Charlene Thomas

A smart and twisty debut YA that starts off like Friday Night Lights and ends with the power and insight of Dear White People. Seton Academic High is a prep school obsessed with its football team and their thirteen-year conference win streak, a record that players always say they'd never have without Seton's girls. What exactly Seton girls do to make them so valuable, though, no one ever really says. They're just the best. But the team's quarterback, the younger brother of the Seton star who started the streak, wants more than regular season glory. He wants a state championship before his successor, Seton's first Black QB, has a chance to overshadow him. Bigger rewards require bigger risks, and soon the actual secrets to the team's enduring success leak to a small group of girls who suddenly have the power to change their world forever.

A story about self-discovery, grief, and destiny that begs the question: How do you keep going when your world has stopped spinning? When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to—quite literally—bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke. When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can’t ignore the urge to get to know him better—or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her. After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe—just maybe—after years of loss and heartache, she’s finally reached the good part. But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn’t sure—all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24–the morning of her big exam—again.

A little bit Twin Peaks, a little bit Black Mirror, Streetlight People is a story of growing up in—and out of—a small town with a huge secret. For most, Streetlight is a dot on the map you pass on your way to somewhere else. But if you live there, you’re either a Have-Not, like Kady, or a Have-Lot like her boyfriend, Nik, who also happens to be a member of the exclusive social club, The IV Boys. Known for their powerful families and the coveted ball they host for a selective guest list, The IV Boys have always refused to accept Kady regardless of how much Nik loves her. All the Boys except for Aaron, who didn’t grow up in Streetlight and is one of the few who knows that life—real life—exists outside of it. But his stepmom has the kind of wealth and power even IV Boys can’t resist. With Nik at college, Aaron stands by Kady’s side. But all Kady really wants is Nik, and when a chance encounter on Halloween hands her the power to twist and hold time, she doesn’t hesitate. Now she can keep Nik close for as long as she wants. While Kady tries to relive her best moments with Nik, the IV Boys have her in their sights. A rumor’s spreading that Kady and Aaron are much more than friends—and not even twisting time is enough to defend against the power that the Boys were born with. The more Kady changes the clock, the more dizzying reality becomes, until she stumbles upon a truth darker than anything she could have imagined. Streetlight is filled with monsters—and maybe she’s always been one, too.