RANDOMNESS THOUGHTS

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller Release Date: March 5, 2024 Description: "Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties. ” At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle. When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything ...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Thriller, Mystery, LGBT Release Date: September 19, 2023 Description: " For fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Veronica Mars, this whip-smart thriller follows a sapphic detective agency as they seek the truth behind a growing trail of missing girls in small-town Louisiana.  A year ago, beloved cheerleader Stella Blackthorn vanished without a trace. Devastated, her younger sister, Iris, launched her own investigation, but all she managed to do was scare off the police’s only lead and earn a stern warning: Once she turns eighteen, more meddling means prison-level consequences. Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris’s ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too—just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris’s sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disapp...

                                                              **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Fantasy, LGBT Release Date: July 6, 2023 Description: " Sometimes, emotions can be a little too powerful . . . Seventeen-year-old Steven has a big problem . . . Whenever he feels intense emotions, weird things happen. Like when he kissed a boy for the first time, and the boy's head literally exploded. Fleeing to the miserable town of Grunsby-on-Sea, Steven is determined to not hurt anyone else - but he doesn't count on his best friend Freya, her boyfriend Marcus and American friend Troy following him. And when agents from the mysterious DEMA organisation show up talking about "neutralisation", Steven realises that Grunsby-on-Sea mi...

   **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance Release Date: July 4, 2023 Description: "Moxie meets Mary H.K. Choi in this funny, whip-smart YA debut about love, resistance, and the enduring friendships that make it all worthwhile.  Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia’s usual plan of anonymity fails when infamous it-girl Mitzi Clarke makes a pointed racist comment in class. Tired of ignoring things just to survive, Olivia defends herself.   And that is the end of her invisible life.  Soon, Olivia joins forces with the Nerd Net: a secret society that's been thwarting Mitzi’s reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at school. But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than l...

   **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary Release Date: July 4, 2023  Description: "A hilarious murder mystery–rom-com from author and comedian Kate Weston investigates the sinister side of social media when bullying turns bloody—and a string of classmate deaths by menstrual cup and sanitary pad sets amateur sleuth Kerry hot on the trail of a menstrual murderer. Perfect for fans of Truly Devious and Fleabag. There’s never a good time to find a dead body, sure. But what about finding a dead body while you’re trying to kiss your crush? Kerry had different plans for her first high school party—like not going. All she wanted to do was stay home in the safety of retro rom-coms and her strict retainer schedule. Instead her BFF, fiercely outgoing mystery-fanatic Annie, has roped her into going to the party to investigate who’s cyberbullying Heather, the most popular girl i...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  Graphic Novel, YA, Romance, Contemporary, Horror, LGBT Release Date: June 6, 2023   Description: " In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret. Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier. When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there—in particular, the ru...

**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT Release Date: May 16, 2023   Description: " Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer. Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn. Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons. In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pr...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance Release Date: May 11, 2021   Description: " For fans of Sarah Dessen and Mary H.K. Choi, this lyrical and emotionally driven novel follows Alina, a young aspiring dancer who suffers a devastating injury and must face a world without ballet—as well as the darker side of her former dream. Alina Keeler was destined to dance, but then a terrifying fall shatters her leg—and her dreams of a professional ballet career along with it. After a summer healing (translation: eating vast amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos and binging ballet videos on YouTube), she is forced to trade her pre-professional dance classes for normal high school, where she reluctantly joins the school musical. However, rehearsals offer more than she expected—namely Jude, her annoyingly attractive castmate she just might be falling for. But to move forward, Alina must make peac...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller Release Date: September 21, 2021   Description: " Everyone in Gardiners Bay has a secret. When Jenna Dallas and Adam Cole find Colleen O’Dell’s body floating off the shore of their coastal town, the community of Gardiners Bay is shaken. But even more shocking is the fact that her drowning was no accident. Once Jenna’s best friend becomes a key suspect, Jenna starts to look for answers on her own. As she uncovers scandals inside Preston Prep School leading back to Rookwood reform school, she knows she needs Adam on her side. As a student at Rookwood, Adam is used to getting judgmental looks, but now his friends are being investigated by the police. Adam will do whatever he can to keep them safe, even if that means trusting Jenna. As lies unravel, the truth starts to blur. Only one thing is certain: somebody must take the fall....

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance Release Date: May 4, 2021   Description: " It's Senior Party Week, that magical in-between time after classes have ended but before graduation, chock-full of gimmicky theme parties, last-minute bonding, and family traditions. Olivia couldn't be more ready. Class salutatorian and confident in her future at LSU, she's poised to sail through to the next phase of her life. But when the tiny hiccup of an unsigned off-campus P.E. form puts Olivia in danger of not graduating at all, she has one week to set things straight without tipping off her very big and very nosy extended family. Volunteering to help at a local golf tournament should do it, but since Olivia's mom equipped her phone with a tracking app, there'll be no hiding the fact that she's at the golf course instead of all the graduation parties happening at the same time. ...

**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT Release Date: May 11, 2021   Description: " Dahlia Adler's  Cool for the Summer  is a story of self-discovery and new love. It’s about the things we want and the things we need. And it’s about the people who will let us be who we are. Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life. Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the sc...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance Release Date: April 6, 2021 Description: " As sweet as a macaron from Laduree, with writing as crisp as a freshly baked baguette, this romantic novel set in Paris about an American ballerina and a charming French boy is  parfait  for fans of  American Royals  and Netflix’s  To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before . Sixteen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve. In the vein of romances like  Love and Gelato , this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love. " Going into this ...

**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance Release Date: June 1, 2021   Description: " Freaky Friday meets The Parent Trap in this sparkling and heartfelt story about sisters, second chances, finding romance, and finding yourself. Jamie’s an aspiring standup comic in Los Angeles with a growing case of stage anxiety. Siri’s a stunning ballerina from New Jersey nursing a career-changing injury. They’ve both signed up for the same session at an off the grid Re-Discover Yourself Retreat in Colorado. When they run into each other, their worlds turn upside down. Jamie and Siri are sisters, torn apart at a young age by their parent's volatile divorce. They’ve grown up living completely separate lives: Jamie with their Dad and Siri with their Mom. Now, reunited after over a decade apart, they hatch a plot to switch places. It’s time they get to know and confront each of their estranged parent...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller Release Date: February 2, 2021   Description: " Double standards are about to get singled out. In this stunning debut, author Natalie Walton tackles privacy and relationships in the digital age. As a lead reporter for The Warrior Weekly, Eden has covered her fair share of stories at St. Joseph's High School. And when intimate pictures of seven female students are anonymously emailed to the entire school, Eden is determined to get to the bottom of it. In tracking down leads, Eden is shocked to discover not everyone agrees the students are victims. Some people feel the girls "brought it on themselves." Even worse, the school’s administration seems more concerned about protecting its reputation than its students. With the anonymous sender threatening more emails, Eden finds an unlikely ally: the seven young women themselves. Ban...

**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance, Asian Literature Release Date: May 4, 2021   Description: " In this sparkling and romantic YA debut, a reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy. How do you make one month last a lifetime? Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything. Karina is my girlfriend. Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even p...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT Release Date: March 9, 2021  Description: " In Sophie Gonzales' Perfect on Paper, Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before: a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back           Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.           Darcy Phillips: • Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee. •   Uses her power for good. Most of the time. • Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham. • Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else. • Does not appreciate being blackmailed. However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her question...

  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Asian Literature Release Date: May 25, 2021 Description: " Crazy Rich Asians  meets  The Princess Diaries  in this irresistible story about Izumi, a Japanese-American girl who discovers her senior year of high school that she’s  really  a princess of Japan. Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is  literally  a princess. In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country ...