Dade is in that awkward space between high school and college. His kinda-relationship with Pablo is just about over, his parents' kinda-relationship with each other is just about over, and Dade is recognizing that he wants more than a kinda-relationship with anyone. Enter Lucy, a neighbor's niece who was kicked out of her own house for being a lesbian, and she and Dade quickly become close friends. Enter also Alex, whom Dade meets briefly at a party and immediately crushes on. With Lucy's encouragement, Dade finally cuts ties with Pablo and starts dating Alex, and understanding what love is. 
 Dade's story is a little predictable in the way of any romance--getting over the ex and not taking them back, finding a new love--but is made a little newer because the exes and new loves in question are all male. Not that this should be a Big Huge Deal, but so much of gay teen romance (writing, I mean) is fraught with the issues of coming out and homophobia. Those issues are represented here, but they're so far from the main story that they're barely issues at all. This really is, primarily, a guy-romance. 
 (That said I never fully connected with any of the characters, but I liked the book all the same!)