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Before College

Super Relatable Teen Books to Read Before Heading to College.

Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative

13 items

  • Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids;…
    BookNew York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2013. — YA FIC ROWELL
  • Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had…
    BookNew York, NY : Balzer + Bray, HarperTeen, imprints of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2018] — YA FIC ALBERTAL
  • Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for…
    BookNew York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, [2017] — YA FIC HAN
  • When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but…
    BookNew York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2018] — YA FIC ALBERTAL
  • Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at…
    BookNew York, NY : Dutton Books, [2017] — YA FIC LACOUR
  • Molly Barlow is facing one long, hot summer—99 days—with the boy whose heart she broke and the boy she broke it for . . . his brother. Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone…
    BookNew York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2015] — YA FIC COTUGNO
  • Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she…
    BookNew York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2017] — YA FIC MURPHY
  • When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.
    BookNew York : Simon Pulse, 2017. — YA FIC MENON
  • At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved…
    BookNew York : Simon Pulse, 2018. — YA FIC CHAO
  • When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails…
    BookNew York : Little, Brown and Company, 2013. — YA FIC ZARR
  • "Dear Best Friend, I can already tell that I will hate everyone but you. Sincerely, Ava Helmer (that brunette who won’t leave you alone)" "We’re still in the same room, you weirdo. Stop crying. G" So begins a series of texts and emails…
    BookNew York : Wednesday Books, 2017. — YA FIC DUNN
  • Arthur Louis Pullman the Third is on the verge of a breakdown. He’s been stripped of his college scholarship, is losing his grip on reality, and has been sent away to live with his aunt and uncle. It’s there that Arthur discovers a journal…
    BookNew York, NY : Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2018] — YA FIC MILLER
  • In 2000, Bridget is faced with the impossible mission of picking the perfect adoptive parents for her unborn daughter. But how can she know if she’s making the right choice when she wants so badly to keep her baby? In 2017, her daughter…
    BookNew York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins, [2018] — YA FIC GILMORE