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Reading Recs

YA Reads for AA-NH/PI Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and here are just a few of the reads from incredible AA-NH/PI authors we recommend for your shelf!

Psst! Don’t forget to enter our sweepstakes to win a stack!

 

The Righteous by Renée Ahdieh

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In this latest installment of The New York Times bestselling quartet that began with The Beautiful, Pippa journeys to the treacherous and beguiling world of the fey in search of answers but instead falls in love.

 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

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Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.

But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

 

Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon 

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For fans of Sandhya Menon and Adam Silvera comes a prom-night romantic-comedy romp about a Sikh teen’s search for love and identity.

 

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.

 

Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

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New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz pens a lush, swoon-worthy retelling of “Cinderella” set in lavish Versailles. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Selection!

 

Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi

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Fourteen-year-old Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to homecoming in this heartfelt and outright hilarious debut.

 

Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen

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A hilarious, heartfelt rom-com about the unexpected consequences of one teen’s quest to help her friends find love, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jane Austen.

 

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

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A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram

 

The Noh Family by Grace K. Shim

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This sparkling K-drama inspired debut novel introduces irrepressibly charming teen Chloe Chang, who is reunited with her deceased father’s estranged family via a DNA test, and is soon whisked off to Seoul to join them…

 

Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale

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Heated competition leads to even hotter romance in this YA summer rom-com for fans of Sandhya Menon and Emma Lord!

 

I Guess I Live Here Now by Claire Ahn

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For fans of Anna and the French Kiss and Loveboat Taipei, this effervescent debut takes readers on a journey to the place where trends are born—Seoul, Korea—where Melody Lee unwillingly moves with her family and must start a new life, a new school…and maybe a new romance.

 

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

 

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

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From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.

 

From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn

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Celebrated author Sarah Kuhn reinvents the modern fairy tale in this intensely personal yet hilarious novel of a girl whose search for a storybook ending takes her to unexpected places in both her beloved LA neighborhood and her own guarded heart.

 

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

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For fans of Jenny Han, Jane Austen, and The Great British Baking Show, A Taste for Love is a delicious rom-com about first love, familial expectations, and making the perfect bao.

 

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a young adult romantic comedy about identity and acceptance. Perfect for fans of John Green and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before and now in paperback!

 

Rebelwing by Andrea Tang

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Set in a wonderfully inventive near-future Washington, D.C., this hilarious, defiant debut sparkles with wit and wisdom, deftly exploring media consumption, personal freedoms, and the weight of one life as Pru, rather reluctantly, takes to the skies.

 

Renegade Flight by Andrea Tang

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Aurora Rising meets Top Gun, with the addition of cybernetic dragons, in this is the witty, romantic, and electrifying sci-fi novel by Andrea Tang.

 

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay 

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A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin’s murder.

 

Reads to look forward to…

TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo – Coming June 7!

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When TJ Powar—a pretty, popular debater—and her cousin Simran become the subject of a meme: with TJ being the “expectation” of dating an Indian girl and her Sikh cousin who does not remove her body hair being the “reality”—TJ decides to take a stand.

 

Azar on Fire by Olivia Abtahi – Coming August 23!

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Finding her voice takes on a whole new meaning when fourteen-year-old Azar Rossi sets out to win her local Battle of the Bands contest in this heartfelt and hilarious contemporary YA.

 

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo – Coming October 4!

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Award-winning author Malinda Lo returns to the Bay Area with another masterful coming-of-queer-age story, this time set against the backdrop of the first major Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage. And almost sixty years after the end of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Lo’s new novel also offers a glimpse into Lily and Kath’s lives since 1955.

Penguin Teen