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ALT Marisa DiNovis at Knopf has bought Birdie Schae’s debut YA novel, SMASH OR PASS. The sapphic romance follows 16-year-old Ellie, an autistic people-pleaser whose plan to reinvent herself at beach volleyball summer camp takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself falling for her grumpy teammate. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Brent Taylor at Triada US negotiated the deal for North American rights.

ALT art of SMASH OR PASS’s Ellie and Sierra by @aeiyenn. it shows a notebook lying open in the sand with two pictures sticking into it. on the left, there’s a picture of a white girl hugging a notebook and smiling widely. she has brown hair. on the right, a white girl in a volleyball outfit is standing. she has blonde hair and is holding a beach volleyball underneath her arm. around the notebook, there are a few seashells and a pair of sunglasses.

ALT art of the main couple in SMASH OR PASS by @aeiyenn, showing two girls looking at each other while sitting by a campfire at the beach

ALT art of SMASH OR PASS’s Ellie and Sierra by @aeiyenn. it shows a notebook lying open in the sand with two pictures sticking into it. on the left, there’s a picture of a white girl hugging a notebook and smiling widely. she has brown hair. on the right, a white girl in a volleyball outfit is standing. she has blonde hair and is holding a beach volleyball underneath her arm. around the notebook, there are a few seashells and a pair of sunglasses.