Ownvoices Stories

A gritty, contemporary YA novel from the heart of Russia. Dima's world is held together by two things: his beaten-up fake sneakers and his best friend, Vanya. They're just trying to survive their crumbling neighborhood-scraping for cash, avoiding trouble, and dreaming of something more. Then two shocks hit at once: Vanya's mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The treatment costs half a million rubles-an impossible sum. And Dima, who's been secretly in love with his rich classmate Yulia since second grade, gets a text from her: "Maybe we could hang out?" Now Dima is torn between two impossible tasks: finding a small fortune to save a woman he loves like a mother, and stepping into a world of money and privilege for a girl he thought was out of his league. In a race against time, where every honest road leads to a dead end, how far will he go to keep his balance? For fans of THE HATE U GIVE and gritty, realistic coming-of-age stories. This novel is translated from the original Russian. Updates weekly.

A story of young adults befriending one another & getting through life together. Sounds pretty average but nothing is ever simple, especially in a purple world. Maia has epilepsy & that alone makes life hard in so many ways. This also means that being the new girl at a close-nit university isn't at the top of her list of worries. Don't underestimate Maia though. This young woman may be shy & disabled but she's strong & knows how to live life at times, even if it sometimes lands her in some hot tea. Eros doesn't share Maia's diagnosis but he has his own unpleasant experience with the nasty brain disorder. While he's quite confident & sure of everything, his past has thrown him off track & tends to make him quite stand offish. Sometimes the wrong track leads to the most fun though. What about Nereus you ask? Well they've been Eros' support system for quite some time but they're known for their truthfulness & virtue which always brings some brutal humour to any situation. Everyone has to decide whether they actually like the truth or not when it comes to Nereus. Add these people, their contrasting personalities & their complex histories to the same close-nit neighbourhood & university & you're bound to have some purple adventures awaiting you. Content Warning: mention of SUDEP throughout story, detailed descriptions of panic attacks will be included but not frequently, detailed first person description of semi aware convulsive seizures (can feel and hear during episode) will be included but not frequently. Please read with caution if any of this is likely to be uncomfortable or triggering. If you message me I'm happy to make sure you're aware of where such content will be placed and in which chapter. This is an #OwnVoices book.

| 8𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 · A YA Beauty and the Beast gender-swapped retelling. Bit of a Stranger Things vibe going on, too! Life was going mega well for Beatrice-Bea Laurent, a soon-to-be 18-year-old certified Insta star slash posh gal. She was spending every waking breath throwing parties, and dodging responsibilities. Until one fateful day when an Instagram scandal has her parents banish her from New York to New Town. Next thing she knows, she is cursed by a creepy old lady and is... changed. She starts growing fur, claws AND fangs! *** Beatrice Laurent is your average posh teen girl, who goes to classes when she feels like it. Which is basically... never. She spends her days lounging on her couch, staring at her phone screen, sharing fab life insta stories with her "friends," and sliding into their dms. Dodging real life responsibilities left and right, she does nothing, yet has everything. And, she has no problem with that. In fact, she enjoys it. Chartering planes-check. Private yachts-check. Designer duds-check. No expectations, no responsibilities, no worries. But that all ends when Beatrice gets grounded and banished from New York to New Town. Cherry on top: she is cursed by a creepy old lady at a party she threw! Suddenly she is friggin' growing fur, claws and other feline attributes, and having the incredible urge to roar and pursue tiny rodents. What's a girl to supposed to do when she involuntarily transforms into a beast and can't attend classes no more? Can Bea count on Ross Thorne, a bookish classmate who is struggling to stop living in his older brother Gus' shadow... To keep her secret? And perhaps aid her in the un-cursing when their budding affection becomes more than apparent? © 2022 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad

Ema Muratovic is 17 years old and the ambitious daughter of Bosnian immigrant parents. She has two goals during her senior year; get a chance to win states for indoor track and break the barrier between her nearly all-white high school, Westbrook High, and the neighboring town's Timothy High School. These goals are not easy to achieve. Along the way, she realizes the immense sacrifices that she has to make for the betterment of herself and other people.

Reclusive, emo poet, Erioluwa Jesukite has demons that possess full control of his mind-thus reducing him to a vessel laden with anxiety-ridden thoughts and dark compulsions. He has gotten quite acclimatized to this tortuous hell, but his ploy of survival gets compromised, when college rears its head with a plethora of new challenges and daunting intricacies. Alienated and estranged, Eri's new life is a maze of change that threatens to be the bane of his existence. At the verge of his limits however, fate entangles him in the schemes of one beautiful Elienai Anisiji, who with her liberal persona and charming mien-becomes a much needed breath of fresh air. Thrust into the manic campus lifestyle of sinful pleasures and exhilarating experiences, Eri's delicate world is bound to collapse. And as vicious predators lurk in the shadows, ready to relish his pain, he'd realize the only way out of hell-is through it.

All through university, my friend, Rubee would pick me up and bring me to her home to chill whenever studies got too much for me. Long before I even turned up, Rubee befriended and cared for international students like me and she still does. This is her secret life. By day she is a medical lab scientist but in the evenings and weekends she makes sure the students under her care are well looked after. She has so many tales about her adventures with them buried deep within her heart. This book is an attempt to collate some of them. If you remember an instance or story and would like it included in this book, please message or facebook me. :) If you recognise the story and would like to tell it from your perspective get in touch.

*ONC ROUND ONE QUALIFIER* *ONC ROUND TWO QUALIFIER* *ONC AMBASSADOR'S PICK* *COMMUNITY CURATOR PICK -- JULY 2020 & FEBRUARY 2021* *MINI AWARD WINNER FOR BEST DIALOGUE -- OPEN DOOR AWARDS 2021* *SUN WINNER - FIRST PLACE FOR FANTASY -- OPEN DOOR AWARDS 2021* ❝ how can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state? ❞ | IN WHICH THERE IS A WAKING, AND A DREAMING, AND A RETRIEVING OF MEMORIES, AND THOSE WHO SPEAK IN DREAMS DO NOT EVEN KNOW THEIR OWN TONGUE | ❝ there are no witnesses to a dream. ❞ (#ONC prompts #15 & #30) (cover by @TahliePurvis )

Alora is thirteen and is the latest Factor to join the fight against evil. She is shy, sweet and a little sarcastic. She's learning to navigate teen life with her best friends, Andrew and Andrea, which means picking out what dress to wear for her first mixed-gender party, figuring out her difficult relationship with her mother, and anxiously awaiting to learn what supernatural powers her ancestors will bestow on her. As the only Factor female born in her generation and with the only two other Factors in the fight getting older, Alora is entrusted with dangerous powers to help fight symbiotes-beings from other realms merged with human hosts that come to Earth and wreak havoc. Luckily, Andrew and Andrea are drafted to fight alongside her, and with their help, Alora thinks she might just be able to make this work.

Patrick Lee didn't want to become a super-villain. As far he's concerned, he's actually a pretty cool guy. A thrill-seeker and a dork, he spends most of his time fooling around with friends and working in a church nursery. That is, until a botched murder attempt from his handsome soon-to-be nemesis thrusts him into a world of magic and not-so-heroic superheroes. Vowing to use his powers only for good, Patrick finds himself on the wrong side of both the law and powerful superheroes. But the magician who tried to murder Pat is still hunting him down, and while other parts of his identity threaten to leave him jobless and broke, Patrick can't help but get himself wound up in cults, revolutions, and sinister plots that shake his views on good and evil. Patrick didn't want to become a supervillain, but sometimes, to do the right thing, you have to play with a little dark magic. *** COMPLETE Beautiful cover by @foxinscreamingcolor!

Behind the high walls of a Pakistani village home, Parveen tends to a courtyard where dreams go to wither. The scent of cardamom tea and fresh roti lingers in the air, mixing with the salt of unshed tears. Each day blends into the next-sweeping floors, mending clothes, lowering her eyes at the right moments. The bulbul sings in its cage, its wings brushing against bars no one else can see. When the carefully constructed walls of obedience begin to crack, Parveen discovers the most dangerous truth of all: in a world built to silence her, even a whisper can be revolutionary. This is not a story about defiance. This is a story about survival-about the quiet wars fought behind henna-stained hands and the unbearable cost of being a girl who dares to dream.

on Lovealot.net - a blog/social space for honest convos about love, identity, and everything in between. Raven's voice is thoughtful, proud, and a little spicy, especially when she's talking about her sisters and the people who don't get it.

In an alternate reality, an Iroquois scientist and her twin gay sons battle shapeshifting aliens. Telius wants to marry the man he loves. Argen struggles with the residual effects of a deadly drug addiction. Both twins help their mother face Valchondria's greatest threats. Taldra accepted the title of Leader for Valchondria's one-world government. Maintainer Admiral Nil blames her for a series of tragedies and might be as dangerous as the changelings that want to feed on humanity. "The most intriguing aspect of the story is controlled by emotion as relatable characters grow and brave it all together, selflessly helping each other." -Enas Reviews "A major voice not only in American literature but also in the LGBTQ genre. Highly recommended." -Grady Harp, Top 100 Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer The first two chapters are here at Wattpad, now revised as they appear in the published book.

S.E.T. The Earth on Fire is an epic sci-fi dark fantasy about the desolate future of mankind after its recovery from an extinction level event one thousand years prior. Men, machines, demons, and gods clash with conflicting motives, all for the survival of their people. A human named Ethos, in a twist of fate, is bound to a malevolent entity with powers to give him exactly what he desires, revenge against the gods of Akhet for murdering his friend. Vengeance may cost Ethos more than he bargains for as the true threat to humanity lies in waiting, an ancient evil pitting its enemies against one another to ensure its ultimate victory. Time is running out as Ethos is slowly being consumed by the dark forces within, but with the help of unlikely alliances, he just may be able to save the world. -Big Scope -High Stakes -Intense Action-adventure Out on eBook, paperback, and hard cover on November 20th, 2021 (my birthday!)

This is the journal of Tammy Maheswaran, a reclusive roboticist living with undiagnosed autism. It documents the creation of Mariimo, a developmental robotics platform through which Tammy subconsciously externalizes her issues with isolation, anxiety, and touch. Upon the machine's activation, Tammy gradually begins to realize that in the act of constructing Mariimo, she's been unknowingly deconstructing herself.

[ COMPLETE ] Ananya Sathe was hoping for a do-not-disturb solo writing retreat. What she got was something better. Much better. - - - - Featured on the following profiles and reading lists: » @WattpadShortStory - REALISTIC FICTION » @AsiansReads - HEART TO HEART (ROMANCE) [x] 2k reads - 31/01/2021 [x] 100 votes - 24/03/2021 [x] 150 votes - 06/06/2021 [x] 5k reads - 11/07/2021 [x] 200 votes - 23/07/2021 [x] 7k reads - 21/11/2021 [x] 8k reads - 28/01/2022 [x] 300 votes - 10/01/2023 [x] 10k reads - 07/02/2023

If you could see into the future, would it still turn out the same? Awesome trailer by @ysmnnaa available here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iin3ZcQnxho&feature=youtu.be! Be sure to follow her for book trailers!

After months of therapy, Garrett Delko is still struggling to cope with his brother's suicide. The only time he finds peace is on the pitching mound and with a mysterious girl he's been obsessed with since the first week of college. One night, he sees her jumping off a bridge and it leads to an unexpected connection neither can deny. Garrett resolves to stay away, but as their paths intersect, he wonders if she's the answer he's looking for. Arianne Zhang is no one's magic remedy. She has her own troubles and doesn't need an adorable baseball player messing up her hard-earned anonymity. However, as they confide in each other, she begins falling for him. Then Arianne's secrets are exposed, and both must face tough choices. Can they find the strength to let go of their insecurities to help each other? Or will the colors of their past blind them to the truth?

Guardians of Light, Book One Sixteen-year-old Iris Sinclair has always known she was different. Born into a legendary Jamaican bloodline of women tasked with protecting the balance between worlds, she's spent her life trying-and failing-to suppress the gifts that mark her as a Guardian of Light. When tragedy strikes, Iris is forced to leave behind the only home she's ever known and move into her estranged father's estate deep in the Colorado mountains. Isolated. Suffocating. Haunted by more than memories. Inside the sprawling mansion, rooms seem to shift when no one looks. The walls whisper. And a centuries-old mural calls to her in ways she can't explain. But something is waiting within those painted depths. Something that sees Iris for what she truly is. And as her powers grow beyond her control, Iris must decide whether to keep running from her inheritance or confront the darkness festering behind the walls of her family's perfect life.

It's time for more adventures as we follow Eros and Nereus through fun times, sad times, ups and downs while they're on the road to a great discovery. *You don't have to read book 1 first for this to make sense*