
As we kick off a new year with new reading goals, I am highlighting some of my favorite reads of the past year. In my new role as Teen Services Associate, I'd love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite reads of 2024? Click here to share some of your favorite reads from the past year or so. I'll put together a spotlight featuring our teen Patrons' Picks! In the meantime, take a look at some of mine.
Gallant, by V. E. Schwab
V. E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors. Some of her books I've loved, including Gallant, are The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Archived series. Her world building is imaginative and unique - bizarre in many ways. If you're looking for an escape from reality, dive into one of her books.
Gallant is about a mute girl, Olivia Prior, who has been raised in a boarding school for girls. She is very much a loner and can see ghouls lurking most everywhere she goes. Her most valued treasure is her mother's journal, which is her only clue about where she came from. Unexpectedly, she receives a letter from her family home, Gallant, a place of mystery and intrigue that her mother's journal made clear was to be avoided at all costs. Upon her arrival, she finds family she didn't know existed, and who were everything but welcoming to Olivia. As secrets are unraveled throughout the novel, you will find yourself in the grips of this mysterious and haunting story.
Sync, by Ellen Hopkins
Ellen Hopkins, known best for her novels in verse written for mature young adults, has published yet another gripping tale of teens caught up in unfortunate circumstances, making choices based on survival and the hand they've been dealt. Her novels are easy to read but difficult to grapple with the heavy emotional content. Sync is no exception. From the goodreads.com...
"From #1 NYT bestselling author Ellen Hopkins comes a new heartbreaking young adult novel in verse about twins separated in the foster care system and the different paths their lives take. Seventeen-year-old twins Storm and Lake have always been in perfect sync. They faced the worst a parent could do and survived it together. In the wake of their mother's rejection, they've spent the last five years moving from foster home to foster home-sometimes placed together, sometimes apart. After being separated from his sister once again, Storm is devastated. He's the older brother and promised to always take care of Lake. But after a stint in juvie, his newest placement has him feeling almost hopeful. His foster dad is kind, and his girlfriend, Jaidyn, is the first person other than Lake he feels he can trust. But when Jaidyn is sexually assaulted by a violent ex, it pushes Storm over the edge. He retaliates and lands back in lockup-and he fears this time it will be for good. He wishes he could talk to Lake, but he doesnt know where she is, and he' s now feeling more alone and out of sync than ever before. Lake, like Storm, has found her own happiness in a relationship with someone new-her fellow foster, Parker. Life with Parker is never boring, but Parker has her own scars. She can be withdrawn and unpredictable, and that can be dangerous, especially after Parker convinces Lake to run away from their Bible-thumping fosters after they are caught in a compromising position. With no money, shelter, or ID, theyre living on the streets. Lake thinks of Storm and his promise to take care of her, and wonders where he could be now. Told in dual perspectives through unsent letters, at turns heartbreaking and always honest, this latest novel in verse from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins is a searing and unforgettable account of two teens caught in the teeth of the foster care system, fighting their way out and back to each other."
Maybe Someday, by Colleen Hoover
I, too, have been reading a lot of Colleen Hoover since her popularity has soared. These books are my guilty pleasure and mindless escape. While much of her writing is definitely on the mature side for young adults, she has written a handful that are recommended for teens aged 14+, including Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Never Never, Without Merit, Regretting You, and Heart Bones. I believe all of her books are in the adult fiction collection of the HRL system, but knowing how popular they are with teens, I have included this in my blog of favorites nonetheless. Ultimately, it is up to you and your parents what is, and is not, appropriate for you to read. This book is recommended for older teens and new adults, aged 17+.
"When she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, Sydney, a 22-year-old college student, must decide what to do next, especially when she becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor Ridge. When she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, Sydney, a college student, must decide what to do next. She becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor Ridge, and can't stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one."
In the Wild Light, by Jeff Zentner
From Goodreads.com "Life in a small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He’s been spending his summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen.
But when Delaney manages to secure both of them full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash will have to grapple with his need to protect and love Delaney, and his love for the grandparents who saved him and the town he would have to leave behind.
From the award-winning author of The Serpent King comes a beautiful examination of grief, found family, and young love."
Amina's Voice, by Hena Khan
Located in our Juvenile Fiction collection at HRL, this is a beautiful middle grades realistic fiction novel written from an authentic Muslim author's perspective. "Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized."
I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys
Another favorite author of mine, this one known for her historical fiction. She writes with such well-researched detail, bringing significant historical events to life on the pages and in your mind as you read. For this reason, you may find some of her works difficult to get through, simply because of the horrific events she writes about. This gut-wrenching novel takes place in Romania, 1989. You will learn more about the citizen spy network of communist Romania than you care to imagine. "Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.
Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.
Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?"
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