Young Adult
Usually curated in our shop for content rather than reading ability, this age group covers approximately 14 - 25.
Often covering topical and contemporary topics, or perhaps an absolute classic that this age group will enjoy.
A Touch of Chaos, Scarlett St.Clair ( paperback March 2024)
£8.99
The world will burn in the final installment of Scarlett St. Clair's bestselling Hades X Persephone saga. The gods are at war, the Titans have been released, and Hades and Persephone must fight tooth and nail for their happy ending.Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never guessed that a chance encounter with Hades, God of the Underworld, would change her life forever-but he did. Now embroiled in a fight for humanity and battles between the gods, Persephone and Hades have entered a world they never thought they would see. To end the chaos, Persephone must draw upon her darkness and embrace who she's become-goddess, wife, queen of the Underworld.
Once, Persephone made bargains to save those she loves. Now, she will go to war for them.
All That It Ever Meant, Blessing Musariri ( paperback June 2024)
£8.99
An outstanding YA novel of family love, loss, and life lived between two cultures, by an astonishing, super-stylish new voice. ‘I’m going to tell you exactly how everything happened. Baba always says, Mati mwana’ngu, I love a good story but I don’t have time for a long one, so make it short.’ When Mati and her two siblings travel from London to Zimbabwe with their father, they are forced to confront the knotty family dynamics caused by the loss of their mother.
Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit—or ghost? or imaginary friend?—who only Mati can see and talk to. Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of a life lived between two cultures, while her family learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother. This is distinctive, stylish, powerful writing by a vital new voice.
Annie Lumsden, The Girl From the Sea ( paperback April 2023)
£7.99
A magical story about finding your identity from one of the most acclaimed storytellers of his generation, richly illustrated in full colour by an internationally renowned artist. My mother says that all things can be turned to tales. I thought she meant tales like fish tails, but I was wrong.She meant tales like this, tales that are stories. But this tale of mine is very like a fish tail too... Annie has never been like the other girls.
Her mam tried sending her to school when she was small, but Annie couldn't seem to make words or numbers stick. She prefers instead to be swimming in the sea, or sunbathing on the shore at Stupor Beach, her head full of tales. She should have been a fish, her mam always tells her, and Annie knows the truth of it.
Then a stranger who comes to town is struck by the beauty and the wonder of her, and Annie Lumsden realizes that perhaps she really is half a creature from the sea.
As Good As Dead, Holly Jackson ( paperback August 2021)
£8.99
THE THIRD AND FINAL THRILLING BOOK IN THE BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER TRILOGY
Pip Fitz-Amobi is haunted by the way her last investigation ended. Soon she'll be leaving for Cambridge University but then another case finds her . .
. and this time it's all about Pip. Pip is used to online death threats, but there's one that catches her eye, someone who keeps asking: who will look for you when you're the one who disappears? And it's not just online.
Pip has a stalker who knows where she lives. The police refuse to act and then Pip finds connections between her stalker and a local serial killer. The killer has been in prison for six years, but Pip suspects that the wrong man is behind bars.
As the deadly game plays out, Pip realises that everything in Little Kilton is finally coming full circle. If Pip doesn't find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears . .
. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is The New York Times No.1 bestselling YA crime thriller and WINNER of The British Book Awards' Children's Book of the Year 2020.
Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying,Eva Dolan, C L Taylor, We Were Liars and Riverdale
Bad Influence, by Tamsin Winter ( paperback June 2023)
£7.99
"A beautiful, relevant story of courage, strength, and not letting other people decide who you are." Kate Weston. Amelia Bright wants to be the best at everything. But when it comes to popularity, she is dead last. No matter what she tries, she can't shake her reputation as a maggoty nobody.When she meets cute new boy Evan, Amelia wonders if he can help her lose her loser status. And in a moment of hope, she agrees to something she quickly regrets - something that goes viral at school. Now she's not just called "maggot", she's a "bad influence" - and worse.
But Amelia's determined not to let one mistake define her...she's so much more than the image everyone sees online. A powerfully real and funny new story from the rising queen of teen, about first kisses, learning to be true to yourself and how one click can last for ever...
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, Danielle Evans ( paperback March 2023)
£9.99
A college student's unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront her feelings of resentment toward her more privileged classmates. A father's misguided attempt to rescue a gift for his adult daughter magnifies all he doesn't know about her. And two teenage girls' flirt with adulthood leads to disastrous consequences.Based in a world where inequality is reality, but where the shifting terrain of adolescence and family are the most complicating forces, Evans' characters are wry, wise and utterly original. Striking in their emotional immediacy, the electrifying, prize-winning stories in Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self offer a fresh perspective on race and class in contemporary America. 'Danielle Evans is funny as hell' - Victor LaValle, author of Big Machine'
Boys Don’t Cry, Fiona Scarlett ( paperback Feb 2022)
£9.99
What readers are saying:'Fiona Scarlett is certainly up there with the likes of Roddy Doyle . . . A beautifully written, authentic novel, that will make you both laugh and cry, I just want to recommend this book to everyone.'
'This is a heartbreaking and very emotional novel that is exquisitely written. Fíona's writing style helps to bring such raw emotion to the text that it was impossible to not shed a tear!'
'I cried so much reading this book . . . A stunning read that I'll be thinking about for a long time.'
'There is a lot of humour to balance the heartache . . . All humanity is here, in all its shades, and that's what stays with you long after you finish reading. A brilliant debut.'
Brutes, by Dizz Tate ( paperback Feb 2024)
£9.99
A Lynchian reinterpretation of The Virgin Suicides." (Observer)"An astonishing debut that will burrow under your skin." (Sunday Times)
In Falls Landing, Florida - a place built of theme parks, swampy lakes, and scorched bougainvillea flowers - something sinister lurks in the deep. A gang of thirteen-year-old girls obsessively orbit around the local preacher's daughter, Sammy. She is mesmerizing, older, and in love with Eddie.
But suddenly, Sammy goes missing. Where is she? Watching from a distance, they edge ever closer to discovering a dark secret about their fame-hungry town and the cruel cost of a ticket out. What they uncover will continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Through a darkly beautiful and brutally compelling lens, Dizz Tate captures the violence, horrors, and manic joys of girlhood. Brutes is a novel about the seemingly unbreakable bonds in the 'we' of young friendship, and the moment it is broken forever.
Defy The Night, Brigid Kemmerer ( PB, Sept 2021)
£8.99
A kinetic tale of the tension between duty, love and trust' - Cassandra Clare'Defy the Night is everything I crave in a fantasy romance' - Stephanie Garber
A spark of rebellion is all it takes to DEFY THE NIGHT. In a kingdom where sickness stalks the streets and only the richest can afford a cure, King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick are forced to rule with an iron fist.
Tessa Cade is a masked outlaw marked for death, but she likes it that way. Together with the mysterious, handsome Weston, she robs from the rich to help the poor, distributing food and medicine to those who need it most. As it becomes clear that the only way to save her people is to assassinate the King, Tessa must face a deadly mission that will take her to the dark heart of the kingdom ... and force her to work with the very people she intended to destroy. From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a brand-new blockbuster fantasy series about a corrupt kingdom, a star-crossed romance and a girl who will do anything for justice.
Fairy Tale, Stephen King ( paperback June 2023)
£9.99
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER...
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But when Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. When Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe - inside the shed is a portal to another world.
Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher - for their world or ours.
Family of Liars, E Lockhart ( paperback May 2023)
£8.99
The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come. A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars. SPOILER ALERT! Read We Were Liars first.
(No word of a lie, it's better that way ...)
Five Survive, Holly Jackson ( hardback July 2023)
£8.99
THE EXPLOSIVE NEW YA CRIME THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.
WINNER of the CrimeFest award 2022 for Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults! 'A blisteringly good standalone thriller.'The Observer, YA Books of the Year, 4/12/2022
Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. Spirits are high.
Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There's a sniper out there.
He's watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for. As a game of cat-and-mouse plays out, the group desperately tries to get help.
Buried secrets are forced to light and tensions within the group reach deadly levels. Only one thing is for sure. Not everyone will survive the night .
Friends Like These, Meg Rosoff ( PB July 2023)
£8.99
An irresistible account of female friendship ... Nobody describes the strength, pain and comedy of being young as elegantly and eloquently as Meg Rosoff' - Amanda Craig.
June, 1982. When eighteen-year-old Beth arrives in Manhattan for a prestigious journalism internship, everything feels brand new - and not always in a good way. A cockroach-infested sublet and a disaffected roommate are the least of her worries, and she soon finds herself caught up with her fellow interns - preppy Oliver, ruthless Dan and ridiculously cool, beautiful, wild Edie.
Soon, Beth and Edie are best friends - the sort of heady, all-consuming best-friendship that's impossible to resist. But with the mercury rising and deceit mounting up, betrayal lies just around the corner. Who needs enemies ...
when you have friends like these? From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a gritty, intoxicating novel about a summer of unforgettable firsts: of independence, lies, love and the inevitable loss of innocence.
Glasgow Boys, Margaret McDonald ( paperback May 2024)
£8.99
Two boys can't remember the last time they had a hug. Meet Finlay.
He's studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University, against all the odds. But coming straight from care means he has no support network. How can he write essays, find paid work and NOT fall for the beautiful boy at uni, when he's struggling to even feed himself?Meet Banjo.
He's trying to settle in with his new foster family and finish high school. But he can't forget all that has happened, and his anger and fear keep boiling over. How can he hold on to the one good person in his life, when his outbursts keep threatening his already uncertain future?Can Finlay and Banjo let go of the past before it drags them under?
Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno- Garcia ( paperback 2020)
£9.99
Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker. The Jazz Age is in full swing, but it's passing Casiopea Tun by.She's too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own. This dream is impossible, distant as the stars - until the day Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather's room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death.
He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires. Success will make her every dream come true, but failure will see her lost, for ever. In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatan to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
Good Girl, Bad Blood, by Holly Jackson
£9.99
The highly-anticipated and brilliantly crafted crime-thriller sequel to the no.1 debut of 2019, A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER
Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year.
The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won't do anything about it.
And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time EVERYONE is listening. But will she find him before it's too late? Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Eva Dolan, C L Taylor, We Were Liars and Riverdale
'There is a lot to really enjoy in this story and there is great energy to the writing, as well as some fine characterization' - Peter James, award-winning and no.1 bestselling crime thriller author of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series
I laughed. I cried. And I very much enjoyed attempting to solve the case with Pip (who I now want to be my best friend).... suitable for 13+
Grapefruit Moon, Shirley McMillan ( paperback August 2023)
£8.99
Wealthy, popular Charlotte and quiet, working class Drew couldn't be more different, but both face a common enemy at Cooke's Academy in the form of the Stewards - an elite group of students whose power to manipulate school culture is feared by pupils and teachers alike. Drew, a newcomer to Cooke's, must navigate the strict codes of masculinity laid down by the Stewards in order to have a hope of moving on to university, while Charlotte dreams of speaking freely about the constraints and abuses of the culture which is propelling her towards a life she's not sure she wants. Through drag art and poetry the unlikely pair follow a dangerous trajectory which will lead them closer to one another and further away from the paths laid out for them.
SMcM is brilliant at talking the language of the 15+, not patronising or didactic, she really 'gets' the age group and her stories are gripping. Not just for the teens either! L
Guard Your Heart, Sue Diven ( paperback April 2021)
£8.99
Boy meets girl on the Northern Irish border in Guard Your Heart, by Sue Divin, Derry. Summer 2016. Aidan and Iona, now eighteen, were both born on the day of the Northern Ireland peace deal.Aidan is Catholic, Irish, and Republican. With his ex-political prisoner father gone and his mother dead, Aidan's hope is pinned on exam results earning him a one-way ticket out of Derry. To anywhere.
Iona, Protestant and British, has a brother and father in the police. She's got university ambitions, a strong faith and a fervent belief that boys without one track minds are a myth. At a post-exam party, Aidan wanders alone across the Peace Bridge and becomes the victim of a brutal sectarian attack.
Iona witnessed the attack; picked up Aidan's phone and filmed what happened, and gets in touch with him to return the phone. When the two meet, alone and on neutral territory, the differences between them seem insurmountable. Both their fathers held guns, but safer to keep that secret for now.
Despite their differences and the secrets they have to keep from each other, there is mutual intrigue, and their friendship grows. And so what? It's not the Troubles. But for both Iona and Aidan it seems like everything is keeping them apart , when all they want is to be together .
Happyhead , Josh Silver ( paperback March 2023)
£8.99
We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. ...Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer. When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo.
The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it's clear there may be no escape... The first in a thrilling, thought-provoking new series for fans of They Both Die at the End and Squid Game
History Is All You Left Me , Adam Silvera ( paperback, 2017)
£8.99
From the author of the INTERNATIONAL NO. 1 BESTSELLER THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past. You're still alive in alternate universes, Theo, but I live in the real world where this morning you're having an open casket funeral.I know you're out there, listening. And you should know I'm really pissed because you swore you would never die and yet here we are. It hurts even more because this isn't the first promise you've broken.
Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Theo was his best friend, his ex-boyfriend and the one he believed he would end up with. Now, reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help.
Theo's new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface. Griffin must make a choice: confront the past, or miss out on the future...
PRAISE FOR HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME: 'There isn't a teenager alive who won't find their heart described perfectly on these pages.' Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go
How Do You Like Me Now? Holly Bourne
£8.99
Holly Bourne is a legend in writing on difficult topics for children and teenagers, this is her first ' grown up' novel for the 30 somethings - and it really hits the mark.
Everyone wants to be Tori Bailey. A straight-talking, bestselling author, she's inspired millions of women around the world with her self-help memoir and uplifting posts online.
What's more, her perfect relationship with her long-term boyfriend is the envy of all their friends. But Tori isn't being honest. While everyone around her is getting engaged and having babies, Tori's boyfriend will barely look at her, let alone talk about marriage.
And when her best friend Dee unexpectedly falls in love, suddenly Tori's in danger of being left behind. Tori's built a career out of telling women how to live their best life, but is she brave enough to admit it's not what she wants?*****The debut adult novel by bestselling author Holly Bourne is a blisteringly funny, honest and moving exploration of love, friendship and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of your thirties. Everyone is raving about this book! Brutally honest, appallingly funny and very moving - so accurate on the female interior, and the loneliness life in the public gaze.
How Far We’ve Come, Joyce Efia Harmer (PAPERBACK 2024)
£8.99
From debut author, Joyce Efia Harmer, comes a ground-breaking YA story of friendship and freedom that crosses continents and centuries, in a timeslip novel exploring the legacy of slavery.
Sometime, me love to dream that me is a human, a proper one, like them white folks is. Enslaved on a plantation in Barbados, Obah dreams of freedom.
As talk of rebellion bubbles up around her in the Big House, she imagines escape. Meeting a strange boy who's not quite of this world, she decides to put her trust in him. But Jacob is from the twenty-first century.
Desperate to give Obah a better life, he takes her back with him. At first it seems like dreams really do come true - until the cracks begin to show and Obah sees that freedom comes at an unimaginable cost . .
. Both hopeful and devastating, this powerful novel about equality, how far we've come, and how far we still have to go introduces an extraordinary new literary voice.
I am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter ( YA) Erika Sanchez, PB Feb 2022
£8.99
SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM, currently in production in 2025!
This gripping debut about a Mexican-American misfit is alive and crackling.' New York Times'
A perfect book about imperfection.' Juan Felipe Herrera
A poignant but laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself.
When her sister Olga dies in a tragic accident, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her family. She is also expected to fill the shoes of her sister. But Julia has never been the perfect Mexican daughter.
As Julia struggles to find her place in the world, she discovers Olga was not as perfect as everyone thought. Who was her sister really? And how can Julia even attempt to live up to an impossible ideal?
I Capture The Castle, by Dodie Smith
£7.99
An absolute classic YA novel from the same Dodie Smith of ‘101 Dalmatians’ fame. The diary of Cassandra Mortmain, her extraordinary family and her crumbling castle home. Loved by teenagers and adults everywhere.
I Must Betray You, Ruth Septys ( paperback Aug 2022)
£7.99
A super book for boys and girls aged 14+
Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers**' Choice Medal for Writing 2023
Trapped by an evil dictatorship, will Cristian be forced to betray his family or will he risk everything he loves to resist? A powerful, heart-breaking thriller based on real events. Cristian has lived his entire life in the grip of a repressive dictatorship. The country is governed by fear.
When the secret police blackmail him, Cristian has an impossible choice. Save the life of his sick grandfather by informing on his family, or risk his life - and all of theirs - by resisting? At 17, Cristian dreams of being free but doesn't know where to turn. In this climate of constant suspicion, can he trust his best friend, his girlfriend or even his family? Closely based on the real events of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, this is a powerful, heart-breaking thriller from the author of Salt to the Sea, winner of the Carnegie Medal.
** real readers not literary judges!
If I Have to be Haunted, Miranda Sun ( paperback July 2024)
£14.99
Your first love will always haunt you... The most haunting, heartwarming debut of 2023. Perfect for fans of strong female leads and supernatural stakes in Buffy, with all the sweetness and romance of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.Cara's just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, and prepare for college - which means not speaking to the dead, an ability she inherited from her grandmother. Ghosts are trouble, and Cara doesn't need to add their problems to her own. But then she stumbles upon the body of Zach - the super popular but very newly dead high school golden boy - in the woods, and guess what? He wants her to resurrect him.
Cue trouble. Miranda Sun's debut touches on the power and conflicts in a mother-daughter love, first romance - and finding your place in the world while honouring your culture. Full of heart, humour and thrills, If I Have to be Haunted will put a spell on you.
If We Were Villains, M L Rio ( paperback 2017)
£9.99
A vivid and immersive story of obsession perfect for fans of dark academia and Donna Tartt's The Secret HistoryOliver Marks has just served ten years for the murder of one of his closest friends - a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the detective who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened ten years ago.
As a young actor studying Shakespeare at an elite arts conservatory, Oliver noticed that his talented classmates seem to play the same roles onstage and off - villain, hero, tyrant, temptress - though Oliver felt doomed to always be a secondary character in someone else's story. But when the teachers change up the casting, a good-natured rivalry turns ugly, and the plays spill dangerously over into life. When tragedy strikes, one of the seven friends is found dead.
The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.
Immortality: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz ( paperback October 2023)
£9.99
Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before - the immortality, Beecham's vial - were a figment of her imagination. She doesn't even know if Jack is alive or dead.
All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her. When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamour and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.
As Hazel's work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake for her. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right. Praise for Anatomy: A Love Story:'Irreverent, intelligent, and smart.
Dana Schwartz is one of the brightest of the next generation of young writers' Neil Gaiman'
Book 2 continues the story from Book 1; Anatomy, A Love Story
Imogen, Obviously , by Becky Albertalli ( paperback May 2023)
£8.99
The sensational new novel from Becky Albertalli, best-selling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Imogen may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down. And when she visits her best friend, Lili, at college who is newly-out, newly-graduated, and newly thriving, with a cool new squad of queer college friends, no one knows that Imogen's a raging hetero - not even Lili's best friend, Tessa.Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with... With an irresistible cast of characters, hugely funny and empathetic writing, and all of Becky Albertalli's trademark warmth and wit, Imogen, Obviously beautifully explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship - perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Adam Silvera.
Influential, Amara Sage ( paperback Jan 2023)
£8.99
Almond Brown has no friends in real life . . .but 3.5 million followers online. A heart-felt, whip-smart deep dive into what it would really be like to be internet famous at 17: a cautionary tale for our time from a writer who has grown up with social media. Almond is forced into the spotlight when she was just a perfectly filtered bump: her mum has been documenting their family through social media since before she was born.
And her family enjoy all the rewards that come from that level of influence. Only, it's not the life Almond would have chosen for herself, and being on a platform all the time has made her anxious and insecure. When the darkest side of the internet begins to haunt her, Almond feels like she's going to lose everything .
. . If only she could see that she has a real-life, too, full of friends and family who love her, and that it could save her.
Innana, Emily Wilson ( paperback August 2023)
£9.99
Stories are sly things...they can be hard to catch and kill. Inanna is an impossibility. The first full Anunnaki born on Earth in Ancient Mesopotamia.Crowned the goddess of love by the twelve immortal Anunnaki who are worshipped across Sumer, she is destined for greatness. But Inanna is born into a time of war. The Anunnaki have split into warring factions, threatening to tear the world apart.
Forced into a marriage to negotiate a peace, she soon realises she has been placed in terrible danger. Gilgamesh, a mortal human son of the Anunnaki, and notorious womaniser, finds himself captured and imprisoned. His captor, King Akka, seeks to distance himself and his people from the gods.
Arrogant and selfish, Gilgamesh is given one final chance to prove himself. Ninshubar, a powerful warrior woman, is cast out of her tribe after an act of kindness. Hunted by her own people, she escapes across the country, searching for acceptance and a new place in the world.
As their journeys push them closer together, and their fates intertwine, they come to realise that together, they may have the power to change to face of the world forever. The first novel in the stunning Sumerians Trilogy, this is a gorgeous, epic retelling of one of the oldest surviving works of literature
LET DOWN YOUR HAIR, by Bryony Gordon ( paperback Sept 2022)
£7.99
Introducing the YA fiction debut from bestselling author and journalist Bryony Gordon in a modern twist on Rapunzel and one girl's quest to find a different sort of happy ever after. Barb may have zero friends IRL, but online, she is popular. Like, several-hundred-thousand-followers popular.Or at least, her hair is popular. Because Barb's hair is glossy and beautiful. Which is why hairbrush manufacturers pay her stupid money for a 30-second clip.
But most of the time Barb just wants to be a typical teenager, who has friends and a life. One who isn't confined to her bedroom on the 12th floor of the tower-block flat she shares with her aunt making content. One who can go about her business without everyone obsessing over the way she looks.
Barb just needs to save up some money to make a new life for herself. But it's soon clear something isn't right. Because when Barb runs her fingers over her scalp, she feels something smooth and different.
She gets out her mirrors and combs for a video and sees it ... a bald patch the size of a ten pence coin, slap bang in the middle of her head. Barb has alopecia.
In this stunning retelling of Rapunzel, Barb must learn that she is so much more than her hair and that there is no such thing as a happy ending ... just lots of complicated new beginnings.
Let The Light In, Jenny Downham ( paperback jan 2025)
£8.99
Leah and Charlie are handling their family's loss in very different ways. Their choices push them down difficult and perilous paths which eventually collide, sending shockwaves through their community. This astounding, compulsive novel explores love, power, money, art, and asks: what matters most in the end?
Little Bang, Kelly McCaughrain ( paperback Jan 2024)
£8.99
A bittersweet Northern Irish romance that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman's right to choose her own future. Beneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble, but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal.Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mum pushes for a termination. Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her. This story skillfully and sensitively manages the emotional debate over the pro's and con's of babies and abortions, not always predictable, and very relatable. Holly Bourne is a great advocate of young teens reading about difficult issues as a 'safe space' to consider and discuss those issues, this book does a great job in that sphere.
From the author of the award-winning Flying Tips for Flightless Birds. "Kelly McCaughrain is one to watch" Susin Nielsen
Little White Lies / Deadly Little Scandals ( Paperback Jan 2024, Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
£8.99
Welcome to the page-turning, twisty, gasp-inducing world of the Debutantes - an addictive YA mystery duology from the author of #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation INHERITANCE GAMES series. 'A plot twist every twenty pages . .. Barnes is at her page-turning best.' E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars A six-figure offer.
A family mystery to solve. A town of buried secrets. When Auto mechanic Sawyer Taft's estranged grandmother offers her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season, Sawyer's first instinct is to run a mile.
But then she realizes her grandmother's offer might mean solving the biggest mystery of her life - her father's identity. So she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses and even bigger egos. .
. However, Sawyer doesn't expect to find a group of fellow debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own and soon it's clear that the truth about her father is just one of the shocking secrets buried deep in this high-society world . .
. And no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) - perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Maybe Now, Colleen Hoover ( paper back Sept 2022)
£9.99
The long-awaited finale to the New York Times bestselling Maybe Someday series returns with all the characters you fell in love with.What is more important? Friendship, loyalty, or love?Ridge and Sydney are thrilled to finally be together guilt-free. But as the two of them navigate this freedom, Warren and Bridgette's relationship is as tumultuous as ever, and Maggie grapples with her illness. When she comes across an old list of things she wanted to do "maybe one of these days," Maggie decides to live life to the fullest and accomplish these dreams.Maggie keeps Ridge updated on her adventures, but he can't help but worry, even as Sydney grows more and more suspicious about their friendship. But if she's going to move past this jealousy, she'll need to reconcile how she and Ridge came together with the fact that Maggie will always be in their lives somehow...or end up walking away from the man she loves so much. Featuring new songs by Griffin Peterson, this emotive and satisfying finale proves that maybe someday might be right now.
One of Us is Back, Karen McManus ( paperback March 2024))
£8.99
From international bestseller, Karen McManus, comes the explosive third and final thrilling instalment in the acclaimed Bayview series. Life hasn't been easy for the Bayview Crew. First they had to prove they weren't killers.Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it's beginning again. At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview.
But when a member of the crew disappears, it's clear this 'game' just got serious - and no-one understands the rules. Everyone's a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly.
Simon was right about secrets - they all come out in the end. Praise for One of Us is Next:'Given that her high-school-based murder mysteries read like bingeworthy Netflix dramas, it's easy to see why queen of teen crime Karen McManus is a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic.
Send Nudes, Saba Sams ( paperback Jan 2023)
£9.99
In ten dazzling stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and immerses us in its contradictions and complexities: growing up too quickly, yet not quickly enough; taking possession of what one can, while being taken possession of; succumbing to societal pressure but also orchestrating that pressure. These young women are feral yet attentive, fierce yet vulnerable, exploited yet exploitative. Threading between clubs at closing time, pub toilets, drenched music festivals and beach holidays, these unforgettable short stories deftly chart the treacherous terrain of growing up - of intense friendships, of ambivalent mothers, of uneasily blended families, and of learning to truly live in your own body.
With striking wit, originality and tenderness, Send Nudes celebrates the small victories in a world that tries to claim each young woman as its own. _____________________________________________________________________'A roiling, raw, gut-punch of a debut collection, best read in one sitting ... I sat motionless for about half an hour after reading them; I can't wait to see what she writes next' PANDORA SYKES'A seriously impressive debut.
The Agathas, Kathleen Glasgow ( paperback May 2022)
£8.99
The most popular girl in school is dead. And everyone's blaming the wrong guy. After falling from grace last summer, Agatha Christie-obsessed Alice Ogilvie needs to stay out of trouble.While smart and reclusive Iris Adams just wants to get the hell out of Castle Cove. But now they have a murder to solve. There are clues the police are ignoring, a list of suspects a mile long and some very dangerous cliffs.
Amateur detectives Alice and Iris are about to uncover just how many secrets their sleepy seaside town is hiding... 'Part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars, and completely entertaining.' Karen M. McManus, author of One Of Us Is Lying
The Blue Book of Nebo, by Manon Steffan Ros ( paperback Jan 2022)
£8.99
In JUNE 2023 this book won the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing - the first book in translation to win this prestigious award ( originally in Welsh)
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities.
And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo. In this prize-winning novel, Manon Steffan Ros not only explores the human capacity to find new strengths when faced with the need to survive, but also questions the structures and norms of the contemporary world.
It's a young adult ( perhaps 14+ ) but also a crossover novel that adults will find fascinating.
