Jack Strange
Author
Author and Writing Coach
The Boyfriend Academy
A dystopian dark academia novel.
This is not a romance novel.
This is a dark book. It is an angry book. It is a politically charged book. It is not a romance, though it has a love story. It is a reflection of our times and the anger we feel. It asks more questions and gives fewer answers. It has an ambiguous ending. Trust that I have the answers, should I be lucky enough to write a second. Sometimes you have to play the game of publishing to tell the story you want to tell. If you are not in the right mindset because of what is going on in the world, then this might not be for you.
Ganymede’s is no ordinary boarding school. Behind its spiral towers and manicured lawns, boys are forged into the men society demands – strong, obedient, perfect. Graduate, and the world is yours: a home, a career, a wife. But fail… and you’re no longer useful to society.
For Dylan Cecil it should be simple: keep his head down, survive graduation, and earn his place. But when his friend, Blake, goes missing, Dylan can’t silence the questions gnawing at him, even as whispers of danger shadow the school’s gilded halls.
As June’s trials close in – eight tests that will decide who is worthy of manhood – Dylan is haunted by Blake’s absence and drawn to Roman Edwards, a boy as magnetic as he is unknowable.
In a world rebuilt on order and obedience, Dylan must decide: will he become the man the academy wants – or the man he really is?
-
This is a dark book. It is an angry book. It is a politically charged book. It is not a romance, though it has a love story. It is a reflection of our times and the anger we feel. It asks more questions and gives fewer answers. If you are not in the right mindset because of what is going on in the world, then this might not be for you.
Authoritarianism
Climate Anxiety
Consent (non-sexual)
Discrimination (queer)
Eugenics
Fascism and the rise of the far-right
Homophobia
Human experimentation
Human rights
Inequality
Medical torture
Misogyny
Queer trauma
Unhappy queer love story (for now)
Violence
25 Days in Athens
The escapist destination MM queer romance for summer reading
Publishing June 18, 2026.
5th June, 2026, in ebook and audio.
The brand new summer holiday romance for fans of Casey McQuiston, M. A. Wardell and Alexis Hall!
‘Please join us and celebrate the wedding of Ollie & Alec.
August 31st 2026.
Athens, Greece.’
Will is not ready for this. How can Ollie be moving on from him so quickly? And GREECE?! The exact location that he and Ollie dreamed about getting married in one day… It’s been three years since Ollie and Will had spoken, their relationship crumbling after Ollie had proposed and Will had said ‘no’, but now, Will realises he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
There is only one option.
With his mind made up, Will packs his bags and heads to Athens. He has 25 days until Ollie and Alec get married, 25 days to complete his mission to declare his love for Ollie, win him back, and, of course, stop the wedding. The last person Will expects to run into on his first day in Athens is his childhood friend, Sam. But Sam isn’t the lanky little boy clutching his Pokémon cards anymore; Sam is now an impossibly handsome grown-up (although still secretly clutching his Pokémon cards).
Surrounded by the beauty and history of Athens, Will has 25 days to work out what it is he really wants.
Tropes:
Destination
Second Chance
Forced Proximity
Look Up, Handsome
The most heart-warming, romantic and laugh-out-loud romcom you need to read.
Quinn wants to save his bookshop, the last thing he needs is to fall in love…
Hay-on-Wye’s only queer bookshop is always a hive of activity. So when it’s threatened with closure, its owner Quinn Oxford is determined to do whatever it takes to save his beloved shop.
That is until romantic novelist Noah Sage arrives in town. Gorgeous, brooding and clearly unhappy to be there, Noah is the distraction Quinn doesn’t need. Noah has a history with Hay and it’s one he’d rather not face. But when the snow leaves him stranded, he’s left with no choice.
Hay is a small town, meaning Quinn can’t help but bump into Noah wherever he goes. And as the two grow closer together, is it possible that Noah’s feelings towards Hay will thaw? Can Quinn have a real-life romance and save his beloved bookshop? Or will he need a Christmas miracle…
The perfect festive romcom for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall!
About Jack
Author of Look Up, Handsome, which the New York Times called 'a cozy and emotional holiday romance', Jack Strange is a native writer to Wales. He writes romantic comedies with gay male leads, as well as dystopian dark academia as J S Strange.
Jack is published by HarperCollins.
When he isn't writing, he's using Instagram and TikTok too much. You might also find him reading tarot cards online and at festivals. Or you might see him opening Pokemon cards online.
Jack Strange’s Writing Room
Subscribe to my Substack
My Substack acts as my creative outlet, and my newsletter. It is a place where I share my thoughts, my experiences, tips on writing, and anything else that comes to mind. Never miss an update. Come into the Writing Room and hang out.