Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

Senior Lilly has a lot on her plate, which includes prom-which she's not so excited about- trying not to flunk history, working at the local Burger Queen, and spending time with her cute boyfriend Max. Lilly has a secret, though. A huge secret, revealed after an accident, causes Max's annoying...

Lexa Donovan's wish to be a part of her high school musical Bus Stop comes true, but when she finds out she's to play Cherie, the lead? She wonders if maybe she shouldn't have put her name in the jar to be picked. She's nothing like Marilyn Monroe. Or so...

What worked: Knives Out meets the paranormal with twists and turns in solving a murder that leaves everyone guessing. This novel also gives off The Umbrella Academy vibes with a dysfunctional, toxic family whose matriarch will go to any lengths to protect the Winters' name. ...

Amity Callaway can't believe her mother decides to move them clear across the country before college. Amity has her life mapped out. She planned on going on a taco road trip with her bestie Taylor, then going to college to become an archivist. Figures...

Livia's summer vacation involves going to Rome and visiting her grandmother, whom she hadn't seen since she was a child. She's excited to get to know her grandmother, but is surprised when a boy from her childhood has her grandmother's attention. Livia planned to help in the family cafe, but...

Twelve-year-old Harmony Roundtree loves going on haunted tours while traveling with her father on his music gigs. She also loves photography. While on a ghost tour in Savannah, Georgia, she witnessed something she believed to be a ghost inside a haunted building. She's determined to find out more. Add to...

Seventeen-year-old Jade finds out about her mysterious family after the death of her beloved grandfather. It's 1985, and Jade ends up moving to her wealthy great-aunt Ruth's house in Grove Hollow, New York. While there, she encounters something spooky about the huge mansion. Only to find an attractive ghost named...

Tsultrim Dolma was born in eastern Tibet. As a young girl, she was denied an education. This didn't stop her, though. In this amazing true story, Tsultrim's persistence and courage drive her to become a Buddhist nun, and later she stands up to the cruelty of the Chinese occupation, during...

Seventeen-year-old Estela is one of the few Latinas who tested into a prestigious San Francisco public high school. So much is happening in her senior year. She feels less than, as she's only barely passing Spanish. Estela's goal is to get accepted to UC Berkley. She expresses herself best...

What worked: Mamma Mia meets YA set in Naples, where a girl searches for her biological father while struggling with emotions of being around the boy who broke her heart three years ago. Lush images of Naples, Italy add to the charm. Cammie is devastated...

Lehua and her twin Ohia had been shuffled in foster homes in Arizona after the death of their grandparents. Never did Lehua think she'd visit the ancestral home in Hawai'i. Then, after a fight, Ohia is missing. Lehua's search leads her to the exclusive resort of Kopa'a. Once there, she...

Sometimes you should watch what you wish for. 1885 Scottish Highlands. Seventeen-year-old Catriona Cameron longs to be educated like her brother Hamish, but instead, her father has other plans for her. When a wish brings her biggest desire, little does she know that there is a dark side. A scholarship...

What worked: Bone-chilling movie-themed reality show where influencers enter a contest at an abandoned asylum and find that not all is what it claims to be with deadly consequences. This was one horror-filled ride! There's a reason I never went to the asylum's Halloween-themed haunted...

What worked: Atmospheric dystopian world where climate change brings horrific consequences, and the teens who will do just about anything to survive. This novel starts with Shea Parker, a special needs protagonist who makes a barter with Oliver Lysander, the gravewood devil. Lysander is the leader of a vampire gang...

What worked: Wowza, wow, wow! This spine-tingling horror novel kept me up. I love a good horror novel, and this one delivers! Jade struggles with trying to be the 'good' girl and not disappointing her parents. Once in Vietnam, she feels as if she doesn't fit in, even though her...