Best Teen Fiction 2025 (based entirely on my own opinions)

 I combed through my list of books read and pulled out my favorites from this past year.  They may not all be new, but they were new to me when I read them.  Here are my picks....in no particular order



I borrowed this expecting it to be just another hyped up ghost/horror story but found something unexpected and awesome.  Here we have the trope of a group of students going into a haunted area and having something terrible happen that no one talks about and then they return and face what happened .....and Kemp keeps readers guessing by constantly flipping between then and now.  What made this book awesome was the twist ending, which shows that sometimes a good ending will absolutely make (or break) a book. I enjoyed the character explorations as well as the steady rise in intensity for those in the current day but the ending?  *chef's kiss*  Can't explain without giving it away....but definitely give it a try.




The Corruption of Hollis Brown was another where a twist makes all the difference.  Hollis accidentally makes a deal with a "devil" which takes over his body and starts to change both Hollis and his life.....but not all of the changes are bad; and as Hollis and the spirit learn to communicate....they begin to realize that perhaps they can learn from each other.  I was not expecting this ghost possession story to go so deep into the nuances of personal choices or how changing one thing can alter everything.  I definitely wasn't expecting the direction Ancrum took the story and I loved it so much.  This is a horror but also not.....you will have to read it to understand.







Gem is a nonbinary indigenous person who has always had very vivid and horrific dreams.  Gem dismisses them until a new person moves into town and talks to them as if they know them....as if they HAVE known them and about the dreams.  Suddenly, everything is different and frightening.  Can they really be a reincarnated god?  Are they doomed to simply repeat the same mistakes life after life?  What does it all mean?
This is a really original and fascinating story that kept me glued to the page from beginning to end.  It has a satisfying ending but does leave room for you to be anxious to continue the series (and the new sequel just came to the library!)  If you are looking for something different than anything you have tried before, definitely check out this book.







Trust Jason Reynolds to tell a love story in a totally new and original way.  This book is SO amazing.  Things move backward and forward in time, as we see the story of Neon and Aria; how they meet, fall in love and all the usual things....but in such an unusual way that it feels like more than a romance.  This is an amazing novel of love and high school and fear and family....don't miss it.






Miles is a proud West Virginian, devoted to his family (even if they don't understand his autism or his transgender status), and absolutely determined to put an end to the generational feud that has haunted (and cursed) his family by proving the guilt of the sheriff in the "accident" that ruined his father's health and killed many others (as well as further defining his family as degenerates).   Of course this quest has consequences and is difficult.  

White tells a story that is part history, part queer coming out tale and part horror story of one person up against insurmountable odds determined to do the right thing no matter what happens.....and then showing what happens......this is not a story for the faint of heart.  It is gritty and scary and deadly but also full of heart and hope for a better future.  There is a reason it has won and been nominated for a host of awards (including Garden State Book Awards and the 2025 Printz award.)


Thanks for reading, feel free to check out these books and more at your local library!


Saleena Longmuir

Teen Librarian

South Brunswick Public Library  

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