America Chavez is the superhero we all need. A Latinx lesbian who can punch star shaped holes between dimensions and is studying at “Sotomayor University,” America is fierce and fun and loving and I cannot get enough. (And you can read this without extensive comics knowledge.)
April
Willowdean Dickson, or Dumplin' as her mom calls her, is an unapologetic fat girl who wants to challenge the way we look at beauty--by entering the beauty pageant run by her mom. Willowdean is my winner for sure.
April
When his childhood best friend dies in an apparent murder-suicide, Aaron Falk goes back to the hometown he's been avoiding for years because of the murder of a girl that the town suspected him for--and one for which his best friend lied as his alibi. Tense and atmospheric, I immediately reached for the sequel.
April
You didn’t know you needed a Civil War era zombie book—but you do. In Dread Nation, Justina Ireland draws a compelling, tense, page turner that both makes your heart pound in suspense and makes you think about race with its nuanced writing. In short, it is genius, and you need to read it. (Even if you don't like zombie books.)
April
Illuminae is a fast-paced, heart racing, YA sci-fi book that breaks genre conventions, experiments with form and will keep you turning pages well into the night. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down, and I had to read the second one immediately. This is the perfect time to pick this one up because the trilogy is now complete! Head over to the YA section to find the others!
April
Meet Cute is a YA short story anthology celebrating the best part of any good rom-com- the meet cute. The fourteen stories within are diverse, romantic, funny, and heartbreaking, featuring many of today's most popular YA authors. This is the perfect read to get you in that Valentine's Day spirit.
April
What could be better than a Christmas-time scavenger hunt in New York City? When Lily's parents leave her and her brother alone for Christmas, she is devastated, and in an effort to cheer her up, her brother encourages her to leave a journal in a book at the Strand, prompting a back and forth scavenger hunt around the city. When Dash, with a Scrooge-like attitude toward Christmas, picks up the journal, it sets off a series of adventures all over the city that makes me laugh and warms my heart every time. I read this one every year, and I promise it will make you Christmas season brighter.
April
This unconventionally structured and intense YA thriller will appeal to fans of Gone Girl and other dark, female- centric mysteries. The story centers on queer romance, jealousy tangled up in friendship and class and race differences between teen girls at two different high schools in a small Massachusetts town. The unconventional shift in narration halfway through both allows for a more factual and removed look at the mystery and signals to the audience that Jess has lost control of her own story. One of the most artfully written YA books of the year, and a mystery sure to suck in both older teen and adult readers, this is one not to be missed.
April
And I Darken is a historical reimagining of a female Vlad the Impaler trying to protect herself and her younger brother in a hostile foreign land rich with political intrigue and court drama. Lada is a complex, morally gray anti-heroine who fiercely fights for herself and her family and often turns to violence to suit her purposes. This is a dark, gritty and compelling book that will enthrall you and draw you into its world completely. Richly realized, this one is good for fans of Three Dark Crowns and Game of Thrones.
April
Genuine Fraud is the YA psychological thriller we've all been waiting for. It is dark, twisty and impossible to predict and you'll want to pick it back up again as soon as you finish. Jule West-William is a chameleon, a fighter and a fraud- or is she? You be the judge. This book is a rich and compelling character study of a morally ambiguous anti-heroine combined with a taut thriller.
April
