Stressed-out and whimsical 18 y/o Maisie Richards faces a summer teeming with new experiences and emotions after becoming entranced by a poetry slam and an eccentric older boy, but she becomes torn by the fear of destroying her high-school relationship and the future they planned together in pursuit of her new passions.

QUIRKY GALAXIES is a coming-of-age novel living on the edge of romance and magical realism. In this story, an ensemble cast of 18–21-year-olds navigate the uncertain threshold between adolescence and adulthood, where every choice can feel life-altering.

“Some people want to see the galaxy, but I only ever need to see yours, so fill my infinity with your own. I want to see every star shine only as bright as how your lips define them to me.”

18-year-old Maisie Richards has the mind of a poet whether she knows it or not, but her pursuits and passions have always revolved around what her best friend and high-school boyfriend want for her. The words that dance around her and leak onto the seams of her notebooks have always been just an escape… but when she discovers a poetry slam at a cute and inclusive cafe downtown, she can’t pull her heart away from it. The soulful stories and rhythmic prose shared on that little stage leave her mind lost in a trance, but one poet stands out to her the most: A tall guy with messy hair and meadow eyes who smiles at the room with the friendliness of a sunrise. His poetry fills her mind with stars and impossible things, so she talks to him.

Travler Fitzgerald’s head is far beyond the clouds; it’s lost in space somewhere, weightless, directionless, and ungoverned. Maisie is desperate to know how he does it, but to venture into a new world of love, poetry, and self exploration, she has to risk everything she cares about, including charming black-haired and blue-eyed Zander Damien, the high-school boyfriend she’s planned her whole future with.

But sometimes the truth to discovering the worlds inside of yourself is that, first, you must learn to let go of gravity.

QUIRKY GALAXIES will appeal to readers of The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, blending poetic introspection with the intensity of first love. It also echoes the deep yearning and coming-of-age romantic tension found in The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The novel will further resonate with fans of Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone for its exploration of mental health, identity, and the transformative power of an inclusive poetry-centred community.

Additionally, it shares tonal similarities with Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, particularly in its portrayal of a young woman navigating self-discovery, creativity, and emotional vulnerability.

QUIRKY GALAXIES is written for readers who crave warmth, introspection, poetry, romance, and stories about becoming. It offers an escape from external pressure and celebrates curiosity, creativity, and self-authorship.

While accessible to teens, Quirky Galaxies will resonate strongly with young adults reflecting on that liminal stage between adolescence and independance. This meandering, character-driven love story will draw in an audience of dreamers and poetic thinkers who are looking for a book that they'll keep coming back to.

Teenagers who are navigating the stressful years of high school or are still trying to find their way after the fact will find Maisie Richard's life filled with relatable inner challenges.

Anyone who battles with anxiety or feels like they can't keep up with peoples' expectations will revel at Maisie's character growth as she realizes that her life path is her own to choose. Finally, anyone who's ever passionately sung along to "Drops of Jupiter" by Train will love the chance to live within the explorative pages and celestial poetry of this book.

Poetry acts as the QUIRKY GALAXIES’ rhythmic heartbeat. Poems written by the characters are interwoven throughout the book as a tool for emotional processing and self-expression. A recurring poetry slam event ties the narrative together, defining poetry as the shared language between an unlikely cast of characters whose worlds may have never collided, otherwise.

The book’s title “Quirky Galaxies” and corresponding poetic theme draws from the idea that we each carry galaxies within ourselves. We expand endlessly inward, just as the universe stretches endlessly outward. Entire constellations of thought, memory, and feeling exist beneath the surface, waiting to be seen.

in addition to scattered poems, glimpses of magical realism occasionally bleed from Maisie’s mind onto the world around her. She’s aware of this liberty of her imagination, but it doesn't stop her from finding solace in the school hallways weeping, the daisies yearning, and the city streets spiralling along with her.

Quirky Galaxies deliberately departs from hegemonic narratives that prioritize academic achievement, romantic fulfillment, and linear success. Instead, it encourages readers to release external pressure and honour individual pacing, especially in the context of anxiety, learning difficulties, or complex home environments. Romantic love is catalytic in Maisie’s life, influencing growth without eclipsing her self-discovery. QUIRKY GALAXIES affirms that fulfillment can emerge through self-trust, creative exploration, and autonomy.