Summer Reading 2019: YA Seven For Summer

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Good morning! Happy July, everyone! So school is out and we are all facing summer holidays, so it's time for a quick post of some recommended summer reading. I'm starting with the YA sector and there are some fantastic books out so far this year (or in the case of one of the above, out very soon.) Generally speaking when we're off for the summer, the trend I notice (especially among the YA reading crowd...and yes, grown-up people, that includes you) is for a bit of escapism. We want to escape into other worlds, other dimensions; but mostly, other peoples' lives. We want to understand how they handle their joys and their tragedies; their impossible situations that would never happen to us (or would they?) And then there is the desire to live vicariously.....
So, very quickly then... (if you want more information about any of the books, check out the review pages. They're all there.)
The Cantankerous Molly Darling by Alvy Carragher is page after page of sheer delight and heartfelt cantankerousness. A joy ride of a book, you'll laugh, you'll cry. And it's even suitable for good readers at the older end of the middle-grade sector. (ie: 10-11 year olds.)
The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James takes us into the future of our planet, with some fascinating and dynamic views. Two young people who find themselves the last biological humans left on the planet. But what does it really mean to be human?
The Summer of No Regrets by Kate Mallinder that whisks us away into the lives of for friends and their pact to do exactly what they want to do this summer. A feel-good friendship story that is easy to read and impossible to put down.
The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie is a real joy for a bookworm like me! This is the story of a Book Club with a difference, leaving your past in the past and finding your people. I felt right at home in this book. And there's even a literary road trip!
Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan is just phenomenal. Brooding, eerie, compelling, expressive. It has a Gothic, fairytale-type quality that it plants firmly in the contemporary world. It's twisty paths pull you through a place that will make you feel like you don't want to go on, but can't stop yourself. Magic....pure magic! (14 years+, I'd say)
Heartstream by Tom Pollock is a heart-stopping psychological thriller that simply must be experienced. It examines what happens in the lives of two young women with their engagement with social media and fandom. Powerful.
And finally...
A Strange Kind of Brave by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald will be out in a few short weeks. We journey to the small town of Clanfedden, a place under the control of a evil villain (long-time town resident) who seems to be able to get away with anything. A story of friendship, loss, love and obsession, it is packed full of shocks and surprises. And there is a twist at the end that you will never see coming. (Review coming shortly.)
 I could recommend for pages, but I won't. I'll leave you with this YA Seven for Summer that I know you'll really get into. And I will be back with more summer reads for the younger crowd. Until then...
Happy Summer Reading!

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