Art from This Is the Year, by Gloria Muñoz.
Older Readers
Bingsu for Two.
By Sujin Witherspoon.
Jan. 2025. 360p. Union Square, $19.99 (9781454954026). Gr. 10–12.
River Langston-Lee’s life is falling apart, and it’s his own fault. The night before the SATs, he breaks up with his longtime girlfriend. Then, he runs out in the middle of the SATs without so much as adding his name to the test. Finally, after a fight with a green-haired customer, he rage quits work at Cafe Gong, the growing coffee enterprise run by his family. With everything on fire, he takes a job working at a small Korean café called Bingsu for Two with his best friend and, as it turns out, Sarang, said green-haired customer who witnessed his epic meltdown. One accidental viral video leading to a burst in sales later, River and the Bingsu for Two crew decide to keep chasing internet fame for the sake of the café. The story is expertly crafted, from the crisp prose to the innovative use of a script format, bringing the story to life when the teens are filming. The romance that eventually blossoms between River and Sarang is hard-won and deeply satisfying, and the found-family camaraderie that the motley crew of teens develops is full of delightful characters who will charm readers from the first page. A standout debut from Witherspoon with a propulsive plot, nearly impossible to put down. —Karis Rogerson
Build a Girlfriend.
By Elba Luz.
Jan. 2025. 384p. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (9781665942515). Gr. 9–12.
For Amelia, what should be a fun summer after high school graduation turns into heartbreak when her girlfriend, Perri, dumps her. Amelia’s invasive aunts, mom, and sisters console her by creating theher loved ones how she truly feels. Luz debuts her first YA romantic comedy, which is filled with plenty of hilarious moments and family drama. Readers will also get a kick out of the uplifting relationship advice from the aunts and sisters in the Romance Boot Camp journal. A powerful mantra for graduates that having a “family should be a gift, not an obligation.” —
