The teenage years can be hard. You have to worry about dating and friendships and family and things and people changing, growing, and it can feel like everyone is moving on without you and you’re all alone. Sometimes you feel like you may not even recognize your friends as they develop interests apart from you or a new relationship. What happens when the reason you don’t recognize them is because they really aren’t themselves anymore?

Hazelthorn by C. G. Drews is a Gothic tale complete with the classics, a crumbling mansion, mysterious atmosphere, and creepy family members, and modern trappings such as a queer romance, botanical body horror, and being othered - so, yes, it is right up my alley.

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer is a thrilling reimagining of the Bluebeard story with a tough, funny heroine and filled with magic, romance, and all the gothic-y goodness of the folktale that inspired it.

How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans is a sweet coming of age story masquerading as a self-aware teen slasher novel - and it’s a solid read for both. 

I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys a teen slasher with diverse characters, humor, and a satisfying conclusion. 

Clown in a Cornfield is that unicorn of a YA novel that is YA only in that its main characters are teenagers that act like teenagers, but, unlike some in the market, Adam Cesare's writing is - for lack of a better word - good.