Did someone say new Free Reads? Yes, that’s right, we did! And we are so excited for September’s Free Reads. This month, we’re spotlighting books that give us ALL the feels! Plus, check out all of this month’s new releases with extended excerpts!
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Full Reads
1. THe Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
This special edition features a foil-stamped paper over board cover, stenciled sprayed edges, and bonus content!
Amber Smith’s extraordinary, New York Times bestselling, TikTok sensation debut novel “is a heart-twisting, but ultimately hopeful, exploration of how pain can lead to strength” (The Boston Globe) about a teenager struggling to cope in the aftermath of being assaulted.
Start reading now!
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2. The Quiet Part Out Loud by Deborah Crossland
For fans of You’ve Reached Sam and A Heart in a Body in the World, this searing and heartrending teen novel follows an ex-couple as they struggle to reunite in the wake of a devastating earthquake.
Start reading now!
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3. Where Was Goodbye? by Janice Lynn Mather
A teen girl searches for closure after her brother dies by suicide in this breathtaking novel from the author of Learning to Breathe and Facing the Sun.
Start reading now!
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Extended Excerpts
1. Catching Feelings by Emily Charlotte
For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.
“A tender and sweet romance that will have you kicking your feet.” —Misty Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Falling Like Leaves
Start reading now!
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2. Pining for You by Stef Ferrari
The classic Hallmark holiday movie gets turned upside down when a teen leaves her small-town Christmas tree farm in pursuit of the city girl who swept her off her feet in this cheeky and cozy rom-com by Food Network competitor Stef Ferrari.
Start reading now!
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3. The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman
A neglected teen travels to Norway for a fresh start in this stunning coming-of-age novel in verse about longing, love, and the courage to create joy from the ashes of despair by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman.
Start reading now!
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4. Trust Fall by Lynn Painter
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.
Start reading now!
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5. Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass
For the first printing only! This hardcover features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.
Teen influencers compete in a horror movie–themed overnight competition, only to realize the real test is staying alive in this chilling, blood-soaked horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston and the production company behind Clown in a Cornfield.
Start reading now!
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6. When the World Was Happy by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
A heartrending but uplifting tale of twins and their group of friends who are forced to navigate life, relationships, and grief after their world is turned upside down from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Start reading now!
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7. When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot
Now with a brand-new look!
For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.
After a lightning strike gives her unusual powers, a teen uses them to find missing children in this fast-paced first book in the Vanished paranormal thriller series from New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot (previously published as the 1-800-Where-R-You series).
Start reading now!
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8. Evamar by Margarita Engle
From award-winning author Margarita Engle comes an enthralling and heartrending novel in verse about first love, hidden cultures, and ancestral connections that follows a teen’s journey to uncover her late grandmother’s roots in Cuba.
Start reading now!
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9. A Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter
A young artist who has bargained away most of his life for divine inspiration pairs up with fellow apprentice Leonardo da Vinci to infiltrate the Medici family and find out the truth about his missing brother in this Renaissance-set young adult mystery perfect for fans of F.T. Lukens.
Start reading now!
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10. Dead Girls by Beck Kubrick
The teen daughter of an infamous serial killer must prove she isn’t the one behind recent copycat murders in this witty and laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that’s a campy, feminist send-up of slashers that both celebrates and subverts classic tropes.
Start reading now!
11. Just the Good Parts by Robbie Couch
From the New York Times bestselling author of If I See You Again Tomorrow comes a stunningly romantic, speculative novel about a teen looking for his missing dad, who keeps getting pulled into others’ memories and crossing paths with a handsome stranger who also doesn’t belong there.
Start reading now!
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12. Pretty Evil by Rebekah and David Ian McKendry, Illustrated by Tim Seeley
KPop Demon Hunters meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this sparkling, darkly funny young adult graphic novel following a teen pop star who must take up her missing mother’s demon-slaying mantle and battle her way through the monster-infested world of social media influencers.
Start reading now!
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13. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts. This reissue has a brand-new look, a note from the author, and an introduction by Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer.
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021)
Navigating through the intolerant world of the early aughts and their own insecurities, three teenage boys find each other and the confidence to come out of the closet in this seminal queer coming-of-age novel.
Start reading now!
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14. Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Now with a brand-new look!
For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.
A teen tries to keep a series of unlucky events from ruining her sister’s wedding in this charming, “romantic comedy of errors” (Publishers Weekly) by New York Times bestselling author Morgan Matson.
Start reading now!
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15. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Now with a brand-new look and bonus content!
For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.
A by-the-book teen must learn to embrace the beauty in chaos in this New York Times bestselling novel by Morgan Matson about friendship, finding yourself, and all the joys in life that happen while you’re busy making other plans.
Start reading now!
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16. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Immerse yourself in Legendborn, the exhilarating first installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legendborn Cycle, now available in a gorgeous collector’s edition designed in the style of a medieval rare book.
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17. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
Start reading now!
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18. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, this young adult fantasy follows the forbidden romance between a powerful prince and an ordinary girl as they try to survive their kingdom’s grueling laws pitting them against each other.
Start reading now!
Extras
1. The Eid Gift by S.K. Ali
The Eid Gift is a companion short story to Love from A to Z. Adam and Zayneb —engaged but continents apart for so long— are finally in the same city!
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Start reading now!
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2. Love at First Fight by Sandhya Menon
Join Dimple and Rishi as they do an escape room in this exclusive short story from Sandhya Menon! You’ll also see how Pinky and Samir met for the first time before you can read about them in 10 Things I Hate About Pinky.
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Start reading now!
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3. As Kismet Would Have It by Sandhya Menon
Will Dimple and Rishi find their happily ever after? Find out in this funny, romantic, endlessly charming e-novella sequel to When Dimple Met Rishi!
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Start reading now!
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4. The Thief by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell
A short story prequel to Sky Without Stars about the origins of fan-favorite character, Chatine!
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Start reading now!
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5. These Precious Scars by Emily Suvada
A haunting short story prequel to the Mortal Coil series.
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Start reading now!
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6. Better Than the Prom by Lynn Painter
A swoonworthy short story from Wes’s perspective from Better Than the Movies.
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Start reading now!
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7. Uncharted Dreams by Pascale Lacelle
Romie Brysden is a Dreamer, the best at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics. She knows the realm of dreams like a sea captain knows the tides. And she’s gone deeper into this vast sleepscape than any Dreamer ever has. This is a prequest short story to A Curious Tides.
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Start reading now!
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8. The Priest and the Shepherd by Chloe Gong
Set six years before the events of Foul Lady Fortune, The Priest and the Shepherd follows Orion’s sister, Phoebe, and his best friend, Silas!
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Start reading now!
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9. Our First Chance by Robbie Couch
Long before they were best friends, River wasn’t a fan of Dylan—Mavis’ suspiciously perfect new boyfriend who was slowly stealing her away. But in this short story prequel to Another First Chance, Mavis cleverly plans for them both to attend an Astronomy Club meeting, hoping the after-school activity brings the pair closer together. Meanwhile, many states away, the mastermind behind a secretive research group scores a big win that will upend the high schoolers’ lives forever…
Start reading now!
10. Better Than Before by Lynn Painter
Lynn Painter’s Better Than the Movies collides with Betting on You when, after meeting the annoyingly cute Bailey on his flight, Charlie gets picked at the airport up by his cousin, Wes, who introduces him to his annoyingly cute neighbor, Liz.
Start Reading Now!
11. Second First dATE BY RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON
Graduation has come and gone, and there’s one major milestone Rowan and Neil haven’t yet hit in their relationship: going on a real date. Neil’s planned every detail, determined to give his girlfriend the ultimate romantic evening, although he’s secretly worried their connection may not spark the way it did on the last day of school—which, given how much he adores her, would be absolutely devastating. When the night turns out to be one disaster after another, they realize the date itself hardly matters. They’re still completely starry-eyed over each other, and with a little of Seattle’s natural magic, they have a whole summer to get it right.
Start Reading Now!
12. Werewolves, witches & Wyverns by F.T. Lukens
Claire and Grant are best friends who love to play a fictional and fantastical table-top card game which features a bevy of supernatural beings including werewolves, witches, and wyverns. During a playing session, Claire accidentally opens a portal and she and Grant are promptly sucked into a parallel world that is startlingly familiar to their game and where the card dynamics allow them to cast magic spells. Thus, their adventure begins in the pilot episode of Werewolves, Witches, & Wyverns, the television show beloved and raved about by the characters of Otherworldly.
Start reading now!
13. Nothing Better Than You by Lynn Painter
Experience Wes and Liz’s first kiss from Better Than the Movies from Wes’s point of view!
Start Reading Now!
14. the way we met by amber smith
Eden and Josh are in a good place – finally. But now Eden is facing down a new major milestone: spending the weekend with Josh’s parents. The last time she met them, it didn’t exactly go so well. She needs it to be perfect, for them to like her, and like her with Josh. As the weekend unfolds and she gets to know Josh’s family, the return home also brings back memories of the first time Eden met Josh. The real story, the one Josh doesn’t even know…