A Modern Caulfield Meets Harold and Maude with an ADHD Twist-Raw, Darkly Witty, Achingly Real
BlueInk Review Notable Book (Starred) - BookLife Reviews Editor's Pick - Kirkus Reviews "Get it"

Oscar Danielsson is eighteen, brilliantly ADHD, and about to ruin his life-again.
He looks like a promise waiting to be kept. His biggest fear is everyone discovering he's not what they expect at all. Between his spectacular mistakes, self-medicating, and overwhelming existential dread, hiding in his room feels safe, even if it means blowing high school graduation. Then, after one hazy mistake too many, Oscar gets a chance at redemption: a mysterious cross-country road trip with his free-wheeling Grammy, who's done playing by the rules. Leaving behind his girl crush, beloved dog, and all his comforting vices is torture. But Grammy's secret changes everything-and Oscar discovers one of his own.

Oscar is the defiant anti-hero you can't stop rooting for. Grammy is his unlikely wingman.
Together they're almost okay.

2026 In the Margins Top 10 Fiction Book, Promising Young Man is a powerful exploration of belonging, societal expectations, and the loss of innocence that doesn't shy away from the messy truth of growing up or growing older. Perfect for readers who loved: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Virgin Suicides
I'll Give You the Sun
And anyone in high school, college, or deep in their career who's ever felt like a square peg in a round world or watched someone they love struggle to fit in.

"fascinating, original, and exceptional...especially and unreservedly recommended" - Midwest Book Review (Library Bookwatch, May 2026)

"You'll hate yourself for putting it down to go to bed, but you'll remind yourself that you're trying to make it last." - Dr. Moses Altsech, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business

"The writing and dialogue are so on point... the book is sweet and endearing with something for everyone." - BlueInk Review (Starred Review)

"Axel's writing crackles with energy and hard-won insight, capturing Oscar's inner monologue in a way that feels both authentic and deeply relatable." -BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick)

"(Henry Fielding's) Tom Jones suggested that the world, no matter how messy, ultimately has answers. Promising Young Man does the same." - Windy City Reviews (Recommended)

"I love this book." - Jill Wine-Banks, author, The Watergate Girl, MS NOW legal analyst

"Beautiful read... Oscar's voice is unforgettable." - Doug Bolton, author, Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation

"Oscar is breathtakingly real and appealing" - The BookLife Prize

"deeply moving, sharply observed... truly enjoyable." - Sarah C. Maza, Member American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Professor of History Emerita Northwestern University

"a quiet masterpiece" - Samuel Durr, Learning Specialist, William C. Goudy Technology Academy (a 2025 Top Magnet School of Excellence)

Dark humor ~ Road trip adventure ~ Intergenerational friendship ~ ADHD representation done right

Contains mature themes including mental health struggles, substance use, suicidal ideation, and self-harm.