The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult Fiction

Alanna by Tamora Pierce

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Alanna by Tamora Pierce
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I have loved Alanna since I was a middle schooler. Before I wrote this review, I literally had been pulling out my old dusty copies for my 14 year old goddaughter to read and I’m so thrilled to see that Tamora Pierce is being reprinted once again! Alanna’s story is timeless and portrays healthy relationships as well as bravery and excitement. I cannot wait to welcome a new wave of readers into Tamora Pierce’s world and hope the reprint of the Lioness Quartet is just the beginning!

Alanna by Tamora Pierce, (List Price: $12.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665937412, September 2023)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on The Square in McDonough, Georgia

Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl

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Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl
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Incredibly earnest, honest account (in graphic novel form!) of a teenage theatre kid navigating the move to public high school from an unschooling/homeschool education in a smallish city in the Pacific NorthWest. I love Phoebe Wahl’s art and children’s books (she illustrates and writes), and I adored her peek into the boy-obsessed, music-loving, art-driven world she creates from her own teenage diaries. I laughed out loud, cringed, cried, and cheered. If you loved Judy Blume’s Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, you’ll love Phoebe’s Diary.

Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl, (List Price: 19.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316363563, September 2023)

Reviewed by Adah Fitzgerald, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

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Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
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All the Fighting Parts is a much needed book. The verse format makes it a quick read, but it spares no punches, delving deep into the heart of one sexual assault survivor’s journey through grief, guilt, resistance, and reclamation. Healing is a journey through, not a journey’s end; and while the powers of her local church are stacked against her, her loved ones (whom she withdraws from in the aftermath) learn how to support her through every step. It’s poignant and oh-so relevant. Amina’s story is unlike anything I’ve read before, and I hope with all my might that All the Fighting Parts falls into the hands of those who need it most.

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr, (List Price: $19.99, Amulet Books, 9781419762611, September 2023)

Reviewed by Isabel Agajanian, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

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Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
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Curious Tides centers a lush magic system unlike anything I’ve seen before. The celestial lore was beautifully crafted, and Lacelle’s prose is as captivating as a high tide. I deeply appreciated the subtle LGBTQIA rep and the care with which each interpersonal entanglement was treated. I’ve no doubt that Curious Tides will become a staple in the dark academia/fantasy niche, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle, (List Price: 21.99, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 9781665939270, October 2023)

Reviewed by Isabel Agajanian, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

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This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki
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This poignant story paints those subtle shifts from childhood to adulthood for Rose as she spends time at a lake house with her parents, who are going through a rough patch, and her younger friend Windy, who suddenly seems immature. It’s a quiet story, full of melancholy and growing pains, but still so lovely and achingly honest.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki, (List Price: $18.99, First Second, 9781596437746, May 2014)

Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

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The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
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A September 2023 Read This Next Book!

Andrew Joseph White’s phenomenal debut, Hell Followed With Us, would seem like a tough act to follow but White’s fans won’t be disappointed: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is just as incredible. White tackles the overlapping ways in which misogyny, transphobia, and ableism manifest in society through a ghost-infested finishing school where protagonist Silas Bell must work with the spirits of deceased students to expose the school’s medical and psychiatric abuses and break free of the system’s tyrannical rule. Gut-wrenching yet gorgeous, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a necessary and impressive addition to both LGBTQ and horror lit.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White, (List Price: 19.99, Peachtree Books, 9781682636114, September 2023)

Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Set in the same world as the Inheritance Games this book focuses on fan favorites Grayson and Jameson Hawthorne. They are in pursuit of a dangerous winner take all game. Less brutal than the Hunger Games it does evoke the eagerness to win and you won’t be able to put it down.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, (List Price: 19.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316480772, August 2023)

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angelese) by Amy Spalding

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To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai
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The Summer of Jordi Perez is a pitch-perfect summery contemporary romance. I adored the plus-size lesbian blogger main character as she navigates new friendships, anxiety, new relationships, and an internship. With a romance that anyone can get behind, straight or otherwise, this book is perfect for anyone wanting a light, fun read.

The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angelese) by Amy Spalding, (List Price: $16.99, Sky Pony, 9781510727663, April 2018)

Reviewed by Shauna Sinyard, Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina

Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin

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Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
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This book is stirring, evocative, gorgeous, and compulsively readable! I was drawn in by the strong, clear voice of the heroine from the first page. This book weaves together themes of magic, power, nature, duty, safety, love, wildness, and passion. A beautiful story extremely well told. I can’t wait for the next installment, because I am left with the conviction that Tana’s story has only just begun.

Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin, (List Price: 18.99, Sourcebooks Fire, 9781728256153, August 2023)

Reviewed by Ruth Goldstein, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings

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Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings
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Tilly and Oliver first meet on an international flight, and their first impression is not great on either side. So it seems like the worst luck when Oliver shows up at Tilly’s sister’s place to start work as an intern with Tilly…and they’ll be spending the summer traveling together. Working together. Staying in hotel rooms together. Tilly struggles with her ADHD, as always, but Oliver’s autism allows him to understand her in ways no one else has, and the two grow close. Readers of Eddings’s adult romances will adore this story about Tilly growing into herself, and her relationships that grow with her, and Oliver’s enthusiasm for colors and for Tilly. Eddings has obviously put a lot of herself into this book, and it’s paid off.

Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings, (List Price: $20, Wednesday Books, 9781250847065, August 2023)

Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto

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Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
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Wren wants nothing more than to be a valkyr, a highly trained warrior who protects reapyrs as they make sure the dead stay dead. But when a betrayal sabotages her qualifying trial, Wren finds herself disgraced and shunned with only one chance to redeem herself: rescue a prince from a wasteland of the dead. Harrowing and thrilling, with a richly imagined world and magic system, Bonesmith is the start of a duology that should be at the top of every fantasy fan’s reading list.

Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto, (List Price: 21.99, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 9781665910590, July 2023)

Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

All Alone with You by Amelia Diane Coombs

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All Alone with You by Amelia Diane Coombs
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This book was amazing and such a fun and relatable read. I love the character development and growth of Eloise throughout the book. Austin’s sunshine personality perfectly fits with Eloise’s anxious and sad character, giving us the best of both worlds. Overall, it was a fantastic book that I will definitely be rereading.

All Alone with You by Amelia Diane Coombs, (List Price: 19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781534493575, July 2023)

Reviewed by Meredith Church, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen

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Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen
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Jack Rothman is 17 years old. He likes to wear eyeliner, wear fantastic clothes, and have sex with boys. A LOT of sex. He’s gossiped about a lot in his high school, but when his friend Jenna starts drumming up interest for a new column Jack will be writing for her website, he starts getting little pink notes in his locker. The first one is short and sweet. But they get creepy really fast, and he has no idea who it is that is now stalking him. This is absolutely a very frank, sex-positive book for queer teen boys. It’s not going to be for everyone. But just like Jack helps the readers of his column, this book has real answers to problems that aren’t going to be covered in your high school sex ed class. I enjoyed that MANY of the adults in this book were positive in regards to Jack’s sexuality, but there were some who were not, and that’s a very real fear.

Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen, (List Price: $17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316480536, October 2018)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

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The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell
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McDowell hits it out of the park with her new novel about an American stranded in London and the crown prince on the run from his family…all while a massive comet is about to land on earth, destroying everyone in 10 short days! The action is non stop, the banter is witty, and the prince is swoony. You won’t be disappointed in this one!

The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell, (List Price: 12, Wednesday Books, 9781250873064, July 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley

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The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley
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Elodie was going to be queen, until her youngest sister was born. The third daughter of a third daughter has been prophesied as the second coming of their deity. But there’s tension between the crown and the church, and Elodie, wanting to save her kingdom, accidentally puts her sister into an eternal sleep. The apothecary who sells her the potion, Sabine, is the only one who can help Elodie save her sister and the country, and the two set off to do just that. But while Sabine and Elodie grow closer, secrets have a way of coming out, and all is not as it seems among the clergy. An emotional adventure full of court intrigue that’s sure to appeal to fans of other YA royal reads like Three Dark Crowns and Dance of Thieves.

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley, (List Price: 18.99, Christy Ottaviano Books, 9780316465694, July 2023)

Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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