Juvenile & Young Adult / Themes / Social Situations / Dating & Sex

Brother, Brother

by Clay Carmichael – Roaring Brook Press (July 30, 2013)

The day his grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Billy "Brother" Grace discovers that he has a twin who has recently made headlines by nearly overdosing on drugs. His twin also happens to be the son of a powerful...

Uses for Boys

by Erica Lorraine Scheidt – St. Martin's Press (January 15, 2013)

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing...

Fault Line

by Janet Tashjian – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (April 04, 2006)

A hard-hitting novel that breaks open the gritty world of teen relationship abuse, by the author of The Gospel According to Larry

"Unlike Abby, I hadn't had a boyfriend since Peter last year, and even that was...

Debbie Harry Sings in French

by Meagan Brothers – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (May 27, 2008)

Johnny's had kind of a tough life so far, and he's always been a bit of a freak. His goth look usually includes black nail polish and a little mascara.When he discovers Debbie Harry, the lead singer of Blondie,...

The Edumacation of Jay Baker

by Jay Clark – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (January 31, 2012)

A few "sexy" bullet points about Jay: • He is in love with a cheerleader named Cameo "Appearance" Parnell

• He is forever losing "Love-15" to tennis-playing goddess Caroline Richardson

• He rocks a touché...

Lexapros and Cons

by Aaron Karo – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 10, 2012)

Chuck Taylor's OCD has rendered him a high school outcast. His endless routines and habitual hand washing threaten to scare away both his closest friend and the amazing new girl in town. Sure he happens to share...

Derby Girl

by Shauna Cross – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 04, 2007)

Meet Bliss Cavendar, a blue haired, indie-rock loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas.

Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Blue Bonnet crown, but Bliss would...

The One O'Clock Chop

by Ralph Fletcher – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (August 07, 2007)

It's the summer of 1973 and fourteen year old Matt spends his days working on a boat as a clam digger to earn extra money. His nights are another story—he spends time with his free-spirited cousin Jazzy who...

Falling

by Doug Wilhelm – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 07, 2007)

Everyone expected fifteen-year-old Matt Shaw to be Jeffords Junior High's star basketball player. But Matt never went out for the team. He won't even touch a ball anymore, and he hardly talks to anyone. No one...

Flirt Club

by Cathleen Daly – Roaring Brook Press (January 04, 2011)

When two self-professed middle school drama geeks––Isabelle and Annie (a.k.a. Cisco and The Bean)––fail at their attemps in romance, they start Flirt Club, an after school support group for similarly...

The Second Base Club

by Greg Trine – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (October 12, 2010)

Elroy's got one thing on his mind: girls. In an effort to get to second base, he offers to tutor the hot new girl in math, forms a band with his two best friend (okay, so he gets a face full of tomato for his...

The Brothers Story

by Katherine Sturtevant – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (November 10, 2009)

Teenage twins Kit and Christy have grown up amid grinding poverty in their Essex village. As Christy has been "simple" from birth, Kit is literally his brother's keeper. But the latest hardships visited upon...

Isabelle's Boyfriend

by Caroline Hickey – Roaring Brook Press (September 02, 2008)

WHAT DO YOU DO IF THE GUY OF YOUR DREAMS IS SOMEBODY ELSE'S BOYFRIEND?

Taryn has found the perfect guy. Epp is tall, athletic, handsome, and best of all, she is sure he likes her, too. There's only one problem:...

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn

by Sarah Miller – St. Martin's Press (May 02, 2006)

What if you could see inside the head of the guy you love? Know his every thought? Feel his every dream and fantasy? The mystery girl who's Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn can. She tells us the intoxicating...

The Possibilities of Sainthood

by Donna Freitas – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (August 17, 2010)

Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she's still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her...

Kiss

by Jacqueline Wilson – Roaring Brook Press (May 22, 2010)

HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT. Sylvie is sure Carl loves her, so why hasn't he kissed her?

Sylvie and Carl have always been best friends, and Sylvie's always dreamed that they'd get married someday. But when she...

Whip It

by Shauna Cross – Square Fish (September 15, 2009)

Roller derby is back, in all of its rowdy and raucous glory

Meet Bliss Cavendar, an indie-rock-loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas. Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the...

Write Naked

by Peter Gould – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (May 27, 2008)

Sixteen-year-old Victor, a thoughtful loner who tries to live his life "under the radar," wants to test out the saying "You have to be naked to write." When he sneaks off with an old Royal typewriter to his...

Center Ice

by Cate Cameron – Entangled Publishing, LLC (May 19, 2015)

Karen Webber is in small-town hell. After her mother’s death, she moved to Corrigan Falls to live with strangers—her dad and his perfect, shiny new family—and there doesn’t seem to be room for a city...

Deep in the Heart of High School

by Veronica Goldbach – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 27, 2009)

Vanna Reynolds was popular and happy back in Plano, Texas, but now she lives with her mother in a tiny apartment in San Antonio. How can she start her freshman year as a complete nobody? Fatima Garcia does well...

My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

by Kristina Springer – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (August 31, 2010)

Seventh grade was supposed to be fun, but Tori is having major drama with her BFF, Sienna. Sienna changed a lot over the summer—on the first day of school she's tan, confident, and full of stories about her...

Shadow of a Girl

by Shannon Greenland – Entangled Publishing, LLC (September 19, 2016)

"Gritty and intense, the tension sizzles off the pages!" -Kimberly Derting, author of The Taking

Use cash and keep moving.

After I ran away from home, these were the two rules that dictated my life. Scoring a...

In Real Life

by Jessica Love – St. Martin's Press (March 01, 2016)

Hannah Cho and Nick Cooper have been best friends since 8th grade. They talk for hours on the phone, regularly shower each other with presents, and know everything there is to know about one another.

There's...

Character, Driven

by David Lubar – Tom Doherty Associates (March 01, 2016)

Character, Driven is a powerful and hilarious coming-of-age novel for young adults by acclaimed author David Lubar.

With only one year left of high school, seventeen-year-old Cliff Sparks is desperate to "come...

Underwater

by Marisa Reichardt – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (January 12, 2016)

Morgan didn't mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive-first...

Tonight the Streets Are Ours: Chapters 1-5

by Leila Sales – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 15, 2015)

Recklessly loyal. That's how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately...

Tonight the Streets Are Ours

by Leila Sales – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 15, 2015)

Recklessly loyal. That's how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately...

Breakaway

by Kat Spears – St. Martin's Press (September 15, 2015)

When Jason Marshall's younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates—Mario, Jordie, and Chick—to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father...

Forever for a Year

by B. T. Gottfred – Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (July 07, 2015)

When Carolina and Trevor meet on their first day of school, something draws them to each other. They gradually share first kisses, first touches, first sexual experiences. When they're together, nothing else...

Bright Lights, Dark Nights

by Stephen Emond – Roaring Brook Press (August 11, 2015)

A story about first love, first fights, and finding yourself in a messed up world, from the acclaimed author of Happyface.

Walter Wilcox has never been in love. That is, until he meets Naomi, and sparks, and...