Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Leah is Simon’s awesome bestie from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, ready to tell her story. She’s a girl-band drummer, with a dry sense of humour, unashamedly bisexual – and in love with one of her best girl friends.

Leah on the Offbeat‘s main focus is friendship – much more so than Simon vs. – and everything’s unravelling in Creekwood. I loved seeing the gang back together, especially our faves Simon and Bram. But I would’ve loved a bit more romance, too! I was swayed by all the raving on Twitter and Instagram, and assumed we’d get to see Leah live happily ever after, coupled up with a girlfriend, but that’s not what Leah on the Offbeat is about. Leah is openly bisexual to her mother but it’s kept a secret from her friends – and that’s okay. There’s a lot of pressure for people to be open and out, but not everyone’s comfortable with sexuality being a large part of their identity. Even so, I wish Leah was a bit more open-minded when talking about sexuality with Abby – she was a little judgemental at times!

Leah on the Offbeat takes us back to Creekwood and into the lives of teenagers who are just trying to figure themselves, and everyone else, out.

A post shared by Stacey (@prettybooks) on May 1, 2018 at 5:45am PDT

Clean by Juno Dawson

Lexi Volkov is beautiful, sex-positive, a socialite, the daughter of a rich Russian… and addicted to drugs. When Lexi overdoses and her brother Nikolai takes her to an exclusive rehab facility, The Clarity Centre, she’s in for a shock. It’s here that she becomes friends with fellow teens, from ex-child star Brady to Kendall, who’s transgender and has an eating disorder.

Clean doesn’t hold back, and that’s what I loved about it – drugs, sex and swearing, it’s part of every teenager’s life Clarity. Lexi’s not someone I’d be friends with (or even meet!) IRL, but I couldn’t help but adore her and hope that she’d push past her addiction. But rehabilitation isn’t easy and Lexi’s about to go through some very dark times. There are many types of addiction, and Clean makes each and every character relatable, regardless of what they’re struggling with, from relationships to drugs.

Clean is my favourite Juno Dawson novel so far. The TV rights have been snapped up, and I really hope it gets made – it’s UKYA Gossip Girl for the 2020s.

A post shared by Stacey (@prettybooks) on May 27, 2018 at 9:48am PDT

Bookshop Girl by Chloe Coles

Bookshop Girl was written for teen Stacey. When it’s announced that Bennett’s Bookshop will close down, Paige Turner is having none of it. It’s her place of work; where she goes with her best friend and colleague, Holly, to buy her next favourite book; and a pillar of the Greysworth community. Paige won’t go down without a fight, even if there are pretty artistic boys around to distract her.

Paige’s bookshop campaign alights the fire in all booklovers. I’m from London and so I’m lucky enough to have loads of fantastic chain and independent bookshops around me, but what if the one local bookshop in my town was going to close? It’s a very real issue, and one that Chloe Coles – bookworm and bookseller – tackles with giggles, book tokens and feminism.

On a side note, I work at National Book Tokens and this autumn you’ll be able to get your hands on this Bookshop Girl gift card, which was super fun to work on and I can’t wait to see it in bookshops around the UK!

Skylarks by Karen Gregory

Joni is constantly worried about money. Her dad is unable to work due to disability, her family’s about to be evicted, and she might have to give up her job volunteering at the school library. Joni’s life goes in an unexpected direction when she meets Annabel, a fellow volunteer. Skylarks is about these two girls – one working class and poor, and one posh and rich – and their new relationship.

Skylarks sees Joni battling between doing what she feels right and what her family think she should do. Her entire family are hugely present throughout the story and in Joni’s life (much to her distress!), which I love because it’s not something we often see in YA, which is often full of deceased and absent parents.

Annabel and Joni are both adorable, and the relationship storyline also doesn’t go in the direction you might expect. I never felt like I was reading about characters, but real people. There was a lot of push and pull between the characters. Both girls have their faults, and it was lovely watching them work each other out as well as simply get to know each other. Skylarks also shouts about all the great things that teenagers experience and fight for: same-sex relationships, tolerance and open-mindedness, volunteering and political activism.

Skylarks isn’t a coming out story, but a beautiful tale of coming together.

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The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan

“My mother is a bird. This isn’t like some William Faulkner stream-of-consciousness metaphorical crap. My mother. Is literally. A bird.”

After her mother commits suicide, Leigh travels to Taiwan with her father. Before they leave, she meets a curious bird – and is convinced it is her mother.

Leigh is such a fantastic character. She’s passionate about art and although she draws in black and white, colour is hugely important to her. Like a non-medical synesthesia, Leigh thinks and feels in colour. Leigh’s passion for art is tied to her friendship/romance with Axel. They kissed before Leigh left and now she can’t face talking to or seeing him again. I loved discovering more about their relationship.

The Astonishing Colour of After is mostly set in Taiwan. Leigh discovers more about her family, their culture, and learns Taiwanese. This is a story where magical realism is key. The flashbacks were fascinating and beautiful, and it’s as much the story of Leigh’s grandmother and parents as it is of Leigh. There’s also an exploration of mental illness that I haven’t yet seen in YA. Leigh’s mother has depression, and it just is. That can be the hardest thing of all for people to understand – Leigh’s mother couldn’t see a way out.

I discovered a lot to love about The Astonishing Colour of After. It’s a novel that I’ve been telling everyone to pick up, including people who don’t usually read YA!

A post shared by Stacey (@prettybooks) on Apr 12, 2018 at 1:05pm PDT

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

I loved When Dimple Met Rishi, so I couldn’t wait to read From Twinkle, With Love.

Like one of my favourite YA novels, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Twinkle starts chatting with a boy via email who says he’s in love with her, and she cannot help but try to figure out who it is. And then there’s the romance between Twinkle and Sahil, the nerdy twin brother of her current crush. Will she pick Sahil, his brother, or the mystery boy?!

I enjoyed Twinkle’s passion for film, especially for her favourite female film-makers, and the story is told through letters that she writes to them. I would’ve preferred a narration like Dimple, but I did enjoy that this was a huge part of the story, and would’ve loved to see even more film fangirling – I loved seeing Sahil and Twinkle shop for film costumes!

In From Twinkle, With Love, we meet a lot of teenagers from Twinkle’s school. Maddie’s a half awesome best friend, half Mean Girl. As for Sahil, on one hand he’s delightful and the best boyfriend and on the other, he’s in love with the idea of Twinkle – the girl he’s made up in his head – more than Twinkle herself. There’s a lot of drama in Twinkle’s world!

I devoured From Twinkle, With Love in two sittings and I may have shed a tear at the end… !