Everything Changes: Young Adult Books That Hit Hard

19 Jun 2025

Everything Changes: Young Adult Books That Hit Hard

Some books entertain. These books change you. From the shock of first loss to the thrill of first love, these YA novels explore life’s most intense transitions with emotional depth and razor-sharp voice. If you’re looking for stories that reflect real feelings and refuse to look away, this collection delivers page after page of impact.

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Dragonfly Down

by Annette Masters

Release Date: June 17, 2025

Dragonfly Down is an intriguing psychological thriller that questions what is most important when lives are at stake: following one’s intuition or facing facts? With gripping family secrets, heart-pounding suspense, and chilling twists, a teen’s dark and dangerous fight to find her sister will test the limits of love, loss, and loyalty.

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Fall for Now (The Infected Dead Book 13)

by Bob Howard

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Ed and Jean Jackson survived the early days of the apocalypse with the help of their close friends, Chief Barnes and Kathy McGinley. Over the years since the infection began, they chose to step back from the battle against the infected dead and remain within the safety of the shelter hidden in Green Cavern. Now, they have embarked on a perilous mission of their own to attempt the rescue of a group of survivors who are clinging to life near Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes of New York.

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Spirit Hunter (The Path Of Pathos Book 4)

by Simon Shugar

Release Date: June 8, 2025

In the fragile calm after a kingdom-breaking war, Tomi has finally found something worth keeping: a quiet life in Elkswood, among friends who feel like family. But the land he loves has other plans. Fires bloom across the countryside without cause. Whispers of rebellion rise among the fief lords. And deep beneath it all, something ancient begins to stir. Tomi, a hunter with Pathos, a rare gift that links him to the world around him, and to Kit, the red kite who sees what he cannot, is drawn into a rising storm.

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Evergreen Conservatory (Society of Magical Botanists Book 2)

by Heather Schneider

Release Date: May 30, 2025

Ever since enrolling at Evergreen Academy last year, I have struggled to belong in the elite world of plant magic and affinity powers. And thanks to a curse tied to a decision I made on the spring equinox, I’m further from fitting in than ever.

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Thrifting For Life (Thrifting For Love Book 3)

by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer

Release Date: June 1, 2025

The time has come: Booe and J.J. are graduating and making life plans. However, this celebratory milestone is clouded by worries and responsibilities. Can Booe’s family help him navigate the road ahead? Meanwhile, J.J.’s father, Gary, faces one of the most significant decisions of his life. With the support of his family, though, everything will turn out alright.

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Leoncrest Academy 2: Second Son of the 34th

by Kal Griffith

Release Date: June 13, 2025

Zeke de’Godfrey made it through his first challenge at Leoncrest Academy. No longer just the forgotten second son, he now walks the path of his family’s ancient Trials. A path that breaks most who attempt it. His brother Artax cast a long shadow, completing all thirty-four Trials and becoming a legend. But that was before the Aura shattered, before the plots were revealed. Zeke now knows enemies orchestrated his brother’s downfall and tried to end him during his own Trial.

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