Summer Lovin'

Photo by Angello Lopez on Unsplash

If you love young adult books and need something to read by the pool this summer, I’ve got suggestions! I gave a variety of options across different genres so there would be something for everyone. (Unless you only read, say, books on money. Then I have nothing for you.)

1. Contemporary romance: A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody. The premise: a girl gets caught in a Groundhog Day-like cycle of Mondays in which she repeatedly tries to stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her.

As far as coming-of-age romances go, this one has fun humor, witty dialogue, and adorable characters. It's like cotton candy if cotton candy had substance along with the sugar.

2. Contemporary not-romance: Wild Bird: by Wendelin Van Draanen. The premise: a girl’s parents send her off to wilderness rehabilitation camp because of her destructive life choices.

This falls on the younger end of young adult—I think the main character is 14. The girl in this story starts off mad at the world but eventually finds the inner strength she never realized she had. It’s a beautiful journey of self-discovery, and I love that it’s set in the southern Utah desert.

3. Historical: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein. The premise: a teenage girl spy in WWII has been caught by the Germans and is writing her confession in exchange for more time to live.

If you haven’t read this book yet, you need to. This book ripped my heart out, shredded it up, and then stuffed it back in my chest. It has a major twist, and I predict you'll cry at the end. (I almost never cry over books, but I shed a few tears over this one in the back of a minivan during a 200-mile relay race, so . . . I’m don’t like your odds.)

4. Sci-Fi: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray. The premise: a loophole in an android boy’s programming forces him to help his enemy with her plan to save her world—even though her plan requires his destruction.

This is what I term a space romance (crazy love chemistry + set in space), but it brings up several interesting ethical dilemmas that took the story to a deeper level. I was left to bite my fingernails over the dilemmas, root for the characters, and pray it would all work out. (Spoiler: it didn't, because Claudia Gray is the master of cliffhangers.) Once you read this, you’ll have to read the sequel, Defy the Worlds, and then you'll have to join me in wishing it were April 2019 so you can read the conclusion to the series.

5. Fantasy: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. The premise: the daughter of pirate king lets her father's rival capture her so she can steal a missing piece of a treasure map.

The heroine of this story gives sass and slits throats. If you want a fantasy story with an in-your-face female lead, this is it. (I believe “a female Captain Jack” is how reviewers describe the main character.) Throw in secret magical abilities, a star-crossed pirate romance, and a ticking timeline, and you've got the adventure story of the summer.