The number one might be the most lonely, but not when it comes to books! Unless, of course, you only own one book in which case it would likely be very lonely. But that is unimportant. We’re gathering some fantastic stand-alone books today. We are aware of and adore the amazingness of series. But it’s also astounding when a writer starts and finishes a whole story in a single volume. Just how do you do that?
And let’s face it, there are times when you simply do not have the time to devote to a full series. We understand, we hear you, and we stand by you. So let’s pick up a fantastic new book and get on the standalone bandwagon. This list contains all the outstanding stand-alone books you should read, including fantasy, science fiction, contemporary, and historical works.
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1. Goodbye from Nowhere by Sarah Zarr
Kyle Baker believed that his family was content. I’m content enough, anyway. Because of this, Kyle’s reality is changed when he finds out that his mother has been having an affair and that his father has been keeping it a secret. He stops playing baseball, dumps his girlfriend, and generally abandons his previous way of life. The only person he can talk to now that his older sisters are gone and his friends don’t get it is his cousin Emily, who is always there to respond to his texts but still has her own life and is located hours away. Kyle’s parents advise him to keep his mother’s affair a secret from the rest of the family until after what may be their final significant summer gathering. Kyle must determine what his responsibilities are to everyone he cares about, including himself, as he watches the ripple effects of his parents’ decisions spread out over friends, family, and strangers and feels the walls of his relationships closing in.
2. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
What do the valedictorian, music nerd, stoner, star athlete, and queen bee have in common? The scholarship dinner to which they were all invited turned out to be a trap. They have been placed in a room with a bomb, a poison syringe, and a note stating that they have an hour to choose a victim or else everyone will perish. Amber Prescott is determined to escape the room alive with her classmates, but that may be easier said than done. Nobody is aware of their connections to one another or their potential killers. It becomes apparent that everyone is concealing something as they go back over the incidents from the previous year that may have led to their captor’s ultimatum. As the time runs out, confusion gives way to fear, and fear develops into panic as they scramble to decide who will be chosen to die.
3. Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer
Even Kit’s sisters Tessa and Lilly are in the dark about what exactly happened to her that night in the woods. All they have is a collection of facts, including cold to the touch lace bra, abandoned pick-up truck with keys still in the ignition, and icy blue lips and fingers. Tessa is confident that Boyd, the boy next door who they have all loved in different ways, was not her sister’s killer, despite the fact that everyone is quick to draw conclusions. Still, there are far too many inconsistencies in the details and too many hidden historical secrets. But no matter how fervently Tessa looks for explanations, the heart of that difficult night lies in a heartbreakingly straightforward truth.
4. Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern
David Scheinman, who has cystic fibrosis, is the popular senior class president. The quiet sophomore Jamie Turner is battling depression. The two quickly come to the realization that they can be more authentically themselves around each other than they can around anyone else, and their unlikely friendship begins to develop into something much deeper. However, neither Jamie nor David can bring themselves to share the secrets that are most burdensome on their hearts—and their window of opportunity for candor may be closing.
5. Spellhacker by M.K. England
Magic, or maz, was once a freely accessible natural resource in Kyrkarta. Then, after an earthquake unleashed a magical plague that killed thousands of people, maz became a tightly controlled—and, of course, exorbitantly priced—commodity. Due to this, Diz and her three closest friends operate a highly profitable yet illegal side business siphoning maz. The heist they pull off next is supposed to be their final one ever. They are forced to uncover a plot at the heart of the spellplague—and perhaps save the world—when their plan unearths a potent new strain of maz that literally blows up in their faces. There’s no rush.
6. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
As long as he stays out of the public eye, Jamie Goldberg is okay with volunteering for his neighborhood’s state senate candidate. Jamie is a choke artist when it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s be honest, speaking at all to almost anyone). He would never go door-to-door soliciting votes, at least not until he met Maya. The worst Ramadan ever for Maya Rehman. Her summer vacation has been postponed, her best friend is too busy to hang out, and now her parents are divorcing. She doesn’t understand why her mother believes that going on a political campaign with a strange man she hardly knows will solve all of her problems. Even though door-to-door sales aren’t exactly glamorous, they might not be the worst thing ever. After all, Maya and Jamie are drawing closer to the polls. The art of local activism requires skill. It’s quite another to navigate the cross-cultural romance of the century.
7. Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno
You learn the rules for being a girl before you can even remember yourself. Marin has always been skilled at following these unwritten rules. She aspires to attend Brown University and is the editor of the school newspaper. Marin’s future appears promising, and her charming, young English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is constantly quick to praise her writing and engage in book discussions with her. But Marin is shocked and horrified when “Bex” goes too far and starts making out with her. Had she misled him in some way? Was she at fault? Nobody believes Marin when she finally summons the courage to inform the administration of what took place. She has to sit next to Bex every day in class. He does, however, now have a bone to pick. Marin, however, is not going to back down. She starts a feminist book club at school and uses the school newspaper as a weapon. In the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she had previously written off as just another lacrosse bro, she finds allies. Marin needs to learn how to reclaim control and establish her own rules as things get hot at school and in her personal life.
8. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Meet Pepper, the leader of the swim team, a renowned perfectionist, and chronic overachiever. Even though her family is disintegrating, their enormous fast-food chain is flourishing, largely because of Pepper, who is barely juggling real life while secretly managing Big League Burger’s sizable Twitter account. Here comes Jack, the class clown and Pepper’s constant nemesis. He spends his free time working in his family’s deli, trying to avoid being overshadowed by his ridiculously popular twin. Even though he has a love-hate relationship with the company that will determine his future, he will stop at nothing to bring Big League Burger to justice for stealing his grandmother’s famous grilled cheese recipe. He will do this one tweet at a time. All is fair in love and cheese… until Pepper and Jack’s argument escalates into a trending Twitter battle. They have no idea that while they’re publicly arguing over snarky memes and retweet wars, they’re also secretly falling for each other—on an anonymous chat app that Jack created. Even these two rivals can’t deny they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected as their relationship develops and their online antics intensify.
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