Stephanie, being busy buying books (lucky for some!), has offered up these two thought-provoking titles as her favourites of the year (plot summaries included from the catalogue):

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend’s death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

Hate List, by Jennifer Brown

Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.