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You Only Live Twice
  • Published: 26 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9780593619070
  • Imprint: Kokila
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $55.00

You Only Live Twice

Formats & editions
Audiobook
28 July 2026
Hardback
26 Aug 2026
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An unforgettable, heartwarming, hilarious coming-of-age story about faith, family, all kinds of love, and a Black Muslim teen pursuing an ordinary goal in an extraordinary time.

Barely one week into senior year of high school, Boston native Zakiyyah is making her 2012-2013 Get Free Plan.

Step one: quit high school. (PSA: There are other ways to get to college!)

Step two: live like it’s Ramadan year-round.

As she gets deeper into her Plan, she starts to wonder if there’s someone out there who would be a good companion. To everyone’s surprise, Zakiyyah decides she wants to get married. But there are some complications.

Problem one: she’s never met a guy she liked. Zakiyyah’s family (reluctantly) and friends (eagerly) agree to support the search.

Problem two: what’s the secret to choosing a good life partner?

Enter Musa, by way of mutual friends. With marriage in mind, Zakiyyah and Musa get to know each other, progressing from email to instant messaging to phone calls. Things are going well… thrillingly well… until tragedy strikes Boston. In a moment of heightened emotion and stress, Zakiyyah and Musa have their first major disagreement.

Zakiyyah can call the whole thing off. But with or without Musa, what does it mean to live on her own terms?
  • Published: 26 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9780593619070
  • Imprint: Kokila
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $55.00
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About the author

Autumn Allen

Autumn Allen is an author, editor, consultant, and educator. Her debut young adult novel, All You Have to Do, was a People Magazine must-read for fall 2023, a Black Caucus of the ALA debut honor award winner, and was long listed for the Massachusetts Book Award. Her second novel, You Only Live Twice, is a JLG Gold Standard Selection. Her forthcoming picture books, Step On Board: Sculpting a Memorial to Harriet Tubman, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, Answered Prayers, illustrated by Charly Palmer, and To Know By Heart, illustrated by Daniel Minter, celebrate Black and Muslim history and culture. Autumn is a senior editor at Barefoot Books and has taught literature, writing, and publishing to students of all ages. Visit her online at AutumnAllenBooks.com.
portrait photo of Autumn Allen

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Praise for You Only Live Twice

"You Only Live Twice is going to be a huge HIT with Muslim teen girls who adore halal romance, and anyone who appreciates a good story! Allen's main character, Zakiyyah, has a witty and humorous voice that begs to be read. The story is a beautiful representation reflecting a Black Muslim American experience, something we very rarely see in YA, or any genre. I would hand this to all the young and old readers I know in a blink. A must have on every shelf!" —Shifa Saltagi Safadi, author of Kareem Between, National Book Award winner