Whether it's through fan fiction, blog posts, personal essays, zines, or what’s due in English class tomorrow, many teens identify as writers. Several new YA titles explore the world where that identity and adolescence converge—dramatically. Coretta White isn't seeking the limelight when she starts her Tumblr, "Little White Lies,"  in Brianna Baker and F. Bowman Hastie III's book by the same title (Soho Teen, Aug., 2016; Gr 9 Up). For this African American teen, it’s simply a way of sharing her perspective on current events and snarky commentary on conversations with her parents. When the blog goes viral, Coretta finds that the energy it takes to keep it going is sapping her free time and thoughts. Soon the content she produces catches the eye of powerful philanthropists, and the young woman is offered an opportunity to transform her pet project into a television deal. Overwhelmed by the success, she turns to a questionable source for help—a white, male ghostwriter. Karl Ristoff is older and sardonic, and when he’s given the chance to contribute to “Little White Lies,” he reluctantly accepts. While he and Coretta develop a delicate working relationship, shadowy forces bring their agreement to light, and, ultimately, the teen confesses that she has not authored all of her posts. Scorned by classmates, her boyfriend, and anonymous readers, Coretta bands with Karl to discover who exposed them. Written in engaging dual narratives, Little White Lies balances compelling narrative and social commentary. Coretta is a winning character—sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and exceptionally self-aware for a 17-year-old. Her online fall from grace is believably written, and her uneasy relationship with her 41-year-old collaborator is amusing in its awkwardness. When the two writers transition their working relationship into a gumshoe operation, readers will be rooting for the duo to redeem themselves. While some of the villains become cartoonish by story's end, this is a satisfying tale of what can go wrong when everything seems to be going right. Reshma Kapoor has a top academic standing, tons of extracurriculars, and the relentless desire and drive to get into Stanford in Rahul Kanakia’s Enter Title Here (Disney-Hyperion, Aug., 2016; Gr 9 Up). Yet the teen knows that in the ultra competitive high school she operates in, there are no guarantees. While the editorial she writes for Huffington Post receives mixed reactions, it attracts the attention of Linda Montrose, a literary agent who offers Reshma a book contract. Convinced that the book deal is her ticket to a Stanford acceptance, the teen sits down to write only to discover that her life is wanting in book material. So Reshma sets out to cultivate a social life and a romantic relationship and to make her senior year something worth reading and writing about. The course of true literary love never does run smooth, and this study-drug addicted student soon finds herself in over her head in so many ways. Grappling with her desire to get published and a burgeoning attraction to a family friend as she watches her valedictorian ranking slip away, Reshma adopts desperate measures to achieve her goals. While hard-to-love protagonists are typical of prestige television, it’s less common to find one in young adult fiction. Reshma can be arrogant and privileged, oblivious to the problems of others, yet she is conscious of her flaws. Easy solutions to her issues with her school’s administration and classmates, and her personal conflicts, aren't available to this overachiever, even when they appear to be. And although Reshma's desire to correct her failings is rooted in her ambition, her transformation on the page is compelling to witness. Type A teens in competitive high schools may recognize themselves in this protagonist and her classmates. Writing comes naturally to Scarlett Epstein, but when her main source of fan fiction material gets cancelled, she turns to other sources of drama. In Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here (Razorbill, 2016; Gr 9 up), the eponymous protagonist is a brilliant C student who has devoted the past several years to recapping Lycanthrope High, a television show about prep school werewolves. It’s the chief creative outlet for the teen, who exists on the fringes of her actual New Jersey high school. Once her cancellation-related tears dry, Scarlett realizes she must look elsewhere for inspiration. The teen’s rapid-fire narration zings with pop culture references and slang and a deep undercurrent of sensitivity and heart. Raised by a single mother, Scarlett is acutely aware of her social status among her more affluent classmates. As an outsider, her dedication to writing online makes sense, as her audience is not familiar with her situation IRL (in real life). While Scarlett possesses a quick wit and strong opinions, the interludes featuring her fan fiction are written in a convincingly teen hand. As she riffs on the real lives of the people around her rather than werewolves, her emotions come to the forefront. For all her acid-tongued barbs, Scarlett is still a sensitive young woman, one who yearns to repair lost connections in the real world while contributing to the fan fiction community. Teens who participate in similar sites will find her story irresistible as author Breslaw so aptly captures the tech-speak of that world. Erinn Black Salge is a librarian in northern New Jersey.