Author: Adam Silvera
Published: 2017 They Both Die At the End takes place in a future where you are warned a little after midnight on the day that you will die. You receive a phonecall from Death-Cast telling you it's your last day to live, but you get no details on how you are going to die. Mateo Torrez gets his phonecall, and he doesn't really know what he wants to do with his last day. His father is in a coma, and he is kind of scared to leave the house. Rufus knows what he wants to do on his last day--he wants to have a funeral for himself where he can spend time with all the special people in his life. But things don't go according to plan, and Rufus finds himself all alone. Mateo and Rufus go to a website called Last Friend where people who are dying can reach out to others and find someone to spend the day with. Mateo and Rufus decide to meet up and spend their last day together. They Both Die at the End is a tragic and amazing story. What would you do with your day if you knew that it was your last?
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Author: K.A. Holt
Published: 2019 Kate feels like she is two different Kates: the Kate her mom wants her to be--the cheerleading captain and the popular girl--and the Kate she wants to be. When Kate meets Tam, she finds that she is the Kate she wants to be when she's with her. There's something about Tam that makes Kate happy, that gives her butterflies. When she tries to bring Tam into her world, it doesn't quite work. Tam doesn't fit in with her friends; Kate's mom doesn't understand why she spends time with her. Maybe they really don't belong together; but why is the thought of that so awful? Redwood and Ponytail is a beautiful story about first love and about figuring out who you are. I absolutely loved this verse novel and was rooting for all of these characters! Author: Ibi Zoboi
Published: 2018 Zuri is happy living in her neighborhood and everything that it involves. But when the rich Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri is worried. First, she is worried that all these rich people are going to move to the neighborhood and change it, driving up rent prices and causing all the families who live there to have to leave. Second, she doesn't like the family, especially Darius who acts like he is better than everyone else. When Zuri goes on a college visit, she unexpectedly finds herself spending time with Darius, and she doesn't quite know how to feel about it. He acts one way but then she can sometimes see a different side of him. She especially doesn't know how to feel about the family after a bunch of different interactions that leave her feeling like they think they are better than she is. This is a fantastic retelling of Pride and Prejudice that readers of romance will love! Author: Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Published: 2016 Shame the Stars takes place in 1915 in Texas during the Mexican Revolution. In Texas, Rangers were in charge, making life very difficult for Hispanic Americans living there. They often didn’t follow the actual law and killed many people, assuming they were guilty, without even arresting them first. Joaquin and Dulcena are teenagers who have feelings for each other, but their families are feuding, and they are not allowed to see each other. Dulcena’s family owns a newspaper. Recently they have started publishing writing that seems controversial to some because it exposes the way Hispanic Americans are being treated by the Rangers. Joaquin’s father doesn’t want to be associated with them and the dangerous ideas they are spreading. Joaquin’s family runs Las Moras. Joaquin’s father has always been treated fine by Munro, the leader of the Texas Rangers, because he tries to keep his head down. When Munro starts accusing workers on Las Moras of being involved in attacks against Rangers, Joaquin’s family has a big decision to make. Shame the Stars is a beautiful love story set during a very dangerous time. Fans of historical romance will love Joaquin and Dulcena’s story. Author: Nic Stone
Published: 2019 Rico’s family is struggling. She works at a gas station to help her mom pay the bills. On Christmas Eve, a woman decides to buy two lottery tickets and gives one to Rico. When the lottery numbers are announced, Rico doesn’t win, but she does know that the winning ticket was sold at her gas station on Christmas Eve, and Rico is convinced that the woman has the winning ticket. But no one comes forward to claim the prize. Rico thinks it is her duty to track down the woman and let her know she won, and by doing that maybe the woman will give her some money that would make a huge difference to Rico and her family. Zan’s family is very wealthy, and Zan is super popular at school. Rico and Zan’s paths cross and suddenly they find themselves on this quest together. Rico gets the feeling that Zan is starting to have feelings for her, but she cannot let him in. Zan is dealing with his own family issues and is hiding a big secret from Rico. Jackpot is a fantastic story about two kids who are very different but are both struggling. I loved this realistic, romance, adventure book! Lara Jeans keeps all the love letters she has written to boys she has had a crush on over the years in a hat box. There are five letters that she has written but has never sent. When the letters get mistakenly sent to the people they are addressed to, suddenly Lara Jean's secret past crushes now know how she felt about them.
Lara Jean's older sister, Margot, has just started her first year of college, and before moving to college she broke up with her boyfriend Josh. One of Lara Jean's love letters was written for Josh. In order to prove to Josh that she no longer has a crush on him, she convinces Peter Kavinsky (another boy who got a letter) that they should pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. He agrees because he recently broke up with someone and wants to make his ex jealous. But love is hard, and even though she thinks she doesn't feel anything anymore for these five boys she wrote letters to, she learns that what she thought was in the past might not be done and over with. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a great romance story. It is the start of a trilogy. Author: Sandhya Menon
Published: 2019 Sweetie and her mom battle constantly about what Sweetie can and cannot do, and not because Sweetie is a troublemaker. Instead, they fight about what she can and can't do and wear because Sweetie is fat. She is the first one to call herself fat and thinks that it shouldn't be a negative thing. Her mom is just worried about people laughing at her and making fun of her, but Sweetie thinks her mom believes she is not good enough the way she is. Sweetie also is one of the most talented athletes on her track team. She is extremely fast, and others have a hard time believing she can run because of the way she looks. Ashish is heartbroken after his girlfriend breaks up with him. He decides to let his parents choose his next girlfriend (something not uncommon in his culture), after all it worked for his brother! When his parents want to set him up with Sweetie, the only person who says no is Sweetie's mom because she just thinks the two don't match, that maybe they can date if Sweetie loses weight. Sweetie and Ashish decide to date anyway. Can Sweetie get over her secret fear of people laughing at her for being fat? Will Ashish ever be able to move on from his last relationship? There's Something About Sweetie is an adorable book about acceptance and relationships. I absolutely loved Sweetie. What a great role model for all of our young people! Author: Kiera Cass
Published: 2012 Think Hunger Games and The Bachelor and you have The Selection series. In the country of Illea sometime in the future, a royal family rules over everyone. All people are put into different castes. Ones are royalty. Twos and Threes belong to the upper class. The caste system goes all the way until Eight, the homeless. You are born into your caste, and it was very hard to move out of it. Women can marry up and enter into another caste, but it is very rare for them to accept a marriage offer from someone in a lower caste, which would result in them moving down to that caste. America is a Five. There is never enough food for her family, but she knows that she has it better than others. She is also keeping a secret. She has a secret boyfriend who is a Six. If anyone found out, the relationship would be over. There is no way that her parents would approve of her marrying someone from a lower caste. Whenever it is time for the Prince of Illea to get married, they hold a contest called the Selection. Any female from any caste is welcome to apply. Only 35 are chosen, and they are brought to live at the castle while the Prince gets to know them. He eliminates any he knows he doesn't want to marry until the very last one who will become his wife. It is about time for Prince Maxon to get married, so a Selection is needed. America, who doesn't even want to apply, puts her name in thinking that nothing will come of it. When her name is drawn, she must enter the Selection. Her heart lies elsewhere, so she doesn't think it's a big deal. She'll just accept the money they give her for being part of the competition for as long as Prince Maxon will keep her there. But then she gets to know Prince Maxon, and suddenly her heart doesn't really know what it wants. Fantastic romance with a dystopian twist! Author: Justin A. Reynolds
Published: 2019 Jack meets Kate at a party. Immediately the two have a connection. They always want to talk to each other and spend time with each other. They are in love. But Kate is keeping a secret--she is sick. Sad love story, right? But the weird thing is, there's more. At the moment Kate dies, Jack finds himself sent back in time to the night he meets Kate. He gets to do everything again. They fall in love all over again. Jack thinks that he is sent back in time to try to save Kate. But in trying to save Kate, other things start to go wrong. Will saving Kate be worth losing everything else? Opposite of Always is a great love story with a unique science fiction twist. I loved every single character in this book. Absolutely fantastic read! Author: S.K. Ali
Published: 2019 Zayneb is Muslim. She recently got suspended from school because she got angry at a teacher for being an Islamophobe, someone who doesn't like Muslims. She is the only Muslim in the class, and Mr. Fencer always tries to get a rise out of her. This time it worked. So Zayneb flies to her aunt's house in Qatar after being suspended. Zayneb is angry. She experiences so much hate and prejudice because she is Muslim--it's easy to tell her religion because of her hijab she wears. Adam secretly dropped out of college because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that killed his mom. He is trying to keep his diagnoses a secret from his dad who is still having a hard time with the death of Adam's mom. But he may not be able to keep it a secret for much longer. Then Adam and Zayneb meet on the plane on the way to Qatar. Immediately they are drawn to each other. Love From A to Z is a sweet love story that also tackles a very relevant issues in our world today--Islamophobia. I love how Zayneb and her friends are social activists who try to make changes in their worlds. It is very inspiring for young people to read about people their age who are doing these things. |
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