Next of Kin

Hannah Bonam-Young self-defines as an author of “romances featuring a cast of diverse, disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQIA+ folks” (“Author Hannah Bonam-Young). With her novels, she sets out to show that anyone can have a happy ending and find love, even when the world tells them otherwise. Many of her novels fall into the category of new adult romance, a subgenre of romance between young adult and adult fiction. New adult romances feature the coming-of-age and finding-yourself struggles of the young adult age range, but they revolve around slightly older characters (typically in their twenties) and often include on-page sex. Chloe (age 24) and Warren (age 23) face appropriate challenges befitting a new adult novel, namely gaining custody of their siblings, living independently, and falling in love. Chloe’s tendency to downplay her problems and Warren’s anger management issues are carried over from their teen years, showing that both characters still face the types of challenges centered in young adult books. By the end of Next of Kin, Chloe and Warren have made progress on their personal issues, learned to work together to make their lives easier, and gained custody of their siblings, meaning that both have faced and conquered adult-level problems.

Next of Kin also taps into Bonam-Young’s goal of showing marginalized characters achieving success and happiness. As a deaf person, Luke has faced struggles with language barriers, such as few people in his life using ASL. Once he is able to surround himself with people with whom he can communicate (including Chloe, Warren, and friends at his new school), Luke falls into the role of a typical teenager—hanging out with friends, getting more responsibility at home, and sometimes making poor choices he must learn from. In the Bonus Epilogue, Luke has moved to Europe, started a successful blog about traveling as a deaf person, and is pursuing a college degree in journalism. With the world opened up to him, Luke has built a life for himself and is free to pursue his own happiness, whatever that may be. Chloe’s former roommate Emily is transgender and, like Chloe, attended college to pursue a career in what she loves (fashion). Emily becomes part of Chloe’s support system while remaining her own person, and her experiences help Chloe realize she can open up to trust the important people in her life. Luke’s disability and Emily’s identity bring particular nuance to the novel’s relationships, but at the same time, neither Luke’s disability nor Emily’s identity matter to the people who care about them, showing how diversity is simply a part of the world and how lives are enriched by differences.