Dig into a Debut

This September, dig into a new YA debut novel you won't be able to put down!

Warning: some of these books contain sensitive themes, so please be sure to take care of yourselves!

image credit to Iñaki del Olmo - https://unsplash.com/@inakihxz?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I was shocked when I heard this was her debut novel. It is really well written for what is a (bit) cliché, and that is really the only reason I would recommend Before I Fall. Samantha Kingston, popular high-school senior, is set to have the perfect Cupid Day, a fabulous fête of roses, valentines, and lovestruck boys. And it is. Until she dies that night in a car accident. But she still wakes the next morning, and it's Cupid Day all over again. This book is heavily reminiscent of the über-famous 1993 movie Groundhog Day, but with modern teen drama elements. It is written meaningfully, and Sam develops a lot. At the beginning, I despised her. She is shallow and mean, the stereotype of a high school mean girl. She’s honestly a terrible person, but not irredeemable, and I would definitely suggest it. Borrow it here (as a hard copy), here (as an ebook), or here (as an audiobook).

Frankly In Love by David Yoon

I'm frankly in love with this book! Frank Li is a boy with two names. Frank, his English name, and Sung-Min, his traditional Korean name. But Frank isn't really Korean. He's American, born and raised in SoCal. His parents sacrificed everything to bring him to America, the land of opportunity, but want him to hold on to his Korean heritage, to be a good Korean son, to date a nice Korean girl. This is a bit of a problem: Frank is dating his dream girl, Brit Means, who is white. Stuck in a bind, Frank and family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar situation, agree to fake-date each other. This book is so sweet, it'll give you cavities! It also deals with slightly heavier topics like familial expectations and how far you can give yourself up to please others. Borrow it here (as a hard copy) or here (as an audiobook).

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

This book is a masterpiece of contemporary young adult literature. I went into this book not having very high expectations after a friend told me she didn't quite enjoy it, but I was very glad that I read it anyway because this book is really, really good. Darius is an American teen who's always been too Persian for America, and too American for Iran. This is a problem, since his parents want him to go to Iran for the summer since his grandfather has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and doesn't seem to be getting better. He speaks better Klingon (from Star Trek) than Farsi, his parents' native tongue. Darius might love Persian teas, but he also has clinical depression, something he's afraid his traditional Iranian grandparents won't understand. But then Darius meets the boy next door, Sohrab, who calls him by his traditional Persian name, Darioush. Darius feels so much more like himself than he ever has. Borrow it here (as a hard copy) or here (as an audiobook).

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Under the Mesquite is another book that manages to exceed expectations on all fronts. Lupita is the eldest of eight siblings, who is used to helping run her family and hold it together. But when she discovers that Mami, her mom, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Lupi is terrified by the paralyzing fear of losing her mother, and the equally intertwined fear of her close-knit family breaking apart. Trying to juggle school, where she works hard at her academics and is an aspiring actress, and home, where she must take care of her siblings when her mother goes out-of-town for oncology treatments, Lupi is overwhelmed. Whenever it gets to be too much, she write under the protective shade of a mesquite tree. This cover is also stunning because it's not particularly flashy but it is perfect for the book, and the more you read, the better the cover seems to get. Borrow it here (as a hard copy) or here (as an ebook).

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling is a stunningly built fantasy novel that is set in a world where there are ordinary people, and people with Graces, or special talents that set them apart from the rest. Katsa has the Grace of killing and with it comes danger. She can kill with the flick of her pinky finger. This makes her the target of some very powerful individuals who want to control her and use her talent as a weapon for themselves. Katsa goes from being passive and a weapon wielded by her puppeteers, to a young woman with her own choices and agency. It has a romance, but it's very mild and doesn't feel forced. The worldbuilding is also very good, though it can be a little info-dumpy at times. It also has one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen! Borrow it here (as a hard copy), here (as an audiobook), or here (as an ebook).