[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
The New Adult Book Prize has announced its 2026 shortlist!<\/p>\n
Run by The Bookseller in association with Cheltenham Literature Festival, the award is the first of its kind to recognise and affirm new adult fiction as an established space for books that celebrate the joys and challenges of early adulthood<\/p>\n
Browse these shortlisted titles, now available to borrow with your library card.<\/p>\n
Want more suggested books? Take a look at our recommendations<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Among-the-Burning-Flowers.jpg” alt=”Among the Burning Flowers” title_text=”Among the Burning Flowers” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=4127215″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Samantha Shannon<\/strong><\/p>\n It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing almost extinguishing humankind. Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. <\/p>\n Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world. A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries. <\/p>\n And now the great wyrm Fyredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall.<\/p>\n Borrow Among the Burning Flowers<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Dawn-of-the-Firebird.jpg” alt=”Dawn of the Firebird” title_text=”Dawn of the Firebird” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=3924794″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Sarah Mughal Rana<\/strong><\/p>\n The discarded daughter of an emperor, Khamilla Zahr-zad is raised with her mother’s nomadic tribe until a violent raid ends that peaceful life. <\/p>\n Amid the chaos of death, the heavenly magic of nur awakens within her, granting her the power to wield a cosmic light. Khamilla suddenly goes from outsider to weapon, finally accepted into her father’s court. <\/p>\n Now worthy, she trains in combat and poisons, pledging loyalty to his throne. But tragedy strikes again and when her clansmen are defeated by a rival empire, Khamilla vows lasting vengeance as she escapes.<\/p>\n Borrow Dawn of the Firebird<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Swept-Away.jpg” alt=”Swept Away” title_text=”Swept Away” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=3750982″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Beth O\u2019Leary<\/strong><\/p>\n Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn’t she? Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he’ll break his rules. Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another and they end up stumbling home to the marina together. <\/p>\n The next morning, hungover and shaken by an amazing night together, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There’s just one small problem – the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea. <\/p>\n As their supplies start to run dangerously low, and the waves pick up, Zeke and Lexi soon realise there’s much more on the line than their new relationship.<\/p>\n Borrow Swept Away<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/And-Now-Back-to-You.jpg” alt=”And Now Back to You” title_text=”And Now Back to You” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=3968383″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n B.K. Borison<\/strong><\/p>\n Jackson Clark likes life neat, predictable, and preferably viewed from the comfort of his radio booth. Delilah Stewart prefers hers wild, spontaneous, and preferably in the eye of the storm, out in the field. For years, the two have clashed like thunder and lightning – until they’re partnered against their will to cover the snowstorm of the century, finding themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together. <\/p>\n Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal. If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With an undiscovered chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship. <\/p>\n But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm? Or does what happens in the mountains, stay in the mountains?<\/p>\n Borrow And Now, Back to You<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Nearly-Departed.jpg” alt=”Nearly Departed” title_text=”Nearly Departed” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=3866775″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Lucas Oakeley<\/strong><\/p>\n Joel Foster is a hapless twenty-something. His girlfriend, Beth Lewis, would likely have been a hapless twenty-something, too, had she not been obliterated by a very large cement truck.<\/p>\n Some time after Beth’s tragic death, Joel is still trying to juggle grief with the world of modern dating. And while he still feels like a widower, he has to find a new love before three years is up.<\/p>\n The catch? Just as Joel thinks he’s finally falling for someone, he starts getting haunted by Beth.<\/p>\n Borrow Nearly Departed<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/It-Might-Never-Happen.jpg” alt=”It Might Never Happen” title_text=”It Might Never Happen” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=4048089″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Emily Slapper<\/strong><\/p>\n Noa is desperate to be loved. More than anything else \u2013 more than her studies, more than her job, her friends, her family \u2013 she wants to belong to someone. And she knows if this can happen, if someone will just choose her, she\u2019ll finally be happy.<\/p>\n Elliot is terrified. Terrified about what will happen to his brother, Willy, if he isn\u2019t there to keep him safe. Terrified that his friends will find out that he doesn\u2019t have any of his own opinions. Terrified that the girl he loves will realise he isn\u2019t a real person.<\/p>\n When they meet, Noa and Elliot have an immediate connection. And each of them hopes their great love might be enough to quiet the voices that tell them they\u2019re not enough. But is it possible to love another person when you have no idea how to love yourself?<\/p>\n Borrow It Might Never Happen<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sugartown.jpg” alt=”Sugartown” title_text=”Sugartown” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=4067339″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Caragh Maxwell<\/strong><\/p>\n Forced to move back in with her mother after a bad breakup Saoirse finds herself living alongside three younger sisters she barely knows. Worse still, the brittle, distant woman who raised her is gone, replaced by a doting mother who showers her younger children with affection. <\/p>\n Saoirse thought she’d escaped this whirlwind of family drama when she moved to London; now, she’s not so sure. She throws herself into a new relationship (fun), rekindling childhood friendships (mostly fun), and reacquainting herself with the pubs and clubs that were the backdrop to her teenage years (somehow less fun than it once was). <\/p>\n It takes a chance accident to force Saoirse to face up to all the questions she’s been running away from, not least, what does it mean to return home to a place you barely recognise?<\/p>\n Borrow Sugartown<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The-Merge.jpg” alt=”The Merge” title_text=”The Merge” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=3901149″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Grace Walker<\/strong><\/p>\n Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia, a once fiery and strong-willed activist, can’t bear to see her mother’s mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merging process for Alzheimer’s patients, in which Laurie’s ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one. <\/p>\n Soon Amelia and Laurie join the opaque and mysterious group of other merge participants: teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiance\u0301 Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his addict daughter Lara. <\/p>\n As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation centre for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.<\/p>\n Borrow The Merge<\/em>\u00a0\u2192<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Hekate.jpg” alt=”Hekate” title_text=”Hekate” url=”https:\/\/suffolk.spydus.co.uk\/cgi-bin\/spydus.exe\/ENQ\/OPAC\/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=4001628″ url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.3em” link_font_size=”19px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Nikita Gill<\/strong><\/p>\n Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea. Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up amongst the horrors and beauties of the Underworld, desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead. <\/p>\n When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end.<\/p>\nAmong the Burning Flowers<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Dawn of the Firebird<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Swept Away<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
And Now, Back to You<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Nearly Departed<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
It Might Never Happen<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Sugartown<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Merge<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Hekate: The Witch<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n