After the Rains

Mark is seventeen, sarcastic, awkward, and determined to survive high school without being a complete loser.

He has a plan: get a temporary girlfriend, survive his family, avoid the school bullies, and somehow make it through the next year so he can graduate and find … something better?

Between disastrous attempts at dating, awkward encounters at work, complicated friendships, family expectations, and the everyday chaos of being a teenager, Mark has become very good at pretending everything is fine. He jokes his way through uncomfortable moments, hides what he is really thinking or feeling, and tries to convince himself that having a girlfriend will somehow make it all better.

Underneath the humor, though, is something much harder to ignore. Anxiety and pressures begin pulling him into a darker place, making him question his own value and whether it's all worth it in the end.

After the Rains is a heartfelt contemporary young adult coming-of-age novel about friendship, anxiety, identity, bullying, self-acceptance, and the complicated journey of growing into yourself.

Funny, honest, sometimes painful, and ultimately hopeful, this story reminds us that, even when the storms seem overwhelming, there is hope after the rains.