Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ghosts We Keep | 2021 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
| 2 | The Feeling of Falling in Love | 2022 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
| 3 | Okay, Cupid | 2024 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
| 4 | The Build-a-Boyfriend Project | 2025 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
| 5 | Ship Happens | 2026 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
| 6 | I Wish You All the Best | 2019 | Mason Deaver | Buy |
Mason Deaver’s standalone novels cover a wide range of stories, all centered on queer characters and written primarily for young adult and new adult audiences. The Ghosts We Keep (2021) is the most serious of the group, following high school junior Liam Cooper as he deals with his brother’s death in a hit-and-run accident. Booklist gave it a starred review and it was placed on ALA’s Rainbow Reading List.
The Feeling of Falling in Love (2022) shifts to lighter territory with a summer romance, while Okay, Cupid (2024) adds a fantasy element, following an agender sixteen-year-old from the Bay Area who is an actual Cupid and has to balance their duties with falling in love for the first time. Deaver’s newer books, The Build-a-Boyfriend Project (2025) and Ship Happens (2026), move into adult romance while keeping the queer focus that runs through all their work. I Wish You All the Best (2019), their debut and most well-known novel, also appears here as a standalone read.
Across these books, Deaver writes characters who are figuring out who they are and what they want. The tone shifts from book to book, but the common thread is honest, character-driven storytelling about love, loss, and identity.