Where do you feel most at home? Wrapped in magic, on a sun-soaked beach, or with friends, these stories ask their protagonists to explore their comfort zones and what happens when they have to step outside of them. Sometimes, leaving your plans behind leads to unexpected places. These characters will just have to decide if those places are what they want. Find out with us!
A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek
In this Swan Lake retelling, magic is real, but it’s illegal and Odile is on a mission to restore it. But she has to steal it first. Odile and the sorcerer who raised her have been planning the perfect heist to steal the king’s enchanted crown and give magic back to the kingdom. Everything is ready to go…until the king is killed and Odile has to pair up with Princess Marie d’Odette to uncover the plot that led to the murder.
As they dig into the truth, Odile will have to decide who she can trust and whether or not restoring the magic is possible.
If you like: Fantasy, thriller, mystery, Gothic, fiction
Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson
WestSide Roll is Jaelyn Coleman’s happy place. At 16, Jae doesn’t have a lot figured out, but she knows that the music and skaters at the roller rink will always be familiar. Everything at the skating rink is chill and predictable, until she collides with someone she’s never met before.
Trey is cute and nice, and he and Jae become fast friends, something Jae needed as she deals with a distant best friend and stress from her estranged father’s reappearance. With Trey, it’s easy to keep rolling along. Unfortunately, the summer comes to a hard stop when it’s announced that WestSide Roll will be closing for good. Jae’s Indianapolis neighborhood is facing changes that will alter the space for her community forever.
If you like: Romance, contemporary, poetry, novels in verse, coming of age
Home Has No Borders Edited by Sona Charaipotra and Samira Ahmed
This anthology of stories by South Asian writers focuses on telling stories that explore what it means to grow up South Asian. The characters navigate heartbreak, community, language, and more in an exploration of culture and what it home means.
If you like: Fiction, anthologies, short stories, coming of age
Golden by Jade Timms
Eddie is spending the sumer trying to forget the bad thing that happened a few years ago. She paints and goes to the beach. She even has a job and is training for her town’s annual Mud Run, but healing is hard, and Eddie is going to have to learn how to open up again if she wants to find herself.
If you like: Contemporary, friendship, family, summer stories
Rewind to Us by Holly Morris
This is going to be the best summer ever. Dixie mulligan is going to tell Sawyer she’s in love with him. Or she was—conveniently forgetting that they had a falling out over spring break—until she sees Sawyer kissing someone else.
The only thing that might make Dixie’s summer romance come true is the Rewind her family has been gifted. Reparing relationships is far from easy, even if you can travel back in time. As more secrets come out, one more chance starts to seem more and more difficult. Is it all over, or is the Rewind enough to save them?
If you like: Romance, contemporary, fantasy, time travel, summer stories
