YA Stands Up for AAPI

This is one of my favorite reads of the year, and it’s about two Korean-American sisters named Jayne and June who barely talk, despite the fact that they both left their small Texas town for NYC as soon as they graduated from high school. Now Jayne is in college and barely getting by and June is a hedge fund manager on Wall Street. When June faces a health crisis, she turns to Jayne, and the sisters have to confront their past in order to move forward.

June Hur is actually Canadian Korean, but don’t sleep on this book! It’s a brilliant historical novel set in Joseon in 1800, and stars Seol, an indentured servant to the police bureau. When she’s called to a crime scene where the victim is a murdered noblewoman, she’s drawn into a mystery that could have serious ramifications on her own life. I loved this story set in a time and place that I’ve not read much about, and I am eagerly anticipating Hur’s next book, The Forest of Stolen Girls!

Speaking of great historical fiction! I loved this novel about Lily, a queer teen growing up in 1950’s San Francisco. She lives in Chinatown and doesn’t yet have the words to explain how she knows she’s different, but when she and a classmate sneak out to the Telegraph Club, they discover a community of queer women who change their lives. Bonus: Malinda Lo writes in so many genres! I loved her fantasy debut Ash, and her mystery/thriller A Line in the Dark as well!

Misa Suguira’s debut has a place in my heart. It’s about Sana, a Japanese American teen who is uprooted from Wisconsin to California for her dad’s job. In California, she has friends who are also Asian for the first time, and a new crush on a girl who just might like her back. But she also is keeping a big secret: She knows her dad is cheating on her mom. This is a beautiful coming of age story about identity, relationships, and love. I am also desperate to get my hands on her new book, Love & Other Natural Disasters, which is out in June.

Aisha Saeed’s debut YA novel is about Naila, a Pakistani American teen who has grown up knowing that her conservative parents plan on arranging her marriage. When they learn that she’s been dating Saif in secret, they whisk her away to Pakistan for a family trip…and then Naila learns that they’ve found someone for her to marry right away. The trip turns harrowing as Naila must find a way home. Bonus: If you want something a little lighter, pick up Yes, No, Maybe So by Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli.