Staff Picks
It's Complicated
- Kei G.
- Wednesday, November 02, 2022
Collection
Messy meet-cutes, complex crushes, and offbeat rom-coms, these YA romances prove that love can be trickier than it seems.
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All Signs Point to Yes
Published in 2022
"A literal star-studded anthology that delivers a love story for every star sign straight from the hearts of thirteen multicultural YA authors"--Provided by publisher.
Only on the Weekends
Published in 2022
The son of a film director, Mack grows up on set and into a hopeless romantic -- one who falls hard for the handsome and popular Karim, who eventually notices him back, right before Mack has to relocate to Scotland. Not wanting to lose his first love, Mack asks Karim to be long-distance, but while they're trying, fearless and confident Finlay shows up on set, and Mack's world turns upside down yet again.
Kings, Queens, and In-betweens
Published in 2019
Perpetually awkward Nima Kumara-Clark is bored with her insular community of Bridgeton, in love with her straight girlfriend, and trying to move past her mother's unexpected departure. After a bewildering encounter at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene on the other side of town. Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies propel Nima both painfully and hilariously closer to a self she never knew she could be--one that can confidently express and accept love. But she'll have to learn to accept lost love to get there. From debut author Tanya Boteju comes a poignant, laugh-out-loud tale of acceptance, self-expression, and the colorful worlds that await when we're brave enough to look.
More Than Maybe
Published in 2020
""Like your favorite song, More Than Maybe burrows inside your heart and stays there. Vada and Luke's story of music, family, and first love will shoot to the top of your book playlist. A rich, sweet, rock and roll ride." - Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends With the Dark Growing up under his punk rocker dad's spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn't in front of a crowd, it's on thepage. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that's not Luke's only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell. Vada's got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom's boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil's music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley's prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor's summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out of this world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her? In More Than Maybe, Erin Hahn's swooniest book yet, Luke and Vada must decide how deep their feelings run and what it would mean to give love a try"-- Provided by publisher.
Not Your #lovestory
Published in 2020
"Macy Evans dreams of earning enough income from her YouTube channel, R3ntal Wor1d, to leave her small, Midwestern town. But when she meets a boy named Eric at a baseball game, and accidently dumps her hotdog in his lap, her disastrous "meet-cute" becomes the topic of a viral thread. Now it's not loyal subscribers flocking to her channel, it's Internet trolls. And they aren't interested in her reviews of VHS tapes--they only care about her relationship with Eric. Eric is overly eager to stretch out his fifteen minutes of fame, but Macy fears this unwanted attention could sabotage her "real-life" relationships--namely with the shy boy-next-door, Paxton, who she's actually developing feelings for. Macy knows she should shut the lie down, though she can't ignore the advertising money, or the spark she gets in her chest whenever someone clicks on her videos. Eric shouldn't be the only one allowed to reap the viral benefits. But is faking a relationship for clicks and subscribers worth hurting actual people?"-- Provided by publisher.
Technically, You Started It
Published in 2019
A hilarious, snarky, and utterly addicting #ownvoices debut that explores friendship, sexual orientation, mental health, and falling in love (even if things might be falling apart around you). When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you're talking to. Except there's two of them (it's a long story), and Haley thinks she's talking to the one she doesn't hate. A question about a class project rapidly evolves into an all-consuming conversation. Haley finds that Martin is actually willing to listen to her weird facts and unusual obsessions, and Martin feels like Haley is the first person to really see who he is. Haley and Martin might be too awkward to hang out in real life, but over text, they're becoming addicted to each other. There's just one problem: Haley doesn't know who Martin is. And Martin doesn't know that Haley doesn't know. But they better figure it out fast before their meet-cute becomes an epic meet-disaster...
When You Get the Chance
Published in 2022
Millie Price deals with her lovable but introverted dad, her drama club rival, Oliver, and her "Millie Moods," the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, but when an accidentally left-open browser brings Millie to her dad's embarrassingly moody LiveJournal, Millie knows she must find her mom.
It Goes Like This
Published in 2021
"Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to think their friendship was unbreakable. After all, they've been though a lot together, including the astronomical rise of Moonlight Overthrow, the world-famous queer pop band they formed in middle school. But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens' band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste's starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same"-- Provided by publisher.
Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra
Published in 2022
Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer teams up with Beckett--one of the charming Blackwell boys, the latest generation of a rival magic family--to win a stage magic contest and out-con the bad guys.
Love Somebody
Published in 2022
Seventeen-year-old overachiever Sam attemtps to encourage a love connection between her athletic ex-boyfriend Christian and her academic rival Ros while trying not to fall for Ros herself.
A Disaster in Three Acts
Published in 2022
Eighteen-year-old ex-friends, Saine and Holden, are forced to work together on a documentary that threatens to reveal their true feelings.
It's Not Like It's a Secret
Published in 2017
When her family moves to California, Sana falls for the beautiful and smart Jamie Ramirez but struggles with differences between their diverse friend groups, a boy's sweet but unrequited affection, and her father's increasingly obvious affair.
No One is Alone
Published in 2022
"When Michaela's mom dies and she has to move in with her dad, she discovers he's been married with kids all this time and she's the product of an affair"-- Provided by publisher.
Right Where I Left You
Published in 2022
The summer before he leaves for college, eighteen-year-old Isaac Martin makes big plans with his best friend Diego that only the reappearance of an old crush can derail.