Promising Young Man

Promising Young Man takes us on a messy, soul-searching, & heartbreaking yet somehow hilarious road trip with an 18-year-old trying to outrun his mistakes (and himself) who discovers the power of second chances. It's dark humor, raw emotions, and a teenage existential crisis rolled into one unforgettable adventure.

★★★★★ "Oscar Danielsson is a mess-but in the best, most heartbreakingly relatable way. .... I didn't just read his story; I felt it. And honestly? I'm still thinking about it."- Goodreads Reviewer

Oscar Danielsson isn't ready for the real world-yet. But he's 18 now, and everyone's got expectations. Why not? With his sharp wit and melancholy good looks, his future's as promising as anybody's. Lie. He's not like anybody. He'll take his bedroom over hanging out. Self-medication over whatever his shrink prescribes for his ADHD. And it's hard enough to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write a stupid paper in time to graduate from high school. If it wasn't for his old spaniel, Enzo, he's not sure he'd even want to stick around. Just when he meets Bette, the weirdest cute girl on the planet, a scrape with the law Oscar's too out of it to remember sends him blasting down America's highways with his eccentric Grammy. Leaving Bette, Enzo, and all his vices behind is torture. But he'll do anything to ditch the shame. And if they make good time, he can repay his debts to his boss, snag his diploma, and slip back into bed like nothing ever happened. But that would be another lie.

"I love this book. It's a page turner... I found myself looking forward to bedtime to read it." -Jill Wine-Banks, author, The Watergate Girl; MSNBC legal analyst; co-host, Webby-winning #SistersinLaw Podcast

"Axel is a natural... writes with a flow and energy that is absolutely compelling." -Chris Canaan, Emmy Award-winning writer; co-creator Walker, Texas Ranger (starring Chuck Norris); screenplay, No Good Deed (starring Samuel L. Jackson & Stellan Skarsgård)

"At times funny, at times raw, at times so poignant you'll find yourself tearing up... It's a story filled with wrong choices and thwarted dreams but also hope, resiliency, and redemption." -Maggie Smith, award-winning author of Truth and Other Lies

"...deeply moving... absorbing... truly enjoyable" -Sarah C. Maza, Member American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Professor of History Emerita Northwestern University

"a powerful story of survival, resilience, and hope... One of the best books I read in 2024." -Nathan Chung (early reader), Neurodivergent, recognized as a Top 50 Global Neurodiversity Evangelist, and a D-30 Impact List 2024 Honoree

"... a raw, compelling journey... as humorous as it is heartfelt... the kind of book that sticks with you..." -Hollie Smurthwaite, Author, The Psychic Color Series

If you fell for Charlie Kelmeckis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sutter Keely in The Spectacular Now, or Theodore Finch in All the Bright Places, Promising Young Man's Oscar Danielsson will melt, break, and then repair your heart.

• Novel Suitable for Older Young Adult/New Adult/Intergenerational Audience
• Coming of age (Contemporary Realistic Fiction with elements of Humor)
• Themes: Finding Purpose & Happiness, Self-acceptance and Authenticity, Intergenerational Relationships and Family Secrets, the Power of Second Chances
• Topics include: Neurodivergence (ADHD), Suicidal Ideation, Addiction, Youth Loneliness, Mental & Physical Health