YA Fiction (Young Adult)

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it’s mostly about sex. No, it isn’t that kind of theory. Aki already knows she’s bisexual–even if, until now, it’s mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too. Actually, Aki’s theory is that she’s got only one shot at living an interesting life–and that means she’s got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It’s time for her to actually do something. Or at least try. So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa–slightly older, far more experienced–it seems her theory is prime for the testing. But it’s not going to be easy. For one thing, how exactly do two girls have sex, anyway? And more important, how can you tell if you’re in love? It’s going to be a summer of testing theories–and the result may just be love.

Girls Of Storm And Shadow by Natasha Ngan

In this mesmerizing sequel to the New York Times bestseller Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei and Wren have escaped the oppression of the Hidden Palace, but their freedom comes at a terrible cost. Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel monarch wasn’t the culmination of her destiny — it was just the beginning. Now Lei, with a massive bounty on her head, must travel the kingdom with her warrior love Wren to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. Meanwhile, a plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy, or will she succumb to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her bond with Wren, and their very lives? The explosive Girls of Paper and Fire was named: A 10-week New York Times bestseller #1 on the Indie Kids Next List B&N’s Most Anticipated LGBTQAP Books of 2018 Buzzfeed’s Books You Need to Pick Up This Fall Goodread’s Ultimate Fall YA Reading List Shondaland’s Fantasy Novels You Need to Read Bookriot’s Must Read Asian Releases Bookish’s Most Anticipated YA SFF List

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

Debuting on the New York stage, Zara is unprepared for Eli, the girl who makes the world glow; for Leopold, the director who wants perfection; or for death in the theater.Zara Evans has come to the Aurelia Theater, home to the visionary director Leopold Henneman, to play her dream role in Echo and Ariston, the Greek tragedy that taught her everything she knows about love. When the director asks Zara to promise that she will have no outside commitments, no distractions, it s easy to say yes. But it s hard not to be distracted when there s a death at the theater and then another especially when Zara doesn t know if they re accidents, or murder, or a curse that always comes in threes. It s hard not to be distracted when assistant lighting director Eli Vasquez, a girl made of tattoos and abrupt laughs and every form of light, looks at Zara. It s hard not to fall in love. In heart-achingly beautiful prose, Amy Rose Capetta has spun a mystery and a love story into an impossible, inevitable whole and cast lantern light on two young women, finding each other on a stage set for tragedy.

It’s Not Like It’s A Secret by Misa Sugiura

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature * 2018 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults * 2018 Rainbow Book List * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017’Well-paced, brimming with drama, and utterly vital.’ Kirkus (starred review)

This charming and bittersweet coming-of-age story featuring two girls of color falling in love is part To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and part Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don t invite her to parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there s the one that she can barely even admit to herself the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana s ever known.There are just a few problems: Sana’s new friends don’t trust Jamie’s crowd; Jamie’s friends clearly don’t want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

From the critically acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves comes an emotional, empowering story of what happens when love may not be enough to conquer all Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They’ve been together forever. They never fight. They’re deeply, hopelessly in love. When they separate for their first year at college–Toni to Harvard and Gretchen to NYU–they’re sure they’ll be fine. Where other long-distance relationships have fallen apart, theirs is bound to stay rock-solid. The reality of being apart, though, is very different than they expected. Toni, who identifies as genderqueer, meets a group of transgender upperclassmen and immediately finds a sense of belonging that has always been missing, but Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside their relationship. While Toni worries that Gretchen won’t understand Toni’s new world, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in this puzzle. As distance and Toni’s shifting gender identity begin to wear on their relationship, the couple must decide–have they grown apart for good, or is love enough to keep them together?

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

‘A moving YA book. And an important one’ – The Telegraph on Lies We Tell Ourselves What if discovering who you really are means letting go of who you’ve been? Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They’ve been together forever. They never fight. They’re hopelessly in love. When they separate for their first year at college they’re sure their relationship will stay rock solid. The reality of being apart, however, is very different. Toni’s discovering a new world – and a new gender identity – but Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside of their relationship. While Toni worries that Gretchen won’t understand Toni’s shifting identity, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in this puzzle. Now they must decide if their love is strong enough to last. A powerful new novel from the acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves. Praise for Robin Talley ‘This is so thought-provoking it almost hurts to read it, yet every word is needed, is necessary and consequently this is a novel that lingers long after you’ve finished it’ – Lovereading ‘This is an emotional and compelling read that I did not want to put down. It is […] beautifully written and the tension just simmers on the pages.’ – Bookbabblers ‘This book packs a very powerful punch’ – Historical Novel Society ‘With great characterisation, tough issues covered, and a plot which had me guessing right up until the last pages, this is a must-read. Massively recommended!’ – The Bookbag ‘This exceptional novel of first love and sexual awakenings is set against a backdrop of shocking racism and prejudice. It is incredibly well written as the tense, riveting story seamlessly combines fiction with historical fact.’ – Booktrust ‘Every now and then a Young Adult book comes along that I want to push into every reader’s hands, both young and old, and Lies We Tell Ourselves is that book for 2014’ – Jess Hearts Books ‘Talley has mixed two controversial topics together to create a firecracker of a story’ – Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog *A Goodreads Choice Awards semi-finalist 2014

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld comes a smart, thought-provoking novel-within-a-novel that you won t be able to put down.Darcy Patel has put college on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. With a contract in hand, she arrives in New York City with no apartment, no friends, and all the wrong clothes. But lucky for Darcy, she s taken under the wings of other seasoned and fledgling writers who help her navigate the city and the world of writing and publishing. Over the course of a year, Darcy finishes her book, faces critique, and falls in love. Woven into Darcy s personal story is her novel, Afterworlds, a suspenseful thriller about a teen who slips into the Afterworld to survive a terrorist attack. The Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead, and where many unsolved and terrifying stories need to be reconciled. Like Darcy, Lizzie too falls in love until a new threat resurfaces, and her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she cares about most.

The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? A new novel in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins.

For as long as she can remember, it s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire. Maya s a teenager who s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she s isolated with a baby on the way, and life s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined. Ariel and Maya s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago. What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years? In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins s deft hands, Ariel s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves for both the last and the very first time.

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

‘This beautifully realized debut delves into the emotions of a girl recovering from drug addiction and grief, all wrapped up in a solid mystery.’ -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice. The first time, she’s fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that’ll take years to kick. The second time, she’s seventeen, and it’s no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina’s murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery. After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina’s brother won’t speak to her, her parents fear she’ll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina’s murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.

Kiss Number 8 by Colleen Venable AF.

A 2019 National Book Award for Young People s Literature Longlist SelectionA 2019 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids

A 2020 Tayshas Reading List Selection

A 2020 Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection

Mads is pretty happy with her life. She goes to church with her family, and minor league baseball games with her dad. She goofs off with her best friend Cat, and has thus far managed to avoid getting kissed by Adam, the boy next door. It’s everything she hoped high school would be… until all of a sudden, it’s not.Her dad is hiding something big so big it could tear her family apart. And that s just the beginning of her problems: Mads is starting to figure out that she doesn’t want to kiss Adam… because the only person she wants to kiss is Cat.Kiss Number 8, a graphic novel from writer Colleen AF Venable and illustrator Ellen T. Crenshaw, is a layered, funny, sharp-edged story of teen sexuality and family secrets.