Tag: YA

Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy

Six Truths and a Lie
by Ream Shukairy
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group

Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of America’s justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.

As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig—resulting in chaos and worse, murder.

At the center are six Muslim teens – six patriots, six strangers, and six suspects.

An old soul caught in the wrong place. An aspiring doctor. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets to hide. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Each with something to hide and everything to lose.

Faced with accusations of terrorism, The Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against each other in exchange for exoneration. They must choose: frame each other to guarantee their own independence or expose their secrets to earn back freedom for them all.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss 

All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi

All This Twisted Glory
by Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins

The third installment in the bestselling epic romantic fantasy series based on Persian folklore, by the powerhouse author of the Shatter Me series, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, and An Emotion of Great Delight.

Picking up at the explosive cliff-hanger ending of These Infinite Threads, Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, has been stolen away to the neighboring kingdom of Tulan by Cyrus, its mercurial ruler. He plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen. Only then will he be able to fulfill his own bargain with the devil.

Alizeh is determined to escape, until she realizes that Cyrus’s plan may be the key to fulfilling her own destiny—and that she may actually have begun to trust him.

Back in Ardunia, Kamran has been trying to pick up the pieces after his grandfather’s murder, only to find out that the palace advisers have betrayed him. He seizes upon a mysterious parcel, left to him by his grandfather, that holds a magical way for Kamran to finally get to Tulan to find Alizeh. And along the way he finds an unlikely trio of supporters to aid him in his journey.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

Bright Red Fruit By Safia Elhillo

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

Four Eids and a FuneralFour Eids and a Funeral
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

Cover image and summary via Macmillan

This Is How You Fall In Love By Anika Hussain

THIS IS HOW YOU FALL IN LOVEThis Is How You Fall In Love
By Anika Hussain
Bloomsbury (US Publication)

Best friends Zara and Adnan must navigate the twists and turns of fake dating, family dynamics and cultural stereotypes in this swoon-worthy YA Desi rom-com.

Zara loves love in all forms: rom-coms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. And she’s desperate to have her own great love story. A real one. So when her best friend Adnan begs her to pretend to date him to cover up his new, secret relationship, Zara hesitates. This isn’t the kind of great romance she had in mind. But there’s something in it for Zara, too: making her parents, who love Adnan, happy might just stop their arguing for a while. She may not be getting her own love story, but she could save theirs. After all, how difficult can pretending to be in a relationship with your best friend be? Turns out, very. And when a new boy turns up in Zara’s life, things get more confusing than ever.

This delightful YA follows best friends as they fall through the twists and turns of fake dating, family dynamics, and friendship, in a swoon-worthy YA rom-com.

Cover image and summary via Bloomsbury

My Big, Fat Desi Wedding Edited By Prerna Pickett

MY BIG, FAT DESI WEDDING Big, Fat Desi Wedding
Edited By Prerna Pickett
Page Street Books

Drama. Food. Fashion. More drama. More food. Nosey aunties and uncles―and, of course, the universal language of love. These elements are a must-have for any Desi wedding, inclusive of people indigenous to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In this anthology, authors from various parts of the Desi community will share genre-bending stories that explore the lush traditions of their region, translating that universal language through the familiar lens of the Ultimate Family Gathering.

In this collection that centers hope, love, and family, readers will enjoy eight stories from both award-winning and debut authors including Tashie Bhuiyan, Payal Doshi, Anahita Karthik, Syed M. Masood, Sarah Mughal, Aamna Qureshi, and Noreen Mughees, and edited by Prerna Pickett.

Cover image and summary via Payal Doshi

When A Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi

Main_when-a-brown-girl-flees-cover_distributorWhen A Brown Girl Flees
by Aamna Qureshi
Lee & Low/Tu Books

In this searing contemporary YA novel from new voice Aamna Qureshi, a Muslim teen runs away from home only to find herself on a breathtaking journey of healing, self-love, and hope.

After Zahra Paracha makes a decision at odds with her beliefs, her mother forces Zahra to make an impossible choice about her future. So Zahra runs away. A train and a plane ride later, she finds herself in New York, where she relinquishes her past in favor of a new future. There, she must learn who she is without the marionette strings of control in her mother’s hands. There, she must learn who she wishes to become.

On Long Island, Zahra stays at a bed & breakfast, unsure of her place in the world. Anxious, depressed, and grappling with guilt, she wanders aimlessly. She eventually visits the local masjid, where she is befriended by two sisters and drawn into the welcoming Muslim community there.

It is in this place of safety that Zahra’s healing truly begins–but can she create a home for herself when the foundation is built on lies she’s spun to protect her from the past? When a family friend recognizes her, will everything come crashing down? As Zahra tries to build a life for herself in this new place, the heart of the matter becomes clear: she can’t run away forever. Can she close the rift in her family and truly, fully heal?

Cover image and summary via Lee & Low

All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman

All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman
Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab

Sixteen-year-old Mehreen is overwhelmed by her anxiety and depression, and she doesn’t believe anyone in her life will understand if she tries to talk about it. She’s been thinking about suicide for a while when she discovers a website called MementoMori.com. The site matches people with partners and assigns them a date on which to end their lives, together. Mehreen is partnered with Cara and Olivia, strangers dealing with their own struggles.

But as the girls get to know one another in preparation for their “date of termination” they find themselves developing a strong bond—even becoming friends. For the first time, they’re each able to share their darkest secrets with people who won’t judge them. They realize that, with the right support systems, life is worth living after all. So they decide to abandon the suicide pact.

Except the website won’t let them stop.

As their assigned “date of termination” draws nearer and MementoMori continues to manipulate them, the girls will have to rely on one another to survive.

If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential 24/7 support.

Cover image and summary via Lerner

At The End Of The World By Nadia Mikail

AT THE END OF THE WORLDAt the End of the World
by Nadia Mikail
Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends

When the world is ending, what matters most to you?

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn’t seen her sister June for two years. She has no idea where she is, but that hasn’t stopped her from thinking about her every day and hoping she’s okay.

But now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months’ time, she and her mother decide that it’s time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. They don’t have any time to spare – if they don’t resolve their issues now, they never will.

Along with Aisha’s boyfriend Walter and his parents (and a stray cat named Fleabag), the group embarks on a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future, even with the world about to end.

Cover image and summary via Macmillan

The Jump by Brittney Morris

The Jump
by Brittney Morris
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

From the acclaimed author of SLAY and The Cost of Knowing comes an action-driven, high-octane novel about a group of working-class teens in Seattle who join a dangerous scavenger hunt with a prize that can save their families and community.

Influence is power. Power creates change. And change is exactly what Team Jericho needs.

Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han are the four cornerstones of Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Each has their own specialty: Jax, the puzzler; Yas, the parkourist; Spider, the hacker; and Han, the cartographer. But now with an oil refinery being built right in their backyard, each also has their own problems. Their families are at risk of losing their jobs, their communities, and their homes.

So when The Order, a mysterious vigilante organization, hijacks the scavenger hunting forum and concocts a puzzle of its own, promising a reward of influence, Team Jericho sees it as the chance of a lifetime. If they win this game, they could change their families’ fates and save the city they love so much. But with an opposing team hot on their heels, it’s going to take more than street smarts to outwit their rivals.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss