Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

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Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid

Before Takeoff
Adi Alsaid
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published June 7, 2022

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About Before Takeoff

The Sun Is Also a Star meets Jumanji when two teens meet and fall in love during a layover-gone-wrong at the Atlanta airport in this thrilling new novel from the author of Let’s Get Lost!

James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn’t be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light–and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually… a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not … Continue reading →

Review: Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West

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Places We've Never Been by Kasie West

Places We’ve Never Been
Kasie West
Delacorte Press
Published May 31, 2022

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About Places We’ve Never Been

A sweet and swoony contemporary Young Adult novel about a cross-country family road trip that puts one girl and her childhood best friend on an unexpected road to romance!

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they’d talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems…like he’d rather … Continue reading →

Review: My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

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My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

My Mechanical Romance
Alexene Farol Follmuth
Holiday House
Published May 31, 2022

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About My Mechanical Romance

Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of THE ATLAS SIX.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn’t seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care … Continue reading →

Review: Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

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Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

Love Radio
Ebony LaDelle
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published May 31, 2022

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About Love Radio

Hitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this witty and romantic teen novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.

Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems. After all, at seventeen, he has his own segment on Detroit’s popular hip-hop show, Love Radio, where he dishes out advice to the brokenhearted.

Prince has always dreamed of becoming a DJ and falling in love. But … Continue reading →

Review: The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

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The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

The Boy Who Met a Whale
Nizrana Farook
Peachtree Publishing
Published on February 1, 2022

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About The Boy Who Met a Whale

From the author of THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT comes another brilliant escapade. A thrilling adventure set in fictional Sri Lanka, jam-packed with peril and kidnap and a huge blue whale!

Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side… Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are … Continue reading →

Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

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The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

The Agathas
Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Delacorte Press
Published May 3, 2022

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About The Agathas

Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money … Continue reading →