How to Lose Yourself Completely

Peter Bognanni

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Book cover for How to Lose Yourself Completely
Image for variant 9781250409348
Book cover for How to Lose Yourself Completely
Image for variant 9781250409348

How to Lose Yourself Completely

How to Lose Yourself Completely

Peter Bognanni

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Description

A teen grappling with grief and anxiety is sent to wilderness "adventure therapy," where he meets a group of friends--and a girl from his past--who will change his life forever. With its captivating voice, this novel is perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and John Green.

Ever since Sean's death, Case's anxiety has been spiraling. Sean wasn't just his older brother--he was also Case's best friend. The only person who really got him.

When his parents suggest "adventure therapy," Case is desperate enough to agree. Maybe roughing it in the woods with a group of anxious strangers will help him find a way forward. After he boards the bus, he sees the one person he's been trying to avoid: Diana. Sean's girlfriend.

Once they set off, there is the expected cringey singing and forced sharing. But when their counselor mysteriously disappears, the trip suddenly turns into a journey of survival. This group of kids, with nothing in common but their prescriptions and lack of social skills, will have to band together to make it back home. In the process, they will change each other's lives forever.

From award-winning author Peter Bognanni comes a profound, surprising, and hopeful novel about grief and love.

About the Author

Peter Bognanni's first novel, The House of Tomorrow, won the L.A. Times Book Award for First Fiction and was adapted into a feature film starring Ellen Burstyn and Nick Offerman. His second novel, Things I'm Seeing Without You, was published in four countries and is currently in development for television. Peter teaches Creative Writing at Macalester College.

Critical Reviews

"Peter Bognanni's How to Lose Yourself Completely is a book to lose yourself in, completely. Through stunning prose, this novel of uncommon depth and astounding empathy will take you on a powerful and hopeful adventure into the human heart that will leave you breathless." --Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment.

"Moments of action are anchored by layered depictions of anxiety and resilience, and watching the characters forge bonds and push beyond their perceived limits is both gripping and deeply affecting. It coalesces into a blend of wilderness adventure and emotional healing bolstered by hard-won connection." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A gripping adventure and a deeply affecting exploration of grief and mental health." --Kirkus, Starred Review

"Bognanni's empathetic exploration of the ways in which anxiety influences and affects daily life offers inspiration and hope" --BookPage, Starred Review

"A gorgeous weaving together of loss and love, this ultimately hopeful story offers readers a light at the end of a difficult journey." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Heart-pumping action and an immersive writing style offer compelling, relatable characters." --The Horn Book Magazine

Publishing Information

Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pub date: 2026-06-02
Length: 352 pages

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