If You’re Real, Stay

Somewhere between the mirrors and the medication, Emrys is learning how to be real. When nineteen-year-old Emrys is admitted to Valewood Psychiatric Center after a silent unraveling, they expect another round of being misunderstood. Their gender confuses people. Their silence unsettles them. Their truth feels like too much. But behind the locked doors and daily routines, something unexpected happens: Emrys starts to see themselves—not in the fluorescent lights or sterile rules, but in the broken people around them. In Max, a quiet artist who draws dreams. In Gus, loud and messy and fiercely loyal. In Dr. Metwally, who doesn't ask for answers but makes room for questions. And as Emrys begins to draw windows instead of mirrors, they confront a truth more terrifying than rejection: what if who they are isn't what anyone expects—including themself? If You're Real, Stay is a story of identity without a finish line, healing without perfection, and the radical act of being seen. Told with raw intimacy, humor, and tenderness, this novel is a love letter to queer kids trying to make space for themselves in a world that keeps trying to erase them.