15 Teen Readers on The Last Book They Loved

Spare and Found Parts, by Sarah Maria Griffin
Nell Crane is a girl with a clock for a heart, and she’s going to change the world one tick at a time. The daughter of the two most influential contributors to her world’s history, she’s faced with four different paths: think up a clever idea, marry a stubborn suitor, move to a world of splendor, or become another piece in the puzzle. Determined to prove to her town and herself that she isn’t just a spare part, Nell sets out to build not only an extraordinary invention, but a friend. Spare and Found Parts is a hauntingly beautiful story that reaches to the heart of solitude. Nell is a complex and honest main character filled with so many shades of life that every step she takes on her journey to brilliance is real and lived through. Griffin’s writing is poetic, she crafts a novel that is both dark and enchanting; a dangerous fairytale. Overall, Spare and Found Parts is a unique story about connection; connecting to our past, connecting to others, and connecting the spare parts to the found ones.
–Maddie M., 17, enjoys Jane Austen, waffles, and watching the movie Anastasia on repeat. Her favorite character is Hermione Granger and 80% of the time she can be found either in rehearsal or curled up with a book.

Blood for Blood, by Ryan Graudin
The thrilling sequel to Graudin’s Wolf by Wolf ends the calm and brings the storm. Or rather, the war. In alternate 1956, Yael’s plan to shoot the Führer had just failed. Badly. But while the gunshot may have missed its mark, it was still a signal for an uprising spanning continents, determined to wipe Nazi red off the map, and they cannot afford to fail again.
This is a war story, no two ways about it. A war that didn’t happen (or at least not in this way), but still a war. And Graudin knows this, seamlessly entwining the politics of revolutions, from resistance cells to covert international alliances, with the emotions of the protagonists. Yael’s journey takes her back to her past, to the awful truth of the death camps and to who she was before the Nazis stole her identity. All the while, Luka and Felix come to understand the lies and crimes of the leaders they used to salute. This is a riveting story of politics, war, and human emotion, and how the three explosively collide.
–Assaf, 17, sci-fi and fantasy addict, would kill a man for cake. Fledgling writer of a fantasy series about a young genius witch and her robotic dragon.

The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon
Love is a complicated and fickle thing. It’s also made of many coincidences. Two people meeting and liking each other at the same time. Books talk a lot about couples who instantly know, but that’s not how real life works. There are a lot of crushes and uncertainty. Life isn’t planned. This book really drove home the point of coincidences and randomness. Love is strange and wild because of its unpredictable nature. I loved seeing the romance between romantic Daniel and rational Natasha unfold. It was sweet and saucy and all things in between. Even if it was rushed, you really felt as if they wanted to know more about each other. I also want to try out the love questionnaire; I’d heard about it before but had never seen it in practice. But the ending was what I loved the most. It was so unique, and it made my heart squeeze. Things like that happen. You might fall out of love but fall right back into it on a random day in the future. Your teenage romance might not have ended well, but that doesn’t mean your adult one has to.
–Hiya, I’m Wren L., the weirdo who watches anime and obsesses over fictional characters. Currently hiding in my hoodie.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, by Matthew Quick
Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday, and to celebrate, he is going to shoot his classmate and then kill himself. There is no way around it: this book is disturbing. It puts you in the head of a deeply depressed and tortured teenager and slowly reveals what has pushed him to this breaking point. As upsetting as the subject was, this book stood out to me because of its unique style. The book jumps between the main narrative, footnotes explaining or expanding on topics addressed in the story, and letters written to Leonard from an apocalyptic future. As the story went on, all the pieces started to come together, creating shocking and emotional revelations. The more I read, the harder it was to tear myself away. I alternated between sympathy and anger for Leonard, but no matter how the book made me feel, it was impossible to stop reading; I had to know what was going to happen next. By the end, it had me in tears, wishing for more.
–Eileen M., 17, has many hobbies, which include playing clarinet, watching funny videos of cats, drinking tea, and reading (duh!).

The Midnight Star (Young Elites #3), by Marie Lu
The Young Elites was decent, The Rose Society was better, but The Midnight Star eclipses the other two with its achingly beautiful character portrayals and intensely gripping, emotional, and dramatic story. Marie Lu’s Champion broke my heart with its love story, and The Midnight Star did it with the most spectacular character journey I’ve ever seen. Main character Adelina is not perfect at all, but her dark determination and conviction make her so hate-worthy yet believable at the same time. Underneath her domineering demeanor, behind every outburst, there’s this broken and suffering girl who just wants to never be betrayed again. Her sister left her, her former Daggers spurned her, her current followers aren’t as loyal as they seem, and to top it off the whispers in her head are incessantly rearing their ugly heads telling her to inflict pain, to never trust anyone. To see her transform from that vengeful person to the thing she becomes at the end is just so breathtaking, so painful yet satisfying to watch. Through her journey to save the Elites, Adelina lets the love that resides deep inside of her bloom, building and building until the powerful ending. It’ll leave you screaming for everything to be changed, wishing for the book to have gone on longer, but ultimately will leave you satisfied and wishing the best for the characters.
–Kelvin L., 17, is a figure skater, audiobook lover, and the world’s biggest fan of Vampire Academy and Miss Peregrine. He’s currently reading in order to avoid working on college apps.

The Romantics, by Leah Konen
Romance is a genre I rarely delve into, but I read a summary for this book and couldn’t help but read it; I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed. This short and sweet novel is narrated by Love itself, which adds a unique perspective to the story, and makes it that much more interesting to read. But my personal favorite thing about the book is that it shows love in all its forms: between family, between friends, and, of course, between lovers. With a dash of humor and lots and lots of Love, this romance novel is worth the read.
–Katelyn L., 15, loves all genres of books, has too many unread ones on her shelf, and desperately wishes for more time to read.

Let It Snow, by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
It’s December, which means Christmas is fast approaching, and I’ve been ready for it to be here since the beginning of November. Unfortunately for me there’s this thing called Thanksgiving, which meant I had to wait until November 25 to start listening to holiday music without annoying everyone around me with my premature holiday cheer. Luckily, I had the amazing writing of Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle to tide me over until the time came.
Let it Snow is a collection of three holiday short stories, “The Jubilee Express,” “A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle,” and “The Patron Saint of Pigs.” This book is my holiday guilty pleasure. It tells the story of three teenagers, all stuck in the town of Gracetown during Christmas due to a huge snow storm. But snow isn’t the only thing in the air this holiday season—throughout the course of the novel each of the main characters finds love. It sounds clichéd, but the skillful writing, combined with a cast of hilarious characters, are what makes this book so wonderful. Even though I’ve read it at least five times, I still get excited at every clever twist, unexpected turn, and romantic moment it has to offer.
–Evalyn H., 15, loves fantasy novels, Disney movies, and snickerdoodle cookies. She is currently working on the third draft of a middle grade fantasy novel cowritten with her father.

Heartless, by Marissa Meyer
On a scale of pudgy persistent kings to handsome court jokers this book is the Queen of Hearts. In the magical world of Wonderland, the King of Hearts is choosing a new Queen and has his eyes set on Lady Catherine. As far as origin stories go, this is my new absolute favourite. I loved this book. I fell in love with Jest when he was first introduced, and throughout he never failed to make me smile. Lady Catherine probably could have handled the situation better, but then again, with the attention of two men even I would be too flattered to make reasonable decisions. Marissa Meyer with her beautiful writing has always been a favourite of mine and this story only further solidified my love for her work. I adore how she retells classics, putting her own twist on them while staying true to the core of the story. Finding the shared elements between this book and the original was a great joy. While this book wasn’t as amazing as the Lunar Chronicles, the way the dark ending ripped my heart out brought me great satisfaction. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who can deal with the craziness of Wonderland.
–Kaitlin D., 14, professional procrastinator and self-proclaimed bibliophile. Lives in the pantry. May have taken a bite out of the moon.

Kids of Appetite, by David Arnold
Arnold’s second novel tells the story of a police investigation of a murder. But it also tells the story of five kids on a mission to scatter ashes across their state. It tells the story of Victor “Vic” Benucci and his discovery of his own Super Racehorse-ness despite the death of his father, his favorite person. It tells the story of a goldfish and an orchard and a story collector and faux cussing. Vic, along with Mad, Baz, Zuz, and Coco, will make you laugh and smile until it hurts, and probably tear up a quite a lot. They’re just young people, trying to survive and heal. Kids of Appetite, living and laughing and seeing that it is good.
–Naomi N. is a 15-year-old author, blogger, candy-eater, movie-watcher, and NaNoWriMo participant. She loves books by Nicola Yoon, Rainbow Rowell, and Andrea Portes.

Nobody, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Everyone who has ever felt the slightest bit invisible will instantly connect with both this captivating novel and the astoundingly real Nobodies who must face danger and adventure on every page. Filled with an amazing new world worth exploring, Nobody features the in-depth idea of invisibility and the seemingly limitless power that comes with it. In addition, the beautifully written story grabs the reader’s attention with immensely fulfilling ‘I saw it coming’ moments that have us begging for the resolution we desperately want to work out. Nobody is an amazing standalone novel that not only drags the reader past the point of no return, but convinces us we don’t want to live in a world without the Nobodies.
–Madison O., 16, is a Gryffindor/Thunderbird, and a lover of puns, Disney movies, and chicken strips. She once accidentally spit in Kiera Cass’s hair during a Selection book signing.

Cherry, by Lindsey Rosin
The best book I’ve read this past month is by far Cherry, by Lindsey Rosin. Have you heard of it? Your answer might be no, because not enough have. But this book is incredibly important and deserves to be hyped up and talked about so much more than it is. It’s the most sex-positive YA book I’ve ever read, centering around four teenage best friends who talk about sex, think about sex, and have sex. That’s how the majority of real teenagers act, if you weren’t aware, and at least a part of YA should represent that. It’s told from these four girls’ points of view, and they each are wonderful, unique, and interesting to read about. The book is inclusive and diverse, featuring main characters of color and LGBTQIAP+ main characters. It’s about friendship, and love, and yes, it’s about sex, but that’s not the biggest part. It’s one of the best contemporary books I’ve ever read, and I can’t recommend it enough.
–Ava M. is a teenage book blogger, reader, and writer of YA. She is an intersectional feminist and advocate for diversity, and drinks a lot of tea. She likes organized bookshelves and reads too many fantasy novels.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
How much do you know about the experience of modern-day Native Americans? If you know anything, it’s probably more than I did going into this book. Alexie prevents this book from becoming a lecture by injecting teenaged Junior’s narrative, about going to school off the reservation and all the trials and victories that come with it, with quirkiness, wit, and humor. He constantly makes fun of himself and everything around him. He becomes an unexpected hero, demonstrating his courage by doing something that no other Native American on his reservation has done. Ultimately, this book is about what it’s like to discover who you truly are.
–Abigail L., 14. Slightly obsessed with Hamilton, Steven Universe, Sherlock, Gravity Falls, and YA books (of course!).

Heartless, by Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer has proved once again that she’s a pro at retellings. Heartless is not just a fantastic rendition of Alice in Wonderland, it’s an amazing backstory of an infamous villain, the Queen of Hearts. When we meet her in Heartless, she hasn’t become queen yet, she’s just Catherine, a young girl with a passion for baking, huge dreams, and a positive outlook on life. All she desires is a bakery of her own, and a marriage for love. However, her journey isn’t smooth, as her parents disapprove of her dreams of owning a business and the king has set his sights on her as his prospective bride. To further add to the confusion, there’s Jest, the court joker Cath is slowly falling for. Heartless is the story of how Cath transforms into the terror of Wonderland, told in an interesting, vivid and imaginary, romantic yet bittersweet and magical way, bearing all of Meyer’s trademarks with a fantastic ending that’s just perfect for the tale.
–Mishma N., die-hard fan of Victoria Schwab, lover of villains and antiheroes, old movies and a capella covers, dreams of working in publishing and opening a bookstore in the future.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, by Jenny Han
I decided to read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before because its synopsis promised a feel-good romantic comedy that was perfect for the holiday season—maybe a little too perfect. On Thanksgiving, I ended up devouring a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Jenny Han’s novel. What sets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before apart from other romantic comedies is that its plot is heavily influenced by the protagonist’s relationship with her sisters. Readers know Lara Jean prioritizes her family above everything else, even if that means putting them above herself. Her loyalty is both an incredibly admirable and selfless trait. Truthfully, the character development in this novel is what makes it so enjoyable. Readers will empathize with the protagonist; she is lovably quirky and realistically flawed. The novel could have easily become a cliché had it not been for the relatable characterization. Even if you think the setup sounds trite, the story is one you’ll want to stick around for.
–Nicole S., 15, loves books, people, and Italian food. Her life goal is to reach 5 feet in height.

Like a River Glorious (Gold Seer trilogy #2), by Rae Carson
Like a River Glorious, the sequel to Walk on Earth a Stranger, continues the journey of Leah Westfall, a girl with “witchy” powers that allow her to sense gold in the earth. These powers are a perfect gift for a girl who just traveled cross country to California during the height of the 1849 Gold Rush. Leah and her fellow friends/travelers begin to set up gold claims and begin to mine. But Leah’s crazy uncle kidnaps her and two of her friends and forces them to work in his mine, where they see the horrible treatment of Chinese and Indian slaves. This book teaches about the Gold Rush, a historical event, but it also teaches about how we should treat each other as humans. The romantic subplot and themes of feminism and racial equality made it interesting to read and very emotional. I stayed up late many nights finishing this powerful book. Rae
Carson brought the characters to life and made history interesting and memorable. This sequel was just as entertaining as the first book, which is difficult to find in YA fantasy series. This historical fantasy sequel was pure gold 🙂
–Ellie T., 17, spends the majority of her time doing homework, or reading and buying YA books. When she is not doing that you can find her binge-watching Netflix or singing off-key to Hamilton.