Oh, the sweet torment of first love! For teenagers, everything is so much more intense than it is for those of us who have mellowed with age. What if there were a book about all those torchy feelings for young adults? Look no further; we’ve got the best right here.
Lauren Kate is wildly popular with teens; her work has been translated into over thirty languages. FALLEN IN LOVE declares “True love never says goodbye.” Maybe so, but the characters in the four stories which make up this book do not have it easy when they intersect on Valentine’s Day in Medieval England. In “Love Where You Least Expect It,” Shelby and Miles go to great lengths to save their friend Luce. “Endless Love,” has Lucinda and Daniel spending a truly unique night together. Roland has spent centuries on the moon, but never experienced the “Love Lessons” he learns in his anguish over Rosaline. “Burning Love” tells of Arriane, and the price she must pay. Fusing romance and magic in her writing, Kate has another bestseller; she even includes a preview of her next book, RAPTURE.
The supernatural also permeates COLD KISS. Author Amy Garvey looks deep into the soul of Wren, a girl who uses her secret powers to return to life her dead boyfriend, Danny. But the young man who returns is nothing like her former sweetheart. He has no heartbeat, his skin is icy, and his flesh doesn’t yield to the touch. Wren must hide him away, so no one will know what she’s done. Can she allow new student Gabriel DeMarnes to help her?
Lauren Oliver’s DELIRIUM is also a mix of romance and science fiction. Lena is trapped in a totalitarian nightmare where love is forbidden; it’s been declared a disease, and a cure has been found. She awaits the procedure that will free her of the scourge, happy to contemplate a safe life, free from pain. Of course, it’s not that simple; her story takes enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested until the end…which promises a sequel.
There’s magic in tears in THE SECRET SISTERHOOD OF HEATBREAKERS, Lynn Weingarten’s first novel. Lucy can’t wait to see her boyfriend again after a summer apart. She’s stunned when she finds out he’s breaking up with her, and can’t imagine how life can go on. Three beautiful young women approach her; they have the ability to ensnare any male, and they can heal her broken heart, too. Lucy has a decision to make; how far is she willing to go to get what she wants?
Sarah Tregay has written LOVE & LEFTOVERS in a series of blank verse poems. How can Marcie ever learn to trust again? Because of her parents’ split, she’s been dragged from her home in Idaho to a summer house in New Hampshire. But summer turns into fall, and Marcie has to enroll in a new school and leave her friends, a group of geeks known as “The Leftovers,” behind. When she meets a new, really cute boy who’s interested in her, can she actually believe her luck is changing?
KISS CRUSH COLLIDE describes the experience of Christina Meredith’s protagonist, Leah. The bad boy with the hypnotizing green eyes is everything she shouldn’t want in a boyfriend. She knows her mother won’t approve, and her sisters will mock. And yet…there’s that irresistible smile. Sometimes what can’t be good is just too good to miss.
Your teenagers will love these books, and here’s a little secret: you probably will, too. If you haven’t checked out YA books in a while, rest assured they’ve come a long way since sleuth Nancy Drew and nurse Cherry Ames. And if you don’t know who these characters are, you are almost certainly young enough for the books I’ve recommended.
Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com
