The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss - OPTIONAL

The Escape Game (The Escape Game #1) by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, 416 pages. Putnam's (Penguin), 2026. $15

Language: R (149 swears, 9 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (gentle, brief kiss); Violence: PG-13 (off page abuse of a child, stabbing and gunshot wounds, and a bloody death)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Season five of The Escape Game is beginning, even though season four ended with the murder of a contestant, Alicia Angelos. Alicia’s sister, Sierra, is a current contestant and her goal is to solve the mystery of her sister’s death. The contestants are a diverse group with varied backgrounds and skills. The more she learns about the others involved in the contest, Sierra realizes that they all have something to hide. Will she be able to get justice for her sister’s death?

The character development is strong. A wonderful character driven mystery. I love the teamwork that pushes the story along and I enjoyed the puzzle concept.

Sierra and Alicia have pale skin. The rest of the characters are a mix of ethnicities with olive, brown and black skin.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller - OPTIONAL

Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller, 384 pages. Penguin Random House, 2026. $14

Language: R (100+ swears, 19 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (sexual references, kissing, drinking, drugs); Violence: PG (pranks, rivalry) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12th grader Eliza Crowley is well known in Fairfield as her family owns the local stadium, and her dad coaches baseball. Eliza herself has a passion for stage lighting and is working on this summer’s  production of Romeo and Juliet. Reed Fulton returns to Fairfield after his grandfather asked him to pitch for a new baseball team that hopes to take down the Crowley Cardinals. The two families have been feuding since the Crowleys won the bid to buy the stadium over the Fultons. After a bet puts the stadium on the line, the stakes are higher than ever. Eliza and Reed try to focus on baseball and theater, but something keeps drawing them together.

I enjoyed that this sports-themed romance had parallels to Romeo and Juliet. It also tackles themes of wealth differences, family legacy, handling pressure, and having a military parent. The novel has some familiar tropes and convenient turn-of-events common in romances, but the rich secondary plot adds depth.

Main characters read white. Minor secondary characters are LGBT+.

Ms. Megan, HS Librarian