Author: Kelly Jensen

Hey YA Readers!

Let’s catch up on recent YA book talk over on site.

• This year is on fire with queer YA. Here are 10 more titles starring queer girls to hit shelves this year.
• The best YA novels about DC Superheroes.
• 12 YA books about obsessive compulsive disorder.
• A powerful YA books about racism in the UK.
• Read your way into the work of YA giant David Levithan.
• 50 beautiful sentences from YA books.
• Queer self-help books for teens.
• Maybe you need some YA books about the book world.
• You’ll be adding each of these rad Harry Potter enamel pins to your totes and denim jackets.
• Read some YA books about family.
• Pick some board games, and we’ll recommend a YA book series for you to read.

And since there’s never enough YA talk, here’s a peek back at some of the YA book talk from August of years gone by:

• 10 books like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
• YA books about witches.
• 7 movies that are perfect for YA readers.
• YA books about social anxiety.
• Fandom according to YA lit.
• YA books for fans of Stranger Things.
• Why “The Queen’s Thief” series reignited my love for YA fantasy.
• I can’t believe the story of the fake NYT YA bestseller book, brought down by Twitter, happened two years ago.
• What to read if you love The Perks of Being A Wallflower (wow, this post is due for an update with more books by and about people of color!).
• Five YA and crossover adult novels about flight.
• From the way, way back and yet still always relevant: why we need more diversity in YA fantasy.

Not 100% YA related, but this bookish t-shirt is too good not to share here for fellow bookish folks.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you Saturday for some great ebook deals!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers! Let’s talk about the books that are being reissued this year.

Reissues take a couple of different forms. There are the books that have either gone out of print and are being brought back to print or have remained in print but are getting a facelift. Then there are the reissues that are anniversary editions honoring a milestone for the book. Reissues typically — though as you’ll see, not always — have a new cover for a new generation.

All of these books have had reissues this year or will be seeing them in the very near future. What makes reissues so great is that they can hit the radars of readers who missed them the first time around, they can spark interest with young readers, and for libraries/schools especially, they’re nice replacements for those well-loved editions. Publishers are able to really bring titles back that fit into contemporary trends and interests, as well as reintroduce classic authors to readers who simply want more depth to their reading lives.

Note: links might not take you to the exact editions because not all are available for preorder yet.

145th Street: Short Stories by Walter Dean Myers (January 14, 2020)

The legendary YA author’s short story collection which takes place on a single block will be rereleased with a fantastic cover in honor of the book’s 20th anniversary.  This is going to be a book to hand to fans of Jason Reynolds, as it’ll be such a great pairing with his upcoming Look Both Ways.

Ash by Malinda Lo

In honor of the book’s 10th anniversary — which is hard for me to believe because I remember first reading this book when it hit shelves in 2009 — Ash was rereleased with some fun extras. The cover is nearly the same, as is the story within. If you haven’t yet read this lesbian Cinderella story, here’s your reminder.

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (November 12)

There have been a few iterations of this book over the course of its life, but this is a unique take. It’s a mini hardcover edition, coming in November. It’s 6.5 inches by 4.3 inches, which makes it about the size of a mass market paperback, but it’ll be hardcover. This is the retelling of the German folktale Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) set during World War II.

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers (February 4, 2020)

If you’ve only read Sadie, then you’re in for a treat when the reissue of Summers’s debut novel hits shelves in February. This is a twisty, gritty book about secrets, friendship, and the ways a person can fall apart when she’s buried under the weight of belief she’s at fault for something terrible that happened. The reissued cover is a nice connection to the original while also being a bit more true to the story inside.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

The reissued cover for LaCour’s debut novel — and Morris Award Winner — is so, so good, and it pairs perfectly with the paperback edition of We Are Okay. This is a story about a girl grieving the loss of her best friend, who struggled with mental illness and died by suicide. It’s beautiful, it’s tough, and it’s utterly moving. LaCour packs so much in every line.

I Don’t Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz

Schutz wrote about her memoir in verse being rereleased for the newsletter earlier this year, but it’s worth including here because it’s such a fantastic example of a book hitting shelves at a time when the topic of mental health — and memoirs for teens — weren’t as much a part of the conversation as they are now. The new author’s note in this book is a big bonus.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

This mega bestselling novel by Forman, made into a film, got an anniversary edition earlier this year. In addition to the cover being an homage to the original, there’s a bonus prequel to the story in this one. Readers who haven’t read the book should — it’s the story of a girl hanging between life and death after a car accident. Part real, part fantasy, completely full of Feelings.

Like Sisters On The Homefront by Rita Garcia Williams (December 30)

How fantastic is this cover? This book, which is a Coretta Scott King honor, originally came out in 1995 but it’s being reissued for today’s readers. It’s the story of 14-year-old Gayle and her son who are being sent to live with her uncle and his family after getting into some trouble. Gayle gets to know her family while there and it plays a huge role in how she sees her future.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (January 7)

I’m so stoked to see this getting reissued with such a fresh cover treatment and bound into one giant edition. Castellucci and Rugg’s comic is about a team of activist artists who work to rouse their sleepy suburban town with guerrilla works of art. This was (maybe still is?) a cult classic for years and years when after it came out in 2007, so it’s nice seeing such a modern refresh since thematically, it absolutely still resonates. It’ll find a whole new batch of young readers, for sure.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA readers! Let’s talk YA news.

As has been mentioned before, summer tends to be a quiet time in the publishing world, and that translates to there being less news than usual. That’s why there haven’t been as many roundups. But today, you’re in for a nice, lengthy treat!

• Netflix’s Trinkets, which is based on a YA book of the same name, is getting a second season.
• This tweet from Megan McCafferty sure makes it sound like we might see more Jessica Darling books, doesn’t it? She has a new book coming next year that sounds so good.
• You can rent Bella Swan’s home on AirBNB.
• Dig into this incredible preview of spring 2020 books for children and young adults. I added a pile to my TBR.
• I enjoyed this piece in the New York Times about royal-themed YA books on the bestseller list. One little thing that wasn’t mentioned that I have chewed on: while I know teens are reading these books, I suspect it’s adults who are doing the spending on them.
• Her Universe released a ton of amazing Harry Potter clothing and accessories and this is especially great news for those with bigger bodies because they have plus sizes.
• The new trailer for His Dark Materials dropped at Comic Con.
• The team behind Five Feet Apart is putting together another book that looks like it’ll hit some similar buttons in the feels arena.
• I did not realize Kristen Bell was the voice behind Gossip Girl.
• Speaking of Gossip Girl, it’s getting a reboot.
• Lauren Oliver’s Replica is getting an adaptation.
• Peep the cover and beginning of Marie Lu’s forthcoming book.
• Have you read any of the books that Paste Magazine (….and Book Rioter Eric Smith!) called the best YA of the year so far?
• I forgot there was a Sweet Valley High movie in the works. It’s apparently on its third writer.
• The UK created a new award for comedy in print, and this year’s winner for YA is one I read and loved and am sad hasn’t seen more attention in the US. So this is an endorsement for Laura Steven’s The Exact Opposite of Ok (ignore the US cover, as it makes the book look way more Serious than it is — it certainly tackles a big topic, but it is really, really funny).
• We’ll be seeing more comics coming for young readers!
• This is a little more insider-y publishing, but of interest to many: how queer Latinx writers Gabby Rivera, Adam Silvera, and Mark Oshiro navigate the book world.
• Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel is now available to watch on the big (or small) screen.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Monday!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA readers! This is the year of the YA author memoir.

It’s been awesome seeing so many authors opening up in honest, vulnerable, and relatable ways with their teen audiences this year. I’ve written about biographies here earlier this year, but I haven’t dipped into the growth of the YA author memoir. Let’s take a peek at the three (!) YA author memoirs that have and will hit shelves this year.

Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson

This was a powerful, necessary memoir that’ll resonate deeply with readers of all kinds, whether or not they’re familiar with Hutchinson’s fiction. A memoir that delves into growing up with depression and being gay in a culture that doesn’t embrace or understand either, Hutchinson doesn’t shy away from talking about the challenges he experienced — and his own challenging attitude toward the world — growing up. What’s especially powerful is that this is about accepting things aren’t always going to be okay, but that it’s okay. Being brave isn’t a requirement of being a person, and even if things aren’t feeling good now, they do improve. This’ll be a reassuring and relatable read for so many.

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes

Grimes is a long-time YA and middle grade author, and her memoir in verse will publish in October. I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, but it’s gotten blurbs from the likes of Laurie Halse Anderson and Jason Reynolds, and it’s promised to be a compelling book about Grimes’s own challenging childhood and how she became the writer she is today.

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

I read this book at the end of last year and I’m still thinking about what a powerful, necessary memoir this is — and it’s one that’s been bedecked in numerous starred reviews and, I suspect, will see much-deserved awards come the end of 2019. This is Laurie’s story about being a survivor, about being a woman, about being an advocate who is passionate about young people, about intellectual freedom, and about being the best people we can all possibly be. It’s angry and it’s hopeful. It’s sad and it’s powerful. It’s real and raw. The verse is masterful.

Although it’s not a memoir, another book that features the voices of great YA sharing their own stories is an anthology. Amy Reed’s Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America. This gem of a book got a little lost last year, but it’s one worth picking up if you haven’t already — it’s personal and raw about growing up and all of the experiences these diverse authors experienced as young people in America.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers: Let’s grab some sizzling ebook deals on this summer Saturday!

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations.

TBR is Book Riot’s new subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “stitchfix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Sign up here.

Go ahead. Splurge! Deals are active as of Friday morning. I made this a nice, big list with a little bit of everything.

Rachel Caine’s book about magical libraries, Ink and Bone, is $2.

• The first in a fantasy series, The Traitor’s Kiss by Erin Beaty, is $3. This looks like an excellent readalike for fans of Mary E. Pearson’s fantasy books.
• Lisa Klein’s Ophelia — the inspiration for the film that’s garnered great reviews — is $2.
• The first book in Julia Kagawa’s “Iron Fey” series, The Iron King, is $4.
• Audrey Coulthurst’s queer fantasy Of Fire and Stars is $2.
• If you’re in the mood for romance, Simone Elkeles’s Perfect Chemistry is $2.
• Emery Lord’s fabulous When We Collided is $2.
• I keep meaning to pick this one up and haven’t yet, but I will! Katie Henry’s Heretics Anonymous is $2.

Grab the entire “Skinjacker” trilogy by Neal Shusterman, including Everlost, Everworld, and Everfound for $5.

• Want to start a dragon series? Sophie Jordan’s Firelight is $3.50.
• The Printz-honor book The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal is $3.
• If you listened to the latest Hey YA episode, you heard Eric and I talk about Vacations from Hell, an anthology edited by Libba Bray. You can snag it for $4.
• One of my favorite anthologies, A Tyranny of Petticoats edited by Jessica Spotswood, is $2.
• Melina Marchetta’s fantastic Finnikin of the Rock — first in a trilogy — is $2.
• You won’t be sad grabbing Sara Farizan’s Here To Stay for $2.
• For your nonfiction reading interests, Walter Dean Myers’s The Greatest: Muhammad Ali is $4.

My anthology Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World is also $2.

• Cindy Pon’s Silver Phoenix is $3.
• Last, but not least, Adi Alsaid’s Always Never Sometimes is $3.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Monday!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers: Let’s go on a road trip!

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations.

TBR is Book Riot’s new subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “stitchfix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Sign up here.

Road trip novels are the best kinds of novels, though up until recently, they were very, very white. I’m so happy to see more inclusive road trips making their way into the YA world.

Let’s hit the road . . . and things that aren’t exactly the road . . . with these excellent YA reads. I’ve kept to titles out in the last year or so, as well as those you’ll want on your radar that’ll be coming soon.

American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott

If you haven’t already listened to the Hey YA episode where Eric and I brought Patrick on as a guest, you should — we go deep into the world of YA road trips and especially on why it is it’s rare to see road trips which feature characters of color.

When Teo’s brother Manny comes home from a tour of duty, he’s not who he was before. Not a bit. But it’s their sister Xochitl who decides it’s time to deal with both Manny’s challenges — and T’s own struggles — by taking them from their rental by SeaTac down to Hatch, New Mexico, where they’ll spend the summer helping Manny find treatment for his PTSD with their uncle who himself struggles post-service.

This book takes on the road, as well as mental health and economic challenges in such a realistic way. It’s especially heartening how much this family looks out for one another and loves on another. Bonus? It’ll make you crave hatch chilies.

A Heart In A Body In The World by Deb Caletti

This book is just beautiful, and seeing it pick up a Printz honor this year, I hope, helped propel it onto more people’s radars. This is a book about a girl named Annabelle who has been dealing with something traumatic, and, as a means of clearing her mind and coming to terms with the experience, she decides she’s going to run across country from her town outside Seattle to Washington, DC. Her grandfather follows along in an RV behind her, and all of the characters she meets along the way are so well rendered. It’s a tough read, but it’s also hopeful, and it’s one for every feminist.

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest

This book has been sitting on my TBR for far too long, but I’m determined to read it before the summer ends.

Chloe’s mom forbids her from trying out for a spot in her dream dance conservatory so, rather than do nothing about it, Chloe devises a plan to travel 200 miles to get to an audition anyway. The hitch is that she has to share this trip with her annoying neighbor (under the threat he’ll tell Chloe’s mom if she doesn’t allow him to come with) and his dog.

Mariam Sharma Hits The Road by Sheba Khan

Khan’s book, which came out last year, was the first I read that featured an entire cast of brown characters on a road trip. When a scandalous photo of her friend Ghaz hits a NYC billboard, Mariam realizes this summer will be unlike any other (and it certainly won’t be one where she relaxes after her first year of college!). Mariam and Umar decide that the best course of action to protect Ghaz from the fury of her parents is to hit the road. It’s a story about closure, about change, and about the realities of racism and sexuality, particularly for Pakistani and Muslim American teenagers.

Start Here by Trish Doller (August 13)

This one hits shelves soon and it’s a nice twist on the road trip story, being that it’s not actually set on the road.

Willa, Taylor, and Finley were inseparable friends, though Finley was the glue holding the trio together. When they were young, they made a promise to sail from their home in Ohio through the Great Loop and down to the Florida Keys to celebrate the end of high school. Unfortunately, Finley dies from leukemia before she gets to take the trip but leaves Willa and Taylor with a set of clues for their trip that will honor her memory, as well as allow the two of them to bond outside of their relationship to her.

Willa is a mixed-race girl and Taylor is bisexual, and their identities play a big role in the story as Willa confronts the realities of her race, as well as her economic challenges, while Taylor, who has access to much more than Willa, grapples with that as well as with who she feels she’s ready to share her sexuality with.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday for some sizzling ebook deals!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers: Let’s catch up on YA book chat.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations.

TBR is Book Riot’s new subscription service offering Tailored Book Recommendations for readers of all stripes. Been dreaming of a “stitchfix for books?” Now it’s here! Tell TBR about your reading preferences and what you’re looking for, and sit back while your Bibliologist handpicks recommendations just for you. TBR offers plans to receive hardcover books in the mail or recommendations by email, so there’s an option for every budget. Sign up here.

We’ve done so much book talk over on Book Riot lately that it seems worth rounding it up over here for those of you who (like me!) are still catching up.

• Though this list isn’t exclusively YA, there are a lot of YA titles on it. Get to know some Latinx horror books.
• Here’s a list of 150+ YA books hitting shelves this summer.
• YA books about food (yummmm!).
• I know my windowsill needs some of these Harry Potter potters.
• Also, I need a bunch of these YA book necklaces.
• Enjoy this interview with YA author Sophie Cameron.
• I updated this book list recently and it’s worth a reshare. Here’s what to read if you love The Hate U Give.
• Which Marauder are you? Take the quiz and find out.
• Learning about Cuba through YA fiction.
• A guide for how NOT to get a teenager back into reading.
• You’ll want to go to summer camp with these YA books.
• YA nonfiction revenue increased in 2018, and I’m all for seeing this continue.
• These millennial pink YA book covers are so fun to look at.
• Here’s a roundup of upcoming YA comics.
• Did you get a chance to check out this incredible New York Times feature, where Asian American YA authors chose an old photo and wrote a story based on it?
• YA for that summer TBR. And here are some more summer YA reads!
• Have you seen the story about the cover for The Poet X being plagiarized?
• I taught high school English for a month, and this is what happened.
• A peek behind the curtain of Teen Titans: Raven.
• Great John Green quotes — and prints with those quotes.
• Dystopian never left, friends. YA dystopians forever.
• Who doesn’t need some magical girls in their YA?
• Your TBR deserves some YA books about queer history.
• One reader begs for you to read Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief (if you haven’t already).

For your ears…

Don’t miss out on the latest episodes of Hey YA, either. The full show has covered YA trends, how excited Eric and I are about the Hunger Games prequel, and I got to talk with YA superstar Sarah Dessen for an hour about the growth of YA and “strong” female characters. Then, join me in the Hey YA: Extra Credit series as I talk with author Tom Ryan about Norma Klein’s Breaking Up (it holds up really well!) and as I dig into Love Is One Of The Choices (this one, not so much!).

Just for laughs…

harry potter if he was a vlogger

1. i killed my professor
2. HOW TO SURVIVE A BASILISK ATTACK (w/ tips)
3. my stalker tried to kill me
4. i saw my crush’s boyfriend die?
5. O.W.L.S vlog (gone wrong!)
6. girlfriend tag! (ft. ginny weasley)
7. I DIED + CAME BACK (not clickbait)

— abby 🌻 (@abbyraejepsen) July 14, 2019

[Tweet from @real_asherlock reads: harry potter if he was a vlogger 1. i killed my professor 2. HOW TO SURVIVE A BASILISK ATTACK (w/ tips) 3. my stalker tried to kill me 4. i saw my crush’s boyfriend die? 5. O.W.L.S vlog (gone wrong!) 6. girlfriend tag! (ft. ginny weasley) 7. I DIED + CAME BACK (not clickbait)]

Thanks for hanging out, y’all, and we’ll see you next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA fans: Let’s talk currently-streaming adaptations.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Tor Teen.

It should have been just another quiet night on the farm when Logan witnessed the attack, but it wasn’t.

Hundreds of miles away, Chrystal’s plans for summer in Manhattan are abruptly upended when her dad reads tabloid coverage of some kind of grisly incident in Oklahoma. When they arrive to investigate, they find a witness: a surprisingly good-looking farm boy.

As townsfolk start disappearing and the attacks get ever closer, Logan and Chrystal will have to find out the truth about whatever’s hiding in the woods…before they become targets themselves.

It’s the hottest week of the year so far in the upper midwest (where I am!) and while I’m loving it to bits and pieces, it’s rough going for anyone who spends any time outdoors. We tend to think of the cool months as prime movie time, but at least here, the dog days of summer are when the viewing season heats up.

Find some of the excellent currently-streaming YA flicks on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime below. This is current as of writing, but like all things with streaming platforms, the offerings might change when August rolls around. I’ve stuck to films and haven’t included serial shows.

This is not a comprehensive list, of course, and because adaptations have been slow to include books by authors of color — which is, thankfully, changing! — know this list isn’t as inclusive as I’d prefer. I’ve included IMDB’s quick description of the film, and I’ve also noted if the book on which the film is based has a different name.

On Netflix

Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (based on Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging)

Beautiful Creatures

The Breadwinner

Carrie Pilby

Coin Heist

Dumplin‘

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Radio Rebel (based on the book Shrinking Violet and also on Prime)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Spectacular Now

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

On Hulu

Every Day (Also on Prime!)

Geography Club

Paranoid Park 

Precious (Based on Push and also on Prime)

On Prime

The Baby-Sitters Club (Technically middle grade, I guess, but also I’m including it)

Before I Fall

Beastly

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA readers! Let’s talk YA books and ice cream.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Flatiron Books.

Welcome to Finale, the final book in Stephanie Garber’s #1 New York Timesbestselling Caraval series! It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist. Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend. After uncovering a secret, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun.

It’s Monday in the middle of July, and that means it’s time to have a little fun. Did you know July is National Ice Cream Month in the USA? If you didn’t know that, maybe you were aware that July 1 is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, July 7 is National Strawberry Sundae Day, July 17 is Peach Ice Cream Day, July 20 is National Ice Cream Soda Day, July 21 is National Ice Cream Day, or that July 23 is Vanilla Ice Cream Day.

Whatever one you celebrate — and kudos to you who celebrate all of them, as well as those of you with an intolerance for lactose who celebrate otherwise — let’s honor this month of sweet treats with a look at some YA book covers that feature ice cream. These are fun, delicious, and indulgent in the best ways.

Since I’ve yet to read many of these, descriptions are from Amazon. By virtue of this being a look at book covers and thus being limited in scope (in scoop? heh), this is a pretty white list. Know of YA books with ice cream covers that feature people of color or are by authors of color? I’d love to know.

The Goodbye Summer by Sarah Van Name

Caroline is counting the days until September, when she’ll turn seventeen and she and her older boyfriend, Jake, will run away together. She doesn’t feel connected to anyone at home now that she has him, and she can’t wait to see the world with the most important person in her life. So with just a few more months until freedom, she spends her summer working at the local aquarium gift shop and dreaming of the fall.

Then she meets Georgia, a counselor at the aquarium’s camp, and Caroline’s world changes. Through pizza lunches, trips to amusement parks, and midnight talks, Georgia begins to show Caroline there’s more to life than being with Jake.

The stronger Georgia and Caroline’s bond grows, the more uneasy Caroline becomes about her plans to leave. When summer comes to a close, she’ll have to say goodbye to someone…but who is she willing to lose?

Love a la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…

Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson

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 . . .

The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone

Rising high school senior Sadie is bracing herself for a long, lonely, and boring summer. But things take an unexpected turn when she steps in to help rescue a baby in distress and a video of her good deed goes viral.

Suddenly internet-famous, Sadie’s summer changes for the better when she’s introduced to other “hometown heroes.” These five very different teens form an unlikely alliance to secretly right local wrongs, but when they try to help a heroin-using friend, they get in over their heads and discover that there might be truth in the saying “no good deed goes unpunished.” Can Sadie and her new friends make it through the summer with their friendships–and anonymity–intact?

This rich and thought-provoking novel takes on timely issues and timeless experiences with a winning combination of romance, humor, and wisdom.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.

Hey YA fans! Let’s load up your ebook reader with some tremendous deals.

“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by Book Riot’s Amazon store. Shop our favorite summer reads (including some of our favorite books of 2019 so far), bookish accessories, deals, and more.

So many good reads to grab while they’re on the discount. Prices are current as of Friday, June 12.

Sara Farizan’s latest book about basketball and Islamophobia, packed with humor (!), Here To Stay is $2.

• How about an adventure read? Roland Smith’s Peak is $2.
• Winifred Conkling’s Votes for Women is a nonfiction title about Women’s Suffrage in America. It’s fabulous and only $2.
• If you want to pick up my other anthology, Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World is $2.
• Steampunk calling? Grab Kady Cross’s The Girl In The Steel Corset is $2. It’s the first in a series.
• Natalie D. Richards’s thriller Gone Too Far is $2.
• Grab Cindy Pon’s fantasy Serpentine for $1. The second book in the series, Sacrifice, is also $1.
• Maybe you want to read a book with dragons? You’ll do well picking up Mari Mancusi’s Scorched. It’s $2 and the first in a series.
• Sarah Rees Brennan’s Tell The Wind and Fire is $3.
• Soldier Boy by Keely Hutton is $3.
• I loved this book and am sad I haven’t yet finished the series. Salla Simukka’s As Red As Blood is for fans of Lisbeth Salander of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. $2. Bonus: this is YA in translation.

Have you read the latest two books from E. Lockhart? If you want some twisty thrillers, grab We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud for $2 each.

• Anna Godbersen’s The Luxe, which is a soapy historical and first in a series, is $3. This series is just fun.
• Marieke Nijkamp’s best selling This Is Where It Ends is $2.
• Want to read the book that the hit show The 100 is based on? Kass Morgan’s The 100 is $2.
• Last, but not least, pick up Prophecy by Ellen Oh is $2.

Thanks for hanging out. We’ll see you next week!

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.