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Books for young adults, new adults

There’s several new books aimed at those in their teens and early 20s that will thrill, scare and talk about obsessions.

Celebrity fandom and obsession is told in “Fan Club” by Erin Mayer.

The narrator has a boring dead-end job at a women’s lifestyle website and no friends. But when she hears the new song by Adriana Aregento, she immediately is hooked. And then finds online fandom and a community there.

From there it goes off the rails. She’s invited to join a group of adult superfans called the Ivies who really take hero worship a bit too far and starts to get cult-like.

It’s obvious the pop singer is supposed to be Ariana Grande (the name isn’t that different) and the story is obviously a hard look at the cult of celebrity, pop culture and social media. It was little much for me, but I could see its appeal to other readers, especially as a jumping off point for a discussion on celebrity pop culture for a book club.

“Fan Club” is published by Mira.

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Memory technology has one girl questioning everything in “Lies My Memory Told Me” by Sacha Wunsch.

Nova’s parents are known world-wide for having invented Enhanced Memory — a way to experience other people’s memories and learn new skills. The world of Enhanced Memory has taken over Nova’s life, but she’s comfortable in it.

That is, until Kade, who runs a secret channel of real experiences, says the technology is dangerous, and she doesn’t know the true price. As Nova begins to question things, she starts to see things in a different light — including her parents and her whole life. Who can she trust? What is real and what isn’t? And more important, who is she?

This is a twisty young adult sci-fi thriller that will keep readers on their toes until the very last page as they uncover the truth with Nova.

“Lies My Memory Told Me” is published by Inkyard Press.

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Female friendships is the heart of the story in “Falling Girls” by Hayley Krischer.

Shade and Jadis are best friends who share everything, even as they steer clear of the high school elite. That is, until Shade suddenly joins the cheerleading team. Drawn to the tight-knit group of cheerleaders, including The Three Chloes who run the squad — and all the cheerleaders’ lives — Shade is swept away from Jadis quickly and into a dark web of mean girls. Jadis is hurt by this betrayal and the friendship is frayed. But when one of the Chloe’s is found dead, Shade begins to wonder who killed her? And could Jadis have something to do with it?

Looking at friend break-ups, cliques, jealousy and more, this is a story that many readers will relate to and will be drawn into the story of friendships gone bad.

“Falling Girls” is published by Penguin Young Readers.

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