• Age: 13 to 18
• Grade: 4
• Reading age: 8 to 9

Freyja, leader on her school's Gay-Straight Alliance, is a politically active 17-year-old who has always identified as a lesbian. When her girlfriend breaks up with her, she is upset and has to distance herself from her ex and the pride video blog they created together. Freyja needs a new cause so she starts volunteering at the local food bank. There, she learns about food justice and begins to develop feelings for her male team leader, Sanjay. When Freyja is accused of "going-straight" she has to decide if she can reconcile with self-identifying as a bisexual and take a chance on love with Sanjay.

Born in Denmark, Mette Bach grew up in North Delta. Her essays have appeared in Vancouver Review, First Person Queer (Arsenal Pulp Press), Second Person Queer (Arsenal Pulp Press) and Visible: A Femmethology (Homofactus Press). Her journalism has appeared in The Advocate, The Globe & Mail, and Xtra. She has an MFA in creative writing from UBC, writes a column called Not That Kind of Girl for Outlooks Magazine (Canada's LGBTQ Magazine) and Out Look Weekly (in Columbus, Ohio). She teaches four creative writing courses for the Continuing Studies Department at Langara College. Karen X. Tulchinsky directed Mette Bach's first screenplay, Ms. Thing, which played at film festivals around the world. Daniella Sorrentino directed her second screenplay, Viral, which will debut at festivals this summer. Off the Highway is her first book.

Mette Bach's profile page

"This novel flows quickly, and would be suitable for high school students who may be struggling with shaping their identity and sexuality, who may be curious about the heaviness of the political state of the world, or who may be dealing with a breakup. Rated G: Good, even great at times, generally useful!"

Resource Links

"I highly recommend this book for queer people in particular. Sexuality and gender are fluid and always developing. It is easy to get into an us vs them or gay vs straight mentality, which doesn't allow for that growth and doesn't allow for people to fully express themselves without dear. This book shows that so wonderfully."

NetGalley

"A fast-paced plot and clearly delineated characters examine a gender issue that is often not addressed in the quest for acceptance of LGBTQ young people: discomfort with bisexuality ... For this reason alone, I will include this title in my library collection. Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The romance stories in Lorimer's Real Love series reflect the diverse world that teens live in — at a reading level for emerging readers."

VOYA

"This hi-lo novel ... handles Freyja's learning experiences reasonably well."

Kirkus Reviews