What YA' Reading: Unputdownable Reads

There are few things I love more than a book that makes me feel like I just have to know what happens next. Check out these titles that are absolutely unputdownable. 

Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray

Vesper Evans has never had an easy life. She was orphaned as a child and is working for a newspaper that's on the verge of going out of business. Maximilian Kite seems to have it all: money, influence and magic. When their paths collide Max is a murder suspect and Vesper might be the one who can prove his innocence. Two people from different worlds, there would never be sparks between them, right?

Hawk & Sparrow bring Vesper and Max together in a way that works so perfectly. They are fun characters to follow and their banter makes the book. Vesper’s spunky nature drew me in and made her easy to root for. Max seems like he’s going to be the stuck-up jerk, but you quickly find out there’s more to him than meets the eye.

“An absolute delight from start to finish, Hawk & Sparrow is the sort of book you will want to live in. Ayana Gray has crafted an absolutely delicious Gilded Age romance brimming with mystery, magic and a tremendous amount of heart.” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series

If you like Hawk & Sparrow, check out Ayana Gray’s Beasts of Prey trilogy.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cassie has always had a knack for noticing things others miss. She's recruited by the FBI to join a group of exceptional teens to help solve cold cases. The others in the program all have special skills as unique as Cassie's. Can they work together and use their skills to survive a killer and solve the unsolvable?

The Naturals will appeal to anyone who likes a good mystery, has ever felt like they don’t fit in, or loves a fun, twisty, suspenseful read. While the focus of the book is on Cassie and the team working to solve cases, it also intersperses scenes in the mind of a killer. This brings a sense of suspense that ups the intensity and will keep you reading long into the night.

"In this high-adrenaline series opener...even a psychic won't anticipate all the twists and turns." —Booklist

The Naturals is the first book of a series. Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes is diving back into this world with a fifth installment, Dangerous Impulses scheduled to come out in November 2026. Want more Jennifer Lynn Barnes now? Check out her The Inheritance Games series.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In dystopian Chicago society is divided into five factions based on the virtue they value most. When Beatrice Prior joins the Dauntless faction she embraces bravery to become who she believes she is meant to be. Renaming herself Tris, she must pass tests to become a full member of her faction. She is also trying to keep a secret that could put her family, her faction and possibly her life at risk.

Divergent made me think about what virtue is most important to me and what it would mean to devote myself to it. Am I selfless enough to be in Abnegation? Peaceful enough for Amity? Honest enough for Candor? Smart enough for Erudite? Brave enough for Dauntless? Readers will relate to Tris as she makes new friends, new enemies and works to decide who she wants to be.

“This gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance.” - Kirkus Reviews

Divergent is the first in a completed series so you can read them all. Author Veronica Roth has also stepped back into the Divergent world with her new novel, The Sixth Faction. Want even more Veronica Roth? Check out her Carve the Mark duology.