Bøker av Khristina Chess

For fans of Wintergirls, The Delinquent Hero is a heart-wrenching mystery about a grieving teen's search for answers about her anorexic sister's sudden and tragic accident.It's the haunting question in these situations: why?Everyone is saying Kat fell and hit her head, causing a catastrophic brain bleed. She's severely malnourished and on life support, and in a few days, the doctors will remove the ventilator.But when 18-year-old Molly visits her sister's rental house, it looks more like a crime scene that someone cleaned up. Stories about what happened are inconsistent.Later at the hospital, when Molly whispers into her sister's ear about the odd things she discovered, alarms start wailing on Kat's cardiac monitor. It's like, even though she's supposedly brain dead, some part of Kat still hears her. Like maybe something evil happened in that house.Like maybe someone tried to murder her.Don't miss this raw and unforgettable story of a complicated sisterhood, eating disorders, and loss.

Think Looking for Alaska. In this witty novel, a pizza delivery boy in cowboy boots helps a girl with secrets find her way again.Eighteen-year-old Adriana refuses to text anymore.She doesn't drive.And she's secretly guzzling her dead mother's wine collection.No one knows about her addiction. She drinks to forget something awful she did; she drinks to go numb. And now she can't seem to stop. With no close friends or teachers at this new school and her older sister away in college now, there's nothing to stop her free-fall.Then a pizza delivery boy in cowboy boots spots her on the roof and makes an offer.Don't miss this lovely story that tackles the important issues of teen alcohol abuse, grief, and an unusual recovery journey.

For fans of Sarah Dessen's Dreamland comes a steamy thriller about a runaway teenager who escapes an abusive relationship.Love isn't supposed to take prisoners.Sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world, is missing. Police initially believe she ran away-until they locate her abandoned cell phone along the highway. No one knows she met someone online, someone older, a musician named Quentin Brock who has a cool band named Acid Mozart. He seems to be romantic, cute, and funny. He seems to be the perfect guy.By the time he reveals his true colors, Grace is trapped in another state with no way out.She doesn't even have shoes.

"With accessible prose and authentic voice, Khristina Chess weaves together twin catastrophes with empathy and realism." -Kim Cross, author of What Stands in a StormInspired by the Super Outbreak of tornados on April 27, 2011, this "opposite attracts" story of love, loss, and recovery will appeal to fans of Heroine.The worst part about the tornado isn't the car on Savannah Young's roof. It's not her missing mom or her missing cat. It's not the news that the power might not be restored for ten days or the fact that she's stranded with the neighbors.She's out of pain pills. And she doesn't have any way to reach Toby to get more.And when withdrawal sets in, she's going to get very, very sick.As residents in Savannah's subdivision come together in the aftermath of this historic severe weather event, Savannah wrestles with her opioid addiction, her grief for surviving the car crash that killed her brother, and her guilt for being The One Who Survived-twice.Falling in love with the boy next door has never happened under quite such stormy conditions.

Named a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.A romantic love triangle that will appeal to fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before--this compelling story explores insecurity and the power of words to hurt and to heal.When tall, gorgeous Brody asks Olivia to the prom, she's ecstatic--until he suggests that she use the two months before the dance to lose some weight.But how thin is thin enough?Body's comment sends Olivia on a spiral of dangerously rapid weight loss that borders on anorexia. As her pounds vanish, her friendship deepens with Ross, the new prep cook at the diner where she works. Despite his mysterious limp, he doesn't suffer crippling low self-esteem issues like she does; she can't even look at herself in the mirror anymore. The only time she doesn't feel ugly or fat is when she goes riding dirt bikes and cave-hunting with Ross. But with Brody, instead of finding romance and true love, she feels like a terrified rabbit he's going to devour.She's almost thin enough to be beautiful for the prom when the unthinkable happens."Standing ovation! Thank you for sharing your talents to help girls with their body image." - Judge, 24th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

A high-stakes YA novel that's great for fans of It's Kind of a Funny Story and The Perks of Being a Wallflower--this romantic story about academic pressure and depression will amuse and inspire.Kim absolutely, positively cannot get a B in calculus.She's on track for being valedictorian of her class and getting into the perfect college--or she was until Calculus class this year. But with report cards coming out soon, academic pressures are mounting, and anxiety threatens to overwhelm her.She's feeling desperate. Helpless. And utterly overwhelmed with anxiety.Now Kim's making secret preparations to commit suicide if she doesn't earn straight A's. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with the cute new guy in Writer's Club. But when she's backed into a corner with no other way out, can a poet help her realize that a B isn't the end of the world?"Khristina Chess' Straight A's is a good read for any young person who feels pressured to succeed, or any parent who is looking to understand the pressures felt by teens and young adults." - Amazon customer review

A great choice for fans of Hatchet, this vivid wilderness survival adventure is about a teenager who must find her way home to save herself and her mom.While walking on a rural road, Melender and her mom are attacked by a pack of dogs and fall down a near-vertical hillside into a ravine. Now they're trapped on a narrow ledge and wounded. No one knows where they are. No one even knows they're missing.They have no food, water, shelter, or warm clothes. No phone to call for help. No medical supplies. Nothing.The only positive is that Melender can walk. She doesn't want to leave her critically-wounded mom behind, but it could be days before anyone starts looking for them.They don't have that much time.In this compelling story about complicated mother-daughter relationships, Melender's riveting ordeal forces her to face real dangers as well as deep emotional truths.

"With some teen romance on the side, this is an absolute must read for any book lover." - InD'tale - Runner-Up in the 2017 RONE AwardsPerfect for readers who loved Far from the Tree--this moving YA contemporary is the story of a super-smart teen girl with an unplanned pregnancy and an impossible choice.Acceptance into MIT means everything to eighteen-year-old Kansas Jones, who is class president, top female swimmer on the varsity team, a straight-A student, and member of the local teen robotics club. But one misstep leads to an unplanned pregnancy that threatens to unravel her immaculate resume. Twelve weeks seems like plenty of time to have an abortion, except things are stacking up: finals, college applications, her MIT interview, and finishing the robot for the R2-RoboCon competition.When a close family member loses a child, Kansas sees how she could fix everything. But is she willing to give up her dreams for the future to carry this unplanned pregnancy to term--and will she really be able to give the baby up for adoption in the end?Don't miss this beautiful story that tackles important issues of family and teen pregnancy.