National Book Award Longlist Title * Booklist Editors’ Choice * CYBILS Young Adult Fiction Finalist * Nerdy Book Club Award for Best Young Adult Fiction * Paste Magazine Best Book
* YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
“A compelling and raw story.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“[Bliss dares] his readers not only to see the depths of human complexity, but to care
.”—
Booklist
Luke and Toby have always had each other’s backs.
But then one choice—or maybe it is a series of choices—sets them down an irrevocable path.
We’ll Fly Away
weaves together Luke and Toby’s senior year of high school with letters Luke writes to Toby later—from death row.
Best friends since childhood, Luke and Toby have dreamed of one thing: getting out of their dead-end town. Soon they finally will, riding the tails of Luke’s wrestling scholarship, never looking back. If they don’t drift apart first. If Toby’s abusive dad, or Luke’s unreliable mom, or anything else their complicated lives throw at them doesn’t get in the way.
Tense and emotional, this hard-hitting novel explores family abuse, sex, love, and friendship, and how far people will go to protect those they love. For fans of Jason Reynolds, Marieke Nijkamp, and NPR’s
Serial
podcast.
Praise for
We’ll Fly Away:
"Bryan Bliss has written
an empathetic and stirring novel about what it means to fight for the outcasts, the forgotten, and even the hated
, reminding us that we all have worth. That we are all valuable."—Sister Helen Prejean, author of
Dead Man Walking
“A poignant story of loyalty, abuse, and poverty. . . . This compassionate and beautifully rendered novel
packs an emotional punch
Kirkus
Reviews
“
A smart,
rugged
, all-too-true story of friendship under fire.
Believable characters and page-turning tension.”—Chris Crutcher, author of
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
“This fast-paced read will have teens tearing through chapters to find out why Luke is in jail. . . . The conclusion will leave them devastated. This is
[a] touching book about male friendship for fans of Jason Reynolds
School Library Journal
“The unshakable and unconditional bond between the young men is tested and proves true,
a ray of light in the darkness
of their stories.”—
VOYA