(3) YA Vanessa, Phoebe, and Callie--attendees of vastly different conventions (fandom, percussion, and taxidermy, respectively)--meet at a convention center and form a friendship better than many of their existing relationships with their con-companions. Well-drawn characters enhance the humor of this multiple-perspectives tale, which is light but progressive; Vanessa's blossoming romance with genderqueer Merry is a particularly heartwarming subplot.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Eighteen-year-old tennis star Dara is shocked to unearth a family secret: her single mother, Mellie, transitioned from male to female after Dara's birth mother died in an accident. Reeling, Dara hits the road to locate her grandparents; along the way, emails from Mellie fill in missing family history. While the road-trip story line is rather generic, the sensitive depiction of a delicate family issue is noteworthy.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) YA Kate expects to work behind the scenes of her school podcast--not to be chosen as a host. Meanwhile, someone is trying to sabotage her parents' marina on the lake she loves. Hosting the Advice Show helps Kate gain confidence, but as she falls for her best friend's crush, Kate also learns that giving advice is easier than following it. An appealing teen romance with a Sleepless in Seattle setup.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) YA At Linden's high school, a hot new app called Worthy asks students to judge whether the girl in a well-known couple is worthy of the guy. The app threatens Linden's relationships with her best friend and with the new guy she's dating. Though the be-yourself message is heavy-handed, readers will connect with the effort it takes for Linden to believe it.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Alternating accounts convey odd-couple best friends Abby's and Riya's contrasting perspectives on an epic European trip, planned as a way to reconnect after Riya moved to Berlin and Abby remained in California. The breezy travel narratives slowly reveal a layered, complex relationship struggling to survive secrets and individual change; nuanced characterizations make the evolving friendship feel both relatable and believable.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) YA Lovelorn Hope has a flirtatious connection with her best friend and fellow science-club member, Brady; the only thing standing in her way is Brady's cold, needy girlfriend, Parker. Readers will sympathize with Hope until switched-perspective chapters provide Parker's unexpected--and somewhat tragic--side of the story. This engaging, fresh take on the teen-love-triangle trope will appeal to fans of light contemporary YA fiction.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Gregor Maravilla is determined to excel at Camp Save the World. Through his campaign to fight childhood hunger, he hopes to leave the camp a better activist. Unfortunately, the camp doesn't live up to its altruistic promise, and all bets are off when "The Prize" is announced. Though Gregor's moral dilemma is interesting, the humor and satire can feel forced.

Reviewer: Alia Jones

(4) YA Fifteen-year-old Angelica's 250-word newspaper article about San Anselmo Prep's Academic Battle turns into an expose of a scheduling mix-up that puts several important school events on homecoming day. This companion to It's Not Me, It's You uses the same format--a series of interview transcripts constantly switching perspectives--but it's less effective with this story. Still, carefully crafted sentences and a clever mystery should engage readers.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Cara has always been the one organizing her best friend Mailee's life; but when Cara gets swept up in a remote-Montana commune that seems more like a cult, Mailee must take charge for a change to save her friend. A riveting premise, topical issues, and a realistic portrayal of teen friendship are pluses, but the story is marred by its far-fetched climax.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Eighteen-year-old Maddie doesn't believe in luck; instead, she prefers hard work and planning. But the high-school senior never planned to win millions in the lottery, and her relationships, decision-making capabilities, and confidence suffer when she does. Despite the predictable plot line of people trying to take advantage of Maddie for her money, sympathetic characters will hold readers' interest in this otherwise light romantic read.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) YA When high-achieving Mara's breakdown during a calculus test is posted to YouTube, she escapes humiliation by fleeing to Tahoe to spend time with her heretofore minimally involved biological father. Amid the ski slopes, she reevaluates her priorities and has a brush with romance. Mara's privileged background will distance her from most readers, but themes such as excessive testing and college-prep pressures will resonate with many.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Fifteen-year-old Summer Everett is rushing to catch her flight when her cell rings. Two parallel narratives follow: in one, she ignores it and has a romantic, self-actualizing summer in southern France; in the other, her dad's call cancels their plans and she has a romantic, self-actualizing summer at home in upstate New York. The sum is fairly predictable but appealing.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) YA Unreliably narrated in the first-person by Samantha Baker, this is the "true" account of how she and her fellow-fangirl friends came to accidentally kidnap Rupert P., a member of famous boy band The Ruperts. A hysterical dark comedy filled with tons of pop-culture references and a nod to fanfiction--today's teens will have a lot of fun with this one.

Reviewer: Meredith M. Sittman

(3) YA African American Ellia and her white boyfriend Liam were once inseparable--until a devastating running accident left Ellia unable to remember Liam or their relationship. Now Ellia struggles to recover while Liam records the history of their romance in the hope of starting anew. Told from alternating perspectives, this touching romance also illustrates an interracial couple for whom race is just a reality, not an issue.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Overachiever Ruth Ann ("Roo") is headed for Yale; younger sister Tilly is "having senior slump, and she's only a freshman." When Roo responds to Tilly's text while driving, there's a terrible accident. Told from both girls' perspectives--guilt- and grief-stricken Tilly's and Roo's, a victim of locked-in syndrome--the emotional story is hampered by preachiness about the dangers of texting while driving.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA When Avery's boyfriend dumps her before senior prom, she (questionably) leverages her American history assignment to explore her own relationship history. Interviewing old boyfriends and classmates reveals both pleasant and unpleasant truths. An original format--often humorous interview transcripts, with well-placed commentary from Avery--helps elevate the familiar and formulaic story. Satisfyingly, Avery's reflective quest yields things more important than a prom date: self-acceptance and -respect.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) YA When Lily scribbles obscure song lyrics on her desk in chemistry, she doesn't expect a response. But Lily and her mysterious desk pen pal begin writing regularly and find that perhaps there's some (romantic) chemistry there as well. Despite a predictable plot, Lily's snarky voice is engaging, and it's satisfying to see this growing relationship lend maturity to her hectic high-school life.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) YA Delia and her family are staying inside an old correctional institute Delia's family inherited from her father's reclusive great-aunt; their visit turns tragic when mysterious forces throw Delia out a window. Transformed into a ghost, Delia investigates the house's dark past and uncovers its secrets. This original tale offers a vivid, spooky setting and a memorable cast of turn-of-the-century spirit inmates.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA The titular club that Penny Lane founded in The Lonely Hearts Club is becoming more and more successful, and the group is planning an ambitious fundraiser. But Penny's relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan, suffers as a result. Unlike Ryan, readers may have little patience for Penny's behavior, though they may empathize with Penny's struggle to balance her time between friends and her boyfriend.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Penny Lane (The Cupcake Queen) prepares for winter in Hog's Hollow with her mom, grandma, and friends. She's also anxious about her relationship with Marcus; is targeted by an anonymous bully; and helps raise money for an animal shelter. Like life in a small town, the novel is slow paced, but it has a satisfying ending in which the bully is exposed.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith