First love was just the beginning—now Brandon Delacruz has to figure out what comes next.

In this heartfelt sequel to Ready for the World: Driver’s Education, fifteen-year-old Brandon Delacruz is riding high. He’s dating the girl of his dreams, dreaming of becoming the next great American novelist, and finally starting to feel like he’s in control of his story. But life, just like writing, doesn’t always follow a clean outline.

As a new school year begins, Brandon finds himself stuck between two very different girls: Ally, his childhood best friend—someone he's known his whole life but who now seems distant, closed off, and hiding something he can’t quite name; and Rachel, a confident, outspoken new classmate who challenges his thinking and forces him to see himself in new ways. Torn between familiarity and discovery, Brandon starts to question what—and who—he really wants.

Set in the late 1980s, this coming-of-age story captures the emotional highs and lows of high school life—family expectations, evolving friendships, first love, and the sometimes messy road to self-discovery as a Filipino-American teen.

Perfect for:

• Fans of John Green and Jenny Han who crave emotionally honest teen stories
• Gen X listeners looking for a nostalgic yet fresh perspective on adolescence
• Anyone who remembers the thrill of mixtapes, love triangles, and the search for identity

Love gets complicated. Friendships shift. And Brandon Delacruz is about to learn that growing up means rewriting the story as you go.