Better Than th Movis by Lynn Painter, 2022

Liz had a huge crush on Michael before he moved away.  Now he has returned and she wants her best friend, Wes, to help her get Michael to like her.  Wes tries hard to help, but all the time he secretly wishes she liked him. 

Borders by Thomas King, 2021

        A boy and his mother travel from the Canadian side of the US border to go to Salt Lake City.  The Border Patrol asks for their nationality and they say they are Blackfoot.  This doesn’t go will with the border agents who send them back to Canada.  But they can’t get back into Canada because they are Blackfoot, not Canadian nor American.  This is a poignant portrayal of the Indigenous cultures not being recognized for their citizenship. 

Th Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander, 2022

A novel in verse, Kofi is warned never to go to the river in Ghana at night.  When he does anyway, he is captured for the slave trade. He had dreams and hopes which are ripped from him.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson, 2022

Here is a dark and scary road trip by 5 teens.  Stranded in their camper out in nowhere, they contend with killers and intrigue. Who dies?  Who is next?  Why is this happening? 

Four For the Road by K. J. Reilly, 2022

Asher is in grief counseling after his mother was killed by a drunk driver.  He is going to Graceland to take revenge because the killer got off on a technicality. Three others in his grief group accompany him, but each carry their sadness and anger on the journey.

Girl Forgotten by April Henry, 2023

Seventeen years ago a young girl was murdered but the killer was never identified.  Teenager Piper believes she can solve the cold case.  However, after using social media and her podcast, she begins receiving death threats to stop investigating.

In Nightfall by Suzanne Young, 2023

The story starts out innocently enough when Theo and Marco, siblings, go to spend the summer with their father in Nightfall, Oregon, and meet their grandmother.  They are warned never to be out after dark. Nightfall is quickly eerie and creepy and with supernatural events because the town teens are mesmerizing. 

Lore by Alexandra Bracken, 2021

Nine gods of Olympus are on earth as punishment for a rebellion. They are being hunted by others who want their power. Lore has left her place in that world, but meeting her former combat training partner, Castor, sets up their involvement in the fight between the forces.

Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams, 2022

Biracial twins are separated at birth.  Charlie has dark skin and Magnolia is white.  They do not know of each other.  Charlie becomes an activist while Magnolia lives in luxury on a plantation. Secrets are hard to keep. Upbringing is difficult to overcome when the two girls finally meet.