Eighteen-year-old Jake Woods has one constant in his life: his favorite band, We Are Never Zero. When his freshman year at UCLA gets cut short because of a devastating colon cancer diagnosis, he instinctively plays their discography on repeat. It’s all he can do now that he’s back in his mediocre Midwestern hometown for treatment. 

But then We Are Never Zero announces an impending breakup, and the only thing holding Jake together becomes as brittle as his twenty-percent odds of long-term survival. When his best friend, Charlotte, finds a way for them to go to one of We Are Never Zero’s final concerts, Jake is forced to face his grim reality—while this might be his only chance to see them live, skipping town in the middle of his treatment could be a literal death sentence. 

With every infusion, pill, and appointment, Jake becomes more fatigued and less assured about his prospects. But despite aggressive cancer threatening his future, maybe Jake’s life, and We Are Never Zero, aren’t over yet. 

Medical: Cancer, hospitals, medical treatment and procedures, needles, surgery

Other: Parent death (before story begins), depression, racism (micro aggressions)