The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka

Several times throughout this novel, characters express that their circumstances make no sense, a refrain that unfortunately captures both the unfolding plot and the foundation for the hydrogen-based superpowers. Unfortunately, Jordan can’t control his combustibility, and HydroPro has no intention of letting him get away. Jordan moved from Arizona to escape HydroPro, the hydrogen fuel corporation responsible for his parents’ deaths and his own mutant fire powers following a car crash. Dylan is desperate to escape his Philadelphia suburb until Jordan Ator arrives and lights up his world, literally.

Although his parents enthusiastically (and annually) celebrate his coming out, Dylan has no LGBTQ+ peer community support, something further emphasized by his school’s Gay Straight Alliance, where he is the first gay member in years and most participants describe themselves as allies.

What starts as an electric, chance encounter at a Dairy Queen quickly evolves into a heated romance, a journey of trust and identity, and a ticking clock for survival.A lonely gay teen with a burning desire for love meets a mysterious new boy with explosive powers who is on the run from an evil corporation.Īs the only openly gay boy in his grade, high school junior Dylan Highmark has few prospects for romance, even with the help of Perry and Kirsten, two cheerleaders who are his best friends. THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU is the story of first love, and the lengths we’ll go to figure out our hearts.

But if the attraction between them defies the laws of physics, love may be the only thing that can keep Jordan and Dylan together. Jordan’s revelations of why he’s like this, where he came from, and who’s after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who’s literally too hot to handle.ĭylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options.

The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka