Fans of the Impossible Life

A captivating and profound debut novel about complicated love and the friendships that have the power to transform you forever, perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby.

Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with a mischief glinting in his eye.

Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him . Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.

As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible.

A story of chosen family, first love, and the courage to be yourself.

• Complicated Friendships: Mira, Jeremy, and Sebby create their own world of magic rituals and road trips, a safe harbor from the lives they’re desperate to escape.
• Mental Health Representation: An honest portrayal of living with depression and the power of friendships that see you through the darkest days.
• LGBTQ+ Romance: For shy, artistic Jeremy, meeting Sebby is like the world shifting into color—but finding love is never that simple when you’re still finding yourself.
• Realistic Teen Fiction: A novel that tackles the tough realities of bullying, foster care, and family secrets with profound empathy and raw honesty.

Kate Scelsa is a novelist, playwright, and part time witch. Her debut novel Fans of the Impossible Life was an Indie Next pick, a Rainbow List Top Ten book, and has been published in ten languages. Her play Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf has been produced in New York, Dublin, and was published by Dramatists Play Service. Kate’s identity as a witch can be traced back to second grade, when she founded her first coven. These days her witchy activities include reading tarot from the (only slightly) haunted house in upstate New York that she shares with her wife, and writing songs and performing with her band The Witch Ones.