This is a collection of previews for Penguin Teens new "Game Changers". After reading all of the previews, I can say for certain that I will be picking up these books. Each one was uniquely interesting and kept me wanting more.

I'm so excited for all of these!!

➽ I've already read and LOVED the sampler to Warcross by Marie Lu. I can't wait to read the full copy!! Lu's 

➽ I've also read and loved the entirety of Jane Unlimited. This book blew my mind, and I'd recommend it to anyone who liked Cashore's Bitterblue.

➽ I was not a fan of There's Someone Inside Your House. It feels very much like a cheesy horror flick, and I'm not a fan. Perhaps it's meant to be a subversion?

➽ I didn't actually finish the sampler of Things I'm Seeing Without You. It felt very much like some of my least favorite contemporaries - the ones that are more focused on quirks than personality traits. Perhaps I'm wrong, and it's hard to know from the sampler, but I am definitely not interested in this. 

➽ The sampler of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was AMAZING. Wow, I can't WAIT to read this!! The heroine feels like an appropriate antihero. Definitely check this out.

I just didn't find interest in the book after a few chapters.

A nice look at new YA books coming out this fall. I'm particularly excited for Warcross by Marie Lu!

I was so excited to get this sampler -- I've read all of Kristin Cashore's books and reading a chapter from Jane, Unlimited was fantastic. I was also interested in Marie Lu's Warcross novel, and this sampler has just added more books to my 'to read' list!

An incredible selection of samplers from some o the most anticipated titles in YA of this year.

Warcross

Pub: 9/12/17

The first five seconds into this one it was a hard no because of the main characters voice did not appeal to me. I’m not engaged by this one.

+Older heroine who lives a different lifestyle

-pacing (which probably is because (I read a couple of pages of this and knew I did like it.)

Continue? Nope


Jane Unlimited

Pub: 9/19/17

+different view of teens (dropout)

-voice of the characters it felt like they were trying hard to be quirky at times, it did not engage me

Continue? No


Someone Inside Your House

Pub: 9/26/17

I wanted this to do well because I do want more horror non-supernatural young adult to do well. It is readable. Emotionally I am just not into it.

+Main character is Hawaiian, it was readable (it did not feel heavy)

– It was not scary/suspenseful to me

Continue? No


Things I’m Seeing Without You

Pub: 10/3/17

+Short chapters, different lifestyle (high school boarding school dropout)

-voice of main character

Continue? No


Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Pub: 10/10/17

I like the description of this the most so I thought I will actually like this one. I was right.

+I really liked the mythology, pace, that it showed early on it can be dark/gory (saying to me yes I can and will go there). The chapters were short which ties into the pacing and the overall good job she does with giving the world and mythology info.

Continue? Yes

Overall

It was an okay sampler, did not like 4 of 5 of the books. There was variety in terms of the characters lifestyles, and genre.

Favorite Cover: There’s Someone Inside Your House

Favorite Book: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

I got to stop requesting short stories and samplers... hate reading them because they just get good and its over!

There are definetely some books i'm adding to my tbr, Warcross and There's someone in your house look awesome readings i'll be totally waiting to read asap.
 To be honest, i didn't care much for all the rest of the books.

This is incredible! I am squealing with delight and I can't wait!!!

The struggle is real. This awesome sampler just made my anticipation of these books fly right through the roof!

WARCROSS  By Marie Lu 
I like this excerpt, it reminds me of ready player one. Adding this to my 'to read' list

JANE, UNLIMITED By Kristin Cashore
Where is this story going? It's really slow moving, didn't spark my interest.

THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE. By Stephanie Perkins
I like this excerpt also, reminds me of the movie scream. Adding to my 'to read' list

THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU. By Peter Bognanni
Slow moving, didn't keep my interest

FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS. By Julie C. Dao
While reading I was curious to see where it was going but I'm not sure I'm curious enough to seek it out later.

Of the five books in this sampler, only 2 really stood out to me as must reads: 'Warcross' and 'Things I'm Seeing Without You.' They each intrigued me and I was instantly invested in the stories and I cannot wait to read them. 

'Jane Unlimited' couldn't hold me attention and I didn't particularly care about any of the characters, so I will not be anticipating this release, unfortunately. The same happened with 'Forest of a Thousand Lanterns.' I kept finding my mind wandering and I didn't have any connection with the characters. 

'There's Someone Inside Your House' gave me 90s slasher thriller vibes and definitely piqued my interest in chapter 1. However, chapter 2 lost me a bit when it turned into a typical YA novel. I'm not sure about whether I'll be picking this up when it's released, but I would like to see what happened.

The title is correct in calling these gamechangers. These books are going to change lives! They are so amazing and I'm so glad one day everyone gets to enjoy them! So happy I got to read them early.

This is a sampler of five upcoming books from Penguin.  
Warcross is a gritty futuristic story about a a down-on-her-luck girl who seems teen-ish, but talks about the fact that she should be in college.  She tells the reader she apparently fills her time and eases her self-pity with a string of random one-night stands, and owes lots of money to a scummy landlord who thinks she should go get a job as a "working girl".  I'm assuming it's supposed to be futuristic due to the flying skateboard, but that seems to be about the only thing futuristic about the first couple chapters.  The main character also references a rough childhood with an artist father who gambled all their money away and then her ensuing time in foster care.  This book is not for me. 
Jane, Unlimited seems promising, but for the f-word (it's not highly prevalent in the sample, but obviously the author has no qualms about it) and, again, possibly some casual teen sexual relationships (hinted at, not explicit).  Jane is a college drop-out who recently lost her only close relative, her Aunt Magnolia, who was an underwater photographer and adventurer.  Jane's life without her Aunt seems to have lost all luster, and the free tuition for professor's kids has gone with her.  Kiran, a rich friend from her past suddenly resurfaces with an invitation to her family home and a Spring Gala.  Oddly enough, the one promise Jane's Aunt requested that she keep was to never turn down an invitation to Kiran's family mansion.  The writing and descriptions of the home paint elaborate pictures and draw the reader in.  However, the story of an outsider suddenly pulled into a magical and privileged world seems like it leans heavily on the quirkiness of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the convoluted relationships of a privileged family like the Cullens.    I'd probably read the rest of this one.
There's Someone Inside Your House is the angsty-est sounding teen book I've sampled in a long time - the first two chapters do not suggest "fun... and quick-witted" as the blurb promises.  I do enjoy plenty of teen fiction, I just don't like the cliche stuff.  The first few pages follow Haley, and strange events going on in her house over the course of an afternoon.  Haley is the first victim, and then the focus switches to a group of three friends, a goth girl and a transgender boy who have been lifelong friends, and the new girl they've adopted as part of their circle.  Again, just from the first couple of chapters, there is some profanity, and plenty of references to casual teen hook-ups.  I gather that the remainder of the book will be the three friends trying to find the killer.
Things I'm Seeing Without You seems to continue the theme of the sampler, teen hook-ups, recreational drug use, and dropping out of school.  Again, not for me.  Even as an adult reader of juvenile and young adult fiction, I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of teenagers who do not want to read angst all the time.  Give me something original and imaginative.

Great previews! this helped me add a few items to my wishlist.

This is a great collection of samples for upcoming 2017 releases. Its definitely made me excited for these novels, and I *may* have preordered a bunch of them.

I loved Warcross and will definitely be buying it. I like the other ones but none of them really caught my interest all the way through. I did finish reading them and would recommend them to people that said they were interested in books similar. But I would not handsell the other ones. Thank you for letting me read these excerpts and I'm excited for the books to come out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC of “Penguin Teen Game-Changers”. I am most excited about “Warcross” By Marie Lu. Of course, it is going to be amazing because it is by Marie Lu but I was surprised at how interested I was since video game as a topic does not typically interest me. “Forest of a Thousand Lanterns” By Julie C. Dao is going to be extremely popular. The villain as main character story is hard to do properly but as far as I have read Julie C. Dao has accomplished it.