The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult Fiction

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

“In a few strides she hit the tree line, and then she was in the dark. Everything was different here, like the trees had tugged her out of the world of open water and night skies and into an empty void.” Logan Ortiz-Woodley just graduated from high school, and all she wants is to find a place to call home. But first, she has to go with her dads to their hometown, Snakebite, Oregon, to do some location scouting for their ghost-hunting show ParaSpectors. But things are wrong in Snakebite, and they might be getting worse. Ashley Barton is one of the popular girls and her boyfriend Triston has gone missing. Time is running out, things are weird, and Ashley just wants things to go back to normal, so she enlists Logan’s help. The Dead and the Dark is a book that takes some time to pull you in, but once it does, there is no escape. Readers of both YA and Adult thrillers and horror will find something to love in Gould’s writing, which keeps readers on edge. Keep the lights on and start this book in the early morning because you won’t be able to stop but you won’t want to read after dark! Content warnings for absent parent, homophobia, assault, and harm to children.

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould, (List Price: $12.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250861092, September 2022)

Reviewed by Faith Parke-Dodge, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould Read More »

The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe

Tess Sharpe has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this follow-up to her 2021 hit The Girls I’ve Been. Readers follow Nora as she is hunting and being hunted by her stepfather with Wes and Iris in tow. Sharpe’s writing is impossible to put down, and the tension at the end left me in tears from the sheer overwhelming nature of it.

The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316574914, May 2024)

Reviewed by Emma Presnell, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe Read More »

Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz

I Am a Candlewick Frequent Blurber! On the shortest day of the year, Max, Susan, Nell, Jean, and Kate tumbled through Mrs Grady’s cobalt blue window. On the other side, things were the same (there were animals, people, and chicken for dinner) but at the same time very very very different. In this mesmerizing new portal fantasy from the author of Zebra Forest, five children learn who they are, discern how they fit into an ancient prophecy, and learn just what they can do when they set their minds to it.

Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz, (List Price: $18.99, Candlewick, 9780763660369, April 2018)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gerwirtz Read More »

Youth Group by Jordan Morris

I really enjoyed this slightly bonkers graphic novel, and it made me laugh out loud! I loved the concept of an evangelical church youth group that secretly fights demons — seriously a perfect concept for a book. The author and artist captured the 1990s youth group scene so accurately!

Youth Group by Jordan Morris, (List Price: $17.99, First Second, 9781250789235, July 2024)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Youth Group by Jordan Morris Read More »

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

A cute and heartfelt friends-to-enemies-to-lovers who must come together to try and rebuild their community’s Islamic Center after it burns down. A serious topic interspersed with funny banter and sweet realizations – a very classic YA romcom that teens will love!

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250890139, June 2024)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Read More »

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson

Goddess Divine, this book was amazing! A new take on one of my favorite X-Men, Ororo, aka Storm. Giving her story new life with some of the core qualities we know and love about Storm, Tiffany Jackson did a fantastic job. With characters we also know and love sprinkled throughout the book, this will be an automatic pickup for any X-Men fans!

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $20.99, Random House Books for Young Readers, 9780593308851, June 2024)

Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson Read More »

First Test Graphic Novel by Tamora Pierce

Pierce’s series is beloved for a reason, and I am SO happy it’s becoming a graphic novel series. A strong female heroine trying to prove herself in a society where women are not welcome in the community of knights. Uplifting, hopeful. Small acts of bravery and bold friendship!

First Test Graphic Novel by Tamora Pierce, (List Price: $17.99, Random House Graphic, 9780307931573, July 2024)

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

First Test Graphic Novel by Tamora Pierce Read More »

Our Bodies Electric by Zackary Vernon

I am just in love with this book. I spent a lot of time debating whether or not to feature this as a queer book. I realized I was thinking about it too hard. 14-year-old Josh struggles to live up to his parents’ puritanical Southern Baptist standards. As he slogs his way to high school, he falls in love, obsesses over David Bowie, and makes his own thongs, stumbling through a puberty that is cringingly realistic. This book is painfully funny. As Josh and his friends realize maybe even the adults don’t have it figured out, they discover there is room just to be themselves.

Our Bodies Electric by Zackary Vernon, (List Price: $18.95, Fitzroy Books, 9781646034574, June 2024)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Our Bodies Electric by Zackary Vernon Read More »

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species is a brutal and honest look at human nature, revenge, and rape culture. Through the perspectives of three different characters, McGinnis explores how there isn’t always a clear right or wrong in any given situation. Alex is a captivating and interesting character. She is full of depth and is well-balanced by the characters of Jack and Claire. All three characters were flawed, but that’s what made them feel real. The ending was heartbreaking, but it also felt like the only natural conclusion and the catalyst for everything that had been building up over the course of the novel. The Female of the Species is a quick read that will have you considering your own morality and just what you might be capable of.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis, (List Price: $10.99, Katherine Tegen Books, 9780062320902, April 2022)

Reviewed by Emma Tara, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis Read More »

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Simultaneously heartbreaking and humorous. A fictionalized tale of the author’s life as a young teen, chronicling his battle with being loyal to his home and breaking away to meet who he was destined to be.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, (List Price: $20.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316504041, September 2017)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Read More »

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta

This is one of those graphic novels that I think everyone can relate to! Ready or Not follows a group of high school graduates as they are trying to spend one last summer together before their next journey’s begin whether it’s together or apart. It also touches on intense anxiety about the future and the pressures that young adults face with deciding what to do after they graduate school.

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta, (List Price: $14.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665907026, July 2024)

Reviewed by Juliana Reyes, Bookmarks in Savannah, North Carolina

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta Read More »

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta

Absolutely adored this book!I could relate so much to the main character and how friends grow apart but since you don’t know what you want to do with life, they end up growing away from you. Thank god for the happy ending though. I loved the art style and am so excited to see it when it\’s published in full color.I really felt like I was a part of the group while reading the book, and honestly, was quite sad when it ended. To be honest, when I finished it I just had to sit there and adjust to being back in real life, I was glued the entire time. 10/10 must read

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta, (List Price: $14.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665907026, July 2024)

Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta Read More »

Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley

I always loved Lucy Knisley’s cat comics — although not a cat owner myself, I did share my life with a very cat-like chihuahua for a decade, and Lucy’s Linney and my Jack had quite a lot in common. Collected for the first time in one volume, these comics are perfect to give a cat lover (or just a lover of any grumpy, particular animals we choose to pamper and adore).

Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley, (List Price: $16.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593177631, July 2024)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair by Lucy Knisley Read More »

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

After two private school students are selected to be prefects, an anonymous bully starts sending text messages with revealing secrets about them to the rest of the student body. In this debut novel, suspense is expertly combined with interesting social commentary–perfect for fans of Courtney Summers, Maureen Johnson, or Karen McManus!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250800800, July 2023)

Reviewed by Jen Minor, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Read More »

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

This book can eat away at you. So beautiful, written in verse with such vivid, raw and gripping emotion. What happens one night when teenagers get in a fight and one white boy ends up in a coma? Everyone involved is part of the tragic story, but what continues to the wrongly accused is heart-thumping and beyond wrong. This is a story 400 years in the making, and why we still have to tell it is the real tragedy. How can our country get better? How can we heal? I wish everyone would read it so we can have some much-needed conversations. The butterflies scattered throughout the book helped me breathe through some tough parts and offered real hope. “Butterfly, if you’re in here with me, then you have to go back out there and change the world” I hope the butterfly succeeds.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam, (List Price: $15.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062996497, December 2021)

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

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam Read More »

Scroll to Top