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Behind Five Willows
by June Hur
As the dutiful daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber in order to make money. It’s dangerous work, but she loves it―especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, Black Lotus. When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn’t be so terrible if it weren’t for the young man’s uptight and annoying best friend.
The son of a noble, Seojun isn't supposed to engage in illicit activities such as reading fiction. But he loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He’s kept his work secret, but with each day, the pressure of being his father’s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, Magpie. When his best friend falls hard in love, Seojun is forced to act as chaperone, along with the girl's sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly...
Historical Fiction, Romance, Asian Literature
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Change of Plans
by Sarah Dessen
Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold. It’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins, and to meet the teens who work at her aunt’s diner—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben. Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall and Finley has no choice but to live without plans. The longer she stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away, and why she’s brought Finley here now. And the closer she grows to new friends, the more she starts to fall for Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself.
Contemporary Romance, Coming-of-Age, Found Family
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Every Exquisite Thing
by Laura Steven
Penny is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School. When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers. But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake. A sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out.
Dark Academia, Horror, Classic Retelling, LGBTQ+
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The Hanging Bones
by Elle Tesch
Once every few years, the Scavenge Moon rises, and so does the Breimar Stag, an otherworldly creature with eyes of burning gold. Any reckless adventurer who chooses to join the hunt only has until the moon sets to claim their prize: if they catch it, they are granted the death of any person. And if no one catches it, the stag will claim one of the hunters' souls instead.
Katrin has lived on the border of the forest her whole life, raised on tales of the Folk that dwell within. As a gamekeeper for the baron, she is tasked with escorting the nobles who descend upon her home for the Breimar Hunt. None of them respect the forest or its legends, and Katrin is happy to let them risk their foolish necks for what they see as a cheap thrill. When her cousin becomes the latest target of the baron's lecherous appetites, Katrin knows only his death will keep her family safe, and the only way she can claim his life is to win the hunt. But something hungry has begun to stir in the woods, something even older and more powerful than the stag. As the horrifying, mutilated bodies pile up, Katrin begins to question where the true danger lies.
Fantasy, Gothic Fiction, Deadly Contests, LGBTQ+
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In Case I Go Missing
by R. N. Swann
Fenny has been Sarah's sidekick for as long as she can remember. Over the years, Sarah has ruffled a few feathers in their small town, building a reputation as both an amateur detective and a vigilante who has dispensed her own form of justice. Now Sarah is missing. The police have written her off as a teen runaway, but Fenny is convinced that something sinister has happened. When she discovers a binder Sarah left behind entitled In Case I Go Missing, Fenny learns that at the time of her disappearance, Sarah was investigating her biggest case yet. Fenny knows that it's up to her to finish what Sarah had begun. As she and her friend Sam piece together the clues that Sarah left for them, they find themselves up against a decades-old mystery. But is this binder a guide to finding Sarah, or is Fenny already too late?
Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Grief
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Lake Life
by Tanya Boteju
This is definitely not how Maya wanted to spend the summer—depressed at her once-beloved cabin in Spruce Lake, and unable to avoid seeing her friend, Rashida, after confessing her unrequited love. Maya can’t decide if she wants to escape, or convince Rashida they’re still meant to be.
Gabe is sent to Spruce Lake by her mom in hopes she stays out of trouble. Gabe is NOT excited to be here. She does NOT like nature. She does NOT want to spend her summer with outdoorsy environmentalist types. Gabe is pretty sure she’ll be bored and alone, until she meets Maya. Together, they hatch a fake-dating scheme to make Rashida jealous and convince Gabe’s mom that Gabe has turned a wholesome new leaf. But as the plan plays out, they start to realize that their assumptions about friendship and love might have led them completely astray. Can they find their way through this mess without hurting each other in the process?
Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, LGBTQ+
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Oh My Affogato!
by Daphne Ang
Soraya is so close to getting the boy of her dreams to finally pay attention to her. She’s graduated from high school, glowed up, and is ready to show her on-again-off-again, secret situationship Wes what he’s missing out on. And when she learns that Wes is heading to Italy on a trip, Sora decides that there’s no better place to reignite a romance than the Amalfi Coast! Under the guise of a graduation trip with her friends, Soraya’s plan is make memories with her besties during the day, make out with Wes at night, and make sure she comes out of this vacation as an Official Girlfriend and Grown College Girlie. But vacations can be messy, and romances messier, especially when you’re keeping secrets from your friends, discovering your dream boy may be a nightmare, and spending time with the sweet, wholesome, and supremely cute Italian boy whose family runs the B&B. For a girl who’s a true believer in sure things, Soraya has to learn the hard way that there really is no planning for love—or an epic vacation.
Contemporary Romance, Euro Trip: Italy
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Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel
by Arushi Avachat
Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation—even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.
Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community, Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.
Contemporary Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers, Friends & Family
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Rebel Heiress
by Amalie Howard
Lady Rosalin Chen has a secret—she isn’t as vapid as she pretends to be. In fact, she’s a computing genius and smarter than most of her peers in the ton, including her own cousin, Ansel. It’s a secret she’s kept for years, not that hiding her intelligence has done her any favors in the marriage department. With little to lose, she decides to set her sights on getting a proper education rather than finding a husband. Disguised as Ansel, she attends Cambridge University while he galivants around Europe on a secret Grand Tour. There Rosalin crosses quills with the Trinity College’s mathematics prodigy and her tutor Tarik St. Clair. For the first time, Rosalin is genuinely intrigued by a boy. His mind seems to be as sharp as hers. Unfortunately, as a commoner, Tarik doesn’t fit her parents’ expectations. But what if he could? What if she concocted one more plan that could raise his station and take her off the market? She just has to hope that her lies don’t catch up to her.
Historical Fiction, Romance, Hidden Identity
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Shards of Silence
by Brian Lee Young
Even if it hurts to leave behind his friends and family in Navajo, New Mexico—especially his great-grandmother, Mildred—Derrick knows his scholarship to an elite East Coast boarding school is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sagefield Academy is totally different from life on the rez: His new classmates vacation in Europe and take study drugs. Derrick wants to stick to caffeine, but handling sports, school, and a twenty-page term paper, all while dodging comments about his hair and heritage, feels straight-up impossible. Back home, Másání Mildred’s health is fading quickly. On the phone, she begs Derrick to leave Sagefield. When he realizes her fear comes from her time in federal Native boarding schools, he knows he’s finally found the term paper theme he believes will carry her voice into the future. Derrick will need to shatter a steadfast generational silence to untangle his great-grandmother’s memories—though her story might change him and his family, forever.
Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Coming-of-Age, Indigenous Literature
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Smash or Pass
by Birdie Schae
Ellie dates the Right Guy, says all the Right Things, and acts the Right Way to avoid being ridiculed for her autism. When that Right Guy unceremoniously dumps her right before they're supposed to go to beach volleyball camp together, Ellie's perfectly curated world comes crashing down and she's labeled the boring, weird girl. Desperate to regain her good reputation (and yeah, sure, the boy...), Ellie goes to Camp SMASH, which is nothing like she expected. There, she's paired with Sierra, a mysterious, standoffish volleyball legacy who makes Ellie's quest to get her boyfriend back even more complicated...
Contemporary Romance, Sports, LGBTQ+
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Sparks Fly
by Hazel Henry
Three girls, one perfect summer:
Georgia can’t wait to get back to Laurel Lake, where she’ll be too busy lifeguarding to miss her boyfriend, Rhys. Besides, he’ll visit every weekend. It’ll be perfect. She certainly won’t get distracted by the local boy who seems determined to catch her eye...
Daisy is finally old enough for a summer job at the local club, which is good because it will take her mind off the confusing way she and Owen said goodbye—by kissing. A lot. Are they dating now? And if so, should she not be spending time with Mateo, the hot older guy who’s always available to give her a ride home from work?
Eden is on thin ice with her parents, who think that learning to survive in the woods will “fix” her. Sure, being at the lake with Georgia and Daisy is great. A backpacking class? No. A backpacking class with her ex infatuation and forever arch nemesis, Leo? She’d rather hike all the way back to New York City.
Contemporary Romance, Friendship, Coming-of-Age
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Stops Along the Way
by Anna Sortino
Iris doesn't trust the odds. Not when she has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the same vision diagnosis as her sister, Amelia. When Iris travels to the east coast to help Amelia drive her things back from college, the last person she expects to run into on campus is Declan, her board game club rival, but he's also there to drive his brother home for summer break. The unlikely occurrence results in the four of them caravaning together to Nebraska. Iris and Declan are used to competing with dice and cards across a table, but the romantic feelings unfolding as they drive across the map are a total surprise. The odds of falling in love on the road seem low, especially amid car troubles and sister drama. Can Iris look past probability and embrace the unexpected?
Contemporary Romance, Disability Representation, Road Trip
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To Steal from Thieves
by M. K. Lobb
Charming conman Kane Durante works alone—or on occasion with his best friend, Fletcher. But when his boss, the infamous Kingpin of London’s magical dark market, gives him the impossible task of stealing a priceless artifact from the Great Exhibition, he knows it’s a job he can’t pull off alone. Enter Zaria Mendoza, daughter of one of London’s greatest alchemologists. Ever since her father’s death, Zaria’s been struggling to keep her underground business afloat, and impatient clients are becoming violent. When Kane offers her the promise of enough money to get out of debt and leave London entirely, she knows she can’t walk away from this dangerous partnership. But robbing one of the most public, heavily-guarded buildings in London isn’t going to be easy, especially when love and betrayal threaten to ruin everything they've worked so hard for.
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
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Rolls and Rivalry
by Kristy Boyce
Hazel has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder. Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned...
Contemporary Romance, Comedy, Dungeons & Dragons
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See more at the Grimsby Public Library! 18 Carnegie Ln., Grimsby, ON. L3M 1Y1 905-945-5142 |
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