The Island Festival

By Lillian Barry

Dair swore off all things brave and adventurous when his high-school promposal went embarrassingly, publicly wrong ten years ago. But when the invite to his school reunion lands in his inbox, he decides it's time to get a life-to prove to his ex-classmates that he's a new person.

Ewing moved to the Island partly to create and conduct a brass band, but also to be closer to their grandma, the only person they've ever been able to rely on. To make their job a success, they need a euphonium player to take on the solo at the spring festival-and who better than their new student, Dair, a talented and hardworking beginner?

Dair throws himself heart-first into the band, but as the performance (and the reunion) approach, his anxiety rises, and so does his attraction to his music teacher. While Ewing envies Dair's courageous quest for a new life, they can't shake the fear he'll turn out to be unreliable like everyone else. If the performance goes wrong, it'll be the end of Dair's self-improvement plan, Ewing's career, and the future they could explore together.

A queer, high-heat romance about an anxious homebody and his non-binary music teacher, who fall in love while navigating a school reunion, a fledgling brass band, and the struggle of shedding maladaptive mindsets and finding your song.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1739530047
• ISBN13: 9781739530044
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Broccoli & Basil Books
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"