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Young adult books that thrill adults

Young adult books can be as addicting for adults as regular novels!

For those wanting a murder mystery, school politics and many romantic twists look no further than “People Like Us” by Dana Mele (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $17.99.)

At the elite Bates Academy, Kay and her friends seem like they have it all, including bright futures. But when one of the students is found by the girls murdered, everything changes. Kay gets an email supposedly from the dead girl, instructing her to visit a revenge website and carry out the deeds listed or Kay’s secrets will be revealed. What secret is Kay hiding, and what secrets are her friends hiding? Add a suspect list including the girl’s ex-boyfriend, Kay’s cheating ex-boyfriend and Kay’s best friend, Brie, whom she’d really like to be dating and there’s more than meets the eye going on.

With lots of drama, murder and romance, this book would be right at home with “Pretty Little Liars.”

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A college freshman befriends a young barista through text messages in “Emergency Contact” by Mary H.K. Choi (Simon & Schuster, $17.99.)

Penny is glad to be on her own and away from her mother at college. Sam is a barista and a baker who is trying to get over the epic breakup with the love of his life which has forced him to move into a room above the coffee shop. The two meet via Penny’s new roommate, Jude, who used to be part of Sam’s extended family. As Penny is trying to start her possible career as a writer, she runs into Sam and has him put her number into his phone as an emergency contact. And from there, the two develop a close friendship, but only through text and an occasional phone call. As they grow closer, Jude begins to question who Penny is talking to all the time and they both begin to wonder if they should take their relationship to the next level — in real life.

This is a wonderful story about friendship and how it works in a world of constant cell phone and online use. Choi also brings to focus early adulthood for just graduated teens and the early 20s, as well as coming to terms with things that haunt from the past. Both characters are well-defined and relatable, even with flaws, and the ending will bring a smile from readers.

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The end of the New York Times bestselling series The Illuminae Files comes to a close in “Obsidio” by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Knopf, $19.99.)

In this addicting science-fiction series, the characters from the first two books, Ezra and Kady, and Hanna and Nik, all are on their way back to the planet of Kerenza in the hopes of saving the remaining colonists from the evil BeiTech corporation. Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, is trying to survive under BeiTech’s deadly occupation, when she happens to bump into her ex Rhys, who is now a soldier working for BeiTech. Asha’s rebel friends want her to use their past to try to turn him to their side. Can she do it? And meanwhile, will the four and their ship make it back in time to save everyone? And if not, can they get the story out so everyone will know what BeiTech has done?

This has been a series with evil artificial intelligence, “zombies,” assassins, evil corporations and epic space battles, as well as romance, so it literally has something for everybody. Told in a series of emails, chats and journals, it has a different style which make take some getting used to, but the story will draw readers in and has been optioned for a movie.

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