Worst-Case Scenario -- Ray Stoeve, Hardcover

An enemies-to-lovers romance about nemeses who are forced to share their school's Queer Alliance presidency following a tie in the election, new from beloved author Ray Stoeve

Sidney has one goal for their junior year. Well . . . two, if they're being honest. Number one: become president of their school's Queer Alliance club. And number two: keep their self-diagnosed anxiety in check so their grades don't tank like they did last year.

But when the election results in a tie with none other than Sidney's arch nemesis, the class clown Forrest, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Sidney expects Forrest to be insufferable, but it turns out that working together is . . . kind of nice?

As surprising feelings for Forrest emerge, Sidney's techniques for managing their anxiety stop working. With the reelection approaching and assignments starting to pile up, will all this pressure be too much for Sidney to handle on their own?

Author: Ray Stoeve
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 01/20/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781419764998
Age Range: 12-18

Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 10/20/2025

About the Author
Ray Stoeve is the author of the young adult novels The Summer Love Strategy, Arden Grey, and Between Perfect and Real. They also contributed to the young adult anthology Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They received a Made at Hugo House Fellowship and created the YA/MG Trans and Nonbinary Voices Masterlist, a database that tracks all books in those age categories written by trans authors about trans characters. When they're not writing, they can be found gardening, making art in other mediums, or hiking in their beloved Pacific Northwest.