Calling all Young Adult Readers, I have been busy reading some of the most recently released/to be released books this week and thought I would give you a run down so you know which ones to skip and which ones to go out and get immediately.
Time Between us/ Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone
Currently I am taking a little break from the Outlander series, but yet I still find myself drawn to a book about time travel. This is the story of Anna and Bennett. Anna is 16 years old in 1995 when she meets and falls in love with Bennett a 17 year old time traveler from 2012. I won’t tell you why Bennett is in 1995 because it would ruin a few things.
These books are not “new”, they were published in 2012 and 2013 but I had to add them to the list because I loved them so much. The first installment Time Between Us is from Anna’s POV and deals with meeting Bennett, falling in love and the reveal of his secret. The second book Time after Time is from Bennett’s POV and deals with his struggle of having the gift of time travel and the consequences of using it unwisely.
Both books are a quick reads and so very good. I am considering stalking the author and going all Misery on her until she writes more of their story.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
This book is so perfect I want to cry my eyes out. It’s not a sad book, it’s actually one of the sweetest books I’ve read in a long time but it does have a few sad elements in it.
It centers on Lara Jean Song, a middle child to the core and one of three girls who is being raised by a single father. Lara Jean’s mom died suddenly when she was young so her and her older sister Margot (Gogo) were tasked with helping their father raise their little sister Kitty (who is THE BEST written little sister character of all time). So far this is my favorite YA novel of the year. Maybe it’s because like Lara Jean, I am the middle sister of three girls in my family, maybe it’s because Jenny Han’s writing style is just right up my alley, either way this book is everything!
Lara Jean keeps goodbye letters to all the boys she’s ever loved in a hat box her mom gave her before she died. In the letters she confesses all the things she loves about each boy and some of the things she hates about them. Somehow her hat box goes missing and in true dramatic teenage girl form all hell breaks loose in her life.
Every single character is written perfectly, every moment I was dreading reaching the end and recently Jenny Han has announced that she is writing a sequel to it called P.S, I Still Love You. This had me wiping my brow with relief since the way it ended was the worst part of the whole book. This is a summer must read for YA lovers I cannot say enough good things about it.
Panic by Lauren Oliver
Panic is Lauren Oliver’s first standalone novel since Before I Fall (aka YA Groundhogs Day minus Bill Murray) Her dystopian Delirium series was popular even though not everyone was happy with how it ended. Panic is a “game” high school seniors participate in during the summer after they graduate. Everyone who wants to compete has to complete a series of dangerous/ scary obstacles with no fear in order to move on to the next round. Winner gets the pot of money that all players have contributed to. There is alternating POV’s throughout the book so you will hear from Heather and from Dodge, they know each other and eventually become friends during the summer of Panic.
Panic is a pretty generic book. If you like Lauren Oliver you will like it. I didn’t dislike it I just found the characters to be a little overwritten particularly the character of Dodge, I really feel like Panic is Heather’s story and the Dodge POV really felt unnecessary to me. I was a little disappointed in the book, but if you want a quick read that follows the pretty predictable formula of YA novels that are out right now, give it a chance. Librarian
We Were Liars by E.Lockhart
This book is a trip; I predict it’s going to be one of the most talked about YA books of the year. It is very difficult to review a book like this because I don’t want to give anything away. Basically, it’s about a wealthy family, akin to the Kennedy’s that visit their own private Island every summer. Cadence is one of 3 cousins and a friend who spend every summer together on the island. They call themselves “The Liars”. I literally don’t want to say anything else about this book because it’s a journey you just have to go on yourself. When I was reading it nothing made sense and everything made sense at the same time. It was frustrating to the point that I just kept reading until my eyes burned because I needed to know what was happening! It had me mesmerized within the first couple pages.
Nantucket Blue/ Nantucket Red by Leila Howland
I read Nantucket Blue last year and a few weeks ago an arc of Nantucket Red came in the mail for me. I was reluctant to read it at first because the first book left much to be desired. Nantucket Red is about Cricket Thompson’s summer before her senior year. She is invited to go to Nantucket with her BFF’s family for the summer, but when a tragedy hits her friends family plans change. She decides to go to Nantucket even though she was uninvited by her friend who is grieving and she ends up falling in love with someone she shouldn’t. Nantucket Blue picks up the next summer and I was pleasantly surprised that the sequel was a much stronger story and the characters, for the most part made much more realistic decisions and were a lot more emotive than in the first installment. Now that I have read the second I would say the first is worth the read just because I liked the way the characters evolved in the second one.
The One (The Selection Series 3) by Kiera Cass
If you haven’t read The Selection series yet, this won’t be a big deal to you, but for those of us who have waited over a year for the release of the final installment, Its a big freaking deal! The series has been described as a mix between the reality show The Bachelor and The Hunger Games. I am not sure this is the most accurate description of the series but that will do for now. Prince Maxon needs to narrow down 30 girls “randomly” selected from different castes to be his princess. America (yes, her name is America) is a reluctant participant but keeping her family in mind and with a freshly broken heart she joins the cast of The Selection.
The One is the third book in the series, and as the title suggests Maxon is finally ready to choose his princess. If you’ve read the series of COURSE you’re going to want to read this one. I read it in one sitting and I will withhold my entire opinion on it for now but let just say it wasn’t my favorite of the series.
Read any good YA that I didn’t mention? What new YA book are you most excited to read? Which one did you hate?
