John Schu
Louder Than Hunger
A vital, unflinching look at how food can become a site of control and anxiety for teens, written with empathy rather than judgment.
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Chime
by Franny Billingsley
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 840L · 2011
Haunting, richly layered gothic fantasy about a girl learning to claim her power and voice after trauma—challenging in the best way, but the pacing drags slightly in the middle and the worldbuilding stays deliberately murky.
Xoxy
by Kimberly M. Zieselman
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 820L · 2020
A straightforward, affecting coming-out narrative that centers intersex identity in YA — rare and unflinching without being didactic.
The Queen's Assassin
by Melissa De La Cruz
Young adult · ages 14–18 · 850L · 2020
A solid YA fantasy with a compelling female assassin protagonist and genuine moral stakes, though the dual timeline structure and romance subplot occasionally dilute the central conflict.