Zrull's debut vulnerably and empathetically celebrates geekdom and connection featuring a goth queen teen who uses her image as a shield against the world. Sixteen-year-old white Jess, who entered foster care when she was seven after her biological mother was institutionalized for schizophrenia, now lives in Detroit with new foster mother Barbra. Her prickly nature doesn't stop geeky Mexican American Oscar, who has an anxiety disorder, from recruiting Jess and her exemplary makeup and sewing skills to help his cosplay team prepare for the World Cosplay Expo. Initially reluctant, Jess agrees to help when she learns that the expo is in N.Y.C., where her biomom is purported to live. Primarily hoping to reunite with her biomom, Jess is nevertheless surprised to realize she enjoys cosplaying with her new friends, including queer Asian coder Emily and Black gamer Gerrit, while slowly falling for Oscar. Zrull sensitively depicts complex topics such as mental illness, body positivity, and foster care via a confident, good-humored protagonist and a fully realized cast. Jess's joyful cosplaying exploration inspires, and her willingness to open up to those who care for her is thoroughly uplifting. Ages 14--up. Agent: Jon Hobb, HG Literary. (July)

Jess has been in the foster care system since age seven, when her mother exhibited a debilitating mental illness. Bouncing around from home to home, she learned not to develop meaningful relationships, and thanks to her goth appearance, most kids shy away from Jess. However, one teen at her newest school, Oscar, asks her to help create costumes and makeup for his cosplay group. Jess hesitantly agrees, seeing an opportunity to get to New York, home to a big convention on Oscar's radar, and see her biological mother. As Jess begins to enjoy cosplay, she grows attached to her new friends, but at the competition in New York, she's forced to decide between her past family and the family that she has built. Zrull's debut is a beautiful blend of all things cosplay and mental health awareness, with a fiercely independent yet vulnerable heroine whose journey to closure, family, and love is heartbreaking but endearing. The awareness of the hardship of mental illness is wonderfully illuminated here, and the mood is kept light thanks to a fun backdrop and romantic story line.

Self-proclaimed goth queen Jess, constantly moving among foster homes, has learned to embrace the label freak and keep everyone at arm's length. Her Instagram fans feel like her only real family--until a woman claiming to be her biological mom reaches out, wanting back into her life. But wards of the state face challenges in securing unsupervised contact with their bio parents, and Jess, who is White, can't risk getting social services involved and jeopardizing this chance at closure. Enter Oscar, Mexican American cosplay geek extraordinaire. Admiring Jess' makeup and design skills, he asks her to join his team in competing in a cosplay expo in New York City--where Jess' bio mom now lives. Determined to reunite with her, Jess agrees despite her initial reservations about cosplay. As she gets more invested in the team, however, Jess must decide whether chasing the dream of the family she once had is worth more than her chosen family. Zrull, whose author bio indicates she was herself a foster kid, delves with remarkable grit and heart into many sensitive issues, including mental health and body positivity. First-person narrator Jess' voice is a mix of jaded, too-cool-for-school snark and stirring vulnerability, and each supporting character feels like a fully realized, perfectly imperfect individual. Moments of teen angst and triumph are weathered realistically, and the ending provides a welcome sense of closure after the characters' sometimes-harrowing emotional journeys. These geeks will warm even the coldest, darkest hearts. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.