Death and Dying in New YA Novels

 Death and dying are frequent topics in young adult novels, but usually the main character is dealing with the death of a loved one, rather than anticipating it. In three new poignant YA novels, suspense is created by risky behavior or ill health that may result in death. In Every Borrowed Beat by Erin Stewart a young heart transplant recipient struggles not only with the fear of her body rejecting the heart, but also with the anguish of waiting for her best friend to receive a donor heart as she nears death. When We Ride, a novel-in-verse by Rex Ogle, chronicles the relationship between two friends: Lawson, a drug dealer and his friend Diego, a straight arrow who can't deny his friend transportation to his risky drug deals.  A Wish for Us by Tillie Cole focuses on Cromwell Dean, a DJ who is a former child prodigy in classical music composition, and his love interest, Bonnie Farraday, a musician who desperately needs a heart transplant. The suspense created as the reader anxiously waits to find out the fate of these at-risk characters is very captivating. 

In Every Borrowed Beat seventeen-year-old Sydney Wells, who is on the verge of heart failure, gets a heart transplant that saves her life.  But she realizes that in order for her to live, someone else had to die, and she is determined to find her donor's identity. She thinks it's Mia Stoddard, who lived in a small town next to hers. Defying doctor's orders, she attends Mia's birthday memorial service and meets Clayton Cooper, who is being blamed for Mia's death in a flash flood in a slot canyon in Utah. Clayton wants to memorialize Mia's death in his own way by completing all the activities on her vision board, and Sydney agrees to help him. She neglects to tell him that she is Mia's heart recipient. As they check off each item on the list, they post them on Instagram inspiring others to take risks. Meanwhile, Chloe, Sydney's best friend on their "Waiting List" blog, is still waiting for a heart donor. She resents Sydney's neglect, as she and Clayton are getting closer as they complete the activities on their quest.  Will Chloe get a heart? Will Sydney's risky behavior compromise her health? The author, a self-described "heart failure survivor," realistically portrays the brutal realities of organ donation and transplant for patients and their family, particularly grief and survivor's guilt.

When We Ride is a novel-in-verse that chronicles the relationship between Mexican American Diego Miguel Benevides (Benny), a hardworking high school senior bound for college and his neighbor and best friend Lawson Pierce, a blond haired, blue eyed drug dealer. Although they are polar opposites, they call themselves "brothers from different single mothers." The poem opens with Lawson and Benny's lives being threatened in a drug deal gone wrong, then flashes back to the beginning of their relationship.  Diego has a 1980 Cadillac De Ville and Lawson depends on him for rides to his drug dealer and parties where he distributes drugs. In return Lawson protects Diego against bullies and helps him navigate socializing in high school.  As Lawson gets involved in selling and using heavier drugs and drops out of school,  Benny realizes the risk of getting arrested or attacked during a drug deal is endangering his future. He begins to distance himself from Lawson, hoping to reconcile one day.  This cautionary tale can inspire discussions about getting involved in risky behavior, even if you are not the one committing the crime. 

Synesthesia is a rare neurological condition in which stimulation of one sense involuntarily triggers experiences in another sense.  In A Wish for Us teen composer, Cromwell Dean, sees colors when he hears music. A child prodigy, Cromwell, makes a name for himself in classical music, but shuts down when his father dies after an argument about the pressure he puts on Cromwell. He moves to electronic dance music where he becomes a rising star as a DJ.  When he moves to South Carolina from London to work with a world-renowned composer, he meets shy Bonnie Farraday, whose outgoing twin brother is his roommate. Unbeknownst to Cromwell, Bonnie is aware of his childhood success and actually met him in England.  Although at first Cromwell wants nothing to do with her, they are paired for a class composition project and slowly begin to reveal their personal secrets which bring them closer together.  When Bonnie falls ill and needs a new heart, Cromwell supports her with his musical compositions, willing her to hold onto life. The suspense created as she anxiously awaits a heart donor is palpable.  Although troubled, the main characters are very sympathetic, making this a compelling read. 

Classic Connections

 Classic connections are found throughout young adult novels, as inventive contemporary retellings of familiar tales are popular with YA authors. I am recommending three new novels with classic connections this month.  Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a Romeo and Juliet inspired romance which focuses on feuding Taiwanese and Korean families who had hoped to open a restaurant together. Inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, While We're Young by K.L Walther has three high school friends skipping school in the hope of repairing their once close friendship. Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is a queer reimagining of the Robin Hood legend. 

In Hangry Hearts Julie Wu and Randall Hur were best friends until their families had a falling out.  Now they see each other at Pasadena Farmers Market where they have food stands. When Julie and Randall are paired with the wealthy London Kim for a community service school project, they are forced to work together and acknowledge their attraction to each other. Randall is transgendered, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for them or their families.  The falling out happened years ago when the two families attempted to open a restaurant together, but it burned down before they could open.  As Julie and Randall sneak around stealing kisses, they hope to find away to get their feuding grandmothers to forgive each other.

While We're Young introduces Grace, her brother James and her best friends Isa and Everett.  They used to be inseparable until Isa and Everett had a short-lived romance with a messy breakup.  In the last month of their senior year Grace orchestrates a “day off” to Philadelphia to repair relationships but leaves James behind. She and Everett are secretly in love and Isa is with James, but each  couple is afraid to go public. Reenacting their favorite Philly experiences, with James hot on their trail, they deal with grief, family secrets and mental health issues.  Told in four points of view, this joyride through Philadelphia playfully reenacts the shenanigans from the classic movie. .

Not for the Faint of Heart introduces Robin Hood's granddaughter Mariel Hartley-Hood, who is captain of a diverse crew of Merry men and women.  Her father has taken over the Merry Men after Robin’s retirement. The story begins with Mariel and her band abducting Clemence Causey, a healer, to heal various wounds they have suffered. Clem, whose light-hearted humor contrasts to Mariel’s serious ambition, finds herself enamored of not only the band's adventurous lifestyle, but also Mariel herself.  When her father is abducted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Mariel is determined to rescue him and prove herself worthy of being a leader.  Told from Clem’s and Mariel’s alternating third-person perspectives, this action packed rom-com is filled with explosive fight sequences and tender moments highlighting the loyalty the members feel for each other. 

Magical realism - Libba Bray, Gayle Forman and Neal Shusterman

 Magical realism is a literary genre in which a realistic narrative is combined with elements of dream or fantasy.  Three popular young adult authors have written new YA novels incorporating this element. Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray follows three different stories in the 1940s, the 1980s, and 2020 that involve a magical oak tree in Germany that helps people find true love. After Life by Gayle Forman introduces Amber Crane who inexplicably returns to life seven years after she was killed in a hit-and-run accident. All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a dystopian novel about a future pandemic where the people who survive the disease become happy pacifists.

In Under the Same Stars three different groups of teens in three different decades are connected by the mystery of the magical Bridegroom's Oak in Germany, which helps people find true love. The first setting is 1940s Germany where Sophie and Hannah are resistance fighters during WW II. They not only find true love through the oak, but use it to pass valuable forged documents to those trying to escape the Nazis.  In 1980s West Berlin Texan transplant Jenny meets German queer punk Lena, falls in love with her and transforms herself into Dallas, a violin player in a punk rock band. In 2020 Brooklyn, Miles and Chloe are trying to adjust to the pandemic’s restrictions, as they explore the mysteries in her grandmother’s scrapbook, featuring two German teens who disappeared in 1941. The interwoven stories begin to come together as Miles and Chloe discover her grandmother is Hannah, who survived WWII. The themes of connections and the transformative elements of storytelling, which are explored, will resonate with the readers of this powerful new novel. 

After Life involves high school senior Amber Crane, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver seven years ago and inexplicably returns one day to her bereaved family.  Mom and Dad are divorcing, her sister is gay, her college-bound boyfriend works in a dive bar, and her beloved aunt has moved to New Zealand. The overarching questions are “Who killed her? and Why is she back?” Told from many points of view, the novel weaves together the current lives of people impacted by Amber’s death.  Amber realizes she was not the best sister, daughter or friend, when she was alive, and she begins to try to make amends and make sense of her situation. Forman returns to the topic of teen girls in liminal states between life and death, ultimately ending the story with a satisfying conclusion.

All Better Now takes place in a dystopian future where another pandemic dubbed Crown Royal is plaguing mankind.  People who survive it become utterly happy and pacifistic. Three teens experience the pandemic differently. Mariel, a homeless girl whose mother died from the disease, finds she is immune to it. She meets and falls for Ron, the depressed son of a billionaire, who survives Crown Royale with a changed disposition and is determined to infect anyone who hasn't had the disease. Morgan has been chosen by a wealthy Hungarian survivor, Dame Havilland, to find a vaccine against Crown Royale. Interesting ethical questions are explored as Ron and Mariel travel across the country trying to infect as many people as possible. Meanwhile, Morgan tries to find them, as Mariel’s immunity is key to finding a way to eradicate the disease.  The ambiguous ending lends itself to a sequel. 

New Young Adult Novels 2025

 The latest revision of my book  What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use 2024 is now available.  Just click on the green book icon in the upper right corner of my blog and it will take you to Lulu.com where you can purchase this book.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank NetGalley for providing ARCs of many of the new young adult novels that I review. This month I am recommending three new historical novels that are coming out  for young adult readers in January. In Everything is Poison by Joy McCullough, the author has reworked her play "La Tofana Poison Emporium," into a YA novel, telling the story of a Seventeenth Century Apothecary catering to the needs of women.   The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley is inspired by the true story of Omoba Ina, a Yoruba princess who was abducted and brought back to Britain as a present for Queen Victoria. Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan is set in 1846 Ireland at the beginning of the potato famine. All of the books point out the inequities and classism that impact society. 

Everything is Poison takes place in seventeenth-century Rome, where the Tofana Apothecary deals in remedies for female ailments. Carmela Tofana is anxious to become her mother’s apprentice in mixing powders, tinctures and creams. However, when she begins to learn the trade, she realizes the apothecary “helps” battered women deal with unwanted pregnancies and abusive husbands as well.  The Acqua Tofana, which brings about a natural looking death, is one of their most carefully guarded secrets.  When Carmela unwittingly sells it to a woman who administers it improperly, her mother, who had been away, is accused of murder. She disappears and with the support of the apothecary employees Carmela takes over the business. Interspersed with the narrative are powerful poems about female townsfolk, who experience abuse at the hands of the men in their lives.  The author has reimagined her play, "La Tofana Poison Emporium" which is based on a real life character, into a compelling YA novel.

The Queen's Spade is also inspired by a true story.  This historical thriller recounts the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sally), Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, who was once Yoruba princess Omoba Ina, enslaved by the Dahomey Kingdom, until she was abducted by the British as a present for Queen Victoria in 1850. Fast forward to 1862 and eighteen-year-old Sally is plotting her revenge on all those involved in her debasement, enlisting the help of an East End crime boss. Among those she targets are Prince Albert, Captain Forbes and his men, who kidnapped her, and Queen Victoria, herself.  When the Queen begins to suspect Sally of her friends’ humiliation and ruin, she betroths her to Captain Davies, who will marry her and take her back to Africa. Her abduction, which was meant to show the benevolence of post abolition Britain by transforming Omoba Ina into the lady “Sally”, actually points out an unjust society. Sally is constantly reminded of her friend’s warning, “Their love for you is conditional.” Needless-to-say, her desire for vengeance is not looked upon kindly.  This is the first book in a duology.

Where the Heart Should Be, set in 1846 Ireland, is a novel-in-verse that chronicles the beginning of the potato famine.  When her family’s potato crop fails, Nell Quinn takes a job working in the kitchen at the “Big House” to help supplement their loss of income. As she witnesses the class injustices, she feels helpless to do anything about it.  While the community members are dying of starvation, the wealthy landlord Wicken's dogs are eating fresh meat.  When she meets John Browning, Wicken's nephew who has just arrived from England and will ultimately inherit the land, the two share a mutual attraction and love of poetry.  Although he sympathizes with those suffering from the famine, he realizes he cannot jeopardize his relationship with his uncle without hurting his five sisters back home. Juxtaposed to those who live in the "Big House" are Nell’s family and best friend Rose, whose trauma from trying to survive unconscionable suffering is heartbreaking. The hopeful, yet ambiguous, ending makes this challenging story worth the reader’s time.

Time Travel, Parallel Universes and the Multiverse in YA Novels

 The possibility of time travel, the potential existence of parallel universes, and even the concept of the multiverse are based on respected work from highly reputable physicists and mathematicians. Many authors base the fantastical elements of their books on creative scientific theories. In  Sixteen Minutes by K.J. Reilly Nell, Cole, and Stevie B, are intrigued by new girl Charlotte who says she's from Everywhere. Although he is in love with Nell, Cole agrees to travel to the future with Charlotte, for a chance to stop a tragedy. Stealing Time by Tilia Jacobs and Norman Birnbach, finds Tori traveling from 2020 to 1980 to help her father prevent a jewelry heist that destroys her family. An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson focuses on Lennon Carter, who is invited to apply to Drayton College, where students learn the art of persuasion to bend people and reality to their will. 

Sixteen Minutes introduces teenagers Nell, Cole, and Stevie B, who have grown up in the small town of Clawson, New York, “two hours south of nothin’ and just north of nowhere.” Although Nell and Cole are a couple, artist Stevie B barely disguises his love for Nell, as he fills his artist notebooks with sketches of her.  When Charlotte, who says she is from “Everywhere,” arrives in Clawson, she quickly captures Cole’s attention. Although he professes his love for Nell, he is with Charlotte constantly. Nell and Stevie B find out that Charlotte is a time traveler from 2101 who can save Cole’s younger sister Finn from a terminal illness, if he returns to the future with her. But will they allow Cole to go alone? Now knowing that time travel is real, and a multiverse of futures await them, they have the option to live lives they could have only dreamed about. The author’s note at the end of the book discusses the viable science behind time travel and multiverses.

In Stealing Time Tori Gold is growing up in New York during the outbreak of Covid-19 and her parents' impending divorce. When she time travels from 2020 to 1980, she wonders why she is there.  Then she realizes she has landed in her father Bobby’s bedroom and meets him as a teenager.  She discovers that a jewelry heist forty years ago sent her grandfather to jail and destroyed her family. Bobby, after some convincing, believes that she is from the future and is here to prevent the heist of the Desert Sun diamond from the museum where her grandfather curates the gems displays.  A gang of thugs is planning to steal the diamond, but Bobby and Tori band together to stop the heist and clear her grandfather of the crime. The trope of traveling back in time to meet family members is handled with humor and fun, although the adventure is packed with danger.

Dark academia is a literary genre that features a dark, gothic aesthetic and themes of academia, intellectualism, and secret societies. An Academy for Liars introduces Lennon Carter, whose life is imploding, when she gets an invitation to take an entrance exam to Drayton College, a school where students learn the art of persuasion to bend people and reality to their will. Lennon’s advisor Dante is convinced she is particularly gifted and supports and rescues her whenever she gets out of her depths. As she gains control over her powers, she learns she is able to create elevators that open to not only different worlds, but also times in the past.  She is destined to play an integral role in the well-being of the school.  This is my first introduction to the genre (unless you count the Harry Potter series), which makes me curious about other books to recommend. This book is for mature readers as the violence and sexual encounters are fairly graphic. 

Jane Austen Reimagined

 Perhaps no author's books have been reimagined more than Jane Austen's. This month we have three new young adult novels that incorporate elements from Jane Austen novels. Dashed: A Margaret Dashwood Novel by Amanda Quain sets Sense and Sensibility on a modern-day summer cruise. The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic is an Austen inspired regency era fantasy, set in an alternate England which is shrouded in a toxic fog that turns people into zombies. In Want of a Suspect by Tirzah Price (Pride and Premeditation, Sense and Second Degree Murder, Manslaughter Park) is the first in a Lizzie and Darcy Mystery duology. Lizzie and Darcy, now both lawyers, investigate a deliberately set warehouse fire.

In Dashed Margaret Dashwood is accompanying her sister Elinor and husband Edward on a cruise where Edward will be the ship's pastor for the summer. Margaret is looking forward to being away from her sister Marianne who has just gone through another breakup.  When Marianne, who is wallowing in misery, decides to join them on the cruise,  Margaret has to share her cabin with her. She is determined to find Marianne another boyfriend, so she will stop crying. She enlists the help of Gabe, the ship's theatrical lighting expert, to find eligible men. Along the way Margaret develops feelings for Gabe, which she tries desperately to deny.  Add to the mix a hurricane on the horizon and Margaret is in for a stormy summer.

The Monstrous Kind is a supernatural mystery, which encompasses a story about sisters and social manners in Regency England. Twelve families make up the ruling class due to their immunity to the deadly fog surrounding the country. Commoners will be killed by the fog or turned into monsters. Merrick Darling, daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex, is off in New London looking for a husband, but returns home when her father dies. On her way home she is saved by sentry Killian Brandon, when she is attacked by a fog-infected monster. She arrives home to find the Manor’s perimeter being breached and her sister Essie preparing to become Lord of the Manor. The other Lords, sensing their family’s weaknesses, are jockeying to take them over, and the Monsters are looming. Killian and Merrick form an alliance to get to the bottom of the secrets threatening their lives. 

In Want of a Suspect finds Lizzie investigating a warehouse fire, looking for the woman the owner thinks caused the fire and consequently his brother's death. Witnesses lead her to suspect Josette Beaufort or her cousin Leticia, who both fit the description of the woman seen at the warehouse. Coincidentally, years earlier Darcy’s proposal of marriage was turned down by Josette, making him uncomfortable with the investigation. When Leticia is murdered and Lizzie gets closer to the truth, the warehouse owner fires her, as he realizes his brother had been involved in a smuggling scheme. Darcy begins to understand that Lizzie’s safety is his most important concern, and he works closely with her to uncover the truth. This new element of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries is sure to delight fans of the series. 

The Impact of Missing Fathers

 The impact of a dead or missing father on a child's sense of identity and well-being is explored frequently in young adult novels.  In Jandy Nelson's (I'll Give You the Sun) new novel, When the World Tips Over, the Fall kids' father mysteriously disappears, affecting each of the three children differently. Then a rainbow-haired girl comes into their lives, saving each of them in a variety of ways. For She is Wrath by Emily Varga is a Pakistani-inspired retelling of The Count of Monte Christo. Dania is imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. When she escapes and finds her father was killed for defending her, she seeks revenge with the help of a friend and some magical zoraat seeds. Nothing Like the Movies, the sequel to Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, picks up when Wes and Liz head off to UCLA, only to have him drop out and break up with her when his father dies unexpectedly.  

The Fall kids' father mysteriously disappears in When the World Tips Over, leaving behind a shattered family.  Twelve-year old Dizzy reads romance novels, sees ghosts and longs to be reunited with her estranged best friend Lizard. Seventeen-year-old Miles is supposedly the smart, athletic, and handsome "perfect one," but he struggles with his sexuality and lack of connection with his siblings. Nineteen-year-old Wynton is a violin prodigy, who causes trouble wherever he goes.  Their mother runs a restaurant and longs for her absent husband, leaving a gourmet meal out for him each night.  Enter the rainbow-haired girl, Cassidy who saves each of them when she meets them - two from accidents and Miles from himself.  Cassidy has had her own issues with abandonment, which are explored in a parallel plotline. When the kids go in search of Cassidy, catastrophe strikes and the secrets of the Fall family curse begin to surface, giving all of them an opportunity to rewrite their futures.

For She is Wrath focuses on two female prisoners, who escape from prison and reclaim a cache of zoraat seeds and powerful djinn magic which allow them to establish themselves as wealthy women in the city of Basral.  Both Noor and Dania are seeking revenge against the power-hungry emperor Vahid, who came to power himself using djinn magic.  Dania's father, an esteemed sword maker, was killed when he tried to defend her.  She, an expert swordsman herself, disguises herself using the zoorat seed magic, and executes an elaborate scheme to hurt her betrayers, including Mazin, the lover who betrayed her. But seeking revenge becomes complicated as the magic threatens to overtake Danai, Noor disappears, and her feelings for Mazin reemerge despite his betrayal.  Dania ultimately learns the power to destroy her enemies comes with a price.  

In Nothing Like the Movies, tragedy strikes after Liz and Wes start their freshman year at UCLA.  Wes's dad dies of a heart attack, and he must go back to Nebraska to support his mom and sister, leaving Liz behind.  Deciding she is better off without him, Wes breaks up with her and begins to work on getting his life back together.  Fast forward two years and Wes is back playing baseball at UCLA, but Liz wants nothing to do with him.  Unfortunately, her internship with a production company has her focusing on the baseball team, throwing them together constantly. She enlists the help of her camera man Clark to pretend to be her boyfriend, but Wes will not give up on getting her back.  Each chapter begins with a quote from a popular romcom and an extensive playlist of romantic songs is woven throughout the narrative.