You Need To Read These 4 Diverse YA Books

One thing about me is that I am going to shout a lot about OwnVoices and Diverse books. I love that we are in a time where these books and stories are finally getting published and told. These four books — All The Fighting Parts, The Gilded Ones, Everyone Wants To Know, and Eternally Yours cover a multitude of genres. There is something for every taste in books. I urge you to pick up one of these books because I am telling you — they are excellent and reflect the world in which we live.

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr
Published by Abrams on September 19, 2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / Novels in Verse, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Sexual Abuse
Pages: 288
Format: eARC, Hardcover
Source: Library, Publisher
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In the vein of Grown and The Poet X, Hannah V. Sawyerr’s All the Fighting Parts is a searing and defiant young adult novel in verse about reclaiming agency after a sexual assault within the church community.

Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always believed in using her voice as her weapon—even when it gets her into trouble. After cursing at a classmate, her father forces her to volunteer at their church with Pastor Johnson.

But Pastor Johnson isn’t the holy man everyone thinks he is.

The same voice Amina uses to fight falls quiet the night she is sexually assaulted by Pastor Johnson. After that, her life starts to unravel: her father is frustrated that her grades are slipping, and her best friend and boyfriend don’t understand why the once loud and proud girl is now quiet and distant. In a world that claims to support survivors, Amina wonders who will support her when her attacker is everyone’s favorite community leader.

When Pastor Johnson is arrested for a different crime, the community is shaken and divided; some call him a monster and others defend him. But Amina is secretly relieved. She no longer has to speak because Pastor Johnson can’t hurt her anymore—or so she believes.

To regain her voice and sense of self, Amina must find the power to confront her abuser—in the courtroom and her heart—and learn to use all the fighting parts within her.

All The Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr is a must read. This young adult contemporary book in verse is about a young Black girl named Amina Conteh. Amina is someone who is confident and uses her words to speak out. She’s also been through a lot — her mom passed away while working in Sierra Leone. Her father has to work very hard to earn money to get by. Amina is trying to decide what comes next. Sometimes her mouth gets her in trouble at school. So, she ends up having to volunteer at the church. The pastor then offers her a paid gig helping with the books. Only, it turns out he is a predator and assaults Amina. The rest of the book is Amina dealing with her trauma as well as seeking legal recourse for what happened.

Sawyerr’s book is a read in one day kind of book. It’s in verse so it just flows. However, the subject matter is very heavy. My heart hurt for Amina and all she went through as well as just the way that she’s perceived by others. I think it also illustrates to not make snap decisions because you don’t know what people carry or what they’ve been through. All The Fighting Parts is so well written. There’s no wasted words or space. Instead, it lands perfectly and resonates. If you want a story that is important, relevant, and has something to say about how Black girls are not often treated fairly, about abuse in the church, read All The Fighting Parts. This book will stick with you.

@aprilbooksandwine

#Inverted thoughts on All The Fighting Parts by Hannah V Sawyerr This book was amazing. Written in verse, emotionally impactful and a timely subject. #aprilbooksandwine #booktokover30 #bookreview #librarybooks

♬ original sound – April Books & Wine

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Published by Simon and Schuster on June 13, 2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Family / Siblings, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / United States / Asian American & Pacific Islander, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 384
Format: eARC, Hardcover
Source: Library, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

A ripped-from-the-tabloids, “achingly wrought” (BookPage, starred review) young adult drama by critically acclaimed author Kelly Loy Gilbert about a girl’s famous-for-being-famous family fracturing from within as their dirty laundry gets exposed.

The Lo family sticks together. That’s what Honor has been told her whole life while growing up in the glare of the public eye on Lo and Behold, the reality show about her, her four siblings, and their parents.

Their show may be off the air, but the Lo family members still live in the spotlight as influencers churning out podcasts, bestselling books, and brand partnerships. So when Honor’s father announces that he’s moving out of their northern California home to rent an apartment in Brooklyn, Honor’s personal upset becomes the internet’s trending B-list celebrity trainwreck—threatening the aspirational image the Los’ brand (and livelihood) depends on.

After one of her best friends leaks their private conversation to a gossip site, bruised and betrayed Honor pours all her energy into reuniting her family. With her parents 3,000 miles apart, her siblings torn into factions, and all of them under claustrophobic public scrutiny, this is easier said than done. Just when Honor feels at her lowest, a guarded yet vulnerable boy named Caden comes into her life and makes her want something beyond the tight Lo inner circle for the first time. But is it fair to open her heart to someone new when the people she loves are teetering on the edge of ruin?

As increasingly terrible secrets come to light about the people Honor thought she knew best in the world, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to her family and fighting for the life she wants.

Everyone Wants To Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert is an under the radar young adult contemporary book about a reality star famous  Korean family — kind of like the Kardashians — who are just really going through it. Told through the lens of Honor Lo, the Lo family is splitting up. When Honor’s sister Skye graduates, her parents announce at dinner that they are divorcing. The family which has been in the public eye is now keeping mum about what happened. However, Honor’s friends end up selling her out to the tabloids. Oh and she moves for her senior year and has to figure out all new friendships. As it turns out, she’s found a boy to hookup with and is initially all about keeping it light and fun. Yet, maybe there might be something more there.

I feel like Everyone Wants To Know has gotten mixed reviews, which is fine. I personally really enjoyed this book. Granted, I like watching trashy reality TV. There was a really big twist that honestly shocked me and kind of made me sad with regards to the why of it. I liked that the family was big and interesting with complex characters. At times it was really hard to root for the Lo family. That was something I liked — that no one was really perfect. I like complicated. Overall, this was perfectly up my alley and I for sure want to read more by Kelly Gilbert Loy.

@aprilbooksandwine

Everyone Wants To Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert – i love contemporary ya especially with a reality TV focus. I didnt know what to expect but ended up really enjoying this one. @Simon Teen #aprilbooksandwine #booktokover30 #bookreview

♬ original sound – April Books & Wine

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Eternally Yours by Patrice Caldwell
Narrator: Patrice Caldwell, Katie Koster, Catherine Ho, Andre Santana, Elena Rey, Keylor Leigh, Amin El Gamal, Carlotta Brentan, Mehr Dudeja, Reena Dutt, James Fouhey, Jesse Vilinsky, Annie Q, Victoria Villarreal
Length: 10 Hours 49 Minutes
Also by this author: A Phoenix First Must Burn
Published by Penguin on September 20, 2022
Genres: Collections & Anthologies, Occult & Supernatural, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Paranormal
Pages: 416
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Give in to this irresistible paranormal romance anthology filled with tales of the mortal and the monstrous. In Eternally Yours, fifteen of today’s bestselling writers explore love in its many forms . . .

Contributors include Kalynn Bayron, Kendare Blake, Kat Cho, Melissa de la Cruz, Hafsah Faizal, Sarah Gailey, Chloe Gong, Alexis Henderson, Adib Khorram, Anna-Marie McLemore, Casey McQuiston, Sandhya Menon, Akshaya Raman, Marie Rutkoski, and Julian Winters.

Vampires and merpeople, angels and demons—the stories in this anthology imagine worlds where the only thing more powerful than the supernatural, is love.

A girl in a graveyard goes on an unexpected date, a shipwrecked sailor makes a connection on a forbidden island, a piano melody summons a soul mate. Creatures of folktales and legend, of land and sea, of centuries past and life after life, all wrapped into one spellbinding compendium. Once you sink into its pages, it’ll never let you go.

I love a good short story anthology. Eternally Yours edited by Patrice Caldwell features stories about the paranormal from some heavyweights in young adult literature. This anthology features a diverse array of authors and characters. There are vampires, merpeople, angels, ghosts and more. Authors included are Sandhya Menon, Kendare Blake, Marie Rutkowski, and Hafsah Faisal among others. If you are looking to sample work from some of the hottest YA authors today without committing to a full length book, check this anthology outl. Each short story is also self contained.

Eternally Yours was actually fun to listen to. I read this via audiobook. Just as there is a diverse array of authors contributing to this anthology, there is also a diverse array of narrators. Each story has a different narrator. So, if you are looking to sample and try new narrators and want self contained stories – this is the perfect listen. I felt like this book would be great to listen to around Halloween simply for the spooky paranormal element. But also, given it feels like paranormal YA fiction is about to have a resurgence featuring authors who have diverse backgrounds, you should get in on the ground floor and pick this book up. There is something for everyone in this anthology – whether you read it with your eyes or with your ears.

I received this book for free from Publisher, Purchased in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Series: The Gilded Ones #1
Published by Random House Children's Books on January 11, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Animals / Mythical Creatures, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Pages: 432
Format: eARC, Hardcover
Source: Publisher, Purchased
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TEEN VOGUE
 
"A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" –Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
 
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.

Sometimes an epic trip requires an epic book. I read The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna on a road trip from New York to Orlando, Florida. And let me tell you, this book kept my attention! The Gilded Ones is the first of a trilogy about a girl named Deka. At first, you think Deka is a normal girl. However, as part of a ceremony, we find out her blood isn’t red, but gold. But, just as she’s about to be whisked off to death I think it was, her village comes under attack. She saves the village but people are still mean to her. So, then she ends up drafted into the army. While she is training, she meets other girls who are just like her.They can’t be killed and their blood also is golden. There’s also a subtle little romance storyline brewing.

I truly enjoyed my time with The Gilded Ones. Also, just typing this review out is making me jones for the next two books in the trilogy. Luckily I already have book two on myself as I got it for Christmas. Deka is a really wonderful character and I felt like it was so easy to empathize with her. She hasn’t had the easiest life – in particular when her dad just turns his back on her. And she also had her mom pass away. I liked seeing her train and seeing her grow in confidence. I also enjoyed learning the lore of this book and the backstory to why her village was attacked and why Deka is the way that she is. Also — Deka is Black. Many of the other characters are People of Color. We also see LGBTQ representation. I thought that made this story so rich. I like that this book wasn’t a copy paste, but was unique and well paced and such an interesting world that was built. If you are looking to pick up a fantasy series that is complete and you can rip right through — get your hands on a copy of The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.