Benny is twenty-five, recently single, and desperate to escape his closed-minded small town. His anonymous, masked TikTok account is finally taking off, and moving to Manchester offers a fresh queer housemates, new work opportunities, a deepening connection with his trans BFF, and even a professional mentor. But praise and popularity become entangled with pressure and manipulation, and Benny crosses a line he can't uncross. One that will cost him everything, including the people he cares about most. A queer rebirth story, for the era of algorithms and rage bait.Set against the backdrop of online culture wars, and a fractured queer community, The Hardest Word, is a powerful story about accountability, self-discovery, and learning how to say sorry.CONTENT NOTE This novel contains themes of transphobia, internalised homophobia, manipulation, online harassment, emotional abuse, substance abuse, anxiety and death. Whilst these themes are handled with care, they may be distressing for some readers.