I've been a Jennifer Niven fan since reading All the Bright Places. If you haven't read that one yet, please read it! But don't watch the Netflix film first...trust me, the book is better. ALWAYS. Anyhow, I've read all of her other books, and this new one is now my favorite! I listened to it… Continue reading Breathless by Jennifer Niven
Tag: realistic fiction
Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves
Originally published in School Library Journal, March 2020. Gr 9 & Up: After being kicked out of public school for a violent outburst and sent to anger management, high school senior Chamomile Myles enrolls at Gill School, a place of uniforms and typical teenage anxiety. Cham struggles to balance her two-sided universe: school with worries about prom,… Continue reading Dear Universe by Florence Gonsalves
Opiate Jane by Jessica K. Baker
Originally published in School Library Journal, October, 2019. Gr 9 & up: In and out of foster homes and unable to trust anyone, Jane, 15, is thick-skinned and wise beyond her years. Not a typical teenager, Jane takes care of her 4 year old sister and heroin-addicted, single mother each time she relapses. After switching schools… Continue reading Opiate Jane by Jessica K. Baker
The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis
Originally published in School Library Journal, May 2019. Gr. 9 & Up: Davis’s second YA novel set in Seattle, follows 18 year old black twins Indigo and Violet and their chaotic family on an unlikely road trip. While attempting suicide, Indigo hears a voice say that her terminally ill twin Violet will live if she… Continue reading The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis
Waiting for Fitz by Spencer Hyde
Originally published in School Library Journal, March 2019. Gr 9 & Up - Midway through her senior year, 17-year-old Addie Foster is sent for inpatient psychiatric therapy at Seattle Regional Hospital for OCD. Quick-witted and literary-minded, she dreams of being a playwright. Making some unlikely, but unique friends from the first day of group therapy,… Continue reading Waiting for Fitz by Spencer Hyde
WaterColor Wishes by Melissa Chambers
Librarian Laura's Review of WaterColor WishesThis book can be read as a stand alone, even though it's the 4th book in the Love Along Highway 30A series. I read the first one and then this one and I recognized some of the characters from the first one. However, I wasn't lost on any plot information… Continue reading WaterColor Wishes by Melissa Chambers
Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
Originally appeared in School Library Journal, February 2019. Grade 9 & up - The second in a three book companion series, this realistic fiction, set in Los Angeles, is written as a standalone novel with crossover characters. High school senior, Lacey spends her days covered in elaborate zombie makeup on set, playing the love interest… Continue reading Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
The Competition by Cecily Wolfe
Originally appeared in School Library Journal, November 2018. Grade 7 & Up: A diverse cast of characters take part in the Penultimate, an Ohio state writing competition, where 100 teens battle for a full college scholarship. Mary Sofia (a Latina) lives in a shelter. Her mother blames her for the unforgettable, tragic night her abusive… Continue reading The Competition by Cecily Wolfe
Till it Stops Beating by Hannah R. Goodman
Librarian Laura's Review Till it Stops Beating, a young adult realistic fiction from author Hannah R. Goodman tackles some very heavy themes including mental illness, alcoholism, sickness (cancer), and loss. The language and scenes are very mature, so I would not recommend it for readers under the age of 16. It is, however, a great book… Continue reading Till it Stops Beating by Hannah R. Goodman
Little Big Love by Katy Regan
Originally published in Library Journal, March 2018 A modern family drama unfolds in alternating points of view of authentic voices between a 10 year old named Zac who likes to collect facts and cook, his single mother, Juliet, and her father, Mick. Juliet and Zac live on Harlequin Estate in Grimsby, a seaside town in… Continue reading Little Big Love by Katy Regan
Librarian Laura 