Format: Young Adult

Red Star Rebels

Red Star RebelsRed Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman
on February 3, 2026
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

“Red Star Rebels” is a young adult science fiction novel by Amie Kaufman. Hunter is the rich heir of a billionaire family. He travels to Mars to meet with his mom and sister. Cleo is a teen who has been living in secret on Mars trying to eke out a living while avoiding her shady past. When the Mars base goes on lockdown due to a criminal takeover, Hunter and Cleo must work together to save themselves. Kaufman’s trademark humor makes this a fun read, though predictable at times. A suggested purchase for YA science fiction collections, especially where Kaufman is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

Shiny Happy People

Shiny Happy People by Clay McLeod Chapman
on November 11, 2025
ISBN: 0593904087
Genres: Horror
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

“Shiny Happy People” is a young adult horror novel by Clay McLeod Chapman. Kyra is a high school student who refrains from using drugs (due to her absent mother’s addiction), unlike many of her fellow students. Kyra’s brother starts acting strangely in a body-snatcher type way, so she starts investigating. An interesting premise that falls a little flat, though the message that there is power in being yourself is a good theme. This YA horror is an additional purchase where YA body horror is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Run Away With Me

Run Away With MeRun Away with Me by Brian Selznick
on April 1, 2025
ISBN: 1339035529
Genres: LGBTQ+, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

 

Boy meets boy in 1986 Rome.

While his mom works the summer away as a book conservator, American Danny spends his time exploring the city. Lured by a voice and a hand-drawn map, Danny meets the mysterious Angelo and his world is turned upside down. The two fall for each other quickly, embarking on a whirlwind romance. During their days together, the boys discover various love stories throughout history similar to their own, in eras where such love needed to be secretive but still endured over time.

Selznik’s signature illustrations comprise the first 90 and final 20 pages of the book and are striking as always. Each chapter is a countdown to the end of the summer, when Danny will leave and his relationship with Angelo will have to come to an end, which helps add some urgency to the story. Messages of identity and the timelessness of love, no matter what barriers or struggles exist, abound. The book reads quickly, though the writing is flowery and poetic so it will likely appeal to a specific audience, not necessarily your average YA reader. 

Grades 9 & Up

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York ME

four-stars

Meet me at Blue Hour

Meet me at Blue HourMeet Me at Blue Hour by Sarah Suk
on April 1, 2025
ISBN: 0063255189
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars
Speculative fiction with a bit of romance. 

Told in alternating perspectives, Yena and Lucas have both traveled to South Korea to visit the Sori of Us clinic–Lucas to try to get his grandfather into a trial to help restore his memories lost to his worsening Alzheimer’s, and Yena to connect with her mom, Dr. Bae, the clinic’s founder. This clinic is not only running trials to help restore memories, but it also originally developed the technology to erase unpleasant ones. Once upon a time, Yena and Lucas were best friends. That is, until Lucas moved away and went radio silent. So when the two cross paths at Sori of Us, Yena is shocked to run into the boy she hasn’t heard from in four years, only to find out he has no idea who she is. 

Reminiscent of the movie, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Meet Me at Blue Hour grapples with the ethics of meddling in memories–those we are hoping to keep and those we want nothing more than to forget. The controversy of erasing and restoring memories will give readers a lot to chew on and make for great group discussions. Throughout the book, we hear from the perspective of a lawn mower, a wind chime, and various other inanimate objects whose sounds were recorded to help erase Lucas’ memories and allow us to learn more about Lucas and Yena’s friendship–a neat storytelling technique. 

Grades 7 & Up

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York

four-stars

Lou with the Band

Lou with the BandLou with the Band by Alexandra Leigh Young
on October 7, 2025
ISBN: 1536230111
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
“Lou with the Band” is a young adult novel by Alexandra Leigh Young. Lou is a recent high school graduate who gets a job working as a roadie for a famous musician along with her uncle. Lou sees this as an opportunity to travel while making money for college and hopefully becoming the person she wants to be. When she gets into a relationship with one of the musicians, things seem great, until the relationship turns toxic and creates even more problems for Lou and her family. A suggested additional purchase for YA collections where realistic fiction is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar

The Golden Boy’s Guide to BipolarThe Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes
on September 16, 2025
ISBN: 0063358409
Genres: Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars
“The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar” is a young adult novel by Sonora Reyes. Cesar is a high school student with plans to get back together with his ex-boyfriend, Jamal. Cesar is going to therapy, taking his medication, and things seem to be going well, until things aren’t anymore. Readers will root for Cesar to come out on top as he deals with his mistakes, made worse by internal Catholic guilt. Lots of difficult topics are handled well (and realistically) by Reyes, including suicidal ideation, sexuality, homophobia, and mental health. I really enjoyed Cesar and Jamal’s characters. A recommended purchase for YA collections, especially those where Reyes’ book “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

four-stars

Exquisite Things

Exquisite ThingsExquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian
on September 23, 2025
ISBN: 0063339684
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
“Exquisite Things” is a young adult historical romance by Abdi Nazemian. Two gay teens (Shahriar from 1890s London and Oliver from 1920s Boston) meet up and are given eternal youth through a wish. Readers follow as their lives intertwine across decades, dealing with not being accepted (even as the years go by) by society, cruelty, and bleak historical events. The description of real historical events was interesting, but occasionally felt like it slowed the novel down too much. The characters were very believable and I felt invested in their story. An epic historical queer romance, this is a suggested purchase where Nazemian’s books are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Reasons to Hate Me

Reasons to Hate MeReasons to Hate Me by Susan Metallo
on September 2, 2025
ISBN: 1536240354
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars
“Reasons to Hate Me” is a young adult novel by Susan Metallo. Jess is an autistic theater kid who writes a blog to her bullies listing reasons that they should hate her. There is a lot of drama going on in their high school (and not just in theater), relationships, cheating, figuring out sexuality, consent, etc. I enjoyed the neurodiverse representation in the novel, and the constant drama made it a quick read. At times Jess is a bit difficult to like, but she is a well-developed character. An additional purchase where YA realistic fiction is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur WitchesExtraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches by Kayla Cottingham
ISBN: 0593814010
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches is about a teen witch named Kieran who needs to go on a nearly impossible magical quest with the help of his twin and his friends to succeed in his calling and keep his magic. Throughout the story, we see that Kieran doesn’t believe in himself after being raised as a martyr for his family–a victim of a curse where he was supposed to die for their benefit–and has to learn as much about self-confidence as he does about magic. The characters are compelling, and readers will quickly be engaged in the story and charmed by Kieran’s wit, humor, and big heart. The author’s intention in the story is to show a variety of relationships, and I think she succeeds in that; we see a queer adult relationship with the captains of the ship, an immediate love with Briar and Delilah, and then a messy relationship and love triangle with Kieran and Ash and then Kieran and Sebastian. The romance is solidly YA and age-appropriate, and many readers will appreciate the positive portrayal of LGBTQIA+ relationships. Other readers will love the fantastical elements of magic, magical worlds, Kieran’s familiar–a teal otter, and a cursed vampire. This would be a good addition to any library that serves teens who enjoy fantasy.

One important note: Though this is not marketed as a series, it absolutely is. I went into this one not knowing it has a prior book (Practical Rules for Cursed Witches), and I wouldn’t recommend that. I think the author/publisher might have intended it to be interconnected standalones but I often felt like I was missing a backstory and finding that there was a book with Briar and Delilah that took place before this one made so much sense; I would strongly recommend reading that one first and including both in your library (and marking them as a series to help your readers). This was a four-star read for me (it may have been 4.5 or 5 stars if I had read the prior book first). Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School Library, Gardiner

four-stars

Room to Breathe by Kasie West

Room to Breathe by Kasie WestRoom to Breathe by Kasie West
on January 6, 2026
ISBN: 0593897722
Genres: Romance
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

Room to Breathe is a quick read, realistic fiction, and romance teen novel about Indy and Beau. Indy’s life has been imploding and her close friends—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—have no idea what’s going on because Indy’s mom has sworn her to secrecy. With no one to turn to, Indy starts acting out and her friendships fall apart. Then Indy and Beau find themselves locked in a school bathroom. Can they finally talk and repair their friendship or is this really the end?

West weaves a compelling and engaging story. There’s a mystery around what’s happening with Indy and what led to the fallout with her friends and suspense with how West tells the story by moving back and forth in time. There’s romance in the will they or won’t they between Beau and Indy, especially with the forced proximity trope of them being trapped in a bathroom together. At 260 pages, this one will be a great addition to any library that serves readers 13 and up who enjoy romance. It’s a quick read with compelling characters, an engaging storyline, and a heart-warming romance. This was a four-star read for me. Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School Library, Gardiner

four-stars