Grace Salon has spent years perfecting the art of not saying what she means , especially to Raiden Rivers, the boy who knows her better than anyone and understands her least of all. They're best friends. That's what they tell everyone. That's what they tell themselves. But friends don't hold eye contact three seconds too long. Friends don't memorise the way the other person takes their coffee. Friends don't lie awake replaying ordinary conversations, searching for hidden meaning in every word. And friends definitely don't write stories where the truth bleeds through every carefully crafted line. When Grace leaves their coastal town for a writing residency, she finally puts into words what she has never been brave enough to say aloud. But some truths, once written, can't stay hidden forever. Almost Us is a slow-burn romance about the space between friendship and something more - and the courage it takes to cross a line you've spent years pretending doesn't exist. Content notes: parental divorce (mentioned, not depicted); emotional angst and yearning; social alcohol use.