Stars, Stripes, & Summer Nights by Celeste Dabor

“All Abby wants is one normal summer before college. No headlines. No drama. Just a chance to breathe.

But when a run-in at the White House with Gabriel Calabrese—a maddeningly carefree small-town photographer—spirals into a pizza delivery scandal that makes front-page news, Abby’s plans disappear overnight. To escape the fallout, she’s sent to a charming country inn run by Gabriel’s family.

Now she’s stuck with the last person she wants to see.

As Abby and Gabriel team up to save his family’s Fourth of July festival—and tackle Abby’s secret summer bucket list—sparks begin to fly. Especially when he helps her experience all the “real” teen moments she’s missed: parties, picnics… and maybe even a first kiss.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a super sweet romance. Abby is the First Daughter of the United States and she doesn't get to live the life of a normal teenager. Everyone believes she and the Vice President’s son Oliver, are destined to be a couple, even Abby herself. But when she meets her aunt’s godson Gabe at a state dinner, her summer plans are abruptly changed when she causes a minor scandal over a pizza delivery. Abby and her younger sister are sent to Mystic Hollow, Virginia for the month of June to stay with their aunt at an inn owned by Gabe's mother.

The more time Abby and Gabe spend together working on her summer bucket list, the closer the two become. Can any relationship between Abby and Gabe survive her return to DC?

Visit Celeste Dados’s website.

All We Hunger For by Anna Mercier

“In Anespérer, where magic comes alive through artistic skill, Elara Rousseau knows she'll never be selected for the Objet d’Art. The high-stakes baking competition will elect a new Souverain to join the ruling council, and someone from the slums would never be considered. But when a brooding figure from her past sneaks her into the Objet, Elara has the chance to compete for a better future... as long as no one uncovers her traitorous secret.

Nikolas Dupont will do whatever it takes to impress his powerful father, a Souverain who hasn't officially recognized his son―like handpick a contestant to win and become his father's political pawn. But Elara is more than he bargained for, and she ignites his own subdued passions.

Against all odds, Elara excels and becomes a hero to the city's poor, all while Nik’s faith in his father crumbles and the sparks between them burn brighter. As the competition heats up, Elara and Nik must choose: fight to win the competition and secure a future of safety for them both, or use the power of Elara’s art to spark a revolution.” - taken from Goodreads.

I don't watch a lot of cooking shows but I feel like this could be like the Great British bake off or chopped but with higher stakes. Elara, the daughter of an executed revolutionary leader is given the opportunity to compete to become one of the next leaders of the kingdom. There under false pretenses, Elara soon finds herself sponsored by Nikolas who is trying to impress his powerful father. When her magical cooking abilities thrushed her into the spotlight, she and Nik find themselves at the center of a new revolution where their safety is on the line.

With a slow burn romance between Elara and Nik, readers will find themselves rooting for the two to ignite a change.

Visit Anna Mercier’s website.

Black Point by Jacqueline West

“Lucia Sorenson holds on hard to the things she loves. Her tiny hometown clings to the bluffs above the Mississippi River, threatened by weather and time. Unlike most people her age, Lucia plans to stay after graduation and help her grandfather run the Viking Museum of Black Point. Maybe then she can keep everything her ancestors built from washing away.

When the Black Point Hotel, a supposedly haunted local landmark, is bought by an outsider, the town is shaken—and for Lucia, fresh changes arrive in the form of the owner’s nephew, Max. As Lucia gets to know Max, she begins to question her role in the town’s rituals and to see the place, and herself, with new eyes.

But the town is flooding, and old secrets are rising to the surface. Soon Lucia will have to choose between the home she thought she knew and the hideous truths hidden underneath.” - taken from Goodreads.

Lucia Sorensen has lived her entire life in Black point Wisconsin and has no desire to leave after graduation. She is determined to stay and help her grandfather with the Viking museum that he owns. The small town is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and is threatened by climate change. And in a town where nothing changes, Lucia finds herself drawn to newcomer Max, who's Aunt has just bought the abandoned hotel. As Max helps with demolition, secrets that the town and its citizens want to keep from seeing the light of day begin to surface. Can Lucia see what has been hidden from her before it's too late?

Visit Jacqueline West’s website.

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.

Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins, and to meet the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.

Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley 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 at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful 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.” - taken from Goodreads. 

Finley has plans for the future. They get turned upside down when her graduation trip with her mother to New York City gets changed to a visit to her mother's. A strange family. Not knowing anyone, things get worse for her when her boyfriend dumps her while he's on a cruise. Cruise. It's not too long before Finley uncovers her mother's secrets and begins to find a place in her new found family. And of course, a new boy is soon in the picture to shake up what she thought she knew.

Visit Sarah Dessen’s website.

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord (Queen of Faces book 1)

“A desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath.

Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the magical elite buy and swap designer bodies like clothes, Ana can’t afford to escape her tattered form. When she fails the entrance exam to the prestigious Paragon Academy, her last hope of earning a new body implodes. As the clock ticks down to her last breath, she’s forced to use her illusion magic to steal a healthy chassis—before her own kills her.

But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor's smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith.

With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters—and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book had a very unique premise and that people can swap their physical bodies. The wealthy can afford it while everyone else is at the mercy of their wallets. Anabelle Gage is stuck in a mediocre male body that is dying and she is unable to procure a new one without stealing it. Caught, she soon finds herself at the mercy of Paragon Academy's headmaster. Either she dies or becomes his assassin and does his dirty work.

What happens next is a story full of dark academia and not one character who isn’t flawed, some much more than others. Leading to the ultimate showdown not knowing who will live or die, an ending that no one sees coming will leave readers anticipating book two, King of Masks, is due out February 9, 2027.

Visit Petra Lord’s website.

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

“She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. It was a mistake to trust him.

Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He's been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.

When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.” - taken from Goodreads.

Found bruised and bloodied on the side of the road, a teen has no idea how she got there, what happened or even who she is. A police officer finds and takes her to the station. It isn't long before a frantic man shows up claiming to be her father. He says that her name is Mary Boone.

Drew was the last person to see his girlfriend alive and now she is missing. Everyone in town believes he has something to do with her disappearance. Convinced he is the only one who still holds out hope that she is still alive, Drew still posts missing person flyers around town.

As Mary recovers and tries to remember, it isn’t too long before things don’t make sense, such as her father buying her the wrong size clothing and forgetting her food allergy. Drew is still diligently searching for Lola and a stolen tip gives him a new location where she might have been spotted. Can Drew find Lola before it’s too late and what is really going on with Mary Boone?

Visit Megan Lally’s website.

Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O’Sullivan (Her Hidden Fire book 1)

“If he has the ability to wield magical powers, everyone will rejoice – especially the girl who loves him.
But what happens when they realize she has the gift?

In a world where dragons stalk the skies and magical abilities are an elite privilege, the ruling family of Ailm’s Keep is on a knife. Can Ionain, the heir apparent, channel magic, or will the family be cast out and replaced by a cruel master from a neighbouring land?

So when Éadha, a servant girl who loves Ionainain, discovers that she can draw power, she finds herself in grave danger. It’s extremely rare for a girl to have this talent, and certainly never outside the great families. At Ionain’s moment of truth, Éadha makes a desperate gamble to save him, Ailm’s Keep, and ultimately herself.

As Éadha and Ionain enter a whirlwind of patriarchy, class, heartache and jealousy, they learn about power’s terrible cost – a price others willingly pay to maintain theirs.

How far would you go to empower the one you love?” - taken from Goodreads.

Éadha as a servant at Ailm’s Keep. Most of her life she has been the friend of her crush, Ionain. Approaching their 17th birthdays. The time has come to determine if Ionain possesses the magic to keep his family from being disgraced and losing the Keep. Unfortunately he doesn't but Éadha does. To keep from being discovered that she possesses magic, she passes some of her power to Ionain to keep from being humiliated. But once she does, Éadha must keep up the farce to save them both.

Traveling to the Lambay Islands to train, Éadha is able to go along because it is discovered what little magic she has allows her to be a Keeper. Thrown into a world she doesn't fit into, Éadha must figure out a way to keep her magic hidden in order to keep herself safe while supplying Ionain enough power unknowingly to keep his lack of magic from being discovered. But soon she needs a cruel classmate who is out to destroy her while another who has more than a casual interest in her.

Can Éadha keep all of her secrets from being found out? And who can she really trust in the cutthroat world she suddenly finds herself in?

With a climatic ending, readers will be eager to read book two, Her Rising Flame, due out November 5, 2026.

Visit Cliodhna O’Sullivan’s website.