Beating Heart Baby

From debut author Lio Min comes BEATING HEART BABY, a tender love letter to internet friendships, anime, and indie rock, perfect for fans of HEARTSTOPPER

When Santi arrives in Los Angeles, he hopes he can move past the loss of the childhood internet friend he'd known only as Memo. And in his new high school's marching band, Santi gets a taste of the community he's always longed for. Even the clashes with his section leader, Suwa, lead to Suwa opening up to Santi first as a friend, then something more. But when Suwa gets a shot at the rock star life he's always dreamed of, the very thing that drew them to each other--a shared devotion to art--tests their budding relationship.

Over years, Santi and Suwa glide and soar, crash and fall, together and apart. This twinned tale about the transitions between boyhood and manhood, internet confidants and IRL friends, the face in the crowd and the star on the stage, stakes and succeeds in making the bold claim: that Santi and Suwa's fantastic dreams are as essential as art and love and life itself.

Author: Lio Min
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 05/21/2024
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 7.95h x 4.95w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9781250819116
ISBN10: 1250819113
BISAC Categories:
- Young Adult Fiction | Romance | LGBTQ+
- Young Adult Fiction | Performing Arts | Music
- Young Adult Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship

About the Author
Lio Min has listened to, played and performed, and written about music for most of their life. Their debut novel Beating Heart Baby is about boys, bands, and Los Angeles. They've profiled and interviewed acts including Japanese Breakfast, Rina Sawayama, Purity Ring, Caroline Polachek, Christine and the Queens, Metric, Yaeji, Speedy Ortiz, and Mitski.