In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. In the latest installment, Myah Hollis shares about Not About a Boy. 

1. Congrats on your YA debut! How would you describe your book to readers?

Thank you! Not About a Boy is comped as Euphoria meets Girl in Pieces, which I think gives readers an accurate idea of the vibe. I’ve also heard it described as a mix of Gossip Girl and The Catcher in the Rye or The Bell Jar. It’s about a girl named Amélie who grew up in an elite boarding school in Connecticut, under the guardianship of a private adoption agency. Fresh out of a toxic relationship and grieving the loss of her ex-boyfriend, she gets sober and moves to NYC to live with the latest in a string of wealthy foster families. Mel meets a boy named Hayden at her new school and starts an emotionally triggering friends-with-benefits relationship with him. She's barely coping with that when she discovers she has a twin sister living nearby, whom she has no memory of. Soon after, she breaks her sobriety and things spiral out of control.

2. What drew you to YA to tell this story?

I love this question because it was Twilight. I read New Moon and I suddenly needed to write a story about heartbreak and depression. Stephenie Meyer changed my life by including those blank pages after Edward left Bella. I was 17 when I finished reading the series and immediately started writing the first draft of this story in a notebook in the back of science class. I've also been studying psychology as a hobby since high school and I'm fascinated with older YA from a psych perspective. Sixteen to nineteen is such a complex period to live through. Britney said it best: Not a girl, not yet a woman. I'm always trying to find new ways to explore the full range of that experience as authentically as I can.

3. What, if anything, surprised you while writing it?

Initially, I intended for Mel to have bipolar disorder. I tried for years to make it fit, but it never lined up with her characterization. It got to the point where it felt like I was trying to force her into a manic episode to make the diagnosis make sense. One night I was scrolling through TikTok and came across a video on borderline personality disorder. I realized the condition fit Mel's backstory and symptoms perfectly. I didn't even have to rework anything. I couldn't believe I misdiagnosed my own character. 

4. Tell us more about the characters. Which character do you most identify with and why?

When I started working on the book I had nothing in common with Mel, besides our dry sense of humor. Unfortunately, a few years later, I could deeply relate to the grief of losing a partner at a young age. I learned a lot from her, and as I got older I was able to offer her the wisdom of my own experiences through other characters in the story. I especially enjoyed writing her best friend, Rena, and Hayden's best friend, Trey. I love to make readers laugh to keep from crying, and those two are the funniest to me. I also relate more to her foster mom, Susan, now, too. When I started working on this book I was Mel's age. Now that I'm closer to Sue's age, it's interesting how my perspective on the story has changed. It’s like I'm co-parenting Mel with her.

5. What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Based on the messages I’ve been receiving from readers, they seem to be taking exactly what they need from the book. That’s all I can ask for. It makes me so happy. They’re connecting to Mel’s story in really personal ways, and I’m honored when they share their experiences with me. 

The Rec: Finally, we love YA and recommendations—what’s your favorite YA book you've read recently?

To be honest, I’m in the middle of like 20 books. Debut year has left my TBR in shambles. Right now, I’m reading an upcoming debut by my friend Alyssa Villaire called The Glittering Edge. It comes out next summer with Little, Brown and it’s brilliant. There’s nothing I love more than fangirling over a book before it’s even out. I can’t wait for readers to experience the world she created.