The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult Fiction

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
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The Poet X is a piece of Acevedo’s heart that we cradle in our hands, an intimate portrayal of someone who isn’t quiet and easy and is all the more beautiful for her sharp edges. Every stanza, Acevedo seemingly challenges herself to improve on what was written before, creating a brutally bittersweet story of what it means to find your voice, both on and off the page. From my first read five years ago to my last, Xiomara continuously inspires me to occupy the spaces I’m told I cannot with my pen, and more importantly, my voice.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, (List Price: $15.99, Quill Tree Books, 9780062662811, April 2020)

Reviewed by Sydney Mason, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

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Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
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I’m noticing a trend with either my reading preferences or books coming out soon because this is the second locked-room, Glass Onion murder mystery Clue game book I’ve read this past couple of weeks. I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I loved how it opened up with Esther, then Mullory and the strange. I was instantly pulled into the intrigue. But then, when everyone came together at the Stoutmire Mansion for the game to begin, I couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. They were all “whimpering” or “screaming.” Like I get that it’s scary and we’re all angry but it just put distance between the reader, the characters, and the plot. (Seriously, if I had played a drinking game with those two dialogue tags I probably wouldn’t have made it through the start of the story. I’d be like Saffron Stoutmire with her martinis) Fortunately, those character arcs started kicking in and I began to really get into the story. Their worries were my worries, their stakes were my stakes sort of thing. I started caring about what happened to them, especially Mullory and Lyric. They turned into a grumpy x sunshine done right. So if you feel the same way, STICK WITH IT. Those clues won’t solve themselves.

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia, (List Price: $18.99, Disney Hyperion, 9781368099080, January 2025)

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

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Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

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Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
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I hardly know where to start…I loved everything about this book! Ramona is spectacular in her extraordinary ordinariness ( and I mean that in the very BEST way). She is every girl – sure of herself until she isn’t – and struggling to find her way back while remaining true to herself. Her cast of supporting characters are the kids we encounter every day. They are gay, straight, black, white, struggling, privileged, confident and questioning and they are NOT “issues.” They are just regular kids, and their stories are spectacular. This is the perfect addition to the #WNDB [We Need Diverse Books] canon and exactly what bookstore shelves should be filled with!

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy, (List Price: $11.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062418364, May 2018)

Reviewed by Laura Donohoe, Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina

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Darkly by Marisha Pessl

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Darkly by Marisha Pessl
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5 STARS!! This YA mystery thriller is an unforgettable adventure with a fast-paced plot, buried secrets, hidden symbols, and intriguing puzzles. After winning a chance to intern at Darkly, a game-making empire, Dia and six other teens from all across America land in England and are taken to an abandoned island where they are thrown into a twisted game called Valkyrie that has never before been released to find the game’s presumed first victim, a teen boy. There were so many unexpected twists, and the shocking ending leaves you wanting more.

Darkly by Marisha Pessl, (List Price: $19.99, Delacorte Press, 9780593706558, November 2024)

Reviewed by Sandra Pinkney, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

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Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter
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This was a stunning sequel to arguably the best YA romcom, Better Than the Movies. After facing the sudden death of his dad during his first year of college, Wes breaks up with Liz, believing he is holding her back. Now, two years later, Wes is more determined than ever to win her back. Lynn Painter always manages to build real characters and relationship dynamics and this book is no exception. This is a must-read!

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665947138, October 2024)

Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

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The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

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The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
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The Grace Year is the year that all girls in the county must take before they are married off in order to burn off their magic. Tierney isn’t looking forward to this year, especially when she finds out she’s going to be married when she comes back. This book is advertised as a mixture of Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid’s Tale. That is a fairly accurate description, but it also made it hard for me to see it as anything else. I enjoyed the story and was kept on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed how things that you thought at the beginning were carefully planted to reveal an overarching truth in a beautiful and meaningful way. I feel like The Grace Year has the potential to be just as impactful as The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, (List Price: $10.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250145451, October 2020)

Reviewed by Kaitlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, 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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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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