Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Viking, 2015

Peyton and Syndey, brother and sister, couldn't be more different from each other.  They're separated by not only personality, but today,by tables of lawyers in a courtroom.  Peyton, the gregarious, daredevil, is being tried for a felony crime.  Sydney is quietly sitting beside her parents, hiding her feelings, being a good girl.

It's been that way for as long as Sydney can remember.  Even as children, Peyton stole the energy and light from the room.  Now, as a teen, Sydney is hidden even farther away from the family dynamic.  After Peyton's conviction, her mother is personally entrenched in Peyton's situation and being the supportive parent her son needs.  Sydney's father doesn't help; he's allowed her mom to make all major decisions and never speaks up.

But she isn't quite invisible.  Peyton's friend Ames, is willing to help out the family whenever they need him.  Again, Sydney hides the trepidation she feels around him because her mother trusts him implicitly. Whatever is best for Peyton.

And then there are the whispers and rumors starting at school.  With her life inundated with Peyton's problems, Peyton's reputation, and how to help Peyton, Sydney cut ties and enrolls in a public high school, where she hopes no one knows who her brother is.  And it's on that first week that a pizza joint will change her life....

Layla and Mac, brother and sister, couldn't be more different from each other.  Layla is the one with the effervescent personality and goes through life headfirst and headstrong.  Mac is the one who is the rock, balancing his sister and his family's business while studying as hard as he can with that glimmer of hope he'll be able to leave this town and pursue his dream.  Their mother is involved in their lives but with love and wisdom while their father runs their pizza place successfully. Layla and Mac enjoy spending time together.  Layla may not play in the band Mac is in, but she does show up to every show, creating that energy only she can create.

And one day at their family's pizza joint, their lives will change course with a chance meeting with one girl...

Two different families, two people who want to find themselves, and emotional ties with both friends and family will come together, a pressure cooker ready to explode...

Sarah Dessen, delivers with her newest young adult novel.  What makes this novel work so well is the depth she writes about concerning relationships on all levels, emotional and internal conflict, growing up, and personal dreams and goals.  This isn't a sugary sweet book for girls - this is real life, which can be ugly, dangerous, and poignant.  Dessen balances these traits of real life with honesty, trust, and convictions.  The reader gets to live in both households and see how the other half lives, which is the strength of this novel.  Full of opposites, it creates balance.  Oh, I have no qualms this book will blow off the shelves, never to return.  Better buy two copies!
HIGHLY recommended upper junior high/high school.

Ahhhhh.....Love! Amour! Liebe! 爱

It's coming.  A pink tinge hangs in the air ready to burst into full bloom red.  Chocolates are molded, wrapped, and dipped, that irritating commercial from Pajamagram slips into the regularly scheduled commercials, and the cards full of love, hope and poetry are purchased in bulk. (as an aside, my husband has given me the same Valentine's Day card for the last 20 years, and every year it means something different) But fear not!  There is hope in the form of YA novels!  And not a moment too soon!  Here is a short compiled list of recent romance novels written with teens in mind.  And what's more, they're all novel in verse.  Get lost in the translation...

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe. Viking, 2011. Sara's first love is ballet, and now her hard work and determination have paid off.  She's accepted into an apprenticeship with professional dance company and moves to New York to fulfill her dreams.  Her excitement quickly turns into loneliness, until she meets Remington, a choreographer who works with this troupe of ballerinas.  Sara's loneliness quickly turns to giddiness, then into the ultimate emotion and decision she never thought she'd make.  What, exactly, does she truly want, in terms of a relationship and career?  Life is the ultimate learning experience for her.  Genre: real life read

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones.  Simon &Schuster, 2013.
It's hard being the daughter of the most famous actress in Hollywood.  Just ask Collette.  She's lived in the shadows most of her life and has found the best way to escape them is to lie. Just little white lies.. those never hurt anyone.  So when she and her little brother go on "vacation" with their mother to film a new movie (starring, who else?), Collette brings out her secret stash of lies.  And when she meets Connor, she feels it'll be the only thing to protect her from the shadow of her famous mom.  He's gorgeous, older, sweet and sexy, and Collette falls in love. But the more lies you tell, the harder it is to keep them up.  Add a relationship to this mix, and Collette is just waiting for disaster to strike...or can she get away with it?  Genre: romance

Hideous Love by Stephanie Hemphill.  Balzer + Bray, 2013.  Mary was young when she first met Percy.  Living in Victorian England, becoming betrothed was a difficult task for her, especially as a girl with an academic background.  But sometimes emotions outweigh the logic. Mary and Percy begin a love affair that quickly turns illicit.  She makes the decision to elope with Percy, who would always be her heart's desire.  What she wasn't expecting was his adamant request to also bring along her step-sister.  Mary overlooks his philandering ways, but jealousy still lingers every time she sees them together.  Writing is an outlet Mary turns to in order to let free her emotions, experiences, and academic desires.  Little did she know it would be the most celebrated gothic romance of its time...Frankenstein.  Based on true biographies.  Genre: historical fiction

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay.  Katherine Tegan, 2011.  Marcie has been pulled in two, emotionally and literally.  Her parents divorce has completely screwed up Marcie's life, and to help her mom pull through the depression, they move from Idaho to New Hampshire to start a new life over.  That means Marcie must leave her boyfriend  and group of the best friends she's ever had, behind.  But it doesn't mean the end of their relationship.  She constantly emails them all (aka the Leftovers), never losing touch them and hanging onto her relationship with her boyfriend.  But communication starts to drift when the cute guy in school takes a liking to Marcie. One secret withheld from her boyfriend but told to her best friend becomes her undoing.  Genre: real life read; romance

Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder.  Simon Pulse, 2013.  Love is a battlefield, and Rae is fighting through it right now.  She's in the hospital, unconscious, not sure if she'll pull through or not.   Rae can't stand to be around her step-father, so she spends most of her time at school and work, waiting for the day she can leave this town behind.  The only person she'd miss would be her best friend Leo, who makes her feel happy and carefree.  But then she meets the heartstopper, Nathan, and their relationship blossoms.  But the bloom becomes obsession and jealousy.  Rae knows what started out good is now toxic.  Leo is the only person Rae can talk to, and Nathan cannot stand that.  Will she have to lose both in order to start life over again?  One day, one gun, one life...  Told through flashback. Genre: real life read (this is more of a novel that contains Schroeder-esque poetry glittering throughout)

Waiting  by Carol Lynch Williams.  Simon & Schuster, 2012.  Growing up as children of missionaries, London and Zach's life have always had higher expectations (kind of like kids of preachers and teachers).  But when Zach lives life his way instead of his parents, the pressure becomes to great and he takes his life.  The entire family is stunned, and London can't shake the feeling that she's to blame.  Her mother won't talk to her, her father is distant, and Zach is gone...she thinks about her boyfriend Taylor, but feels the need to cut him out of her life because he was Zach's best friend; he knows too much family history.  But a new family moves into town, and London feels a pull to Jesse.  He's new, irresistible, and knows nothing about her past life, social and private.  A perfect getaway.  But even that really doesn't help her situation, and now London is pulled is more directions that she thought possible.  Genre:real life read

Addendum:  here are also some other excellent YA novels (not in verse):

Bunheads by Sophie Flack.  Poppy, 2011  Genre: real life reads


Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral.  Razorbill, 2012.  Genre: picture book

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate.  Feiwel and Friends, 2012.  Genre: science fiction

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  Razorbill, 2011.  Genre: historical fiction

Pizza, Love & Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams.  Henry Holt and Co., 2012 Genre: girl reads

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson.  Simon & Schuster, 2012.  Genre: real life reads

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman.  Little Brown and Co, 2011. Genre: real life reads


And last but not least, an extensive list of YA novels from my previous blog post about YA romance:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7260786418133593157#editor/target=post;postID=4408141181443459942

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

No matter where the setting is or who the main character is, teens will always be teens.  It's not about the accent, the home, the culture, but the psychology and emotional stage teens are in that makes a book not necessarily set in the United States a good read for teens living here.  The problems don't change, and teens will always struggle to find who they are across the globe.  So, let's get started with our travels, shall we?

Alfred A. Knopf, 2012

Amelia isn't lonely.  She has friends, a family, and co-workers at the local grocery store she works at.  At 15 years old, she is more mature than most and unlike other teens her age, she excels in school, reading the classics such as Great Expectations and enjoying the story. 
She's a good daughter too.  She doesn't stay out all night and party, she doesn't do drugs, and she doesn't ask for allowance.  The only thing missing in Amelia's life is more attention from her parents, and most importantly, love.

Chris is lost.  He isn't sure where or what he wants to be or how to get there. Everyone around him seems to be on the right track, but he still lives at home with his parents and works at the local grocery store to make money to go to the university.  His sister just moved out and is on her own and he desperately feels the need to flee, especially at 21 years of age.  But right now, when school is out, Chris is going to enjoy his life in the pubs, at parties, and getting control of himself after a terrible break-up with the love of his life.  The only thing missing from his life is independence, and he isn't quite sure if he's ready for love.

As co-workers, Amelia and Chris spend a lot of time together working side by side, taking breaks together, and talking about the finer points of literature and life.  But how they react to each other is very different.  Chris's feelings for Amelia are out in the open - he dubs her Young One and looks after her like an older brother would. 
Amelia, on the other hand, keeps her feelings for Chris inside.  So what if there's a six year age difference?  Amelia is quite sure how Chris feels about her.  Why else would he give her so much attention and confide in her more than any of the others they work with? 

But love is fragile for anyone at anytime, and both of them will find the different types of loves in life as they discover themselves along the way.

Set in Australia, Buzo writes with realism, plain and simple.  She captures the main characters in her book not only by their age and actions, but also by contrasting them with other characters that create a juxtaposition readers will understand in order to see the characters become more transparent.  This book has the same theme as so many others, and while that may make it a typical read, what does stand out is how close to home Buzo gets when it comes to teens and relationships.  Her writing style includes different voices as well as journal and letter entries that allow readers to read "differently" and learn the intricacies that create the whole picture.  Is this a book about romance?  Hmmmmm....that's where you get to decide.

Let's Get Ready for Love (or Not)! Booklists for displays

Link to Supernatural Romance for YA:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/young-adult-paranormal-romance

Links to YA Dystopia Romance:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17932.Best_YA_Dystopian_Romance



1/31/2013
Okay, I removed the embedded list because it was taking SO LONG to download.  I'll provide a printed list if anyone wants it.  The link is still good though :) 
GRRRRR....I think 22books.com is slow today!    

LESSON LEARNED....
This is the third update to this post and I apologize.  I put my list on 22books and didn't save a hardcopy!  But I made one and here it is :)  Just in time for V-day!
PS - I did NOT include supernatural, just real life romance.  Just an FYI :)

The Good

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler

Chopsticks by Jessia Anthony and Rodrigo Corral

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

24 Girls in Seven Days by

Friend is Not a Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught

Just Listen by Deb Caletti

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement Moore

The Breakup Bible by Melissa Kantor

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Short Story Collection

Breaking Up is Hard to Do by Niki Burnham, ed. (story collection of both good and bad)

Who Am I Without Him by Sharon Flake

Let It Snow by John Green and Maureen Johnson

Love is Hell by Melissa Marr, ed.

The Bad and Ugly

Played by Dana Davidson

Stay by Deb Caletti

Things Change by Patrick Jones

Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder

A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Honey Baby Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz

Audition by Stasia Kehoe

Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Something Life Fate by Susane Colasanti

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

Destroy all Cars  by Blake Nelson

Exposed by Susan Vaught

Dark Song by Gail Giles

Non-fiction

He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt

It’s Called a Break-up Because It’s Broken by Greg Behrendt

Relationships Smarts: how to navigate dating, friendships, family relationships and more by Joyce Markovics

Boyology:  a teen girl’s crash course in all things boys by Saray O’Leary Burningham