Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Pretty Girl County by Lakita Wilson

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Pretty Girl County by Lakita Wilson

Pretty Girl County
Lakita Wilson
Publisher
Published July 1, 2025

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About Pretty Girl County

The glitz of Gossip Girl meets the hustle of Leah Johnson’s You Should See Me in a Crown in this charming and hilarious story of ex-BFFs from PG County, Maryland, perfect for fans of Joya Goffney and Elise Bryant.

Girls like Reya Samuels always come from Prince George’s County. Reya is rich and she’s not afraid to show it—she wears designer clothes, drives a custom pink Audi, and lives in a neighborhood tucked behind a fancy cast iron gate. She works hard, but she can get anything she wants with … Continue reading →

Review: Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker

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Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker

Soulmatch
Rebecca Danzenbaker
Publisher
Published July 29, 2025

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About Soulmatch

Two-hundred years after World War III, the world is at peace, all thanks to the soul-identification system. Every 18-year-old must report to the government to learn about their past lives, a terrifying process known as kirling. Good souls leave the institute with their inheritance, a career path, and if they’re lucky, a soulmate. Bad souls leave in handcuffs.

It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal for Sivon, who, given her uncanny ability to win every chess match, already suspects her soul isn’t normal. Turns out, she was right to worry. Sivon’s results stun not only her, … Continue reading →

Review: Knocking on Windows: A Memoir by Jeannine Atkins

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Knocking on Windows by Jeannine Atkins

Knocking on Windows: A Memoir
Jeannine Atkins
Atheneum
Published August 5, 2025

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About Knocking on Windows: A Memoir

Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins revisits her past in this brave and powerful memoir-in-verse about memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer, perfect for fans of Amber Smith and Speak.

Night darkens the window to mirror.
I’m back in my old bedroom.

Six weeks after the start of her freshman year of college, Jeannine Atkins finds herself back in her childhood bedroom after an unimaginable trauma. Now home in Massachusetts, she’s struggling to reclaim her life and her voice. … Continue reading →

Review: Codebreaker by Jay Martel

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Codebreaker by Jay Martel

Codebreaker
Jay Martel
Wendesday Books
Published July 22, 2025

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About Codebreaker

This original, interactive thriller from debut author Jay Martel follows a brilliant teenage girl as she races across D.C. to decode the clues her father left behind, which may just be the key to saving the country from a devastating tragedy.

Mia Hayes has peaceful plans for the summer—find a part-time job at a coffee shop and work on her application for Harvard. Those plans are shattered one night when government agents arrive unannounced at her home seeking something they believe her father has taken. When the dust … Continue reading →

Review: Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar

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Four Eids and a Funeral Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar

Four Eids and a Funeral
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jairgirdar
Feiwel & Friends
Published June 4, 2024

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About Four Eids and a Funeral

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

Let’s get one thing straight: this is a love story.

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral … Continue reading →

Review: If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun

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If I Have to be Haunted

If I Have to Be Haunted
Miranda Sun
HarperCollins
Published September 26, 2023

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About If I Have to Be Haunted

Cemetery Boys meets Legendborn in this thrillingly romantic, irresistibly fun YA contemporary fantasy debut following a teenage Chinese American ghost speaker who (reluctantly) makes a deal to raise her nemesis from the dead.

Cara Tang doesn’t want to be haunted.

Look, the dead have issues, and Cara has enough of her own. Her overbearing mother insists she be the “perfect” Chinese American daughter—which means suppressing her ghost-speaking powers—and she keeps getting into fights with Zacharias Coleson, the local golden boy … Continue reading →