Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Stephanie Augustine
YA Review: Fight Song (Kirk Van Brunt)
About the Book: A talented yet cynical Indigenous teen hockey player escapes a dangerous situation in the foster care system in this powerful and timely YA novel. It’s not easy to miss Nokes Lasley, especially when she’s on the ice. Towering over the competition at over six feet tall, she routinely dominates on the right wing—and her no-nonsense approach and fiery temper have helped to solidify her reputation as a hockey superstar.
YA Review: Gingerbread Bones (Lindsay Lovise)
About the Book: They’re being hunted… When sixteen-year-old Georgie and her troublemaking brother are shipped off to the wilderness for their stepmother’s newest reality show, Georgie is convinced it’ll be the worst experience of her life. Two weeks. No phones. Hiking. Camping. Cameras catching every humiliating second. Then she meets Mack Gray. Tattooed, unreadable, and―among a cast of kids already branded as trouble―he’s the one she’s sure is dangerous.
YA Review: Off Balance (The Heights, 2) (Paula Chase)
About the Book: Gossip is juicier, secrets are bigger, and tensions are higher than ever in this riveting sequel to Balancing Act. Hot Lipz, everyone’s favorite–or least favorite–Chatter account is back at it, stirring up gossip among the rival schools in Da Icy City. Selena knows that it’s only a matter of time before she finds herself on the other end of the rumors―and she has a secret.
YA Review: Light Up My Life (Kasie West)
About the Book: Romeo & Juliet meets cozy Christmas rom-com in this delectable new novel from beloved author Kasie West. What happens when the son and daughter of two rival families–both competing for the best decorated house this holiday–fall in love? Perfect for fans of Fake Skating and Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice! This edition features gorgeous stenciled edges! For as long as Jasmine Costa can remember, her family has had a sworn enemy: the snobby Moreno family, who live next door.
YA Review: Everything New Again (Renee Watson)
About the Book: Bliss knows there’s more to life than what she’s experienced in her small town. She’s ready to be the girl who isn’t just waiting anymore, who can make something happen. Working in her family’s funeral home, she can’t help but ponder what it means to truly live and what it takes to leave a lasting legacy.
YA Review: Queens of the Crypt, Vol. 1 (Dom&Ink)
About the Book: E. M. Carroll meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a dash of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in this debut young adult graphic novel that is a celebration of horror, queerness, and figuring out who you want to be.
YA Review: Empire (Heir #2) (Sabaa Tahir)
About the Book: The gripping conclusion to the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic fantasy duology that began with HEIR, from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author Sabaa Tahir. A falling empire. An ancient evil. A lost homeland. A lie that could destroy the world. In the crumbling Martial Empire, crown prince Quil Farrar and his aunt, Empress Helene, are losing a war against the vicious Kegari horde.
YA Review: Radio Free Texas (Libba Bray)
About the Book: From beloved bestselling author Libba Bray, a story of love, rock n’ roll, and sex (in that order) in 1980s Texas. Bowie (pronounced “boo-eee”) is a little bit lost in his small Texas town. As he starts his senior year, the only thing he’s pretty sure of is that he has a crush on Comet Jensen, a girl who’s such a firecracker that she actually sets a firecracker off on the first day of school.
YA Review: The Pools (E. Lockhart)
About the Book: Once, in a small New England town known for its hot springs, something terrible happened. Something that should have been a warning to stay away from the pools, if the stories were to be believed. But no one is afraid of the water anymore, even if they should be. When new girl Lexie meets golden boy Chester, their chemistry is undeniable. She’s running from a glittering life she won’t speak about. He’s hiding secrets of his own.
YA Review: It’s Only Dancing (Jasmine Guillory)
About the Book: It’s the summer before her senior year of high school and Kat (Kitty to her family) planned to spend it reading good books, working on her college applications, and enjoying her independence. Instead, she’s stuck for an entire month with her family at a camp in the desert in Southern California. When she stumbles across a staff party on the first night, she’s jealous of their joyful, uninhibited dancing.
YA Review: Ghosted (Wendelin Van Draanen)
About the Book: Can a girl and a ghost get their happily ever after? Find out in this sweet new teen romance from the award-winning author of Flipped. Gemma and Jimmy have known each other practically all of Gemma’s life, but it isn’t until she starts high school that she notices that eternally-fifteen-year-old Jimmy is… well… dreamy! He’s kinder and funnier than the other boys her age, and she feels like her best self when she’s with him.
YA Review: Libertad (Cassandra James)
About the Book: In this conclusion to a sweepingly epic seafaring romantasy duology—perfect for fans of Daughter of the Pirate King, Curious Tides, and The Hurricane Wars—Ximena Reale is trying to bring down an empire. But with her loyalties torn, she finds herself grappling with the true price of freedom…and love. Alongside her sister, Ximena Reale now sails under the banner of the legendary pirate Gasparilla.
YA Reveiw: Capitana (Cassandra James)
About the Book: Prepare to set sail with this riveting romantasy—the first in a duology—that’s filled with complex characters, sizzling chemistry, and evocative action. A must-read for fans of Daughter of the Pirate King and Fable! Ximena Reale has spent most of her life training at La Academia to join the Cazadores, seafaring hunters who track down pirates. But her future is uncertain, thanks to her parents’ questionable reputation.
YA Review: The Velvet Knife (Truly Devious #6) (Maureen Johnson)
About the Book: Return to the world of Truly Devious as Stevie Bell and her friends travel to New York to solve a murder in the next standalone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson. Stevie might be the greatest teenage detective Ellingham Academy and the world has ever seen, but even she can’t figure out what happened with her boyfriend, David. What she needs is a distraction: a good old-fashioned murder. Stevie is much happier dealing with dead people.
YA Review: When the World Was Happy (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)
About the Book: Two starred reviews! A “heartrending yetbeautiful” (School Library Journal, starred review) tale of twins and their group of friends who are forced to navigate life, relationships, and grief after their world is turned upside down from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz. CheChe knows that he and his twin sister Emma lead an unusual life.
YA Review: Night of Madness (Ryan Douglass)
About the Book: Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film.
YA Review: Just the Good Parts (Robbie Couch)
About the Book: From the New York Times bestselling author of If I See You Again Tomorrow comes a stunningly romantic, speculative novel about a teen looking for his missing dad, who keeps getting pulled into others’ memories and crossing paths with a handsome stranger who also doesn’t belong there. Caspen Coolsby’s dad is missing. But even though it’s only been a few months, everyone has given up on finding him. Except for Caspen.
YA Review: Where There’s a Whisk (Sarah J Schmitt)
About the Book: Life is what you bake it. Peyton Sinclaire wants nothing more than to escape her life as a diner waitress in her small, North Florida town and attend culinary school. Top Teen Chef , Food TV’s new show that pairs reality TV drama with a fast-paced culinary competition, is her ticket out of her boring future.
YA Review: Death Card (Jasmine Smith)
About the Book: A dark contemporary fantasy featuring witchcraft, tarot, death, and a bit of romance that’s perfect for fans of Immortal Dark and Cinderella Is Dead. The paperback edition features stunning stenciled edges! On an ordinary Monday morning, eighteen-year-old Mikaela Broussard receives the shock of her life. During a customer’s tarot reading at her family’s occult shop, she turns over the Death card and envisions the beautiful stranger stabbing her in the heart.
YA Review: Shorelines (Ruth Ennis)
About the Book: When proud mermaid Muireann flees her climate-ravaged ocean in search of hope on land, she confronts human cruelty and body-shaming as she struggles to find her true home and voice. Caught between a dying ocean and a divided world, she must grapple between the sea that made her and the surface that might break her – in this stunning verse novel that reimagines The Little Mermaid. Muireann is a mermaid – fierce, curious and proud of the body that keeps her warm beneath the waves.
YA Review: A Dangerous Bargain (Erin Cotter)
About the Book: It’s the height of the Italian Renaissance. In the golden city of Florence, art is equal to holiness—and angels walk among us, bestowing their talents…for a price. Seventeen-year-old artist Virgil is in trouble. To support his family, he’s bargained most of his life away to an angel—only to discover that his missing brother is in danger, and nothing but magic can rescue him.
YA Review: Insatiable (Erica Ridley)
About the Book: A chilling Gothic horror novel set at a coed boarding school in Scotland, where a teen girl must not only fight against her monstrous male classmates but the monster growing within her after being cursed. Every wish granted comes with strings attached. That’s how Catriona Cameron gets a scholarship to Floodbane Academy—an elite boarding school in the Scottish Lowlands she never applied to—where she’ll be one of only six girls to enter the castle’s unwelcoming halls.
YA Review: As I Dream of You (Jennifer Lee) (LeUyen Pham)
About the Book: Franny and Sam are each other’s entire world. So what do you do when your world ends? Frozen’s Jennifer Lee and Lunar New Year Love Story’s LeUyen Pham deliver a tour de force young adult romance with a supernatural twist. Falling in love is supposed to hurt. That’s what Franny and Sam, two cynical teenagers raised on tales of heartbreak and loss, have come to understand.
YA Review: How to Be Normal (Ange Crawford)
About the Book: When her dad loses his job, Astrid’s homeschooling comes to an end. Until now, she has lived within the confines of a tightly controlled, contracted world where there’s no room for anything . . . except following her father’s rules and pretending that everything is normal. As Astrid and her mom tentatively expand their world, they struggle to break free of their ingrained wariness and self-doubt.
YA Review: The Complex Art of Being Maisie Clark (Sabrina Kleckner)
About the Book: All eighteen-year-old Maisie Clark wants to do is leave her tiny town in upstate New York. Crescent Valley is home to Glenna’s, the family-run portrait shop she loves more than anything. But after years of imitating her dad’s artistic style, Maisie fears she will never find her own voice. So, she comes up with a plan: quit working at Glenna’s, go to art school in London, and, most importantly, stop painting portraits.
YA Review: Salvage (Renee Nault)
About the Book: Paolo lives in the Flats, a dangerous, water-logged community where families survive by salvaging materials from skyscrapers hidden just beneath the ocean’s surface—remnants of a world before sea levels rose. Scavenging the depths comes with its risks, but when Paolo discovers a suitcase of designer clothes, he decides to fulfill his dream: To spend one night in the Uplands, a place of privilege, excess, and freedom.
YA Review: The Thorn Queen (Sasha Peyton Smith)
About the Book: Wed to one brother. In love with the other. Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain. Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England. But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world.
YA Review: The Night King’s Court (Elisa A. Bonnin)
About the Book: Caraval meets Flowerheart in this rich and immersive cozy fantasy, where dazzling magic, lush descriptions, and a sweet sapphic romance cast an irresistible spell. Ida’s father went missing without a trace seven years ago, last seen at the court of the enigmatic Night King, which comes to life only after dark with magic and revelry. So when a position opens up for a new court Luminaire, Ida doesn’t hesitate.
YA Review: You’ve Goth My Heart (L.C. Rosen)
About the Book: A blood-curdlingly spooky and darkly funny romance about how falling in love is scary AF, perfect for fans of Wednesday and Heartstopper. When Gray gets a text from a wrong number, he’s pretty sure it’s a serial killer—or worse, his ex—on the other end of the line. But, the anonymous texter shares his same taste in music and movies, and Gray’s bored while stuck at home all summer, so why not respond?
YA Review: Like We Were in Paris (Stephan Lee)
About the Book: Heartstopper meets Before Sunrise in this irresistible, swoony YA rom-com about two boys unexpectedly falling in love over the course of one night in Paris. Ben Lim is so excited for his French Club’s trip to the most romantic city in the world: Paris. Ben’s even made a to-do list of all the things he wants to accomplish, like see the Mona Lisa IRL and read a book in a sophisticated cafe.
YA Review: No One Leaves The Manor (Kelly McWilliams)
*About the Book* It’s 1921, and Mrs. Caroline Reginald Kane, the last surviving descendant of a family of oil barons, has invited four young debutantes to visit her at Greystone Manor. There, they’ll compete for the ultimate prize: to become heir to her unspeakably vast fortune. But only one girl can win. And the manor is watching. Dorothea is a thief, and the best liar in the American Northeast.
YA Review: Mixed Up (Leon Diop)
About the Book: A groundbreaking memoir about growing up mixed-race in Ireland, by the recent European Leader of the Obama Foundation: Irish Book Award-winning author and media personality Leon Diop. Mixed-race experience has never been described so honestly. Diop, a charismatic public figure and strong positive male role-model for young people, tells his story from his first day as the only mixed race boy in school to his powerful recent experience reconnecting with his African roots in Senegal.
YA Review: I Am Not A Vampire (Anymore) (Darcy Miller)
About the Book: Her past is back for blood. My goals for senior year were simple: Find a prom dress I don’t hate Spend as much time as possible with my amazing boyfriend Max (and my even more amazing best friend Sarita) Maybe try not to flunk history class My plans did NOT include: Babysitting a newborn vampire—who also happens to be Max’s annoying (and annoyingly cute) buddy Ezra Fighting off my ex-boyfriend—who did I mention is immortal?
YA Review: Capsized (Charlotte Lillie Balogh)
About the Book: A mystery and coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of an elite all-girls rowing club as they navigate first loves, first heartbreaks, and the bonds that form when winning isn’t the only thing on the line. Soon to be adapted for Hulu, by the producer of Pretty Little Liars! For high-achieving Margaret Douglas, rowing is everything—her friends, her family, and her way into college. As a senior and varsity captain, she has made many sacrifices to get where she is.
YA Review: Good Luck, Babe! (Erin Baldwin)
About the Book: In Erin Baldwin’s new YA romance novel, fake dating isn’t just complicated–it’s competitive. “Good Luck, Babe! is nothing short of iconic . . . this book is fun and honest and relatable in the best way.” —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hip—until the summer after junior year.
YA Review: The Twelve (Joey Graceffa)
About the Book: From New York Times bestselling author and renowned creator Joey Graceffa comes a pulse-pounding YA fantasy where witches hunt witches, magic has a price, and sisterhood is the only thing standing between light and darkness. Welcome to the coven. Each month, a Zodiac Witch is born, her magic written by the stars. Ophelia and Serena—twin sisters born on the cusp of Pisces and Aries—are trapped in the cold confines of an orphanage until fate rips them from obscurity.
YA Review: Goldenborn (Ama Ofosua Lieb)
About the Book: A girl with a mission. A god with a deal. A story that could change everything. When 17-year-old Akoma Addo stumbles into a world of ancient gods and modern magic, she’ll have to choose between saving her father… or staying true to everything she’s ever believed. Akoma Addo has one rule: don’t get too close to the supernatural.
YA Review: Coming Out Perfect (Richard Mercado)
About the Book: From Ignatz-nominated cartoonist Richard Mercado comes a refreshingly honest and moving YA graphic novel perfect for fans of queer coming-of-age stories like Heartstopper. When Kevin’s parents ignore his attempts to come out of the closet, he devises a plan to become more like Raymond, the popular gay kid at his high school. After all, if Kevin can do everything perfectly, too, then people will have to pay attention to him.
YA Review: Your Boyfriend Needs an Exorcist (Justine Pucella Winans)
About the Book: Jennifer’s Body meets The Weight of Blood in this horror-comedy about an evil spirit looking for a second chance at love and life. Just because Schuyler is a bloodthirsty evil spirit doesn’t mean she can’t fall in love. Ever since Wren Castillo moved into the house Schuyler haunts, Schuyler has been crushing hard. But Wren has a boyfriend, Enzo, and he’s the worst. Schuyler has no choice but to watch as Enzo treats Wren terribly-until she accidentally possesses him.
YA Review: Their Will Undone (R.J. Valldeperas)
About the Book: A debut YA fantasy must-read for fans of The Winner’s Curse, What the River Knows, and This Woven Kingdom. When a maiden is selected to marry the emperor, her journey to the palace will see her fighting both a spark of magical power and her growing feelings for her broody escort in this romantic fantasy duology opener, inspired by a true story from the Inca empire. In Amaru, it is an honor to be chosen in the annual harvest and serve the gods’-favored emperor.
YA Review: You Started It
About the Book: Better Than the Movies meets Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour in a new YA romance novel from Something More author, Jackie Khalilieh. Seventeen-year-old Jamie Taher-Foster has big plans for senior year. She’s made a list of things and places in Toronto she and her boyfriend of three years, Ben Cameron, need to check off before graduating. And the biggest plan of all: a very special night for the two of them at the upcoming Winter Formal.
YA Review:The Beckett Effect (Nashae Jones)
About the Book: A girl pledges revenge on her school’s playboy—only to start falling for him—in this hilarious teen rom-com perfect for fans of classics like John Tucker Must Die and Clueless. There’s no one Wren hates more than Beckett Lane. Girls love Beckett because of his famous dad, and Beckett revels in the unearned attention.
YA Review: My Wonderful Disgrace (Angourie Rice & Kate Rice)
About the Book: What really happened on the night of the Senior Year Ball? Expect the unexpected in this uproarious, edgy, and much-anticipated second novel from the celebrated team behind Stuck Up and Stupid. Amy Middleton isn’t in love with Leo Prince. Not yet. The Senior Year Ball is days away, and he still hasn’t agreed to be her date. But Amy can imagine it all in advance: a night of supreme perfection.
YA Review: Monster, Monarch, Maiden (Rae Carson)
About the Book: A sweeping stand-alone fantasy from award-winning and bestselling master of the genre, Rae Carson. After she loses everything, Bria will do whatever it takes to survive—even pledge herself to a secretive young man on a perilous quest. Breathtaking adventure and swoon-worthy romance for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Ava Reid, and Rebecca Ross. Bria Angarsold isn’t supposed to be a hero. She’s just a mountain girl.
YA Review: Heart Check (Emily Charlotte)
About the Book: A star hockey player and his biggest critic must reexamine their assumptions about each other when forced to work together at an after-school job in this feel-good young adult rom-com debut about breaking the ice. Luke Dawson and Harper Braedon could have been friends. They trade shifts at the same diner, share classes at school, and are driven by their greatest passions: hockey for Dawson and jewelry-making for Harper. But some things aren’t meant to be.
YA Review: The Afterlands (The Infinity Courts, #3) (Akemi Dawn Bowman)
About the Book: Nami must race against time to save Infinity—and humanity—in the explosive third and final book in the “cerebral and pulse-pounding” (School Library Journal, starred review, on Infinity Courts) Infinity Courts series from critically acclaimed author Akemi Dawn Bowman. Infinity has changed. Victory and Famine lie in ruins, while Ozias—previously the leader of the fight against the AI Residents who subjugated humans—has overthrown Death.
YA Review: Summerwork (Carrie Mesrobian)
About the Book: Set in a single sweltering summer, the story of two traumatized teenagers picking up the pieces of their lives in the wreckage of a bizarre gothic mansion. Seventeen-year-old Leo Arceneaux has been raised by his mother and uncle, having lost his father in a shockingly random murder when he was two. Connor Rigby is the teenage daughter of a wealthy lifestyle influencer. She has no idea who her father is.
YA Review: The Season of Light and Darkness (Jillian Cantor)
About the Book: In the months since a dictator was elected president, the United States has been turned upside down. Dissenters are deemed terrorists, including sixteen-year-old Ellie Jacobs’s family. To escape persecution, the four of them—Ellie, her younger brother Scott, and their parents—decide to freeze themselves cryogenically for ten years in her father’s lab. In ten years, things will be better. They have to be.
YA Review: How Far I’ll Go: A Twisted Tale (Keala Kendall)
About the Book: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • What if Moana broke the heart of Te Fiti? After a devastating battle with Te Kā, Moana’s worst fears are realized: the heart of Te Fiti is in ruins, Maui is frozen in volcanic rock, and darkness threatens to envelop her beloved home. Desperate to fix things, Moana stumbles upon an island already crumbling under the blight. All life is gone, save one sole survivor—a young woman named Noe.
YA Review: The Invocations (Krystal Sutherland)
About the Book: From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night. AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . . Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Stephanie
Contact Stephanie, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack