Genre: Young Adult / Magical Realism

Status: Writing

Abstract: When thirteen-year-old Emily’s spy dad gets burned and loses his job, her family flees their perfect Virginia suburb for a cramped house outside Philadelphia. Starting eighth grade as the new girl, Emily has one mission: reinvent herself. She meticulously plans her fresh start—befriend the popular kids, throw the perfect birthday party, and finally be someone who belongs.

But when her party becomes a total disaster (as in, literally no one shows up), Emily makes a desperate wish on her grandmother’s mysterious old book: I wish I could cut to the happy ending.

The book grants her wish. Emily wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s best friends with the popular crowd and dating Jake, the cute preppy boy from her locker. Everything she planned has come true. The problem? It’s all completely hollow. The popular girls are vapid, her perfect boyfriend feels fake, and the one person who seems real—Chloe, a weird cat-eared girl who does graffiti art and doesn’t care what anyone thinks—is impossible to reach no matter how hard Emily tries.

As the cracks in her “perfect” world grow wider, Emily realizes she’s trapped in a prison of her own design. To escape, she’ll have to surrender control and return to messy, unpredictable reality—where friendships must be earned, nothing is guaranteed, and sometimes the magic is in not knowing how things will turn out.

Fake Friends explores themes of authenticity, control, and finding real connection in an uncertain world. It will appeal to readers of Wonder by R.J. Palacio and 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass, blending the magical do-over premise of Freaky Friday with the emotional depth of middle grade friendship stories about learning to be yourself.

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