Cover art by Loveis Wise.

Cover art by Loveis Wise.

ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER KNEW

Named One of 14 Summer Reads by Black Authors in 2020 by Essence Magazine

Named One of 75 Books to Read by Black Authors in 2020 by TeenVogue

Featured on NPR, Good Morning America, Buzzfeed, and, NBC News

The Sun is Also a Star meets “Love & Basketball” in a tumultuous, lyrical teen romance about two African American, high school basketball stars who fall in love hard and fast, but struggle while navigating their own tough family issues.

Carli feels completely lost. She secretly wants to quit basketball, but has no idea what dream she wants to replace it with. To make matters worse, her parents are getting divorced and she and her brother must decide who to live with. The only thing saving her is her belief that signs will ultimately reveal her destiny, and they all just pointed to Rex.

Rex craves love. He might be ESPN’s #1 high school basketball player of the year, but he’s terribly lonely. An only child, his mother died giving birth to him and he’s sure his father blames him for it. Plus, Rex has moved to a new school where all of his new teammates hate him. But meeting Carli changes everything. With her, he feels all the love he’s ever wanted to feel.

Set in Houston over the last few months of Rex and Carli’s junior year,  ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER KNEW  will make readers feel the all tenderness, messiness, and bliss of first love.

 

 

“A poignant love story. Tamani’s characters are well drawn, her prose is gorgeous, and the imagery she employs is lush. A masterpiece."

Booklist (starred review)

 

 

“Two promising Texas basketball players navigate the ups and downs of first love. . . . Funny, smart, and unflinchingly candid. . . . A superb, complex romance full of heart, humor, and unforgettable characters.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

 
"Readers will be easily swept away by this tale exploring the hearts and souls of two emotionally vulnerable athletes."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Starred Review)

 

 

"Tamani masterfully bounces and slams two hearts up and down a shrouded court of first love and revelations. A hard to put down backboard breaker.”

Rita Williams-Garcia,
National Book Award finalist and New York Times-bestselling author

 

 
"ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER KNEW is a beautifully poignant love letter: to a first love, to basketball, and to that enigmatic bunch we think we know best, only to discover we don’t know at all—family. Tamani’s latest is a bright shining star.”

David Arnold,
New York Times-bestselling author of Mosquitoland


 

 

"Liara Tamani’s All the Things We Never Knew is a bighearted, beautiful exploration of fate, family, and the glorious magic of love."

ELANA K. ARNOLD,
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST AND PRINTZ HONOR WINNER

 

 

“[Tamani’s characters] experience their first love, struggle through polarizing feelings about basketball, and witness the consequences of hiding secrets. . . . A deep dive into the glory and mess of new relationships . . . Engaging.”

School Library Journal

 

 
"“We’re making hearteyes at this teen romance set around the courts."

Bookriot

 

 
"Utterly relatable . . . Instantaneous fireworks soon lead to a deeper journey of self-discovery. Rex and Carli’s romance...will stick with you.

AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN

 
Greenwillow Books, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers