Beth Kramer is a тАЬtownieтАЭ who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah.
But Sarah Brunson knows thereтАЩs more to that story.
Amanda Priya тАЬSpenceтАЭ Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.
Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boysтАЩ dorms.
And Freddy Bello is the senior whoтАЩs no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.
At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are bornтАФand secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?
Abdi Nazemian is the author of Only This Beautiful MomentтАФwinner of the 2024 Stonewall Award and 2024 Lambda Literary AwardтАФand Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book and one of Time magazineтАЩs Best YA Books of All Time. He is also the author of the young adult novels Desert Echoes, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The ArtistтАЩs Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series Ordinary Joe and The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at abdinazemian.com.