Wishing the happiest of book birthdays to Alex and Rachel!

“When We Were Strangers” – Alex Richards

Bloomsbury YA

Seventeen-year-old Evie Parker is devastated in the wake of her father’s sudden death. But she knows something her mother doesn’t: the day of his heart attack, her dad was planning to move out. After finding his packed bags, an impulsive Evie puts everything away, desperate to spare her mom more heartache.

To make matters worse, Evie soon learns the reason her father was going to leave: he had been dating his twenty-two-year-old receptionist, Bree, who is now six months pregnant. Desperate to distract herself, Evie signs up for a summer photography class where she meets a motley crew of students, including quirky and adorable Declan. Still, Evie can’t stop thinking about her father’s mistress. Armed with a telephoto lens, she caves to her curiosity, and what starts as a little bit of spying on Bree quickly becomes full-blown stalking. And when an emergency forces Evie to help Bree, she learns there’s more to the story than she ever knew…

Alex Richards crafts an addicting and compelling new story about betrayal, complicated family secrets, and getting to the heart of what matters — ultimately asking readers how far they’d be willing to go to unravel the truth.

“Red Wolf” – Rachel Vincent

Harper Teen

A high-stakes, pacey reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood that is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Megan Spooner.

For as long as sixteen-year-old Adele can remember, the village of Oakvale has been surrounded by the dark woods—a forest filled with terrible monsters that light cannot penetrate. Like every person who grows up in Oakvale, she has been told to steer clear of the woods unless absolutely necessary.

But unlike her neighbors in Oakvale, Adele has a very good reason for going into the woods. Adele is one of a long line of guardians: women who are able to change into wolves and are tasked with the job of protecting their village, while never letting any of the villagers know of their existence. But when following her calling means abandoning the person she loves, the future she imagined for herself, and her values, she must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her neighbors safe.

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