Author: Kelly Jensen

Girls of color almost never get to be unlikable, and that’s particularly true for Asian American girls. That, however, is not the case for Eliza, who we know going in isn’t here to be liked. She is driven and ambitious and when she loses the role of editor in chief to an ex-jock who just happened upon the newspaper once his career in baseball was done because of an injury, she’s ready to fight. She writes a private manifesto, loaded with her true feelings on sexism in the school, and it gets published to the front page of the digital paper. Now, she’s started a big dialog at the school level, both with supporters and those who are deeply opposed.

Then, the school principal says she and Len must work together to put their differences aside and wouldn’t you know it: they start to fall for one another. But what happens when the truth about who posted the manifesto gets out? And how will the school’s legacy of patriarchy be challenged?

This is a FUN read, with a great romance trope at the center. Eliza and Len are SO well fleshed, as are Eliza’s best friends, including Winona who is a take-no-nonsense feminist that challenges Eliza to think beyond her binaries and privileges as a model minority (Winona is among the few Black students in a very Asian and white school). There’s so much to unpack here in terms of race and feminism and about intersectionality. Plus, a sweet romance that has all of the ups and downs you can imagine.

If you like Maurene Goo’s romances, you’ll love this one.

So Jake and Nate’s ex-boyfriends decided to fake that they’re doing well post-breakup. Their exes are together and sharing on Instagram how ~perfect~ their relationship is.

Naturally, Jake and Nate decide they’re going to get back at their exes and pretend to have the best summer ever. They’ll hit the ‘Gram too with incredible photos of their perfect road trip. It’s a big scheme to make everything look like it’s going great and the two of them are are mourning the loss of their relationships.

What they won’t talk about is how they’re stuck in a van with Nate’s annoying parents and younger sister. Nor how they actually haven’t talked to each other in years.

Nor…how they might be falling for one another. A hilarious road trip meets social media hijinks rom com.

Technically, this is a sequel to Andreen’s debut YA romance So, This is Christmas, but it sounds like you can read this one as a stand alone.

Finley and Arthur had one magical Christmas Eve kiss, but now that they’re both back at Barrington Academy — aka “the real world” — they don’t know where they stand with each other. Are they a thing? Are they not a thing?

This one’s described as a romantic comedy perfect for Valentine’s Day reading.

Zoe Bailey-Cho loves comedy and has her future all set: she’s going to improve camp, then on to Second City, then on to Saturday Night Live. Currently at the improv camp, she earns a position on the varsity team, but as the only girl, she’s subject to so much ridicule. Zoe won’t blink, though. This is her dream and she knows she’s good. But when the coach is cruel to her during practice and a little too nice to her outside practice, Zoe knows she needs to speak up.

This is the third and final book in Kiersten White’s trilogy that takes a fresh spin on Arthurian legend.

Brown’s second and final installment in her duology is a take on West African folklore.

A diverse heist story set aboard the ill-fated Titanic? That’s right. Our thief Josefa is not out for money, though: it’s a book encrusted in gems worth millions of dollars. Josefa recruits three other girls to help take the book. As much as securing the prize would ensure them all success down the road, their infighting, mistakes, and romantic side quests might put them in danger…and, as we know, that ship is also going down.

Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two of the four members of the hit boy band Saturday. Not only are all four of the members literal stars, but they’re tight off stage too. Ruben begins to confide in Zach about his need — and the fear around his need — to stay in the closet. But when the band goes on tour in Europe, Zach and Ruben may becoming more than simply friends. If they tell their friends and fans, what might happen to them?

This is a story of love, friendship, and fame.

I. LOVE. Survival. Stories. This one, which is a paperback original, sounds like a trip.

A group of teens are involved in a plane crash and land on a deserted island. Obviously, they need to survive. What they do not plan for is even more strange accidents and events to happen, like they’re actual targets of some kind of revenge plot. And…turns out they just might be. Who is out to get them and why?

Nathaniel is a Mystic, and no mortal has ever been allowed inside his secret magical community. But the wedding of his cousin is primed to be the event of the year, and he’s asked Talia, his girlfriend, to join him. It will be the first time a mortal has been allowed inside.

Talia, who does not believe in the world of the Mystic, almost didn’t date Nathaniel at all after learning about his heritage. She doesn’t want to go to the wedding, but ultimately, decides to do it. Immediately, she regrets all her ill thoughts when she sees what a wonderful world it is.

That is, until a wedding guest falls into a coma and she’s pointed to as the one responsible. How does she prove her innocence while also helping find the culprit?

Leelo has always lived in Endla, a community circled by a bloodthirsty forest and poisonous lake, both meant to deter outsiders. While Leelo has loved and appreciated her community, she’s disheartened to know if her little brother does not gain the ability of enchanted song — a key magical power — he’ll be exiled.

As Leelo walks along the lake, she finds an outsider nearly drowning. And even though she knows she is not supposed to save him, she does. Now, Leelo is questioning everything she thought she knew about Endla as she begins to fall more and more in love with this off-limits outsider.

Described as Six of Crows meets The Cruel Prince, this fantasy adventure follows a pickpocket named Rags captured by a sorcerer who wants to take over the world. Rags is tasked with capturing ancient relics of the fae world…but come to find out, those “relics” are people. Rags and his newfound allies will need to work their magic in order to take down the sorcerer. Sinister sorcery + queer romance.

I try not to highlight titles here that are also being advertised in the newsletter — the more titles you get to know about the better — but this one sounds so good that it’s getting a shout out here, too.

Avery’s been forced to move from her home in DC to the home of her ailing grandmother in small town Bardell, Georgia. Avery’s mother and grandmother have a challenging relationship, but every time Avery tries to learn about why, she’s met with hostility herself. As Avery begins to befriend two locals, she starts to learn about the dark racist history of the community…and how her family is connected to it. She’s got to decide how much she pushes to learn about the secrets her family is suppressing and whether or not it’s worth upsetting the community. It’s a story about racism, trauma, coming out, and so much more.

Looking for a book that is mostly realistic except there are ghosts? Look no further.

Sara comes from a large Afghani-Uzbeck family, but she’s feeling alone after the divorce of her parents. Her dad’s started dating someone new, and making things more awkward is the fact that her dad and mom still work together in their house flipping business. Sara’s recruited as part of their work to take photos of the before and after.

The newest project, Sumner, is not giving great vibes. Sara begins to see a ghost of her grandmother, then the ghost of a strange little girl. No one else is seeing this, and she can’t capture it on camera. Her grandmother, who struggles with memory, has been having strange conversations about having another child none of her family seems to know about. Are these comments and what Sara’s seeing related?

This is an immersive story about family, about history, and about the stories and choices immigrants sometimes have to make in order to build a new life.

Maya and Skye are both recruited for a reality TV show, wherein they’re competing to win back the adoration of their ex-boyfriend Jordy. Jordy, brother to royalty, has captured the spotlight in his new country as an eligible bachelor, and this show is a way to really play into the public’s interests in him.

Here’s the problem: Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye, and now, the two girls are sharing the same room during the show. Maya is angry and mean toward Skye, who has no idea what she’s done to draw Maya’s ire. But as Maya opens up, she and Skye begin to develop a bond that no guy — not even someone as eligible as Jordy — could break.

And there just might be a lot of kissing and hijinks involved.

This is a fun bisexual romcom, packed with absurd situations that make it an easy, delightful read. You’re going to root for the girls and be so glad they get their HEA.

When Rowenna’s mother dies, she takes with her the training that Rowenna needs to unlock her magical talents. But when a stormy night brings with it a shipwreck and Rowenna rescues Galen, it appears her mother has come back from the dead.

Her mother, though, is anything but. She’s infused with evil and turns Galen, as well as Rowenna’s brothers, into swans. She’s also taken Rowenna’s voice. Desperate to save her brothers, Galen, and herself, Rowenna travels to a nearby town, desperate to break the curse.

But how can she use her raw magic for her own needs if strangers keep trying to take it from her?

Kim’s boyfriend has dumped her for another girl, and now, Kim is stuck on a class trip to London with both of them. Kim wishes he was dead so she did not have to deal with him.

Nikki, who is Kim’s seat mate on the flight, listens to her story. They have a quick bond and Nikki jokes about them swapping murders. It’s fun and games until Kim’s ex-boyfriend dies mysteriously, and now, Nikki is blackmailing Kim until she upholds her end of the bargain (one she never actually made).

Adler’s third anthology features yet another star-studded contributorship. This time, 15 different writers offer up twists on beloved fairy tales ranging from Rumpelstiltskin to Puss in Boots to The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and more. Among the contributors are Malinda Lo, Alex London, Stacey Lee, and Tracy Deonn.

Bayside and Hamilton are racially-divided towns, and no one crosses the tracks. When Zach, who is white, moves to Bayside and pursues his dreams of music by visiting the historic jazz music shop in Hamilton, he meets Capri. Capri, who dreams of Broadway, lives in Hamilton and knows that even if she and Zach are connecting in a powerful way, their relationship could raise eyebrows.

When a white Bayside cop kills the star of the Hamilton football team — who happens to be best friends with Capri’s older brother — everything will be put to the test.

Pass this along to readers who love The Hate U Give and All American Boys.