Realistic Fiction For Teens

Sixteen-year-old Mari Novak is dead—and her problems don’t end there. For Fans of The Good Place. Mari never gave much thought to the afterlife before her untimely demise, but she certainly didn’t think it would be an experimental wellness enclave called Paradise Gate—a place where the...

Cuban American Camila Núñez has always been afraid of the future. She’s been working hard to keep her anxieties in check, but with so many new experiences―her first queer love, trouble with her dog walking job, her mother’s judgments about her body, learning to drive, her father being...

A 17-year-old girl receives a life-changing heart transplant--and uncovers the truth about her donor all while falling in love in a novel that's "alternately heart-wrenching and heartwarming" (Kirkus). A touching read for anyone seeking a story filled with hope and emotional depth. What if the...

Noche is a Lechuza by night, an ethereal jet-black owl who guides the dead to the after. Except now, Noche cannot bring herself to escort her dead girlfriend, whose soul is fading the harder Noche holds on—an aching romance about first and second loves and finding the strength to let go. A New...

**A WILLIAM C. MORRIS YA DEBUT AWARD FINALIST** For fans of Frankly in Love and Tokyo Ever After comes a romantic dramedy about finding love and reconnecting with your culture in the most surprising ways. Taiwanese American Catie Carlson has never fit in with her white family. As much as she...

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “[A] high-stakes story packed with slow-burn pining and plentiful tension.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review A cunning teen memory merchant falls for the handsome rookie officer on her tail in this swoony dystopian romance...

From the authors of NATIONAL BESTSELLER Sanctuary comes a haunting near-future companion tale about undocumented immigrants subjected to deadly experiments in a government labor camp and the four courageous rebels who set into place a daring plan to liberate them. The year is 2033, and in this...

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants goes to the French Open in an emotionally honest and openhearted novel for fans of Yamile Saied Méndez and Mary HK Choi. Three teen girls compete at an elite tennis tournament for a shot at their dreams—if only they knew what their dreams were. Alice is on...

Booksmart meets Never Have I Ever in this debut YA rom-com about two Korean American teens forced into a shared college visit road trip where they discover that the reasons they’ve been rivals their entire lives might actually be signs they’re a perfect pair. Winter Park and Bobby Bae are...

A queer YA coming-of-age set during the rigged Honduran presidential election As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (Libi) Morazán...

From James Beard Award–winning author Michael Ruhlman, a coming-of-age story about finding a new life and love in the kitchen…and trying not to get burned along the way. When high school football star Theo Claverback breaks his leg just weeks after a devastating break-up, he’s forced to...

There are more than 10 things to hate about prom, but the worst is having to convince your BFF that you’re the one he should take—a sweet friends-to-lovers teen rom-com from the author of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance “A love story meant for the movies, with cheeky and charming nods to our...

A wistful coming-of-age story with a haunting twist about four friends who spend their summer learning to become invisible—but disappearing comes at a cost. Four girls. Four girls skating home, both sides of the road, fearless. Four girls at the mouth of an infinite ocean, sugared and salted...

What does it mean when your best friend is dead and your instinct is relief? A stunningly immersive debut about toxic friendships, grief, romance, and new beginnings. Friendship, at least for me, has never been anything but complicated. Before: One year ago, best friends Nora and Julia were...

When a Korean American teenage artist gets sucked into the world of her own web comic, she must find a way out with the help of a cute boy all while facing off against a villainous corporation. Inspired by the A-ha's "Take on Me" music video, this entertaining YA novel is a grounded speculative...

"A riveting page-turner."--Kirkus reviews Girl in Pieces meets Cracked Up to Be in this raw and candid look at trauma about a girl who is being haunted and stalked by her definitely dead ex-boyfriend. Charlotte survived the car crash that killed her boyfriend Jerry, but that night, everything...

It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if Mahalia had a coming-out party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, Black joy, and queer pride. “A perfect ode to romantic comedies, wrapped in a dazzling rainbow dress.” —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times...

"It took all of two paragraphs for me to fall head-over-heels in love with this story. Naive, plucky Margot was perfection, New York City brimmed loud and clear from the pages, and I absolutely adored the love story. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while."—Jenna Evans Welch, New York...

“A writer to be reckoned with.” —Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces and You’d Be Home Now A heartbreaking, hopeful, and timely novel about facing family secrets, healing from trauma, and falling in love, from the award-winning author of How It Feels to Float George’s life is...

A debut young adult novel that’s Pride & Prejudice with a dash of magic, about a booksmart teen who spends the summer in Mexico City, meets two very cute boys, attempts to learn Spanish, and uncovers a family secret that changes her life forever. Lola Espinoza is cursed in love. Well, maybe...