Encore! by Miles Toriko Burks (Paperback)

A heartwarming queer YA graphic novel, Clay is determined to make the most of his senior year. With theatre, friends, and growing confidence, he finally feels like he’s creating the high school experience he wants. But his plans are thrown into disarray when his former childhood best friend, Aron Santos, suddenly reappears in his life and joins his theatre class.

Years earlier, Clay and Aron were inseparable. Now they occupy completely different worlds at school, with Clay embracing his love of theatre while Aron has become one of the popular students. Being paired together for an improv assignment forces them back into each other’s lives, bringing old memories and unresolved feelings to the surface. To make matters more complicated, Aron seems surprisingly comfortable slipping back into their friendship despite being the one who disappeared in the first place.

As rehearsals, movie nights, and late-night conversations bring them closer together, the distance between who they were and who they are now begins to shrink. Spending time together rekindles a connection that neither of them can ignore, leaving Clay questioning whether he can trust Aron again and whether their renewed friendship could become something more.

Based on the hugely popular Webtoon with more than 23 million views, Encore! is a heartwarming LGBTQ+ graphic novel filled with humour, tenderness, and emotional honesty. Exploring friendship, first love, coming out, and the challenge of being true to yourself, it captures the excitement and uncertainty of reconnecting with someone who once meant everything.

Perfect for readers who enjoy queer YA romance, friends-to-lovers stories, theatre settings, graphic novels, and heartfelt coming-of-age tales like Heartstopper and Bloom.