YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

An unforgettable slice-of-life YA novel about a Black Muslim American teen who navigates family, faith, identity, and the prospect of marriage against the charged backdrop of increased hostility toward the Muslim community in the United States.

Seventeen-year-old Boston native Zakiyyah feels constrained by the rules that guide her life. She wants to get free of everyone's expectations of her. She is ready to start her adult life. And she has a novel plan to achieve this: get married right after high school graduation.

Marriage after high school between young adults is unconventional but not unheard of in Zakiyyah's community of Muslims. But will being married bring the freedom that Zakiyyah wants? And there is the minor detail of not having a groom...

Enter Musa. He lives a few states away and he's a friend of a friend. Musa and Zakiyyah are both devout Muslims and interested in getting married before college. As Zakiyyah gets to know her potential husband and contemplates marriage, tragedy strikes her community.

Zakiyyah and Musa have their first disagreement, sparked by their emotional responses to societal tension. Though united in faith, their views diverge on critical issues. Zakiyyah must confront what kind of future she wants to build and how much freedom she really has.

"Getting free" is not as easy as it seems...

Autumn Allen is the author of All You Have to Do, a People Magazine must-read for fall 2023. Her forthcoming picture books include Step on Board: Sculpting a Memorial to Harriet Tubman, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and Answered Prayers, illustrated by Charly Palmer. She works as a picture book editor at Barefoot Books, and has a background in education. When she isn't making books, reading books, or talking about books and writing, she can be found biking, planning a trip to the beach, enjoying in-season fruits, or discovering new herbal teas. Autumn lives in Massachusetts with her family, across from cows and turkeys, with bunnies and a groundhog in the backyard. Visit her online at AutumnAllenBooks.com.