Last year we pushed publish on our very first ‘Sunshine Reads’ post which pulled together Sunshine’s latest books for teens from her own book stack. As an avid reader, Sunshine has quite an eclectic taste and hopefully enough variety to offer some recommendations that will suit your teen too.
As with our other Sunshine Reads Good Books for Teens we do have some affiliate links which means we receive a small commission if you decide to purchase any of the books.
Sunshine Reads: Good Books for Teens Autumn 2022
Table of Contents
I did say that Sunshine has quite an eclectic taste in books, but when I look through this season’s selection they all seem to have romance in common, although some are comedy, some are dystopian etc. I hope that you find this selection of good books for teens has something perfect for your teenager.
Perfect on Paper
Written by Australian author, Sophie Gonzales, I grabbed this book for Sunshine when visiting one of my favourite bookshops. She was a reluctant reader of this choice, maybe because I had chosen it, but couldn’t put it down once she started.
Darcy runs an anonymous love advice hustle from a locker at school. Her problem starts when the new guy, Brougham, catches her out and blackmails her into helping him get his ex back in return for keeping her secret. Of course it all backfires…
RPP $17.99 | Booktopia 🏳️🌈
The Sky is Everywhere
I’ve been informed by Sunshine that The Sky is Everywhere is amazing. You’ll need tissues she says.
“Adrift after her sister Bailey’s sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby – Bailey’s boyfriend who shares her grief – and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs … though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode”.
RRP $18.99 | Booktopia
One Of Us is Lying
On Thursday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention: the brain, the beauty, the criminal, the athlete and, the outcast. By the end of the detention, the outcast (who was also the creator of the high school’s notorious gossip app) is dead. So who wanted him dead?
So when I read the blurb of One Of is Lying I had serious Breakfast Club vibes (just without the murder bit). Sunshine is yet to watch the original movie so didn’t make the connection. She loved this book
RRP $19.99 | Booktopia
One Of Us is Next was released next, although Sunshine preferred the first.
You’ve Reached Sam
You’ll need tissues for this read! Julie is 17 years old and has her life pretty much planned. She’ll leave her hometown and go to college in the city with her boyfriend Sam and perhaps even spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies.
Heartbroken and overcome with grief, Julie initially tries to forget Sam. She doesn’t attend his funeral, throws out all of the things that make her think of him, and tries to forget until one day she calls his phone just to hear his voice one more time… only Sam answers. Is this her second chance?
It’s a tear-jerker!
RRP $24.99 | Booktopia
Verona Comics
Verona Comics focuses on two teens who fall in love in an indie comic book shop. It’s a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Personally, I like contemporary takes on Shakespeare’s works so thought Sunshine would enjoy this one too (and she did). Who knew the world of comic books was so competitive!!
Random note: I really liked the tactile feel of the book cover and pages of this book!
RRP $15.99 | Booktopia 🏳️🌈
It Only Happens in the Movies
Well It Only Happens in the Movies is supposed to be the opposite of a romance.
Audrey is over romance. “The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy cliches. Oh, and zombies…“.
Apparently, this is hilarious!
RRP $16.99 | Booktopia
The Bluest Eye
This was Toni Morrison’s first novel. What a read! This book centres on a young African-American girl named Pecola in 1940s Ohio, USA who long to have the blue eyes of the privileged whites.
This book was banned in numerous American schools when it was first released as it does deal with racism, incest, and child abuse. I highly reading this one yourself ahead of putting it in your teenager’s hands so you can unpack the text with them during or after they have finished reading.
RRP $22.99 | Booktopia
Shatter Me Series
The Shatter Me series took over Sunshine’s life over the summer as she read book after book in the series. You could easily say that these books consumed her, and with much of the holidays on our return to Sydney spent inside due to the weather, they were a welcome respite.
Apparently this series could be the best books for teenagers who want to get lost in text for a good month!
There are currently six books in the series with a further five novellas. The series fits into the romantic dystopian genre which centres around the sixteen year old heroine Juliette Ferrars. Juliette has a superpower, or rather a curse: Juliette’s touch can inflict intense pain and even death. The story begins with Juliette confined to a cell for 264 days, alone after her touch killed a boy. Things start to change when Adam Kent becomes her cell mate.
RRP $19.99 | Booktopia
Coming soon…
Spotlight Please … It’s Stevie Louise
Available from 3 May, 2022 Sunshine received a preview copy of Tanya Hennessy’s latest novel in time for the school holidays. We both find Stevie Louise books hilarious (this is the second one) and I will be buying copies for our school library.
“Stevie and the Brooke Street crew are hard-up for cash. Going viral doesn’t last forever, you know, and killer costumes are expensive. To keep their show-biz dream alive, the kids are competing in a local talent quest. But the competition is stiff (I mean, have you ever heard four goats sing a capella?), and Alex has a unicorn horn glued to his forehead for at least the next three weeks. It’s tough working under these conditions, but Stevie is up for any challenge to save Lunchbox Productions…”
RRP $14.99 | Booktopia (For a limited time only, order a copy of Spotlight Please, It’s Stevie Louise and you’ll receive a copy signed by Tanya Hennessy. *Available while stocks last!)
More Book Finds
Sunshine Reads: Books for Teens Spring 2021
The Best Bookshops to visit in Sydney : a list of our favourite book stores in Sydney. We can’t wait to start visiting again!
The Best Travel Books : These books are timeless!
100 Australian Books to Read Before High School : I created this list when Striker and Sunshine were young so I could work our way through some of the best Australian picture books. We succeeded too!