5 YA books that offer a nuanced reading experience for summer

Summer is often touted as the season of the "beach read" — a time for fluffy, feel-good books that don't require much from the reader aside from showing up with a floppy hat and a frosty drink.

And while there are plenty of new (and delightful!) books on offer this summer that are perfect for pool-side lounging, the YA releases I'm most excited about offer a more nuanced reading experience — the stuff of sticky, heat-stroke dreams; overgrown, light-saturated wildflower fields; and the twisted alleys of old cities waking from their winter slumbers.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson

Lou is looking forward to her last summer working at her uncle's ice-cream shack. As a Métis girl growing up in Western Canada, Lou's life has had its share of trauma, from day-to-day racism to the intergenerational damage done to her family by colonialist institutions. But this summer, things will