A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST YA BOOK OF 2023
WINNER OF THE FREEMAN AWARD 2023
‘Read this; you'll walk away changed.' Grace D. Li
Falling in love was never part of the plan.
SUMMER, 2019
When Phoenix attends a protest rally with her older brother, it ignites a fire in her she didn’t know she had. The island city she loves is disappearing and she’s determined to capture the moment with her camera.
Kai is training to be a policeman and thinks the protesters are spoilt and privileged. He hopes to earn recognition at the Academy by going undercover and infiltrating their network.
Phoenix and Kai accidentally swap phones at a student protest encounter. Sparks fly, drawing them together even as they stand on different sides of the struggle. But when love is built on a lie, what chance does it have to survive?
‘I could not put it down and haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished. A must read.' Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates
‘An honest and searing portrait of the Hong Kong protests.’ Axie Oh, author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
'A richly detailed and humane teen romance.' Suzi Feay