TJ Alexander, the critically acclaimed author of the queer love stories CHEF’S KISS and CHEF’S CHOICE, pens their first holiday romance with SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN. This hilarious and poignant rom-com is led by Eli Ward, a trans man who is visiting his home state of Florida to spend Christmas with his parents for the first time since his transition.

The first thing Eli notices are the MAGA flags. Although he lives in New York City, he’s no stranger to conservative campaign merch. In a perverse way, he takes comfort in knowing immediately which homes are less likely to welcome him. Still, the presence of anti-trans sentiment in his hometown, on his home street, feels different. Fortunately, his parents have always taken his transition well…or at least as well as they could. When Eli announced the news to them over a meal in New York a few years ago, they said they would love him no matter what. “After all,” his well-meaning father said, “you’ll always be our daughter.” Ouch.

"What a delight it was to read a joy-filled, celebratory book about queer love, especially the underrepresented trans and demisexual communities.... This is one of those books that you finish and immediately hand off to someone else, hoping you’ll be able to talk about your favorite scene."

While his parents have supported him and proudly refer to him as their son, it’s the second half of that statement that rings most true when he enters his childhood home: the walls, the side tables and even the ornaments are all decked in the image of a young girl, rosy-cheeked and wearing pink. The girl is Eli (or was, rather), but as far as he’s concerned, they might as well be stock photos of a stranger.

Perhaps arriving at his family’s annual Christmas party --- with all creeds and kinds of relatives in attendance --- was not the best idea, and it's not long before Eli is pulled into a political conversation about the rights of men and women to wear clothes intended for the opposite sex. Desperate for an escape, he agrees to do a liquor run, where he clashes carts with none other than Nick Wu, his first friend, first love, first boyfriend...first everything. Although he knows that Nick is straight as they come, there’s no denying that the years have been very good to Nick, who now sports a DILF-like confidence and style.

Nick doesn’t recognize Eli immediately, but when he does, he’s shocked that it took so long. Eli isn’t just a man now --- he’s the man he always was. And although his mannerisms have stayed largely the same, his happiness and confidence are something new and entirely alluring. As they catch up and reminisce about the old days, one thing is immediately apparent: the spark between them, whether it was a platonic close friendship or an all-consuming, fiery love, is very much still there. But that’s just Eli’s side.

In alternating chapters, we get Nick’s point of view. Nick, who stayed in New Port Stephen even after graduating from college, has endured a failed marriage, coparenting and the fizzling of entering his 40s. He hasn’t felt the need to date or an attraction to anyone in a long time, and he’s mostly okay with that. After all, he has his father, his job at the local favorite restaurant, and, of course, his daughter, Zoe, to keep him busy. Still, he can’t help but notice how easy it is to talk to Eli, go on runs and swims with him, play with Zoe while with him...and even kiss him.

Accustomed to being fetishized or forgotten by mainstream love stories, Eli worries that Nick is simply living in the past and is quick to label his former best friend and lover as chronically straight. But there are many ways to be straight and to be queer, and entire identities that exist somewhere in between. And Nick is about to learn about one in particular: demisexuality, an orientation in which a person feels sexually attracted to someone only after they've developed a close emotional bond with them. What could be closer than your first everything?

Of course, there are hiccups along the way. Eli isn’t just visiting his parents for Christmas. He’s also nursing the wounds of a recent breakup and career hit, and returning home feels like an admittance of failure. Nick, meanwhile, loves New Port Stephen and the life he has created there. While he’s prepared to explore his sexuality, he’s not ready to watch someone deliver scathing jabs at his home. But both men are hurting, and they will have to take good hard looks at themselves in order to heal…and to love. Luckily for them, when TJ Alexander is penning the dialogue, banter and chemistry, there’s no other ending than a happy one, even if the journey there is difficult and transformative.

What a delight it was to read a joy-filled, celebratory book about queer love, especially the underrepresented trans and demisexual communities. That said, don’t let these labels fool you: Alexander, through their characters, is quick to remind readers that labels only matter if they help affirm the person being labeled. Still, they take tremendous care and deliver great generosity in their defining and exploring of these terms, and the book is stronger for it. Alexander does not cater to their straight, less-informed readers, but they do give them room to learn, understand and grow. So this utterly incandescent holiday romance is the perfect read for your relative who just “doesn’t get” the current discussions on gender and identity.

And for queer readers, or those who simply enjoy a stand-out love story, SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN more than delivers on every count: swoon-worthy romance, laugh-out-loud banter, chemistry so thick you could cut it with a knife, and, most important of all, a love that transforms each participant into someone better, more confident and much happier than they were before.

This is one of those books that you finish and immediately hand off to someone else, hoping you’ll be able to talk about your favorite scene. (If you’re reading this now, get the tissues ready for the family photo scene halfway through the book.)