What critics are saying about XL
"Will’s first-person narration is ripe with a humor that marries dry wit, invented vocabulary, and an honest-to-goodness good time even when things are dreadful. He examines his Californian enclosure like a brash and bawdy Goodall.
"A coming-of-height specimen whose humor you won’t outgrow."
Kirkus Reviews
This book is a twirling, swirling attack on insecurity that reminded me how hard it is to grow up. It's good. For reals. For really reals. That's how you young people talk, right? This book is so good, I want to punch Scott Brown in the face, which I know is extra horrible since I am much taller."
Joel Stein
Humanitarian and author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity
"It's a cliche to say I couldn't put this book down, but it's also the truth. With a heart as big as its protagonist, and a voice as hilarious as it is poignant, XL is an exceptional YA debut."
Jennifer Smith,
Bestselling author of
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Field Notes on Love
“A witty, remarkable tale of friendship, acceptance, and, yes, growth that will charm adults as well as younger readers. Outsized in heart and humanity, XL is a YA novel that’s destined to become a classic.”
Gillian Flynn
Bestselling author of
Gone Girl and Sharp Objects
“XL is going to be huge! It’s about the giant risks we take for our first love, the ways in which growing up sometimes feels like it happens to us, instead of by us, and how we all must learn to understand our own strength. I loved Will Daughtry at every height. You will too.”
Julie Buxbaum
New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things and Hope and Other Punchlines