Before you quickly skim through this list or think to yourself, “I have no time to read,” let me reassure you, I know that we are all busy between school, homework, sports and everything else on our plates. At the same time, I know there are some people out there who want to read when they get that sudden feeling of motivation, but just can’t find the right book to sit down with. Well, that’s why I’m here. These book recs are not only casual reads, they’re also absolute page turners and will encourage you to pick up a new novel each week.
#1 “The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy” by Jenny Han: At this point, most are pretty familiar with this infamous book series after the eight episode season was released on Amazon Prime Video. But, what can I say, if you love romance novels, especially friends to lovers, this is the book for you. Not only does Jenny Han navigate Belly’s feelings between her two best friends who happen to be brothers, she also touches on what any teenager may experience; friendships, families, parties and much more.
#2 “Blackout” by Angie Thomas: This young adult novel follows six people throughout their journey of learning how to love. With POC and LGBTQIA+ representation, the multiple different characters are learning how to accept themselves for who they are along with being authentic around others, even if that means making a change.
#3 “One of Us is Lying” by Karen McCanus: The title pretty much covers it. Five teenagers are sent to detention one afternoon, but only four come home that night. All of the other witnesses are supposedly innocent but is that the truth? Why is only one student missing? So think of it like this … who dun it?
#4 “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard: If you’re looking for a dystopian story, this is the one for you. There are two social classes in the kingdom of Norta. With Reds being the lower classes and Silvers being the royals who also possess powers, there is always dispute. After the main character Mare, a Red, discovers she has powers even though she is not supposed to, conflict arises, especially for the Silvers as they are afraid Mare may threaten their rule.
#5 “Slay” by Brittney Norris: Kiera Johnson always had a strong passion for video games growing up. After developing a game called “SLAY” for hundreds of POC creators to compete in around the world, she feels proud of herself and her work. Being humble, she decided not to keep the game she created a secret. However, problems arise when a student is killed because of her game and Kiera is unsure of what to do. Will “SLAY” continue to be a safe space for gamers of different backgrounds or will it be targeted as a place of violence? More importantly, will Kiera tell the world the truth?
