A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee (A Lesson in Vengeance; The Fever King) is a queer romance with protagonists who will take up permanent residence in readers' hearts.
Ely Cohen is back in New York nearly a decade after her Orthodox Jewish family kicked her out at age 18; she's there for a summer art program where she hopes to learn from the famous but camera-shy artist Wyatt Cole. But what was supposed to be a one-night stand the night before her first class turns out to have major ramifications when the man who gave her the best sex of her life walks into the classroom the next day. In Grey's Anatomy style, it's Wyatt Cole. Wyatt tells Ely she can't be his student, because it would be unethical for him to have power over her after they'd slept together. Ely reluctantly enrolls in another teacher's class but makes Wyatt promise to help with her capstone project. What follows is a summer of almost-kisses as neither can resist the deep attraction between them.
Lee peels back layers of vulnerability for both artists as they heal from painful pasts, weaving a powerful and intimate story of intersecting conflicts. Ely is hot-headed and forceful, while Wyatt is hesitant and shy. Sparks fly when they're together. Ely's addiction and struggles with faith, Wyatt's addiction and trans identity, and the healing they offer each other all come together in achingly sweet moments. Honest and true to life, this is a story that will stay with readers long after turning the last page. --Dainy Bernstein, postdoc in children's literature, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign