BOOKS

An ultra niche music moment for every release on your radar? Say less. 

@ellaceron

Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón (Kokila, $20)
Lola's grades get her sent to her abuela's in Mexico City for the summer. She's bummed...but things get better when she starts to meet friends. Enter two very different boys: Javi and Rio. Lola would be excited, but she believes she's doomed in love. Is the curse real?
The soundtrack: Life is short, the world is wide

@emilybainmurphy

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Wednesday Books, $19)
Struggling to take care of her alcoholic mom and deal with her brother's disappearance, Iris retreats into her job as a teen journalist. Worried her hot writing rival might get the gig she desperately needs, Iris writes letters and slips them under the wardrobe door in her apartment. Magically, someone writes back.
The soundtrack: Lara Jean love letters

@01firstsecond

Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet (First Second, $20)
This funny and creative retelling of the classic Beowulf tale follows the misadventures of the carefree kids of Treeheart. Grindle hates fun, so he turns kids into teens and adults. When Heidi, aka Bea Wolf, arrives, she refuses to let Grindle adultify anyone else. Who will claim Treeheart as their own?
The soundtrack: Stop, drop and dance

@gcreads04

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (Razorbill, $20)
House Dragon killed Darling's family, so she is out for revenge. But when born enemies Darling and Talon Goldhoard meet, they can't deny their chemistry. Special powers, prophecies, politics, fights, gore and action fill this novel that ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger.
The soundtrack: Twirling the night away under sparkling chandeliers

@lifeinlit

Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef (Simon & Schuster BFYR, $19)
Marjan, 15, is barely managing as she tackles school, friends and running her dad's veterinary business (that she inherited after he was mysteriously murdered). Then she discovers that her dad was the doc to magical creatures who exist in a dark world of secrets.
The soundtrack: On a plane ride to somewhere new

@theladysparks

The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder (Razorbill, $20)
In this sequel to The Bone Spindle, Fi has just awoken Briar Rose from a 100-year slumber. And Red, who answers to the Spindle Witch, failed to stop them. Red is on a mission to capture Briar and end Fi, but Shane is Fi's fiercest friend. And Red is still hung up on Shane.
The soundtrack: Watching the world end with you

@kerasalwaysreading

This One's For You by Kate Sweeney (Penguin Young Readers, $19)
Former BFFs Cass and Syd are both struggling with their fallout and deciding what to do after high school when they embark across the country together to follow a band on tour. Is the friendship still there—or maybe it's more? Get in your feels with this dreamy road trip romance.
The soundtrack: Just us under the stars

@wiltedpages

Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani Dasgupta (Scholastic, $20)
In order to help their mom after their father's death, Eila and her sister attend a drama camp where a company is scouting for a Bridgerton-esque TV show. Eila's not sold on her summer plans, but she's thrown for a major loop when she meets—and starts majorly crushing on—fellow camper Rahul.
The soundtrack: Teen movie, credits roll

Hey, girl! Just wanted to let you know that this story originally ran in our April/May 2023 issue. Want more? Read the print mag for free *today* when you click HERE.

Top image: @theintrovertedition
Slider image: @lisbethsjournal

by GL | 3/19/2023