Don’t know what to read next? Looking for YA book recommendations? Welcome to the Book Chat with the Young Adult Team. Every month, the YA Team each recommends a favorite book from our YA collection. We cover fiction, non-fiction, manga, comics, and graphic novels, so there is something for everyone! There is also a mixture of new releases and old favorites, so keep an eye on our posts for books to add to your TBR.
GENEVIEVRE RECOMMENDS IMMORTAL CONSEQUENCES BY I.V. MARIE
I’ll be completely honest here — this book was a little hard for me to get into at first. If Harry Potter is your thing, you’ll immediately recognize aspects of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a possible inspiration point for the author as it begins with a Triwizard Tournament-esque competition between nominated students, taking place at the gothic and magical Blackwood Academy. The major twist to this, however, is that the book is set in the afterlife, and Blackwood Academy is located in limbo. As the book progresses a bit more though, it absolutely does hook the reader and take on a life of its own.
Whether you’re rooting for an enemies-to-lovers arc between book-smart Wren and naturally gifted (but arrogant) August due to their whip-like back and forth dialogue and electric chemistry, hoping for more between old soul Olivier and sweet Emilio, both of whom you want to protect at all cost, or possibly hoping for an emotional breakthrough between frenemies pragmatic Masika and ruthless Irene, there’s something for every reader. While it jumps between all six points of view, the book will give you a taste of each personality and leave you desperate to unlock what comes next in their journeys as the book sets you up for a part two.
NICOLE RECOMMENDS A SONG FOR YOU & I BY K. O’NEILL
Rowan is a ranger who protects sheep herders from the back of their flying horse – sheep herders like the violin-playing Leone. But when Rowan makes a rash mistake that injures their horse, they’re grounded and reassigned to the grasslands to help Leone deliver his orders of wool. A Song for You & I is a cozy, gentle story about listening to the whisper inside you that speaks to your true self and learning how to find the courage to spin that whisper into a song. With countless picturesque landscapes and other serene depictions of rural living, O’Neill crafts a charming story perfect for the cozy season.
KAYLEIGH RECOMMENDS ELATSOE BY DARICE LITTLE BADGER
In an alternate America where magic from many cultures weaves into the everyday, Elatsoe lives a regular life with her family—except she knows how to raise ghosts and interact with the afterlife through knowledge passed down from her Lipan Apache ancestors. When her beloved ghost dog Kirby literally crashes through the wall with agitation, Ellie knows something very bad has happened. She finds out that her cousin Trevor has died in a car crash, and when his spirit visits her in a dream that night, she knows his death wasn’t an accident. With her parents and Kirby, Ellie travels to the quaint little town of Willowbee, Texas where Trevor lived. There she finds odd locals who seem to be watching her every move, a concerningly high amount of mushrooms growing on the lawns (in the summer heat!) and the rich, charismatic doctor who her cousin named in the dream as his murderer. With the help of her parents, Kirby, and her best friend Jay, Ellie embarks on a journey uncovering disturbing truths about the town of Willowbee that stretch even farther than she imagined.
Elatsoe is an entertaining magical-mystery read that deals deeply with grief and death, as Ellie, her family, and Trevor’s non-Lipan wife all attempt to process his death and sometimes come into conflict about cultural practices around death as they wrestle with loss and the desire to see the murderer face retribution. Stories of Ellie’s distant grandmother Six-Great weave into the present-day story, connecting Ellie’s own journey to her legendary ancestor’s encounters with ghosts, magic, and the underworld. Little Badger develops an atmosphere of suspense, dread, and ominous folk horror builds as the story progresses, culminating in a satisfying conclusion.
KELLI RECOMMENDS EVERYONE SUX BUT YOU BY K. WROTEN
This coming of age comic was absolutely beautiful. Each chapter is separated by
music tracks of emo bands and songs, and the aesthetic is beautifully simple. I really
enjoyed Carson’s attitude throughout the book as it reminded me a lot of how I felt at 17. I
think anyone who has lost someone at a young age should read this story. It makes you feel
seen and heard.
RACHEL RECOMMENDS HUNGER’S BITE BY TAYLOR ROBIN
The SS Lark is under new management, and Neeta and Emery—two teens who grew up onboard—are feeling the strain. The new owner, Mr. Honeycutt, runs the ship with a ruthlessness that isn’t just inhumane but inhuman, and the first-class passengers appear to be undergoing a strange transformation the more they demand of the staff and crew.
Emery dreams of being the Lark’s captain like his father before him. He’s afraid to rock the boat when Honeycutt holds Emery’s father’s livelihood by a string. Neeta has no such qualms, but it’s hard to call Honeycutt out if the people Neeta’s advocating for are too terrified to say anything. Enter Wick, paranormal investigator and vampire secret agent, sent to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Lark’s purchase. As the strange appetites of the owner and first-class passengers grow and the overworked staff begins to dwindle, it appears Mr. Honeycutt’s first voyage might just be his—and everyone else’s—last.
Hunger’s Bite is a nautical fable of desperation and desire, privilege and exploitation, and the insatiability of greed. Content warnings include: classism, sexism, body horror, murder, and cannibalism.
ADRIANE RECOMMENDS HEARTLESS HUNTER BY KRISTEN CICCARELLI
Rune pretends to be an airhead socialite. But in reality she is the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues witches from the clutches of the New Republic. She is enemy #1 to the New Republic, especially Gideon Sharpe who is hunting the Crimson Moth. So she hides in plain sight. What happens when these two start to fall for each other? This book and the rest of the story told in Rebel Witch had me staying up to finish the story. It was packed with action, betrayal, and best of all, love!
LAUREN RECOMMENDS THE THRASHERS BY JULIE SOTO
A lot of the reason I picked this book is because it’s on the short list for Good Reads best of 2025 and let me tell you it did not disappoint! Jodi Dillion is an odd addition to the tight knit “Thrashers” group, a clique consisting of beautiful popular people. She thinks she doesn’t fit in as much as the other 4 members but as you read, you’ll see that each member of the group shares that same concern. After a mysterious death of a student who was trying desperately to be part of the group, Jodi is put in an uncomfortable position to try to stay loyal to the friends she has and to honor the memory of a lesser liked wanna-be. Spooky events start occurring whenever they all gather together and each member is affected in different ways. This book had me on the edge of my seat until the last sentence, and I put the book down with a wonderment of “dang, are ghosts real?” feeling.
Want more book suggestions? Stay tuned for future recommendations from our team!
If you’re a teen who likes to read, you can also submit book recommendations from our collection. Email genevievre.wood@rva.gov with a one paragraph review.
