot sooner. I’m grateful young people will now have this beautiful book to help them find themselves.

What a special book. I will be getting this in for our shop to sell!

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Where You’ll Find Us” by Jen St. Jude is one of those books that sneaks up on you emotionally. It starts off feeling kind of soft and magical, and then suddenly you’re crying and rethinking everything.

The story follows Cal (who starts the book going by Calla), a teen struggling with gender identity, relationships, and the overwhelming pressure of figuring out their future. After a desperate wish for more time, Cal and their girlfriend end up at this mysterious farmhouse called Amaranth, which is a kind of refuge where time literally doesn’t move, and everyone there is queer.

And honestly? That premise alone is already really cool. But what makes this book stand out is how it uses that magical setup to explore something very real.

The magical realism here is pretty light; it’s less about how Amaranth works and more about why it exists. It creates this safe space where Cal can finally just be themself. Be called the right name. Be seen as who they are. Be accepted without question. And the way the book describes gender dysphoria and gender euphoria is incredibly well done; it’s emotional, accessible, and feels very genuine, even if you’ve never experienced it yourself.

The found family aspect is another highlight. The other residents of Amaranth all come from different time periods, and their backstories add a lot of depth to the story. You get glimpses of what it was like to be queer in different decades, which can sometimes be harsh and heartbreaking, but the book balances that with moments of joy, connection, and resilience. It never feels like it’s just trying to be educational, but you definitely learn something along the way.

Character-wise, Cal is super easy to root for. They’re vulnerable, confused, and trying their best, which makes their journey feel real. Their relationship with Ramona is complicated in a very honest way. There’s love there, but also misunderstanding and hurt, especially as Cal starts to figure out who they really are.

The pacing can feel a little uneven at times, especially with the backstory chapters (they lean more toward “telling” than “showing”), but they still add meaning to the overall message. And by the second half, everything starts to hit a lot harder emotionally.

Also, fair warning: this book will make you cry. The ending is really powerful; it’s bittersweet, hopeful, and kind of devastating in the best way. It ties back into the idea of time being both something we want to escape and something we need in order to grow.

Overall, this is a really heartfelt, meaningful read about identity, acceptance, and finding a place where you belong, even if that place can’t last forever. If you like found family, soft magical realism, and character-driven stories that actually say something, this one is definitely worth it. Just maybe have tissues nearby.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also had the immense privilege of being the sensitivity reader for this book, focusing on the character Kiyo's background and storylines. Kiyo was already a great character from the get-go, but it was a joy to see her develop even more in the finalized version of this book as the author incorporated my feedback in such a creative and respectful way.

This book is so, so precious to me. Beyond anything, through the character of Cal, this book does an amazing job of describing what gender dysphoria and euphoria feels like in the heart and body in such an accessible way. Reading this book, I really felt that it's one thing to normalize understanding and respecting pronouns and non-binary gender identities (especially amongst cis allies like myself), but yet another to really understand why these things are so important and what gender and other forms of affirmation truly feels like. And Cal themself is written in such a vulnerable and relatable way - I truly felt myself rooting for them throughout the entire book.

I also loved the chapters dedicated to the historical backgrounds of each character - honestly, it reminded me a lot of the American Girl book series or the Dear America series I read growing up in the way that the author did not shy away from depicting the often cruel and brutal realities of being queer during these times, but also choosing to put the focus on queer joy and community. I really think there's so much edutainment value in this book for everyone, but especially younger readers or parents of queer teens and kids. This book is educational, but it definitely does not talk down to younger readers who might pick up this book.

If anything I said before this does not convince you to read this book, just know that when I did my first read of this book, I cried so hard at the last part and my kobo screen blurred so much that I had to go back and re-read it so I could actually do my job. So make of that what you will.

Will be recommending this book to everyone I know!!! <3

[Lindsay Bilyeu · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could rate this 6 stars, I would!!!!
🏡🌷🪻🌌
I love this beautiful book so much. It's so heartbreaking and devastating yet there's so much hope in it's pages. It's magical and cinematic, I could easily see this book turned into a film.
Full of queer history, love in all forms, self-discovery, identity and resilience, this book is about what it means to be human in a world that says you don't belong, and it completely moved me.
Please take care when reading and check the content warnings on the author's website, some may find this book and its topics too heavy of a read. I myself had to pause reading and come back at a later date. But i'm so glad I did!


Easily the best part of the book are the residents of Amaranth, each one tells their story to Cal of how they came to be in this magical safe haven. They each get their own chapters and then some. They've been there for decades and each with their own purpose. Each needing to find somewhere safe to just be themselves. Vivid, beautiful, complicated characters with so much love for each other. I adored this found family so much.

I found Cal's story and journey with their identity hit very close to home and I was in tears pretty quickly as I began reading. Their thoughts echo a lot about how I feel about myself and how I interact with others because of it. It was so, so special to see them come into their own as the story progressed.


This book and others like it are so important now more than ever for trans and queer youth or anyone trying to figure themselves out. Please pick up this book when it is out on June 2nd! For all the Sunnys, Cals, Abes, Lionels, Kiyos, Ambrosias and Ramonas, I hope you find your safe haven but mostly, I hope you live.
This story is going to stay with me for a long time and I feel I will pick it up to reread quite often.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Books for the gifted ARC!
🏡🪻🌷🌌

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a magical haven from reality, a trans teen at last learns to be their authentic self. Previously disowned by their parents and fearful of losing their girlfriend--who has vocalized that she'd never date a trans man--an impulsive wish for more time whisks Indianapolis-born Calla Quick Calla to Amaranth, a farmhouse refuge for five queer kids who claim “time doesn’t exist here." Here, Calla can at last be Cal. But when Amaranth's clocks inexplicably begin ticking again, Cal is horrified to realize that they and their new housemates will be forced to return to the lives--and prejudice--that they've fled.

I thought this was a brave and beautiful book. The premise is clever, and I love the way the narrative explores the dualities of time: it is both the enemy, and the savior. In the beginning, Calla believes that all she needs is time to stop—but by the book’s end, Cal realizes that time itself can be a gift. By stopping time in Amaranth, St. Jude creates an opportunity to show how attitudes toward gender and queerness have changed over time—and also how they haven’t. The result is a layered story packed with memorable characters who each have their own unique struggles, while also showing us what their stories have in common. If I have a complaint, it’s only that sometimes I felt the personal histories relied a bit too much on telling over showing—but in a sense, that actually fits the narrative, as these histories are framed as stories that are being told to Cal.

I think this is the rare sort of book that is capable of opening readers’ minds to new ideas, and one with crossover-appeal for adult readers. St. Jude does such an excellent job of allowing readers to intimately know each character and understand them, and that seems really important right now.

[Karis · Rating 5 out of 5]

~~Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC!~~

Okay, I cried. This book was just so darn beautiful.

Cal'd journey to coming into their true self was so well portrayed. I don't experience gender dysphoria, nor am I trans, but the way St. Jude wrote about it felt just like the lived experience of othe rtrans people who've felt similar to Cal. The acceptance they experience from the Amaranth house was so heartwarming, especially because they all come from various points in the 20th century. Ramona was a tad frustrating, but their conflict gets resolved in a very healthy, realistic way.

The magical realism is more metaphorical and a device to bring all the residents together into a found family, and it doesn't need to be anything more than that. The motivations of Amaranth could be speculated upon, but I like to think it brought Cal and Ramona in to remind the rest you can't stay stuck forever, despite the haven it provided them.

I don't wanna say anymore because it's just the kind of book where you only know the premise coming into it. I can't wait for the book to officially release so I can display it proudly on my shelf.

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An all-girls boarding school has been just right for Calla. Her field hockey skills have secured her a chunk of college money. She and girlfriend Ramona have been together for three years, and though Calla’s parents have disowned her since discovering that she’s queer, Ramona has organized some donors to make up for the lost parent support so they can go to college together. The future is looking hopeful - except Calla is experiencing a lot of dysphoria and uncertainty about her identity, which is especially painful since Ramona has been clear that she’s not at all attracted to trans or cis men. It all comes to a head on the night of prom. There’s a terrible storm while Calla and Ramona are walking outside, and they find themselves seeking shelter at a strangely rural house. Inside they meet a group of other teens born across historical periods who have experienced trauma around their gender identities or sexual preferences and have found their way to this community that exists outside of time. It’s a fascinating, intersectional look at the history of queer and trans folks during the last 150 years or so, wrapped in an intriguing sci-fi tale. Earc from Edelweiss.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this ARC of Where You'll Find Us by Jen St. Jude due to the description: We get to meet Calla who has been disowned by her parents when they found information about being trans on her iPad. On top of this, her girlfriend Ramona is helping her attend an all-girls college next year, so they can stay together. Meanwhile, Calla is still working through figuring out her gender identity, and Ramona is not necessarily supportive at first. On prom night they are whisked away to an alternate universe, a place where time has stood still; the house is populated by LGBTQIA+ young people who lived in different times of history, so while Calla is learning about themself, readers are also learning some history of the time periods and the other people who live in the house. Obviously there are trigger warnings in this book for sensitive topics that are clear in the description. However, this is also a book of hope and is a good recommendation for teens. I'm looking forward to purchasing it for our library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where You'll Find Us is a story, or collection of stories, about queer and trans people across history, and the paths they've walked to find bright and safe spaces in a world that is not always welcoming to them.

I think this book will be very affirming and live long in the hearts of many trans and queer readers, and others who want to understand more about trans history.

Unfortunately, from the blurb on the back of the book I was expecting something heart-warming instead of mostly bleak, and as a non-binary person I found myself being horribly triggered. I should have stopped, and that's on me but I also hope that publishers are mindful of how they market this book when it is released.

The writing is realistic and lovely, and I hope that many find comfort in it!

Thank you kindly to Penguin YA Australia for the advanced copy, which has not influenced my review.

[Book Nook Baddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those, past and present, who have never felt truly at home in their own bodies.

Cal Quick can relate. A field hockey senior at an all-girls school, Cal is staring down the face of their future and desperately begging for more time. Time to figure out what they want out of life, to figure out where their path should lead, and most importantly, to figure out the person they know themselves to be. And it is during their most desperate wishing that they (and their girlfriend Ramona) stumble upon a house to shelter them from a horrendous storm. It is in this house that they find themselves granted the thing they want most: time.

I hesitated giving this book a 5⭐️ rating. Not that the writing wasn't good nor the plot unbelievable. I felt that I was intruding on a space not written for me. For most of the book, I struggled to find the depth in the story. But it was towards the later halfth that I began to understand the richness of the lives lead. Each backstory of each character is fully realized and written in a digestible way for younger readers to understand. Not that I would recommend this for young teens exactly... Older teens perhaps might better understand the gravity of the lives of Sunny and Kiyo. It was a story full of acceptance and hope.

I gave this book 5 stars for the impact it will have on those struggling to find themselves. I think this one will really help.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy.

[Alexa CSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok honestly i think this book really changed my perspective on trans and a lot of the fear the face with coming out to their loved ones and i really think that shows the importance of reading diversely and going out of your way to read stories about marginalised people as not only it helps you learn more and open your perspectives but you will be exposed to so many more beautiful stories !!

in the first half of the book, i honestly did not like calla and kinda struggled to see their perspective. i was really sympathetic to ramona and her emotions and as the book went on i feel like both me and her had lot of our thoughts broken down and just realised a lot more from Cal’s perspective and it was just beautiful. also every other characters story was incredible and their stories so well interweaved and told and just reading about how queer and trans people were treated throughout history is always hard but these characters were so beautiful ! anyway i highly HIGHLY recommend this beautiful novel to EVERYONE because we need to be reading more books with trans main characters and hearing their stories 💗

[Erica Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love a queer found family, stories that play with time/time travel, and cozy, light magical realism, and this had all of the above. All the characters felt full and most of them lovable -- looking at you, Ramona >:( -- and the setting was so compelling. I'll be highly recommending.

[Savy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story utterly wrecked me in the best way possible. I cried so hard at the end I almost couldn't read the final lines. It was beautiful, sad, and full of hope at the same time. And while it might read as a young adult story, I think it's for everyone who has ever wanted more time to find themselves.

[Leilani Nyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely book about being a trans-questioning youth and the journey to self-discovery and eventual self-acceptance, complete with a magical twist. I may have teared up at several points while reading this.

[Jen]

Not bad, tbh.

[Gabbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection.

[Madison]

RTC

[Lucy Jakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like if The House in the Cerulean Sea and Last Night at the Telegraph Club had a child - my heart can't take it!!

[Kara Szymanski · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddo brought this home from school- they had received an advance copy- and I picked it up idly to pass some time. So glad I did.

This book is written with the kind of language that transports you- a book I’ll visit again and again. Its simple but honest prose shares the emotions of the story with immediacy.

I was expecting to be disappointed when it took a turn to light magical realism just because I was living the story exactly as it was. But what I loved wasn’t spoiled.

I imagine every queer person seeing themselves in this story- 5 stars. Just beautiful prose.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous, life-affirming book that is going to stick with me for a long time. Just as Amaranth finds queer kids in need of a safe spot and helps them find themselves, so will this book.

Full review to come when I stop crying.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Bloomsbury for the arc.