Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

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Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

Coyote Lost and Found
Dan Gemeinhart
Henry Holt & Co.
Published March 5, 2024

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About Coyote Lost and Found

It’s been almost a year since Coyote and her dad left the road behind and settled down in a small Oregon town. . . time spent grieving the loss of her mom and sisters and trying to fit in at school. But just as life is becoming a new version of normal, Coyote discovers a box containing her mom’s ashes. And she thinks she might finally be ready to say goodbye.

So Coyote … Continue reading →

Review: Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore

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Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore

Bad Like Us
Gabriella Lepore
Inkyard Press
Published March 5, 2024

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About Bad Like Us

Two friend groups collide when someone turns up dead over spring break in this heart-thumping YA thriller for fans of ONE OF US IS LYING and WE WERE LIARS.

Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered.

Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles’ academic career took a turn for the worse (they don’t talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might … Continue reading →

Review: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

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Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Furia
Yamile Saied Méndez
Algonquin Young Readers
Published September 15, 2020

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About Furia

An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American … Continue reading →

Review: Kyra Just for Today by Sara Zarr

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Kyra, Just for Today by Sara Zarr cover shows a girl standing at the water's edge on a sandy beach, looking up and shielding her eyes from the sun.

Kyra Just for Today
Sara Zarr
Balzer + Bray
Published March 5, 2024

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About Kyra Just for Today

From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a gorgeously crafted and deeply personal story about a young girl, her alcoholic mother, and the hope that ties them together. Krya has always felt like she’s a bit too much. Too tall. Too loud. Too earnest. But she’s okay with that, because she’s got her mom. Ever since Mom got sober about five years … Continue reading →

Review: Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle

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Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle

Conditions of a Heart
Bethany Mangle
Margaret K. Mc Elderry Books
Published February 20, 2023

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About Conditions of a Heart

For fans of Talia Hibbert and Lynn Painter comes a funny and unflinchingly honest story about a teen who must come to terms with her disability and what it means for her identity, her love life, and her future.

Brynn Kwan is desperate for her high school persona to be real. That Brynn is head of the yearbook committee, the favorite for prom queen, and definitely not crumbling from a secret disability that’s rapidly wearing her down. If … Continue reading →

Review: The Someday Daughter by Ellen O’Clover

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The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover

The Someday Daughter
Ellen O’Clover
HarperTeen
Published February 20, 2024

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About The Someday Daughter

Years before Audrey St. Vrain was born, her mother, Camilla, shot to fame with Letters to My Someday Daughter, a self-help book encouraging women to treat themselves with the same love and care they’d treat their own daughters. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s … Continue reading →