The Oks are Not Ok

by Grace K. Shim

General Fiction

A contemporary young adult novel by Grace K. Shim that mixes the humor of Schitt’s Creek with the heritage and heart of Minari.

Seventeen-year-old Elena Ok (pronounced “Oak”) has mastered the art of being both a Los Angeles party girl and financially savvy influencer, but her family doesn’t see the brilliance behind her carefully curated image. Instead, they endlessly praise her older brother, Gavin, whose most impressive achievement is consistently forgetting his homework. All of Elena’s hard work and social clout disintegrates when the Oks, founders of the wildly popular (and now bankrupt) fast-fashion brand It’s Ok! (pronounced “OKAY”), lose their fortune overnight.

With their empire crumbling and an investigation underway, the Oks flee to Blaire, CA—a farming town that’s as glamorous as Temu. Mr. Ok, a now-disgraced retail mogul, and Mrs. Ok, a now-also-disgraced fashion-forward matriarch, realize they’ve spent decades perfecting their public personas at the expense of actually knowing their kids. Meanwhile, Elena and Gavin are stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to distract them from their family’s unraveling dynamics—or each other’s annoying habits.

But life in Blaire isn’t all bad. As the family reconnects with their Korean farming heritage, Elena discovers a hidden gem: the Blaire Fair, the local market brimming with untapped potential. Applying her business savvy, she helps the small-town vendors thrive and sees how they put their profits back into the community. For the first time, Elena begins to question her own definition of success.

The Oks Are Not OK offers humor and drama to tell a story about family, self-discovery, and the fine line between building a brand and building a life.

~Amazon

Thornbird

by E. Kennedy

Thriller

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The daughter of a notorious serial killer races to solve the crimes of her family’s twisted past—before it’s too late—in this highly anticipated young adult thriller from the pen name of Elle Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of the Off Campus series!

* “A solid thriller for true crime fans.”—Booklist, starred review

* “A grimly layered mystery about identity and reconciliation.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

The deadliest secrets are the ones you inherit.

Ten years after her father—the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn—was caught, Ryan Shipley is back in Starling, Tennessee, trying to lay low. No one can know who she really is. No one can know the truth about her past.

But as fresh eyes dig deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering—does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, one thing becomes clear: in a town full of secrets, Ryan might be the biggest mystery of them all.

The world is hunting for answers. Now get ready for a thriller packed with twists you won’t see coming.

~Amazon

Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions

by Ahmad Saber

General Fiction

“An ode to the courage it takes to live with authenticity.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A “sparkling…ambitious, thoughtful, and funny” (Teen Vogue) debut novel about a gay Muslim teen who has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.

Ramin Abbas has spent his whole life obeying his parents, his Imam, and, of course, Allah—no questions asked. But when he starts crushing on the ridiculously handsome captain of the soccer team, so many things he’d always been so sure about are becoming questions:

1. Music is haram. But what if the Wicked soundtrack is the only thing keeping you sane because you’re being forced to play on the soccer team? With Captain Handsome?!

2. A boy crush is double haram, and Ramin’s parents will never accept it. But can he really be the only Muslim on Earth who feels this way?

3. Allah is merciful and makes no mistakes. Then isn’t Ramin just the way Allah intended him to be?

And so why should living your truth but losing everything—or living a lie and losing yourself—have to be a choice?!



~Amazon

Right As Rain

by Tashie Bhuiyan

Romance



"I was struck by lightning and now there's rain following me around. I was struck by lightning and now there's rain following me around."

Recent high-school graduate Megh Rashid has plans to escape to the other side of the country for college and leave behind the stormy household she’s been trapped in for years. But things are complicated when she gets struck by lightning right before the start of a prestigious summer internship that’s key to her getting accepted to her dream university, and she wakes up to a storm cloud that follows her everywhere, seemingly attuned to her every emotion.

Megh’s struggles with depression, fear of leaving her home and loved ones, and uncertainty about her future cause the cloud to act up, creating rainstorms that dampen her spirits and her hopes of making an impact at her internship. With the help of fellow intern Lev Osman, a boy whose warmth makes her feel less alone, Megh has to find a way to control her feelings and decide what she’s willing to sacrifice in order to secure her desired future.

~Amazon

Painting Through the Rough

by David Aro

From school to sports, Dex is a high achiever. With a big executive for a mom and former collegiate athlete for a dad, success might as well be his middle name. But with the constant pressure to push himself, Dex’s temper gets the best of him, again―this time on the green at golf tryouts. While serving a suspension from school sports, Dex discovers a new side of himself after artsy Hazel Green asks for his help on a painting. When her colorful paints mix with his pencil sketches, it grounds him in a way he’s never felt before. But Hazel’s home life threatens her ability to attend their private school. And Dex needs to figure out if he can control his fiery emotions as he returns to sports without her by his side. Can he risk the future he and his parents envisioned to follow his heart?

~Amazon

Charmed and Dangerous

by Shelly Page

“An absolutely delightful romp that you need in your life.” —C. B. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe

A teen mystic will do anything to solve a series of love-related magical mishaps plaguing her high school, including fake dating her boss's daughter, in this charming sapphic romance.

Magic lingers in the cozy town of Fair Glen, Illinois, and it’s up to the agents at the Bureau of Mystical Affairs to keep it in check. Monroe Bennett, a junior recruit at the Bureau, is ready to ace her first assignment: tracking down the source of a rogue love charm.

Protecting her charmed classmates, including the Bureau Director’s daughter Iris James, is top priority. But when Iris asks Monroe to fake date her to make her ex jealous, things get complicated.

Monroe believes in duty, not romance. Yet the more time she spends with Iris, the harder it is to ignore the very real sparks flying between them. Can Monroe protect herself from love long enough to solve this case, or will her growing feelings get in the way?

~Amazon

Red Stones: A Graphic Account of the Salvadoran Civil War

by Ernesto Saade

In 1981, the Salvadoran Civil War reached Miriam's village of Santa Marta.

After spending her days bringing tortillas to the guerilla fighters nearby, she watched government soldiers encroach on her town. Military intimidation turned to violence, and violence turned to the threat of a massacre. Miriam and the women of her town began a forced and desperate exodus.



In 2021, Ernesto Saade visited Santa Marta to hear Miriam's story.

The result of that in-depth conversation is this graphic account of conflict, displacement, and the Red Stones massacre. This event, not known by all even within El Salvador, is one part of the scar its civil war left behind―a moment of tragedy and resilience seen through the eyes of someone who lived it.

~Amazon

Honor

by Natalia Mariichyn

Told from dual perspectives, this remarkable true story for YA readers recounts the tale of two individuals—a Ukrainian teen in the early 2010s and a Jewish boy in hiding during WWII—whose lives are entwined through a box of letters.

★ Kirkus Reviews, starred review

When Nataliia, a teenager in Ukraine, uncovers a mysterious box of letters written during the Holocaust, she is drawn into the story of Eliezer, a Jewish boy in hiding during World War II. As Nataliia reads, past and present begin to echo each other in unexpected ways. The letters raise questions her family has never fully answered and point toward a history that feels strangely close to home.

Told through dual perspectives, Honor is a true story of resilience, moral courage, and the quiet choices that shape generations. As the world once again faces conflict, Nataliia’s search for understanding reveals how the past can resurface when we least expect it and why remembering matters.

~Amazon