“And that’s such an insane thing ‘cause I was in that kid’s shoes at some point in my life.”
Revord was promoting their debut novel, Rules for Fake Girlfriends, which was published Tuesday.
The young adult romance follows “perpetually single Avery Blackwell,” according to the blurb, who “abandons her plans to attend Columbia in favor of spending her freshman year at her recently deceased mother’s alma mater in a seaside town in England.
“On the train, Avery makes a deal straight out of one of her beloved romance books with a charming local girl named Charlie: if Avery will pretend to be her girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Charlie will help Avery solve the scavenger hunt her artistic, free-spirited mother left behind on campus decades ago.
“As their quest takes them all over Brighton, Avery finally starts to connect with the mother she always loved but never really understood. Before long, pretending to be Charlie’s girlfriend starts to feel like more than just an illusion. But when long-hidden secrets come to light, Avery grapples with an uncertain future and whether or not love is worth the risk.”
In an interview with People, Revord said they were inspired by queer love stories like Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novel series Heartstopper (which was adapted into a successful Netflix TV series).
“I love how innocent the love story was,” Revord said. “Heartstopper was such an accurate representation of found family friend groups, queer youth, and I think it’s so important to have that. I loved the story and I always wanted to write something that was like that.”
“A lot of people will doubt you because of your age, and a lot of people will not take you seriously,” they added. “I had such a passion and such a love for this book and this story, and I thought it was so important to tell. And if that’s how you feel about being a writer, then you have enough.”
