Swing by Kwame Alexander

Noah and Walt are two high school students who have been best friends since childhood. Walt's character is an old soul in a teenager's body. He has high hopes and aspirations for his current, teenage life including making the baseball team, which he has been cut from for three years, pursuing a love interest he meets at a thrift store, and implementing his life/love lessons he learns from his cousin and from a podcast. Meanwhile, Noah wants to throw in the towel for baseball and concentrate on his love interest, whom he has loved since childhood, Samantha. 

The friendship between Noah and Walt is extremely endearing, authentic, and special like no other. The boys experience typical teenage drama: heartbreak, social awkwardness, being cool, school, and just life in general. Kwame weaves into the story jazz music by its rhythmic manner that narrates the story. This story really warmed my heart, but then it crushed it in the end and I am still trying to recover from it. I highly recommend this book to all as it brought many smiles and many tears throughout.