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Best Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance eBooks

Every Last Word
But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. Caroline introduces Sam to the Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. ["While the beginning is slow and requires some suspension of disbelief, the climax and resolution are resounding enough to rise above any shadows of doubt": SLJ 6/15 review of the Hyperion book. - Booklist "A brilliant and moving story about findingyour voice, the power of words, and true friendship. I couldn't put it down" - Elizabeth Eulberg, Author of The Lonely Hearts Club "Brilliant, brave, andbeautiful." - Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books "This tender novel shows how powerful and helpful the brain can be under stress without being clinical or detached. - Melanie Koss, Professor of Young Adult Literature, NorthernIllinois University"Romantic, unpredictable, relatable, and sovery enjoyable."
Reviews
"I truly enjoyed this book and it's story line I wasn't sure what to expect since the main character is dealing with a mental illness."
"I am a reader and record for our local library, and I liked this book so much when I recorded it that I ordered it for my granddaughter."
"I totally got the whole concept of her keeping her craziness to herself and not letting anyone know her thoughts. It's a great book to understand the disorder and walk in her shoes as she battles her own thoughts."
"Through poetry, and her new friend Caroline, Sam finally breaks free of the 'Crazy 8' and is able to meet new people more accepting of her."
"This book....this book made me feel a lot of things I rarely feel when I read. It's rare for a book to have a few characters you could relate to."
"So many parts of this hit me right in the feels, and there was a bit towards the end that gave me goosebumps all over my body when I was reading."
"I was, therefore, greatly surprised when I actually opened it the other day and found a completely different and wonderful story of a teenaged girl, struggling with not only the normal challenges of being 16, but some special ones as well."
"Great characterization, I learned a lot about a disorder I knew little about, I enjoyed a cute love story in the process, and lastly, I LOVED the twist."
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The Fault in Our Stars
-Millions of copies sold-. #1 New York Times Bestseller. #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller. #1 USA Today Bestseller. #1 International Bestseller. Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2012 : In The Fault in Our Stars , John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death, love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. After announcing he would sign all 150,000 copies of this title’s first print run, it shot to the top of Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s best-seller lists six months before publication.
Reviews
"So many interactions between Gus and Hazel are interactions which, plain and simple, just would not happen between real, emotional, scared, awkward, virgin teenagers, let alone ones with cancer who have been socially cut off for much of their lives." After treatment, many of us find the things most teens (and sometimes adults) are worried about are trivial. And, it is emotional and scary, but we learn to tell it like it is, without the normal fluff and awkwardness. They try to keep the family together and functioning, in spite of the effects of treatment, fevers and midnight trips to the emergency room, 3 weeks of the month spent in isolation, jobs in jeopardy, birthdays and holidays interrupted, not to mention talks that parents never want to have with their child. My mom said their jobs become about doing whatever it takes, travelling all over the country (which is very common), researching new studies, and new medicines, all to help us survive and thrive with grace and dignity. It is also their job to prepare, if treatments don't work, to help us die with just as much grace and dignity."
"Green wrote this sad, tragic, yet beautiful story, it brings tears to my eyes."
"Both Hazel and Augustus suffer with some form of cancer, they have been robbed a joyous childhood, fun and games replaced by painful treatments and operations. I was not fond of the beginning,but Augustus tenacity won me over and the reader will fall in love with Gus's loyalty and companionship as deeply as Hazel. Together, Hazel and Augustus carve out a pocket of time to discover the sweet perfection of loving a person so much life seems meaningless with out them. This book reminds us that we are all here for a reason, no matter how much time we have, or what we accomplish, rich or poor, successful or not, that a rut in the road of life has been created with a lasting impression that will be there forever."
"Hazel & Gus' love story is inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time. And both Hazel & Gus' parents play big rolls in the book. There are not enough words to describe how wonderful this book is and nothing I can say will give it the justice it deserves."
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Barely Breathing (The Breathing Series, Book 2)
"I've spent most of my life trying to make it to a future that still hasn't happened, or avoid a past that won't let me go. ‘Raw, honest, unflinching and unforgiving, Barely Breathing will take your emotions for a ride and deliver an ending you didn't see coming' - Tracey Garvis-Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island Rebecca Donovan is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the highly-acclaimed New Adult trilogy, The Breathing Series.
Reviews
"If you think it was a lot to deal with in the first book, then you better get ready, because this is a whole other level of... of... All I can say is.... 1st my head is a mess, and I can’t stop thinking about the book since I’ve finished it. 3rd and last I’m going to guess I’ll be up way later than I should be again, with this last book because, I can’t wait another minute to read it. I really loved how Anna, Sara’s mom just sat with Emma and hugged her, letting her know it was going to be ok. “I’m so tired,” I told her, the ache in my chest sucking the will out of me. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” “Do what?” Sara whispered, helping me up so she could pull back the covers. I feel bad for what he must be going through himself after reveling what he doesn’t to Emma about that awful night at home. I wasn’t sure what to think of her in the beginning or what she really felt or thought of Emma, and I’m glad she is the way she is. Of course I’m sure he cares for his son, he’s just that typical kind of “we have money kinda person,” thinking things should only be a certain way. I know she wishes things would change and be different but sadly I don’t think it will ever get better with her mother. In the beginning he truly seems like a nice person and I didn’t want to dislike him, but as time went on, boy was I squirming and thinking no, no, no just like in the first book. I can’t even wait another second to start the last book, and I really have a feeling that I’m going to be way up past a decent bedtime hour again, because I’m unable to put it down. I’m also starting to think after reading this series that Rebecca Donovan is now my new favorite author."
"After reading Book #1 Reason to Breathe and experiencing the power that the novel sucked to the reader, I knew I had to continue to read the series and that no matter what way or how bad the novel got in term of Emma's life, I had to persevere and I have to say as a reader - I feel so sorry for Emma and I know that she is one who would hate pity but my heart aches for her as I read how she never gets a break which in some ways I can relate too."
"Yes, the soap opera like tragedies that Emma encounters are twisted and unfortunate but many of the actions are the result of not thinking and continually hiding the truth."
"Her alcoholic mother asks Emma to live with her & Emma, with her big heart & lots of forgiveness, moves in. Emma's mother is dating a younger man who has some things in common with Emma's tragic past so they swap horror stories & grow closer as Emma struggles with her mother's abuse of alcohol. I agree with Emma that there are things she'd like to keep from Evan, maybe he won't realize what a complete mess her life is."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Blended Families Issues Fiction eBooks

The Hate U Give: The Book Everyone’s Talking About
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. This story is important.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ). “Though Thomas’s story is heartbreakingly topical, its greatest strength is in its authentic depiction of a teenage girl, her loving family, and her attempts to reconcile what she knows to be true about their lives with the way those lives are depicted—and completely undervalued—by society at large.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) ). “Pair this powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s ALL AMERICAN BOYS to start a conversation on racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.” (School Library Journal (starred review) ). “Thomas has penned a powerful, in-your-face novel that will similarly galvanize fans of Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys.” (Horn Book (starred review) ).
Reviews
"I had originally said I was not going to read this book, I didn't know how well I would like it, and I don't tend to get involved with things that can make life at work harder for me. I hated reading it, I cried my eyes out, Thomas did such an amazing job of making a horrible action into beautiful fiction that made you feel like you were right there. This was really refreshing to read because so many books, YA especially make parents out to be monsters that don't care, that aren't there for their kids. I mean it is like a troupe or something for these stories and it isn't actually the norm and gets annoying to read, so this book did an amazing job with the parents and family. All around though this story just floored me, it gave me a perspective I have never considered before, offered insights into a world I am not a part of, and I loved every minute of it."
"In January, uber popular author, John Green, tweeted that The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas would become a classic. I can see this book lasting, not because it’s timeless (hopefully the struggles addressed in THUG will be no more, as Starr prophesied), but because it’s a flashpoint in American history that shouldn’t be forgotten even if it’s rectified. Angie Thomas’ debut is the kind of transformative and accessible novel that can touch a variety of readers and have long-lasting effects. They’re vigorous and honest, Angie Thomas’ words giving them breath, blood, and life. If you’ve read the blurb, then you know the Black Lives Matter movement inspires this novel. Experiencing the effects of that moment from Starr’s perspective is gut wrenching, although, I can foresee some readers feeling numb. Her rage over her friend’s murder is the emotion that steals the show, never leading to traditional acceptance. I mean, with all the hype it’s impossible not to go into this book with some expectation and my greatest fear regarding THUG was that it would piss me off."
"It was illuminating and a powerful read about the very real struggle on the streets today and a call to activism to provide a future filled with opportunities for people of all creeds."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Historical Romance eBooks

Beautiful Creatures
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of. Gatlin. has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally--she has been in his nightmares for months). Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering what happened to the last few hours (and how many more you're willing to give up). To tell too much of the plot would spoil the thrill of discovery, and believe me, you will want to uncover the secrets of this richly imagined dark fantasy on your own. -- Daphne Durham Amazon Exclusive Interview with Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Authors of Beautiful Creatures. Margie: I think we were friends for so long before we were writing partners that there was an unusual amount of trust from the start. Margie: We save our big fights for the important things, like the lack of ice in my house or how cold our office is. And why none of my YouTube videos are as popular as the one of Kami's three-fingered typing…okay, that one is understandable, given the page count for "Beautiful Creatures." Kami: "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "A Good Man is Hard to Find & Other Stories" by Flannery O'Connor, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury and "The Witching Hour" by Anne Rice. Susan Cooper and Diana Wynne Jones made me love fantasy, and my favorite poets are Emily Dickinson (at Amherst College, I even lived on her street) and Stevie Smith. Kami: Looking back, we wrote it sort of like the serialized fiction of Charles Dickens, turning in pages to our teen readers every week. Kami: When we were getting texts in the middle of the night from teens demanding more pages, we knew we had to finish. Kami: I have a huge stack, but here are ones at the top: "Mama Dip's Kitchen," a cookbook by Mildred Council, "The Demon's Lexicon" by Sarah Rees Brennan, "Shadowed Summer" by Saundra Mitchell, "Rampant" by Diana Peterfreund, and an Advanced Reader Copy of "Sisters Red" by Jackson Pearce. Margie: I have Robin McKinley's "Beauty," Maggie Stiefvater's "Ballad," Kristen Cashore's "Fire," Libba Bray's "Going Bovine," and "Everything Is Fine" by AnnDee Ellis. Grade 7 Up—Ethan Wate, a high school sophomore, plans to escape his small Southern town as soon as he can. Life has been difficult since his mother died; his father, a writer, has withdrawn into his study. In the Gothic tradition of Anne Rice, the authors evoke a dark, supernatural world in a seemingly simple town obsessed with Civil War reenactments and deeply loyal to its Confederate past. The intensity of Ethan and Lena's need to be together is palpable, the detailed descriptions create a vivid, authentic world, and the allure of this story is the power of love. Give this to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005) or HBO's "True Blood" series and they will devour all 600-plus pages of this teen Gothic romance.— Amy J. Chow, The Brearley School, New York City Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Reviews
"This book has all the hallmarks of teen literature (the lighthearted romance and ease of reading chief among them) with the advantage of characters that are believable and react normally to their circumstances. Most of the tension in the book is artificial, as it is clear almost from the start that the authority figures around both Ethan and Lena know the entirety of the Plot (or relevant parts of it) and withhold it for whatever reason, ultimately boiling the entire climax down to a case of the actors not having enough information. Truth is that everything I mentioned is pretty much staple for this sort of story, and I imagine that stepping away from some of these tropes would add a level of complexity that could go beyond the scope of a teen/young adult fantasy novel."
"I felt like the first fifty pages were really heavy handed in describing the setting and the town and lacked anything in the way of real character development, but once I slogged through the start, I was pleasantly surprised at how seamlessly I fell into the action. I was sort of burned out on paranormal worlds and the characters within them, but I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the Caster world and really enjoyed all of the intricate details woven throughout the story."
"The store was so accurate about living in the south and how small towns act yet it wasn't overwhelming in the story."
"I feel like the overall plot is your standard teen paranormal romance between a mortal and a magical being, with all the obstacles they must overcome to be together. The depth of the life of Casters (the people with magic powers) is very interesting, and I'm sure there's more to learn in the next book. The only reason I didn't rate it higher was because I'm not the target audience and I feel like if I was 16 or so, I might have done less eye rolling at the stereotypical "teens who are deeply in love forever" moments."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Romance eBooks

A Shade of Vampire (New & Lengthened 2015 Edition)
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is selected out of hundreds of girls to take up residence in the tree-top harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal prince. - Books For Tomorrow ★★★★★. _________________________________________. Note: Derek Novak and Sofia Claremont's story is only a 7 book series. It completes in Book 7: A Break of Day, and the characters embark on entirely new adventures from Book 8: A Shade of Novak. The more you read the more you fall hopelessly in love with the story and every single character - even the evil ones." "Bella Forrest whisks you away to the Shade, which is constantly transforming as the series progresses. "By the time I finished the book, I was hooked and I knew this was a series I wanted to read. There is a lot of twists, internal conflict, drama intertwined with an underlying love story of survival." Great story line, interesting and complex characters , and a fun take on vampires! "This book was everything I wanted Twilight to be: a suspenseful vampire romance with a strong heroine and a handsome male supporting lead ." " Bella Forrest transports you into a story with many defining moments and an unlikely set of heroes. In a narrative world overrun with supernatural creatures full of angst, A Shade of Vampire puts a new spin on a crowded genre." "...a sexy vampire twist, an unforgettable romance that sizzles from start to finish. - YA Book Season "I can't even remember the last vampire romance I read that I loved as much as this one." The plot is intriguing, the characters are great, and the ending will leave you left begging for more!" "Watching the relationship between Sofia and Derek blossom was fascinating ... A Shade of Vampire has set some high expectations for me."
Reviews
"I love this book."
"Wow this book was really good."
"I don't like boy meets girl and they live happy ever after."
"Love love loved it."
"This really wasn't my cup of tea."
"I'm reading the second one now, so it wasn't too bad 😑. I'm a big nerd when it comes to reading and read just about anything I can ey my hands in, but I especially love teen books so I'll keep reading these until they really suck or until the series ends."
"Eighteen year old Sophia is kidnapped from a beach in Cancun and her long time best friend Ben when he goes looking for her later the same evening; only to have their lives changed forever."
"Sofia is just as boring, bland and two-dimensional as Bella Swan, and Derek is a Cullen clone. A few girls are taken with Sofia to be part of Derek's harem, and Sofia shows some concern for them, but they are just there to make Sofia look caring in Derek's eyes and serve no other purpose to the story. While standing before Derek, all scared, Sofia takes one of the other girls hands to comfort her and that for some unknown reason is some great symbol of Sofia's compassion and humanity. There is even an almost exact scene from twilight where Edward plays the piano for Bella in this book where Derek plays the piano for Sofia because apparently an interest in classical music is supposed to make him seem cultured and noble. Sofia and Derek are bland characters with no personality traits besides their one defining trait. Derek is brooding and hates being a vampire and wants to hang on to his humanity, and Sofia is the symbol of that humanity. We're supposed to hate Derek's brother because he objectifies Sofia and leers at her and makes it known he wants to do naughty things to her then suck her dry—yet Derek goes off and feeds on people and Sofia doesn't bat an eye, in fact she COMFORTS him after he gets upset about it the first time (doesn't stop him from doing it again). Sofia's tale, like Bella's, starts with showing us that Sofia is a special snowflake with a "debilitating weakness" that is masked as a strength because she survives despite it. We're led around by the hand and told Sofia is this, Derek is this, and because of that they are some Romeo + Juliet couple, when in truth they have zero depth, zero personality, and the story is bland, boring, predictable and simply awful."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction & Dystopian Romance eBooks

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy, Book 1)
This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant , are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Success is a lovely thing, but your desire to say something, your worth, and your identity shouldn’t rely on it, because it’s not guaranteed and it’s not permanent and it’s not sufficient. So work hard, fall in love with the writing—the characters, the story, the words, the themes—and make sure that you are who you are regardless of your life circumstances. That way, when the good things come, they don’t warp you, and when the bad things hit you, you don’t fall apart. Q: You’re a young author--is it your current adult perspective or not-so-recent teenage perspective that brought about the factions in the development of this story? The faction system reflects my beliefs about human nature—that we can make even something as well-intentioned as virtue into an idol, or an evil thing. In a sense, Divergent is me writing through that realization—everyone in Beatrice’s society believes that virtue is the end, the answer. I think we all secretly love and hate categories—love to get a firm hold on our identities, but hate to be confined—and I never loved and hated them more than when I was a teenager. Roth: I tried to construct the factions so that they spanned a wide range of virtues. And hard-working people can certainly take their work too far, as all the factions do with their respective virtues. It’s about a girl whose sister has a powerful kind of magnetism within the confines of a particular town, and how their love for each other breaks some things apart and puts other things back together. It’s one of those books that makes you love a character and then hate a character and then love them again—that shows you that people aren’t all good or all bad, but somewhere in between.
Reviews
"This set includes the trilogy, along with the extra book titled, "Four". They couldn't stop talking about it, so I bought this series for them, and I even read it myself."
"The idea of having to wait to read the entire series because it isn't out yet is rather annoying, so I'd just rather wait then get obsessive over it. I finished this in a sitting... mainly because I just broke night and read through it until the end. I have been spoiled for some parts of the movie and some parts of the books thanks to Tumblr and Instagram, but still an amazing read... something I was not expecting."
"Originally posted on my blog: Tangled Up In Books. When dystopia is done right there is nothing like it in the world. All of the contemporary, paranormal, historical, even epic fantasies will never measure up to how I feel when I get lost in these worlds. I'm always afraid, almost doubly so when it comes to books that are surrounded by a lot of hype, what if this is one that disappoints me? The dystopian Chicago world that Veronica Roth has created is definitely unique, unlike any others I've read so far. It was interesting to learn a bit about the 5 different factions, a few more so than the others at this point, and also see how they interacted in a mixed setting like the high school in the beginning of the book. I'm not one for lying and dishonesty but sometimes letting someone off easy instead of brutal honesty just feels better. All the kissing of the boys and the swoons and the fluttering of the heart are all awesome, but when I read dystopia I want creative worlds and conflicts and action and uprisings, rebellions. I want everything to fall apart and I want to be stressing out wondering how in the hell these people are going to come back from everything that's happened. I am irrevocably in love with this series so far and you can bet once I type the last word in this review I'm picking up Insurgent, which is sitting right next to me, and you better not even think about disturbing me!"
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