Teen Vogue's April Reading List: The Best Books You Need to Know Now
1/9Get ready: The YA books debuting this April blur the line between reality and fantasy. Our protagonists hallucinate Shakespearean characters, perform miracles in medieval France, and grant wishes with magical moonshine. But while each book our reading list this month makes readers question what’s real on the page and what’s not, the spookiest moments are the ones that that make us question what’s real IRL. Click ahead to see what you should pick up at your bookstore ASAP.
2/9When We Collided by Emery Lord
Release date: April 5th, 2016
Emery Lord’s new book tracks the love story of Jonah, a boy whose mother has fallen into a deep depression following his father’s death, and Vivi, a girl whose bon-vivant nature takes on a self-destructive edge as she starts seeking new thrills. The novel tackles difficult themes of mental health, and shows how “a mental health diagnosis is not a destination you are stuck in but a journey with agency, with companions—starting now,” according to Emery’s website.
3/9Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West
Release date: April 5th, 2016
In “a dizzying new twist on one of the Bard’s most famous plays,” according to Kirkus, Jaye awakes in the hospital after a skiing accident, and finds herself surrounded by hallucinations of Shakespeare and his characters. Despite the hallucinations, she’s desperate to get back to rehearsals for her school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and lies to everyone around her, saying she’s “fine.” But once her life returns to normal, she’s still haunted by Romeo, who is real enough to exist outside her mind.
4/9The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
Release date: April 5th, 2016
To avoid an arranged marriage, Adelaide, the Countess of Rothford, runs away from home and finds herself posing as a maid at the Glittering Court, a finishing school where the Thorn family trains lower-class girls to act like ladies. Her situation is further complicated when she starts to fall for Cedric Thorn, and they must decide whether or not to abandon everything they know and start a new life together.
5/9The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
Release date: April 12th, 2016
The year is 1241, and the Inquisition is creeping through medieval France. Condemned as a heretic to be burned at the stake, Dolssa is on the run from a Dominican friar. After a near-death experience, she collides with the Bostille, a teenage matchmaker who hides her in a local tavern. But when Dolssa starts performing miracles, danger follows her to the small town of Bajas. The recipient of five-starred reviews, The Passion of Dolssa has been called “immersive and mesmerizing."
6/9Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw
Release date: April 19th, 2016
Called a “sparkling, unabashedly feminist debut” in a starred review, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here follows a witty fanfiction writer who draws inspiration for her online writing from her classmates once her favorite teen drama is cancelled. Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl meets Harriet the Spy in this coming-of-age tale filled with emotional resonance.
7/9Down With the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn
Release date: April 26th, 2016
Following the murder of her best friend, Dylan, Lennie brings her uncle’s wish-granting moonshine to a high school party with the intention of bringing him back to life. At the party, her classmates are cursed with very literal interpretations of their own wishes. For example, a girl who wishes to be thinner ends up shrinking to Thumbelina-size. Now, Lennie must figure out how to reverse the wishes before they become permanent...all while trying to find Dylan’s killer.
8/9The Raven King by Maggie Steifvater
Release date: April 26th, 2016
In the long-awaited conclusion to the Raven Boys series, Blue and Gansey anticipate the tragic conclusion to their love story as they try to track down the Welsh king Glendower. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “The playful, imaginative force of Stiefvater’s writing works its magic once again, and most readers will finish this saga not with regret or disappointment but with hope.”
