Coming Out Perfect written and illustrated by Richard Mercado - OPTIONAL

Coming Out Perfect written and illustrated by Richard Mercado, 272 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Graphix (Scholastic Inc.), 2026. $17.

Language: R (11 swears, 3 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (repeated underage drinking, once to blackout drunkenness); Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Kevin is a gay, high school Filipino boy who is tired of being overlooked at home and invisible at school. He gets a taste of the popular life thanks to the school’s perfect gay boy, Raymond. However when acting “perfect” becomes too difficult to bear, Kevin has to reconsider what he actually wants from life, something real, or fake?

I enjoyed this classic coming-out/coming-of-age story, layered with the author’s lived experience. Even though it was technically set in the Philippines, I think readers will still find plenty of commonalities between Kevin’s high school experience and US schools. The premise was a little superficial, along the veins of the movie She’s All That. I don’t know how much a simple makeover would actually do for someone’s popularity, but high school students would eat it up with a spoon.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes