Older Readers
Attached at the Hip.
By Christine Riccio.
May 2024. 400p. St. Martin’s/Wednesday, $21 (9781250760098); e-book, $11.99 (9781250760104). Gr. 10–12.
Orie Lennox doesn’t make a lot of choices. A recent college grad, she’s content living with her parents and working with her influencer older sister, Lark, on sponsored AcroYoga videos. She even likes the high-school sweethearts story she has with her boyfriend more than she actually likes him. When Lark calls her out for her passivity, Orie sends off an impromptu application to her favorite reality show, Survivor. She’s stunned when she’s actually selected, but that’s only the first surprise: she’s on an experimental, relationship-driven version of the show that forces contestants to choose among love, friendship, and money. Her first day, she finds herself literally attached, via cable, to her onetime high-school crush. But he’s not the only contestant, and Orie, who has always floated through life, will have a lot of choices to make. Set in the ill-defined period after college, this is firmly a crossover title that will appeal to adults but will certainly hook teens (especially those in that time of transition) with its clever conceit, infectious characters, and well-earned journey of self-discovery. —Maggie Reagan
Death’s Country.
By R. M. Romero.
May 2024. 400p. Peachtree Teen, $19.99 (9781682636916); e-book, $11.99 (9781682636923). Gr. 9–12.
Andres, a boy in Brazil full of bravado, once came face to face with Death herself and made a dangerous bargain, and as a result, when he moves to Miami, he’s quiet, withdrawn, and wounded, carrying dark secrets. A guitar called Ariel, gifted by his philandering father, is his only consolation—until he meets Renee and Liora. Lured by the siren song of the girls’ love for each other, Andres cannot resist the dancer and photographer’s invitation to join them, and shortly thereafter, they are an inseparable triad. When Liora suffers an accident, they find her late one night connected to an IV, mother standing guard. Renee and Andres employ ancestral magic to cross into the underworld and bring Liora back from the edge of death, though Andres is reluctant to see Death again. In her polyamorous take on Orpheus and Eurydice, Romero writes in dreamy verses that draw on current events and pop culture. Like a good cover song, this will strike a chord in older teens with a fondness for the classics. —Elizabeth Bevington
Heir, Apparently.
By Kara McDowell.
July 2024. 336p. St. Martin’s/Wednesday, paper, $14 (9781250873095); e-book, $9.99 (9781250873088). Gr. 9–12.
In The Prince and the Apocalypse (2023), McDowell paired 18-year-old Wren, an American student traveling on her own, with Theo, England’s most eligible bachelor prince, for a rollicking summer road trip that could have ended apocalyptically with a comet colliding with Earth. Now Wren and Theo, along with an assortment of siblings, friends, and royal-household staffers, are stranded on an island near Portugal after a plane crash. Unable to communicate with the outside world, they must find water and food while tending each other’s injuries and figuring out how to escape before the island’s volcano erupts. The many readers who enjoyed the interplay between Theo (reluctant heir to his mother’s throne) and Wren (an incoming student at Northwestern) will savor every moment of their latest adventures. The setting gives rise to new adventures, while the enlarged cast of characters brings unexpected tensions, complex relationships, and enjoyable conversations among the smart, witty characters. Fans of British royalty, adventure, and romance will enjoy this gratifying conclusion to McDowell’s entertaining duology … or is this to be a series? Stay tuned. —Carolyn Phelan
I Will Never Leave You.
By Kara A. Kennedy.
July 2024. 352p. Delacorte, $19.99 (9780593707463). Gr. 9–12.
Maya and Alana have been dating for four years, the entirety of their high-school careers. Their push-and-pull relationship has shoved everyone else out of Maya’s life, including her former best friends and her beloved big sister. Battling depression and the increasing feeling that something isn’t working between them, Maya breaks up with Alana while hiking together near their hometown of L.A. But when Alana disappears, everyone suspects Maya knows more than she’s saying about the case. Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Maya flees to Lake Ember, the little town where she and Alana spent summers growing up … but someone follows her. Faced with Alana’s ghost, who insists that Maya owes her, Maya will need all of her strength to learn how to banish the past and save her future. This gripping thriller debut, with its harrowing take on toxic queer love, struggles with some internal inconsistencies but nails its portrayal of emotional abuse, possessive relationships, and the pain of letting go. —Ana Cackley
In the Shallows.
By Tanya Byrne.
May 2024. 384p. Holt/Godwin, $19.99 (9781250865595). Gr. 9–12.
Nico is everything you’d expect from a raven-haired singer-songwriter who idolizes Patti Smith, busks at a busy rail station, and collects vinyl. Mara Malakar fell head over heels in love with her from the first notes and hint of a smile she caught one day at Brighton Station. They’ve been a thing Mara describes as “maddening purgatory”—aka, a situationship. Mara’s friends only see Nico as aloof and uncaring. Cancelling plans at the last minute and days of radio silence are Nico’s MO, leaving Mara wondering if she’s to blame. Sick of watching the perpetual disappointment and heartbreak, Mara’s best friend intervenes, encouraging her to move on. Then Nico unexpectedly reenters Mara’s life, bringing with her more questions than ever before. Did Mara ever know her at all? The truth that emerges may be shocking to all but the most avid true-crime fans. Salacious as a tabloid cover story, In the Shallows recasts some of the worst parts of being young and in love and suggests that maybe sometimes there is a good explanation for flaky behavior. —Elizabeth Bevington
Lady of Steel and Straw.
By Erica Ivy Rodgers.
June 2024. 432p. Peachtree Teen, $19.99 (9781682636657); e-book, $11.99 (9781682636664). Gr. 7–10.
Lady Charlotte Sand is the portrait of a gentlewoman, and her family has served the Old God for centuries, with the help of the necromantic Guardians. In addition to being ladylike, Charlotte has been taught how to bring peace to the restless dead, who take the form of dark wraiths. When the Cardinal’s own guard comes to give an edict to the Sand family, one of them kills Charlotte’s brother, William, and she truly begins to understand what her power is meant for. She will stand against the Cardinal’s Watch and those who worship the new Silent Gods, including Captain Luc de Montaigne, and if she starts a war in the process,
