High school can be tough, and sometimes all you need is a good escape. So, if you’re in the thick of senior year, here are our top YA book recommendations for getting you through!

Margot Mertz for the Win by Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy

You know. If you want to laugh and enjoy someone else’s drama instead of your own.

It’s senior year. And Margot’s on a mission to be a better Margot. Which means saying goodbye to her old cleanup ways—and their inherent moral ambiguities.

Until Margot finds herself roped into a second election, this one for school president. But when a mysterious blackmail plot emerges, and a loathsome opponent rises in the class race, Margot might have to return to the cleanup job she thought she’d left behind. 

Rising Troublemaker by Luvvie Ayaji Jones

If the “What are you planning to do with your life?” questions are starting to haunt you, this is a great place to start.

In this young readers edition of her New York Times bestseller Professional Troublemaker, Luvvie Ajayi Jones uses her honesty and humor to inspire teens to be their bravest, boldest, truest selves, in order to create a world they would be proud to live in.

You Are More Than Magic by Minda Harts

Perfect for graduation and other transitional milestones, this guide is for girls of color looking to find their voice and claim space as they prepare for high school, college, and their careers, from the bestselling author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table.

With and Without You by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley

If you’re looking for a senior year high school romance to fall into, #Wibbroka has got you.

If high school seniors Siena and Patrick were a superlative, they’d be Couple Most Likely to Marry. Three solid years of dating, and everyone agrees they’re perfect for each other. But with college on the horizon, Siena begins to wonder whether staying together is the best idea. Does she really want to be tied down during the most transformative years of her life? So she makes a decision to break up with Patrick, convincing herself it’s for the best. Though, before she can get the words out, he beats her to the punch: his family is moving. He’ll be spending senior year in Austin. A thousand miles away. Caught off guard by the news, Siena agrees to stay with Patrick, believing their relationship will naturally fizzle out with time and distance. But over a series of visits throughout the school year, Siena begins to see a different side of Patrick–one that has her falling in love with him all over again.

How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy

Sick of school? Might we recommend…a witchy magic boarding school instead?? Welcome to T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School! A talented witch competes for a prestigious scholarship at her cutthroat high school in this contemporary fantasy for fans of Never Have I Ever and Sabrina the Teen Witch.

Seton Girls by Charlene Thomas

Looking for a twisty high school thriller? This debut 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.