Some ships are meant to sink.

Online, fifteeen year-old Hay Olatunji isn’t any different from the million other New Generation fans in the world. They analyze lyrics like they’re being paid for it, see past the manufactured roles the band is forced to play, and are fully convinced that two of its members, Jess Wilde and Rocky Hawthorne, are secretly in love. The WildThorns are passionate, more than a little conspiratorial, and the only people Hay feels understood by.

Offline, their life is falling apart. They’re running out of reasons to like their best friend, their parents are more concerned with their college-bound sister to give them the time of day, and they can’t find the courage to come out to anyone who isn’t behind a screen.

After a long overdue friend breakup, Hay wishes they could be the person they are in the fandom- and when they win the chance to spend three weeks on tour with New Generation, they just might. Armed with their fantasies and two years’ worth of receipts, Hay is determined to prove once and for all that WildThorn is real. Easy, right? But as they see who the boys really are offstage, they realize that the truth is messier than any fan theory or publicity stunt...