Young Adult
Edited by Barry Lyga
What starts as a love story between two teens—whose crumbling relationship coincides with a crumbling reality—ends up as a journey toward their creator, Barry Lyga, in a love story about creation itself.
This is a love story.
Mike loves Philomel. Always.
Philomel loves Mike. Sometimes.
After doing something stupid that drives away the love of his life, Mike begins to notice that the world itself seems to be suffering the aftereffects of his bad decision. Reality as he knows it has … changed. And before he can fully understand the ramifications, he’s on an odyssey unlike any other, trying to figure out how to repair the universe and return his lost Philomel to his side. It’s not time travel. It’s not dimension-hopping. It’s something deeper and more fundamental, as simple and as complex as ink on paper. And much to Mike’s surprise, this isn’t even the whole story. It’s possible that the missing pieces of Mike’s life may end up being the most important part of his world—and beyond, the solution to fixing not only his love life, but the entire universe.
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Unedited by Barry Lyga
This is a book. It is written by Barry Lyga. i]
Yes, we know it's a very long book. We tried to get him to cut it, but he wouldn't. So there was nothing we could do about it. We understand if the length turns you off. A long book like this one represents a commitment, and if it isn't good, you'll feel like you've wasted your time and your money.
Still, we published it because we think it's a good book. ii] Could it be shorter? Maybe. That's a very difficult call. Each person will have his or her own opinion. Some will read it and think, It could have been shorter. Others will think, It was just right. And maybe some people will wish it was longer. Isn't that the highest compliment you can pay a book, to wish it would never end?
Usually, this text here is sexy marketing-talk, designed to get you to buy the book. Did you know that most people look at the cover, then the back cover, then the flap copy, and only then do they bother even to flip to a page in the book? So you probably haven't even read any part of the book yet, but you might decide to buy or not buy it anyway. Without having read a word of it. So, we'll just say this: This book is a love story. We hope you'll give it a shot.
i] The stuff you read on the back of a book is almost always written and edited by publishing professionals. In keeping with the spirit of this book, however, we allowed Barry Lyga to write the cover copy himself. Moreover, we didn't edit what you're reading. Trust us; the copy would be a lot shorter if we did.
ii] It's important to remember that Barry is conning you right now, referring to himself in the third person as if he is the publisher. We don't begrudge him for it. Every talented author is also a brilliant con artist. We do, however, begrudge his laziness. Instead of putting his talent to use, he wastes space with ...we think it's a good book. Come on. What does that tell the reader? It's a missed opportunity. We would have suggested something like: ...we think it is a book about books, an all-inclusive deep dive into the music and madness of their creation; by laying bare every wrong turn, awkward phrase, and discarded storyline, Barry Lyga has unwittingly written a love letter to writing itself. But we would have asked him to make it shorter.
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The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.
Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.
How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?
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Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell
Adele grew up in the shadows--first watching from backstage at her mother's Parisian dance halls, then wandering around the gloomy, haunted rooms of her father's manor. When she's finally sent away to boarding school in London, she's happy to enter the brightly lit world of society girls and their wealthy suitors.
Yet there are shadows there, too. Many of the men that try to charm Adele's new friends do so with dark intentions. After a violent assault, she turns to a roguish young con woman for help. Together, they become vigilantes meting out justice. But can Adele save herself from the same fate as those she protects?
With a queer romance at its heart, this lush historical thriller offers readers an irresistible mix of vengeance and empowerment.
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Margot Mertz for the Win by Carrie McCrossen by Ian McWethy
It’s senior year. And Margot’s on a mission to be a better Margot. Which means saying goodbye to her old cleanup ways—and their inherent moral ambiguities.
To fill her time and round out her college application, Margot volunteers on a campaign for local election. It doesn’t hurt that the local candidate is Shep Green, Avery’s dad. It’s nice to see Avery's too perfect face from time to time.
Meanwhile at Roosevelt High, Margot finds herself roped into a second election, this one for school president. But when a mysterious blackmail plot emerges, and a loathsome opponent rises in the class race, Margot might have to return to the cleanup job she thought she’d left behind.
She’s tried to keep her hands clean. But politics is a dirty job.
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Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins
It's fourteen-year-old Avielle "Avi" LeBeau's turn to do what everyone in her family has done: leave home to attend Briarcliff Prep—a Historically Black Boarding School (HBBS). And as scared as she is to say goodbye to her parents and move to Georgia, she knows her fearless big sister Belle will be there to show her the ropes.
Before long, Avi settles into life at Briarcliff. New friends (and foes), challenging classes (at times too challenging), and maybe a cute tutor-turned-something-more (if her brothers don't get in the way). Meanwhile, Belle does what she always does: she runs the campus's social scene, especially now that she's dating Logan, the pride and joy of Briarcliff's sibling school Preston Academy.
But something about Logan doesn't sit well with Avi, no matter how many times Belle reassures her Logan is a good guy. And when Avi stumbles across the truth, her relationship with Belle is put to the test. If Avi reveals what she knows, their sisterhood might never recover. But if she doesn't, she might lose Belle forever.
Debut author Brianna Peppins deftly balances a celebration of sisterhood, self-discovery, and Black joy with an empathetic exploration of teen dating violence in this novel that is, at its heart, a love letter to Black girls.
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The Lies We Tell by Katie Zhao
Anna Xu moves out of her parent's home and into the dorms across town as she starts freshman year at the local, prestigious Brookings University. But her parents and their struggling Chinese bakery, Sweetea, aren't far from campus or from mind, either. At Brookings, Anna wants to keep up her stellar academic performance and to investigate the unsolved campus murder of her childhood babysitter. She also finds a familiar face–her middle-school rival, Chris Lu. The Lus happen to be the Xu family's business rivals since they opened Sunny's, a trendy new bakery on Sweetea's block. Chris is cute but still someone to be wary of... until a vandal hits Sunny's and Anna matches the racist tag with a clue from her investigation.
Anna grew up in this town, but more and more she feels like maybe she isn't fully at home here–or maybe it's that there are people here who think she doesn't belong. When a very specific threat is made to Anna, she seeks out help from the only person she can; Anna and Chris team up to find out who is stalking her and take on a dangerous search into the hate crimes happening around campus. Can they root out the ugly history and take on the current threat?
The Lies We Tell is a social activism/we all belong here anthem crossed with a thriller and with a rivals-to-romance relationship set on a college campus.
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Beneath the Burning Wave by Jennifer Hayashi Danns
Kaori and Kairi are the first twins to survive infancy on the ancient island of Mu, where gender is as fluid as the crashing waves. One was born of fire, the other of water.
But there’s a reason why none have survived before. A prophecy that has haunted the elders since time began. A rivalry destined to sink the entire island beneath a twin catastrophe of volcano and tsunami.
As hatred spills from the forbidden twins like the deadly poison of sacrificed sea snakes, they must decide what matters to them most…
The fight for the island – for tradition and duty.
Or the fight for freedom – for love and light.
The Mu Chronicles is a visionary YA fantasy trilogy exploring the origin of gender and desire in an epic queer fusion of Japanese folklore and Egyptian mythology.
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Adult
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.
Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love . . . even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.
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Romance
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
Maria's one-night-stand--the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note--just reappeared. Apparently, Peter's her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they're about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him...but he now wants nothing to do with her.
Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won't sabotage his career for a woman who's already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends--possibly even best friends--but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.
For years, they don't touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don't have a future together, since Peter's going back to Hollywood, while Maria's returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he's determined to change her mind, and he's spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.
His shipwrecked Swede doesn't stand a chance.
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What books will you be reading this week? I'm super excited for Reader, I Murdered Him! I absolutely love queer retellings of classics, and even though I didn't love Jane Eyre, I'm betting Adele will be a little more interesting than her (very weird) father. We're almost at the end of the year, which means the number of weekly releases is about to die down. But I'll keep posting, even if it's just one new book!
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