I Can't Even Think Straight

Name: I Can't Even Think Straight
Brand: Harper Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Dean Atta
ISBN: 9780063158061

Author: Dean Atta

Narrator: Dean Atta

Unabridged: 4 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Published: 05/06/2025

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Novels In Verse, Romance, Lgbtq+, Social Themes

Synopsis

In this emotional novel in verse by the Stonewall Award–winning author of The Black Flamingo, a queer biracial teen confronts issues of race, privilege, class, and sexuality on his journey to falling in love.Kai knows who he is to others: The good grandson, the reliable best friend, the romantic backup. But he doesn’t quite know who he is to himself.Kai wants to come out at school, but his best friend there, Matt, stays closeted for fear of getting kicked out by his conservative parents—and wants Kai to do the same. Kai unhappily agrees, but when a rumor goes around that Kai and Matt are dating, Matt starts acting differently anyway.Kai’s other best friend, Vass, is proudly nonbinary and thinks Matt is a negative influence—though maybe that’s just their crush on Kai talking. Kai has always turned to writing to express his emotions, but when his on-page emotions erupt into the real world, he might just be putting the delicate balance of his life at risk.Told with Dean Atta’s signature lyricism and candor, this deeply feeling story explores the complexities of crushes, navigating identity, and coming out.

About Dean Atta

Dean Atta’s poems deal with themes of race, gender, and identity. He regularly performs across the UK and internationally, and his work has been shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and has appeared on MTV and BET. The Black Flamingo, his debut YA novel, won the Stonewall Award. He is also the author of Only on the Weekends. You can find him online at deanatta.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kai on March 09, 2025

Anyone who names their main character after me gets a five-star rating......more

Goodreads review by BiblioSizzle on May 12, 2025

New Five Star Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I can’t even think straight” By: Dean Atta 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 As a mother of a queer teen, this book was so much fun to read. I love love love that it was written in verse. This was such an easy read, and was so well paced, that I was able to rad it in a sin......more

Goodreads review by Bethany on March 08, 2025

Thank you Quill Tree Books for an advanced copy to review! A queer biracial teen confronts issues of race, privilege, class, and sexuality on his journey to falling in love. ^from the publisher! After reading and loving The Black Flamingo last year, I was so excited to see that Dean Atta had another bo......more

Goodreads review by meerdazwischen on March 04, 2025

Dean Atta's I Can't Even Think Straight is an important and timely novel that offers vital representation for queer teenagers of color. It tackles themes of identity, friendship, and self-acceptance with honesty and heart. However, while I appreciated the book’s message and significance, I found it......more

Goodreads review by Moon on May 28, 2025

ARC REVIEW I definitely don’t gravitate to YA anymore but Dean Atta will always draw my attention. I was admittedly nervous about this, with such a classic teen title but like Atta’s other books, this was an encapsulating read. Written in their classic verse style, it’s beautifully written and a grea......more