Being a teenager is hard. You know what shouldn't be? Finding a book that reflects your experience.
The transition between reading middle grade and young adult books can sometimes feel like a big leap, so here are 10 books that are just right for readers who are looking for something featuring characters who really act like teenagers:
Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West
Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.
But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend, until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.
Kasie West's adorable story of secrets, love, and friendship is sure to win over hearts everywhere.
Screenshot by Donna Cooner
Skye's life is perfect, or at least that's what it looks like on her Instagram account. She may be counting down the days until she can get out of her small town, but her social media game is always on point. However, the one time she looks less-than-perfect while she's at a sleepover, her friend Riley catches it all in an embarrassing video. Skye thinks the video is deleted and gone, until someone texts her a screenshot from it. Whoever has the photo is threatening to leak it unless Skye does whatever they say. Skye's perfect image and her privacy are suddenly in jeopardy. What will Skye do to keep the photo under wraps? And who is trying to ruin her life?
Snow in Love by Aimee Friedman, Kasie West, Melissa De La Cruz, and Nic Stone
What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.From Kasie West, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.
From Aimee Friedman, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.
From Melissa de la Cruz, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.
From Nic Stone, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.
So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...
Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Nina was beautiful, artistic, wild, and adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But one day, without any warning, Nina disappeared.
Two years later, Ellie can't stop thinking about her sister. Although everyone else has given up hope that Nina will return, Elile just knows her sister is out there, somewhere. If only Ellie had a clue where to look.
And then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing tucked into the pages of a book. Determined to find her sister, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she's got a chance: her hot, adventurous new crush.
Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn't planning on. Like love. Mysteries. Lies. And something far more shocking: the truth.
It's Not Me, It's You by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Avery Dennis is a high school senior and one of the most popular girls in her class. But a majorly public breakup with the guy she's been dating causes some disastrous waves. It is right before prom and Avery no longer has the perfect date. She runs the prom committee; how could she not show up with somebody?← Post-breakup, Avery gets to thinking about all of the guys that she has ever dated. How come none of those relationships ever worked out? Could it be her fault? Avery decides to investigate. In history class she's learning about this method of record-keeping called "oral history" and she has a report due. So Avery decides to go directly to the source. Avery tracks down all of the guys she's ever dated, and uses that information along with her friends, family, and even teachers thoughts, to compile a total account of her dating history. Avery discovers some surprises about herself and the guys she's spent time with, just in time for prom night!
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. No phone. No Internet. And not a single word from Logan. Maddie tells herself it's okay. After all, she's the most popular girl for twenty miles in any direction. (She's also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.
Until Logan shows up six years later...
And Maddie wants to kill him.
But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back and get help. But the weather is turning, and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.
Maddie still really wants to kill Logan. But she has to save him first.
Turn it Up! by Jen Calonita
Bradley Academy's all-girl a cappella group used to be the pride of the sunshine state, but the Nightingales have recently fallen out of harmony.
Best friends and co-captains Lidia Sato and Sydney Marino haven't been speaking ever since a boy came between them. And not just any boy: none other than Griffin Mancini, the lead singer of Bradley Academy's smug all-boy a capella group, the Kingfishers.
The Nightingales have no chance of making it to the big state final if their captains are at each other's throats. Their only hope is new girl Julianna Ramirez. But in addition to her serious pipes, she has some serious stage fright.
The Nightingales will have to come together if they want to shine at the upcoming competition and restore the group to its former glory.
Turn It Up! follows Lidia, Sydney, and Julianna through the ups and downs of friendship, romance, competition, and finding the perfect song!
The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, and Michelle Schusterman
Drummer Phoebe Byrd prides herself on being one of the guys, and she's ready to prove it by kicking all their butts in the snare solo competition at the Indoor Percussion Association Convention.
Writer Vanessa Montoya-O'Callaghan has been looking forward to the WTFcon for months. Not just because of the panels and fanfiction readings, but because WTFcon is where she'll finally meet Soleil, her internet girlfriend, for the first time.
Taxidermy assistant Callie Buchannan might be good at scooping brains out of deer skulls, but that doesn't mean it's her passion. Since her parents' divorce, her taxidermist father only cares about his work, and assisting him at the World Taxidermy and Fish-Carving Championships is the only way Callie knows to connect with him.
When a crazy mix-up in the hotel lobby brings the three girls together, they form an unlikely friendship against a chaotic background of cosplay, competition, and carcasses!
Mean Girls by Micol Ostow
A deluxe retelling of the cult classic film packed with tons of original bonus content. It gave us phrases like "That's so fetch," and "You can't sit with us!" It made October 3 a national holiday, and inspired teen girls everywhere to wear pink on Wednesdays. You know the story — or do you? Cady Heron grew up homeschooled in Africa with scientist parents as her teachers, monkeys as her classmates, and the African plains as her playground. But when her family moves to the suburbs of Illinois, she finds herself a stranger in a strange land: high school. With no prior research to guide her, Cady's forced to figure out North Shore High all on her own. Suddenly she finds herself sucked into Girl World as a new member of the social elite dubbed "The Plastics." Cady discovers that unlike the wild, Girl World doesn't have any rules — especially when you maybe, possibly, okay definitely, have a giant crush on their ruthless leader's ex-boyfriend. Turns out, life in high school might be even more brutal than a showdown on the Savannah.
Don't Cosplay with My Heart by Cecil Castellucci
When Edan Kupferman dresses up as her favorite character, Gargantua, she feels tall and powerful. That's important right now, because her family is a mess, her best friend is gone for the summer, her crush is confusing, and Edan's feeling small and not sure which end is up.
When Edan is cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. And when she's at conventions, she feels like she's found her own Team Tomorrow. But when her personal life starts to spiral out of control, Edan has to figure out whether she needs a sidekick, or if she has the strength to be the hero of her own story.
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