Listen, we get you. Graduating is HARD! You’ve spent so many years on a path that was decided for you before you could talk, and now all of a sudden there are too many options on what to do next (or sometimes not enough). Do you go to college or graduate school? Get a job? Pursue something practical or finally follow a dream you’ve been fostering?

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

Noah Oakman doesn’t know what he wants to do. He’s been swimming all his life but he’s never had a passion for it. Both of his best friends seem to know who they are and what they want, and suddenly it seems like that means splitting up their perfect trio. Then, the day before classes start, Noah is hypnotized and suddenly small changes start popping up – his friend’s passions, his parent’s quirks, even the classes he’s taking. The only thing untouched are Noah’s “Strange Fascinations” and they might just hold the key to figuring out what happened and how to set things right again. Watch the haunting trailer here!

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi

If you can’t stick to one activity and have a tendancy to quit halfway through, then you and Scott Ferdowsi have a lot in common. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion! College applications are looming and his parents are pushing him to settle on a “practical” career,  so Scott sneaks off to Washington, DC, seeking guidance from a famous psychologist who claims to know the secret to success.

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

One day, one moment, one person… can change everything. In I Have Lost My Way we follow Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel, all of whom can’t seem to figure out what path in life they want to walk. Freya is a singer who’s lost her voice, Harun has lost his lover and fears losing his family, and Nathaniel has lost it all. Only through a chance meeting in Central Park can these three souls find the path they were meant to walk… together.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

College freshman Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks, not even her best friend Mabel. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break as Marin waits for Mabel who is coming to visit, she will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer

When high school seniors start randomly exploding, Mara Carlyle only has one goal – make it to graduation in one piece, and maybe keep her best friend and boyfriend in tact as well! Hilarious, wry, raw, and utterly unexpected Spontaneous perfectly captures the fear and excitement of life after high school and the hope that we’ll make it there whole. Check out some movie news here!

Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index by Julie Israel

Losing a loved one is hard, but it’s even harder when you have a terrible secret about that night weighing you down. Such is life for high-school junior Juniper Lemon who feels totally adrift after an accident takes her sister’s life. As a single notecard leads her down a rabbit hole of sleuthing and mystery she just might discover something about herself along the way and what direction her life might be meant to take.

The Disenchantments by  Nina LaCour

When Colby’s after graduation plans – hit the road with Bev’s band The Disenchantments, then spend the year wandering around Europe – fall apart when Bev lets Colby know she’s actually going to college in the fall, her whole summer is thrown for a loop. But the show must go on and as The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest Colby struggles to deal with Bev’s growing distance and the most important question of all: what’s next?

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Coming on August 28th is the tale of Darius, a American-Iranian teenager who doesn’t feel like he belongs entirely in either world. He speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones, and his clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters. Then Darius meets Sohrab and everything changes. Pre-order it now!

Looking for more recommendations? Check out this list of YA artists we love!