The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult Fiction

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
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You’ll want to get your little ink-stained hands on this one as soon as possible! Maeve is getting by in her world by never staying in one place for long and changing her name with every move. See, her father was a known murderer and everyone thinks Maeve is dead. But when she received a letter from seven years ago from an anonymous “friend” claiming that her father is innocent, she must find out the truth. To do this, she’ll have to take on a new identity and apprentice with the Otherwhere Post: the only people who can cross words now (supposedly thanks to her father) to deliver messages. But can she find out the truth before she’s found out herself?

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
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Maeve’s world burned down (literally) seven years ago. Her father was responsible for the crime. A letter from the past arrives, claiming he’s innocent. Maeve practices scriptomancy, the magic of enchanting letters. She impersonates her way into the only place she can uncover the truth in this atmospheric, dark fantasy.

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)

Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

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What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
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What the Woods Took follows five teens forced into a wilderness trek masqueraded as a cure to them being “troubled teens”, but when their guides, who are barely older than them, disappear in the night they begin to suspect there’s something wrong in this forest, more so than the bogus promise the “camp” made to their parents. Mind-blowingly timely and terrifying at the same time. I couldn’t stop reading this deliciously dark and queer story. This is one that will have readers up late and checking over their shoulders deep into the night.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould, (List Price: $20, Wednesday Books, 9781250340672, December 2024)

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

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Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

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Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
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Even before To All The Boys I Loved Before, I’m a sucker for a fake dating story – add in two young, queer brown women and I was hooked from the outset! Hani’s popular and happy, but her two best (white Irish) friends don’t really understand any part of her – not her obligations to the local Bengali community, her Muslim faith, and, most recently, her bisexuality, telling her she can’t be bi if they’ve never seen her with a girl. Ishu, the only other Bengali student at the school, is closeted, doesn’t have many friends, and worries people find her unapproachable. Even though they barely know each other, they hatch a fake relationship plot to convince people around them that they’re really bi and possibly likable, respectively – but find out that being with somebody who makes an effort to understand you is pretty wonderful! I adored this book: its Irish charm, its Bengali cultural specificity without falling into a single character type, its tackling of toxic friendship and racial gaslighting, and a satisfying ending on several different fronts make this an easy rec for lovers of fluffy YA!

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, (List Price: $11.99, Page Street YA, 9781645677543, May 2023)

Reviewed by Akil Guruparan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow

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The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow
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Everyone deals with problems differently. Fifteen-year-old Bella chooses alcohol to solve hers. Her home life sucks, she gets dumped by her boyfriend, and she is spiraling. After a terrifying blackout and a trip to rehab, she slowly takes the steps of rebuilding her shattered life. This is a heartbreaking story of a girl who has hit rock bottom and must make the choice of life or death.

The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow, (List Price: $21.99, Delacorte Press, 9780525708087, October 2024)

Reviewed by Suzanne Carnes, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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Ditching Saskia by John Moore

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Ditching Saskia by John Moore
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What we all wouldn’t give to resurrect a lost one, even to spend just a few days with them? In Damian’s world you can, but one small hiccup is he ends up bringing back not his mom but a young dead girl. This story is all about the unexpected ways life gives us the answers we need. Themes of belonging, loss, guilt and abandonment and yet so much hope in the messiness. Perfect for fall and Studio Ghibli fans!

Ditching Saskia by John Moore, (List Price: $19.99, Flying Eye Books, 9781838741556, October 2024)

Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello

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Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello
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In this brand new YA romance novel, city girl Tia Solanke is NOT looking forward to the holidays. She and her boyfriend, Mike, are on a break, and her mother’s solution is to take a Christmas getaway to the picturesque Saiyan Hedge Farms. Tia takes an instant dislike to the countryside and after the final straw, falling in horse manure and being chased by sheep, she decides to sneak back to London for Mike’s birthday. Quincy needs some help. His family will be the first Black family to ever host the Winter Ball (aka the biggest event of the year), and he is in need of a date after breaking up with his girlfriend. At first, Quincy and Tia don’t see eye to eye, but they soon realize that they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. Quincy needs a date to the ball, and Tia, a ride back to London just in time for Mike’s birthday. Soon, fake feelings turn real, and Tia and Quincy realize that maybe what they were looking for is right in front of them…

Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello, (List Price: $19.99, Soho Teen, 9781641296106, October 2024)

Reviewed by Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

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With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
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You don’t see teen mothers in YA much, and I am so grateful Acevedo has introduced us to Emoni, a seventeen-year-old who is a loving mother, a devoted granddaughter, and an amazing cook. Readers will warm immediately to her story of juggling school, family, romance, and her culinary passion. Sprinkled with magical realism and brimming with heart, With the Fire on High is a dish everyone should dig into!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, (List Price: $15.99, Quill Tree Books, 9780062662842, March 2021)

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew

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The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
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This is a rare gem in the YA dystopian genre. Not only have readers been waiting for the return of the genre but this will be a standout with its swoony romance, thrilling plot, and elements that feel too close to current events.

The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew, (List Price: $19.99, Joy Revolution, 9780593710357, October 2024)

Reviewed by Vania Stoyanova, Brave + Kind Bookshop in Decatur, Georgia

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Divine Mortals by Amanda Helander

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Divine Mortals by Amanda Helander
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The divining magic system really got my attention, and the plot twists kept me reading. Mona is the favored mortal of the crow god of love, and has the ability to divine soulmates. She’s also an agoraphobe because she accidentally killed her older brother as a child. (This isn’t a spoiler because it’s in the very first line.) She’s one of the most unlikable characters I’ve read in a while, but I kinda had to keep reading to see how far she would go–lying, cheating, scheming, teasing poor Master Whitman–to hold onto her truths.

Divine Mortals by Amanda Helander, (List Price: $18.99, Disney Hyperion, 9781368096171, October 2024)

Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

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Monster by Walter Dean Myers

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Monster by Walter Dean Myers
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I like to imagine a world where this is required reading for high schoolers. Where kids know what is like for their life to be left in the hands of someone who doesn’t understand you and doesn’t try to. This is a hard read, I put it down several times just to breathe, but it is one that will stick me just as Hate U Give and Dear Martin did.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers, (List Price: $15.99, Amistad Books for Young Readers, 9780064407311, March 2019)

Reviewed by Olivia Schaffer, The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia

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Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott

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Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott
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Take note Hallmark, this is the sapphic Christmas movie we want! Caroline is making her way through her senior year of high school and it’s almost time for the holidays. She’s started talking to a new girl, but she’s not really been into anyone since her best friend/crush left years ago. Arden, the best friend, left her small town when she was 14 to become an actor. She’s made it big in the past four years, but her real behavior has started to echo the party girl image her agent developed for her. Now she’s up for a serious role that she really wants. She kills the audition, but the director doesn’t want the flighty party girl. So she and her agent come up with a lie on the spot. They say she’s been dating her hometown best friend for years and is headed back for Christmas to be with her. Now she just has to convince Caroline.

Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665937566, October 2024)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta

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Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta
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I’m always a fan of a good Pride and Prejudice retelling, and this one does not disappoint. I love the setting of competing high school debate teams and the issues of racism and sexism that are addressed.

Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta, (List Price: $12.99, Scholastic Press, 9781338797701, March 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones
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A huntress accidentally enchanted as a baby to see hidden magic and the Other Folk embarks on a deadly hunt with a trickster and a reluctant prince to save her Mam. Emily Lloyd-Jones strikes again with the gorgeously-written, unique Welsh fantasy that will utterly captivate readers with each page.

The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones, (List Price: $19.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316568142, October 2024)

Reviewed by Cindy Otis, The Stacks Bookstore in Savannah, Georgia

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Please Be My Star: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Grace Elliott

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Please Be My Star: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Grace Elliott
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High school stands out in my mind as such a time for being awkward, self-critical, and overly romantic. This is the case for Erika, a new student who has a voice in her head that often makes her question herself and if she’s capable of making friends. Surely, something has to give! When her school opens up submissions for one-act plays, she writes one for her crush.. But she never expects him to agree to be her lead! Full of angst and obsession that only comes with a new crush.

Please Be My Star: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Grace Elliott, (List Price: $15.99, Graphix, 9781338840407, October 2024)

Reviewed by Arthur Acton, Fiction Addiction in Winston-Salem, South Carolina

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