Maya's Choice


Earl Sewell - 2011
    First she's sent to stay with her grandmother for a month. Living in the city, Maya is too far from her friend Keysha and her boyfriend, Misalo—and too near her rebellious cousin Viviana. When Maya finally comes home, her parents drop a bombshell—Viviana is moving in with them.Her cousin has barely unpacked before she's creating chaos. Truth is, Maya kind of likes the way life is a whole lot less predictable with Viviana around. But her motives are up for debate—especially when it comes to Misalo. And as Maya's little sister, Anna, grows more fascinated with her cool older cousin, Maya begins to see that following where Viviana leads has its price. And it could cost Maya her reputation, her relationship…and maybe even her future….

Hot Girl


Dream Jordan - 2008
    Not only is she tired of her raggedy, tomboy image, but she's also missing her best friend, Felicia, who's away for the summer. Lonely and not exactly getting along with her new foster mother, Lynn, Kate so badly wants to be out and about, twirling pretty, and partying---and maybe catching the attention of her longtime crush, Charles. Opportunity knocks one hot summer day when fly-girl Naleejah struts her stuff straight up to Kate and takes a seat. Full of smiles, Naleejah tells Kate that she remembers her from school, but Kate can't remember ever having such a fabulous chick trying to befriend her. Kate's suspicion turns to trust once Naleejah gives her a much-needed makeover. Now a brand-new Kate suddenly has the attention of her dream boy. But is Naleejah checking for him, too? Against Kate's better judgment, she ignores the warning signs, and continues to let Naleejah lead her down a treacherous path. Soon, what seems like a fun and exciting summer ends up being a harsh reality check. Now Kate must decide how to get back on the right track . . . or is it already too late?

Not a Good Look


Nikki Carter - 2010
    Sunday Tolliver is this close to making her music industry career dreams come true-until her mother spends her entire college fund. Now Sunday's only chance to get to college means slaving as a "personal assistant" to her diva cousin, Dreya. And since Dreya just got the record deal of a lifetime and an upcoming tour with hip-hop's biggest rapper, Truth, Sunday is sure Dreya's ego-trippin', among other things, couldn't get worse. But when bad boy Truth starts pushing up on Sunday and her life becomes "Paparazzi Blogs Gone Wild," a jealous Dreya is on the warpath. Can Sunday make the right moves before her dreams go up in smoke for good? Praise for Nikki Carter "Step to This is hot, it's new, it's now...with characters that leap from the pages, it's absolutely a must-read." --Monica McKayhan, Essence bestselling author"Nikki Carter is a fresh, new voice." --ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Essence bestselling author"Literally and figuratively, drama is on high alert in the first installment of Nikki Carter's hot new teen series, The Fab Life. An undeniable page-turner, Not A Good Look is sure to capture the attention of every teen who's ever dreamed of becoming hip-hop's next overnight superstar. Readers are certain to fall in love with Sunday and her diva cousin, Dreya, just as fast as the many cute boys in their lives." --Mitzi Miller, Essence(c) bestselling author

True Story


Ni-Ni Simone - 2013
    Her freshman year at Stiles University turned out to be a tug of war for her heart and her sophomore year promised more of the same. Just when she'd sworn off her ex-boyfriend, Josiah Whitaker, and thought she'd never love him again, he boldly stepped back into her life, with no regard that she'd moved on with Zaire St. James, her new boyfriend.Caught off guard and thrust into a whirlwind of emotion, Seven no longer knows if she should stay or go. . . All she knows is that old feelings won't die, her new love is being ruined by lies, and the fairy tale she once dreamed of may never become her true story.Praise for Ni-Ni Simone"Smart and cutting, full of clever comebacks." --Kirkus on No Boyz Allowed"This is creative, innovative, and important storytelling for today's urban teen readership." --Library Journal on Teenage Love Affair

96 Words for Love


Rachel Roy - 2019
    She feels simultaneously lost and trapped by a future already mapped out for her. Then her beloved grandmother dies, and Raya jumps at the chance to spend her last free summer at the ashram in India where her grandmother met and fell in love with her grandfather. Raya hopes to find her center and her true path. But she didn't expect to fall in love... with a country of beautiful contradictions, her fiercely loyal cousin, a local girl with a passion for reading, and a boy who teaches her that in Sanskrit, there are 96 different ways to say the word "love." A modern retelling of the classic Indian legend of Shakuntala and Dushyanta.

How to Salsa in a Sari


Dona Sarkar - 2007
    She just hates Issa. And for good reason: Issa finds out that her mother not only has been dating Cat's dad, but is going to marry him. That means they're moving into Cat's huge house. And not only is Issa's stepsister-to-be a total beyotch, she has no respect for Issa's Indian and African-American heritage. But Issa gets some tough advice: if she wants Cat Morena to welcome her traditions, Issa had better learn how to salsa in a sari.

29 Dates


Melissa de la Cruz - 2018
    Completely unputdownable!” —Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi“A refreshingly modern love story, 29 Dates serves up a funny and heartfelt rom-com about finding love and figuring out life on your own terms.” —Maurene Goo, author of I Believe in a Thing Called Love and The Way You Make Me FeelHow many dates will it take to find The One?Jisu’s traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul’s premiere matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Jisu’s success, and going on the recommended dates is Jisu’s compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she’ll have the opportunity to shine academically—and be set up on more dates!Navigating her host family, her new city and school, and more dates, Jisu finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Jisu into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn’t parent and matchmaker approved?

16 on the Block


Babygirl Daniels - 2009
    Sixteen-year-old Summer Flynt is forced to grow up quickly when she learns she is responsible for her older sister's debt to a thug.

How To Keep Rolling After a Fall


Karole Cozzo - 2016
    The photos were posted to her Facebook account. That's all the evidence anyone needed to condemn Nikki Baylor for a cyberbullying incident that humiliated a classmate and nearly resulted in the girl's suicide. Now Nikki's been expelled from her old school, her friends have abandoned her, and even her own parents can't look her in the eye. With her plans for the future all but destroyed, Nikki resigns herself to being the girl everyone hates - almost as much as she hates herself. But then Nikki meets Pax, a spirited wheelchair rugby player who knows what it's like when one mistake completely shatters your life. Refusing to judge her because of her past, he shows her that everyone deserves a second chance... and everyone deserves to be loved.

Hooked


Liz Fichera - 2013
    This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done. But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

Belles


Jen Calonita - 2012
    But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

The Stars at Oktober Bend


Glenda Millard - 2016
    When they meet they find the tender beginnings of love and healing. Alice is fifteen, with hair as red as fire and skin as pale as bone, but something inside her is broken. She has acquired brain injury, the result of an assault, and her words come out slow and slurred. But when she writes, heartwords fly from her pen. She writes poems to express the words she can't say and leaves them in unexpected places around the town. Manny was once a child soldier. He is sixteen and has lost all his family. He appears to be adapting to his new life in this country, where there is comfort and safety, but at night he runs, barefoot, to escape the memory of his past. When he first sees Alice, she is sitting on the rusty roof of her river-house, looking like a carving on an old-fashioned ship sailing through the stars.

Denim Diaries 1: 16 Going on 21


Darrien Lee - 2008
    Sixteen-year-old Denim Mitchell refuses to accept her parents' disapproval of her romantic feelings for Andre Patterson, whom she has loved since childhood, and things are made even more complicated by a lie, a party, and a bullet.

Rumor Central


ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 2013
    . .The teen reality show "Miami Divas" made media sensations out of Miami's richest in-crowd--and Maya Morgan is one of them. Now Maya's been offered her very own show, and she'll do whatever it takes to step up the fame she's worked so hard for--and that includes spilling some secrets her friends wish were left buried. But as Maya gives up the goods for the sake of ratings, someone will do anything to shut her up. Between back-stabbing lies and hard truths, this gossip girl has only one chance to make things right. . .before it's too late. "Sit up and pay attention--Maya Morgan will knock your socks off." --Earl Sewell, author of The Keysha Diaries

Love in English


Maria E. Andreu - 2021
    She’s a poet and a lover of language—except that now, she can barely understand what’s going on around her, let alone find the words to express how she feels in the language she’s expected to speak.All Ana wants to do is go home—until she meets Harrison, the very cute, very American boy in her math class. And then there’s her new friend Neo, the Greek boy she’s partnered up with in ESL class, who she bonds with over the 80s teen movies they are assigned to watch for class (but later keep watching together for fun), and Altagracia, her artistic and Instagram-fabulous friend, who thankfully is fluent in Spanish and able to help her settle into American high school. But is it possible that she’s becoming too American—as her father accuses—and what does it mean when her feelings for Harrison and Neo start to change? Ana will spend her year learning that the rules of English may be confounding, but there are no rules when it comes to love.With playful and poetic breakouts exploring the idiosyncrasies of the English language, Love in English tells a story that is simultaneously charming and romantic, while articulating a deeper story about what it means to become “American.”