Young Adult
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, Danielle Evans ( paperback March 2023)
£9.99
A college student's unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront her feelings of resentment toward her more privileged classmates. A father's misguided attempt to rescue a gift for his adult daughter magnifies all he doesn't know about her. And two teenage girls' flirt with adulthood leads to disastrous consequences.Based in a world where inequality is reality, but where the shifting terrain of adolescence and family are the most complicating forces, Evans' characters are wry, wise and utterly original. Striking in their emotional immediacy, the electrifying, prize-winning stories in Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self offer a fresh perspective on race and class in contemporary America. 'Danielle Evans is funny as hell' - Victor LaValle, author of Big Machine'
The First Move, Jenny Ireland ( paperback April 2023)
£8.99
For 13+ and adults like me who enjoy a good YA read!
Juliet believes girls like her - girls with arthritis - don't get their own love stories. She exists at the edges of her friends' social lives, skipping parties to play online chess under a pseudonym with strangers around the world. There, she isn't just 'the girl with crutches'.
Ronan is the new kid: good looking, smart, a bad boy plagued by guilt over what happened to his brother Ciaran. Chesslife is his escape. Juliet thinks Ronan thinks someone like Ronan could never be interested in someone like her - and she wouldn't want him to be anyway - he always acts like he's cooler than everyone else. Little do they know they've already discovered each other online, and have more in common than they think . . .
From Spring 2024, Jenny has another new teen book out, The Boy Next Door, also available below!
Things I wanted to Say, Monica Murphy ( paperback March 2023)
£9.99
Whit Lancaster is the cold, heartless and devastatingly handsome bad boy at Lancaster Prep.
Beautiful Summer Savage has no time for Whit. But his intense gaze traps her under a spell. Fills her with a longing she doesn't understand.
When Whit gets into trouble one night, Summer invites him in. Tends to his wounds. Lets her guard down, just for a moment .
. . Which is when Whit takes off in the dead of night.
Taking her journal with him. Now he holds all her darkest secrets, threatening to expose her to the entire school. So Summer strikes a deal with Whit.
A deal that leaves her at his mercy behind closed doors . . .
But what if he's at hers?
# booktok romance # not for kids !
Happyhead , Josh Silver ( paperback March 2023)
£8.99
We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. ...Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer. When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo.
The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it's clear there may be no escape... The first in a thrilling, thought-provoking new series for fans of They Both Die at the End and Squid Game
Annie Lumsden, The Girl From the Sea ( paperback April 2023)
£7.99
A magical story about finding your identity from one of the most acclaimed storytellers of his generation, richly illustrated in full colour by an internationally renowned artist. My mother says that all things can be turned to tales. I thought she meant tales like fish tails, but I was wrong.She meant tales like this, tales that are stories. But this tale of mine is very like a fish tail too... Annie has never been like the other girls.
Her mam tried sending her to school when she was small, but Annie couldn't seem to make words or numbers stick. She prefers instead to be swimming in the sea, or sunbathing on the shore at Stupor Beach, her head full of tales. She should have been a fish, her mam always tells her, and Annie knows the truth of it.
Then a stranger who comes to town is struck by the beauty and the wonder of her, and Annie Lumsden realizes that perhaps she really is half a creature from the sea.
Imogen, Obviously , by Becky Albertalli ( paperback May 2023)
£8.99
The sensational new novel from Becky Albertalli, best-selling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Imogen may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down. And when she visits her best friend, Lili, at college who is newly-out, newly-graduated, and newly thriving, with a cool new squad of queer college friends, no one knows that Imogen's a raging hetero - not even Lili's best friend, Tessa.Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with... With an irresistible cast of characters, hugely funny and empathetic writing, and all of Becky Albertalli's trademark warmth and wit, Imogen, Obviously beautifully explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship - perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Adam Silvera.
Fairy Tale, Stephen King ( paperback June 2023)
£9.99
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER...
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But when Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. When Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe - inside the shed is a portal to another world.
Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher - for their world or ours.
How Far We’ve Come, Joyce Efia Harmer (PAPERBACK 2024)
£8.99
From debut author, Joyce Efia Harmer, comes a ground-breaking YA story of friendship and freedom that crosses continents and centuries, in a timeslip novel exploring the legacy of slavery.
Sometime, me love to dream that me is a human, a proper one, like them white folks is. Enslaved on a plantation in Barbados, Obah dreams of freedom.
As talk of rebellion bubbles up around her in the Big House, she imagines escape. Meeting a strange boy who's not quite of this world, she decides to put her trust in him. But Jacob is from the twenty-first century.
Desperate to give Obah a better life, he takes her back with him. At first it seems like dreams really do come true - until the cracks begin to show and Obah sees that freedom comes at an unimaginable cost . .
. Both hopeful and devastating, this powerful novel about equality, how far we've come, and how far we still have to go introduces an extraordinary new literary voice.
Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno- Garcia ( paperback 2020)
£9.99
Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker. The Jazz Age is in full swing, but it's passing Casiopea Tun by.She's too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own. This dream is impossible, distant as the stars - until the day Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather's room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death.
He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires. Success will make her every dream come true, but failure will see her lost, for ever. In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatan to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
Bad Influence, by Tamsin Winter ( paperback June 2023)
£7.99
"A beautiful, relevant story of courage, strength, and not letting other people decide who you are." Kate Weston. Amelia Bright wants to be the best at everything. But when it comes to popularity, she is dead last. No matter what she tries, she can't shake her reputation as a maggoty nobody.When she meets cute new boy Evan, Amelia wonders if he can help her lose her loser status. And in a moment of hope, she agrees to something she quickly regrets - something that goes viral at school. Now she's not just called "maggot", she's a "bad influence" - and worse.
But Amelia's determined not to let one mistake define her...she's so much more than the image everyone sees online. A powerfully real and funny new story from the rising queen of teen, about first kisses, learning to be true to yourself and how one click can last for ever...
The Blue Book of Nebo, by Manon Steffan Ros ( paperback Jan 2022)
£8.99
In JUNE 2023 this book won the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing - the first book in translation to win this prestigious award ( originally in Welsh)
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities.
And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo. In this prize-winning novel, Manon Steffan Ros not only explores the human capacity to find new strengths when faced with the need to survive, but also questions the structures and norms of the contemporary world.
It's a young adult ( perhaps 14+ ) but also a crossover novel that adults will find fascinating.
I Must Betray You, Ruth Septys ( paperback Aug 2022)
£7.99
A super book for boys and girls aged 14+
Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers**' Choice Medal for Writing 2023
Trapped by an evil dictatorship, will Cristian be forced to betray his family or will he risk everything he loves to resist? A powerful, heart-breaking thriller based on real events. Cristian has lived his entire life in the grip of a repressive dictatorship. The country is governed by fear.
When the secret police blackmail him, Cristian has an impossible choice. Save the life of his sick grandfather by informing on his family, or risk his life - and all of theirs - by resisting? At 17, Cristian dreams of being free but doesn't know where to turn. In this climate of constant suspicion, can he trust his best friend, his girlfriend or even his family? Closely based on the real events of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, this is a powerful, heart-breaking thriller from the author of Salt to the Sea, winner of the Carnegie Medal.
** real readers not literary judges!
One of Us is Back, Karen McManus ( paperback March 2024))
£8.99
From international bestseller, Karen McManus, comes the explosive third and final thrilling instalment in the acclaimed Bayview series. Life hasn't been easy for the Bayview Crew. First they had to prove they weren't killers.Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it's beginning again. At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview.
But when a member of the crew disappears, it's clear this 'game' just got serious - and no-one understands the rules. Everyone's a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly.
Simon was right about secrets - they all come out in the end. Praise for One of Us is Next:'Given that her high-school-based murder mysteries read like bingeworthy Netflix dramas, it's easy to see why queen of teen crime Karen McManus is a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic.
Five Survive, Holly Jackson ( hardback July 2023)
£8.99
THE EXPLOSIVE NEW YA CRIME THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.
WINNER of the CrimeFest award 2022 for Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults! 'A blisteringly good standalone thriller.'The Observer, YA Books of the Year, 4/12/2022
Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. Spirits are high.
Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There's a sniper out there.
He's watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for. As a game of cat-and-mouse plays out, the group desperately tries to get help.
Buried secrets are forced to light and tensions within the group reach deadly levels. Only one thing is for sure. Not everyone will survive the night .
Grapefruit Moon, Shirley McMillan ( paperback August 2023)
£8.99
Wealthy, popular Charlotte and quiet, working class Drew couldn't be more different, but both face a common enemy at Cooke's Academy in the form of the Stewards - an elite group of students whose power to manipulate school culture is feared by pupils and teachers alike. Drew, a newcomer to Cooke's, must navigate the strict codes of masculinity laid down by the Stewards in order to have a hope of moving on to university, while Charlotte dreams of speaking freely about the constraints and abuses of the culture which is propelling her towards a life she's not sure she wants. Through drag art and poetry the unlikely pair follow a dangerous trajectory which will lead them closer to one another and further away from the paths laid out for them.
SMcM is brilliant at talking the language of the 15+, not patronising or didactic, she really 'gets' the age group and her stories are gripping. Not just for the teens either! L
Innana, Emily Wilson ( paperback August 2023)
£9.99
Stories are sly things...they can be hard to catch and kill. Inanna is an impossibility. The first full Anunnaki born on Earth in Ancient Mesopotamia.Crowned the goddess of love by the twelve immortal Anunnaki who are worshipped across Sumer, she is destined for greatness. But Inanna is born into a time of war. The Anunnaki have split into warring factions, threatening to tear the world apart.
Forced into a marriage to negotiate a peace, she soon realises she has been placed in terrible danger. Gilgamesh, a mortal human son of the Anunnaki, and notorious womaniser, finds himself captured and imprisoned. His captor, King Akka, seeks to distance himself and his people from the gods.
Arrogant and selfish, Gilgamesh is given one final chance to prove himself. Ninshubar, a powerful warrior woman, is cast out of her tribe after an act of kindness. Hunted by her own people, she escapes across the country, searching for acceptance and a new place in the world.
As their journeys push them closer together, and their fates intertwine, they come to realise that together, they may have the power to change to face of the world forever. The first novel in the stunning Sumerians Trilogy, this is a gorgeous, epic retelling of one of the oldest surviving works of literature
If I Have to be Haunted, Miranda Sun ( hardback Sept 2023)
£14.99
Your first love will always haunt you... The most haunting, heartwarming debut of 2023. Perfect for fans of strong female leads and supernatural stakes in Buffy, with all the sweetness and romance of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.Cara's just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, and prepare for college - which means not speaking to the dead, an ability she inherited from her grandmother. Ghosts are trouble, and Cara doesn't need to add their problems to her own. But then she stumbles upon the body of Zach - the super popular but very newly dead high school golden boy - in the woods, and guess what? He wants her to resurrect him.
Cue trouble. Miranda Sun's debut touches on the power and conflicts in a mother-daughter love, first romance - and finding your place in the world while honouring your culture. Full of heart, humour and thrills, If I Have to be Haunted will put a spell on you.
Immortality: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz ( paperback October 2023)
£9.99
Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before - the immortality, Beecham's vial - were a figment of her imagination. She doesn't even know if Jack is alive or dead.
All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her. When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamour and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.
As Hazel's work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right. Praise for Anatomy: A Love Story:'Irreverent, intelligent, and smart.
Dana Schwartz is one of the brightest of the next generation of young writers' Neil Gaiman'
Book 2 continues the story from Book 1; Anatomy, A Love Story
You Could Be So Pretty, Holly Bourne ( paperback October 2023)
£8.99
Uglies meets The Handmaid's Tale for the new YA generation in this mind-blowing novel from bestselling queen of YA Holly Bourne.
BEAUTY COMES AT A PRICE. AND GIRLS MUST PAY.
In Belle and Joni's world there are two options for girls: One, follow the rules of the Doctrine like Belle: apply your Mask, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony, be a Pretty. Or two, fight the rules like Joni: leave your face bare, work hard to escape to the Education, be an Objectionable. But maybe there is a third option...
Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can...
What would you choose? Warning - this novel deals with issues that some readers may find upsetting, including references to pornography and sexual assault.
Fantastic Vegan Recipes for the Teen Cook (hardback May 2023)
£18.99
With her fresh, friendly voice and easy-to-follow instructions, recipe developer Elaine Skiadas shares helpful vegan cooking tips, tricks and techniques and mouthwatering recipes for showstopping vegan dishes. Elaine's recipes help the modern teen cook be more environmentally-conscious and develop healthy habits while also proving that easy vegan cooking doesn't need to be bland or boring. With just a few simple techniques and a handful of quality ingredients, it's easy as can be to whip up a restaurant-quality meal for your family and friends.Even if you're new to cooking, you can easily make delicious Zucchini Bread Pancakes to fuel your morning or a Spinach Artichoke Quesadilla for a quick lunch or mid afternoon snack. Dinnertime features exciting takes on favorite dishes like Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Indian Butter Tofu and Butternut Mac and Cheese. No matter your skill level or where you are on your journey with veganism, Elaine is here to make vegan cooking easy, fun and flavourful.
Wise Creatures, Deirdre Sullivan (paperback Sept 2023)
£8.99
Deirdre Sullivan owns the space of slightly dark and creepy writings for YA - not to be missed if you like that sort of thing!
I always thought that hauntings began with houses. They don't, of course. It's people, isn't it? They begin with people. If anyone knows what it is to be haunted, it's Daisy. The ghosts of her troubled past are ever present. Daisy has always done her best to shut the ghosts away.
To shut away the wise creatures who used to whisper to her from the walls of the house. To live a normal life. But now, something is humming in the house.
Something dark, and unknown. And it's targeting Nina, her beloved sister. Daisy knows that something is up.
And that the wise creatures, locked away for so long, are back. And this time, who knows what they want?A haunting psychological horror novel from award-winning author Deirdre Sullivan
Little Bang, Kelly McCaughrain ( paperback Jan 2024)
£8.99
A bittersweet Northern Irish romance that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman's right to choose her own future. Beneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble, but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal.Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mum pushes for a termination. Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her. This story skillfully and sensitively manages the emotional debate over the pro's and con's of babies and abortions, not always predictable, and very relatable. Holly Bourne is a great advocate of young teens reading about difficult issues as a 'safe space' to consider and discuss those issues, this book does a great job in that sphere.
From the author of the award-winning Flying Tips for Flightless Birds. "Kelly McCaughrain is one to watch" Susin Nielsen
Little White Lies / Deadly Little Scandals ( Paperback Jan 2024, Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
£8.99
Welcome to the page-turning, twisty, gasp-inducing world of the Debutantes - an addictive YA mystery duology from the author of #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation INHERITANCE GAMES series. 'A plot twist every twenty pages . .. Barnes is at her page-turning best.' E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars A six-figure offer.
A family mystery to solve. A town of buried secrets. When Auto mechanic Sawyer Taft's estranged grandmother offers her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season, Sawyer's first instinct is to run a mile.
But then she realizes her grandmother's offer might mean solving the biggest mystery of her life - her father's identity. So she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses and even bigger egos. .
. However, Sawyer doesn't expect to find a group of fellow debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own and soon it's clear that the truth about her father is just one of the shocking secrets buried deep in this high-society world . .
. And no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) - perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
The Murder After the Night Before, Katy Brent ( paperback Feb 2024)
£9.99
Something bad happened last night. I've woken up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in my bed, and I've gone viral for the worst reasons. But I can't remember a thing. My best friend Posey is dead.The police think it was a tragic accident. I know she was murdered. There's only one thing stopping me from dying of shame.
I need to find a killer. From the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, don't miss this wickedly witty and utterly addictive novel, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie, Dawn O'Porter and Killing Eve. Praise for The Murder After the Night Before: What a ride! Unflinchingly realistic and raw but somehow also brilliantly funny at times, Brent's novel is a must-read.
A Touch of Chaos, Scarlett St.Clair ( paperback March 2024)
£8.99
The world will burn in the final installment of Scarlett St. Clair's bestselling Hades X Persephone saga. The gods are at war, the Titans have been released, and Hades and Persephone must fight tooth and nail for their happy ending.Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never guessed that a chance encounter with Hades, God of the Underworld, would change her life forever-but he did. Now embroiled in a fight for humanity and battles between the gods, Persephone and Hades have entered a world they never thought they would see. To end the chaos, Persephone must draw upon her darkness and embrace who she's become-goddess, wife, queen of the Underworld.
Once, Persephone made bargains to save those she loves. Now, she will go to war for them.
The Stolen Lives, Sharada Keats ( paperback April 2024)
£8.99
Filled with suspense and romance, ideal for fans of Noughts & Crosses, The Hunger Games and Shatter Me. Six years ago, seventeen-year-old Mora survived the terrifying Skøl invasion.They stole her land. They took her family. And now not even her life is her own.
Skøl culture revolves around one motto: Life is Golden. You must pay the government for the right to survive. If you can't, you're cast out at best - at worst, culled.
Records of every citizen are held at the hallowed, highly secured Life Registry, which tracks who lives and who dies, who pays and who fails. Colonized survivors like Mora face endless servitude, repaying the 'debt' of their years lived before the invasion. Mora is resigned to her fate, finding glimmers of joy in her tentative friendship with another repayer, the handsome, elusive Kit.
But then she finds out that twelve-year-old Zako, the closest thing she has to a brother, is to be put to death by the dangerous new Skøl Governor. Finding the courage to fight back, Mora and Kit conspire to smuggle Zako to safety. But their plan draws them into a dark mystery - and to a heart-pounding mission at the Life Registry itself.
They must ultimately ask themselves: what are we worth to each other? Gripping, moving and suspenseful storytelling with a friends-to-lovers romance that crackles with tension. A girl driven by unthinkable grief. A boy targeted for his unimaginable ability.
A compelling story exploring the power of hope, courage and connection from a stunning new voice in YA.
