Yes, Valentine’s Day is creeping ever closer and what better way to celebrate than with a another YA relationship novel? The thing is, Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler (of Lemony Snicket fame), isn’t just another love story — it chronicles from beginning to end the awkward first conversation, the epic egg sculpture creation, the navigation of very different friend groups, and, at last, to the dumping of the ex’s belongings on their doorstep. Not only is the telling of Min and Ed’s doomed-from-the-beginning romance effortlessly portrayed by a very smart but still very adolescent Min, there are very cool color pictures illustrated by Maira Kalman throughout the book portraying all the “stuff” Min is now returning to Ed. Even though you know how it ends, you won’t be able to put the story (or that pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream) down until you’re done.

Yes, Valentine’s Day is creeping ever closer and what better way to celebrate than with a another YA relationship novel? The thing is, Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler (of Lemony Snicket fame), isn’t just another love story — it chronicles from beginning to end the awkward first conversation, the epic egg sculpture creation, the navigation of very different friend groups, and, at last, to the dumping of the ex’s belongings on their doorstep. Not only is the telling of Min and Ed’s doomed-from-the-beginning romance effortlessly portrayed by a very smart but still very adolescent Min, there are very cool color pictures illustrated by Maira Kalman throughout the book portraying all the “stuff” Min is now returning to Ed. Even though you know how it ends, you won’t be able to put the story (or that pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream) down until you’re done.

In the growing trend of the dystopian comes, Starters, by Lissa Price. The hints of sci-fi are there: The steely cleanliness of a world in which teens are put into a microchip induced slumber so that Enders (seniors) can rent out their bodies is mixed with the harsh dirt-poor conditions in which the main character Callie and her seven-year-old brother are forced to live. The future is recognizable yet totally new: Callie and her brother live in Beverly Hills but everyone over the age of 20 and under the age of 60 have been wiped out by the genocide spore, including Callie’s parents. Desperate for money she turns to Prime Destinations and their body rental process. The money she earns will be enough to feed her younger brother (and then some). There are rules to body renting, of course. The “renters” aren’t supposed to get tattoos, put themselves in danger, or break the law. But Callie accidentally learns her renter is about to commit murder in her body. That is, unless she can stop it. . .

If you love all things dystopian, add this one to your list. While not as amazing as some if its predecessors, it is familiar and innovative enough to keep you turning the page.

In the growing trend of the dystopian comes, Starters, by Lissa Price. The hints of sci-fi are there: The steely cleanliness of a world in which teens are put into a microchip induced slumber so that Enders (seniors) can rent out their bodies is mixed with the harsh dirt-poor conditions in which the main character Callie and her seven-year-old brother are forced to live. The future is recognizable yet totally new: Callie and her brother live in Beverly Hills but everyone over the age of 20 and under the age of 60 have been wiped out by the genocide spore, including Callie’s parents. Desperate for money she turns to Prime Destinations and their body rental process. The money she earns will be enough to feed her younger brother (and then some). There are rules to body renting, of course. The “renters” aren’t supposed to get tattoos, put themselves in danger, or break the law. But Callie accidentally learns her renter is about to commit murder in her body. That is, unless she can stop it. . .

If you love all things dystopian, add this one to your list. While not as amazing as some if its predecessors, it is familiar and innovative enough to keep you turning the page.