Since I was 11 years old, I’ve been obsessed with social media. Back then, in 2001, “social media” was basically waiting hours for the shared family computer to be available; a painstakingly long (and loud) process of your dial-up internet connecting to America Online; and finally going “online” to troll in chat rooms, put Mariah Carey song lyrics in your away message, and scroll through websites with lime green text on red backgrounds. Still, I was smitten. Is it any wonder that decades later I’ve written a book with a main character who feels just as captivated by the medium?
I’m so excited to be able to share the breathtaking cover to No Filter and Other Lies, my sophomore YA novel, featuring art by Ericka Lugo and design by Amy Toth, Chelsea Hunter, and Kerry Martin. It deals with self-image, first love, complex families, and complicated, messy relationships. I hope you enjoy meeting Kat Sanchez in all of her charmingly messy fat brown girl glory as much as I enjoyed writing her!
No Filter and Other Lies is available for preorder, and will be out on Feb. 1, 2022. Until then, how about some other social-media obsessed books you might love?
1. Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun
by Jonny Garza Villa
Have you ever overshared on Twitter? Because I’m totally guilty — and so is Julián Luna, your hilarious, queer, Mexican new bestie. Jules has a carefully crafted plan for his life, but one drunken night and a tweet he never meant to send change everything. Suddenly, everyone knows he’s gay. His world feels upended until Mat, his adorable (and hot!) Twitter crush living across the country, slides into Jules’ DMs. Cue the swooning, heartbreak, family drama, friendships you’ll wish were your own, and dreaming of meeting the sun to your moon.
2. How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Feeling like the ugly sister is hard enough, but it’s even worse when the entire world seems to agree. When Moon Fuentez and her stunning twin-sister-slash-social-media-maven, Star, embark on a cross-country influencer tour, Moon fears being overlooked is just part of her fate. Then she meets Santiago, her gorgeous and grumpy bunkmate, and starts to appreciate her own beauty and artistic talents. A touch of magic; a celebration of nature, food, and tarot; and some serious sexually charged bickering will leave you certain it’s actually the universe who fell in love with Moon Fuentez.
3. You Should See Me in a Crown
by Leah Johnson
This heartfelt rom-com truly captures the high school experience, including the good, the bad, and the downright embarrassing. Liz Lighty has always felt too Black, too queer, and too poor to fit in in her Midwest hometown. When her financial plan to help escape it all falls through, she runs for prom queen in hopes of winning the school’s scholarship. Liz has to prove that she’s just as worthy as the most popular kids in school. On her quest for queendom, she reconnects with old friends, starts to fall for a cute girl, goes viral on her school’s social media app, and discovers herself.
4. Now That I’ve Found You
by Kristina Forest
Not even being the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood actor can save Evie Jones after an unflattering video of her goes viral. Blacklisted and dejected, Evie goes into hiding in New York City with her grandma, where she meets Milo Williams, a tender (and cute!) musician who isn’t put off by Evie’s prickly demeanor. Love, adventure, family, and self-discovery are at the heart of this sweet story that reminds us that what we see on social media is only a fraction of the story.
5. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating
by Adiba Jaigirdar
After Hani Khan, a well-liked girl at school, comes out as bisexual, her friends are skeptical. She hasn’t kissed a girl, so she can’t really be bi, can she? In a mix of panic and frustration, Hani tells her friends she’s dating their brainy and reserved classmate Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Only…they’ve barely even spoken. But it’s nothing a couple of convincing posts on social media can’t fix. As Hani and Ishu work on persuading the world they like each other, they start to realize that maybe their fake dating isn’t so fake after all.
6. I’ll Be the One
by Lyla Lee
K-pop, reality TV, and two bisexual main characters are at the heart of this funny but earnest story about a fat singer and dancer named Skye Shin. Determined to make a name for herself in a televised talent competition, Skye refuses to let anyone tell her fat girls can’t dance — especially when the sentiment comes from her own mom. After a flawless performance in the competition, Skye skyrockets to fame on social media, gaining followers, making friends with a (super hot and super famous) competitor, and pushing back against fatphobic beauty standards.
7. P.S. I Still Love You
by Jenny Han
The second book in the beloved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series follows our girl Lara Jean Covey enjoying a real relationship with dreamy Peter Kavinsky. Things go sour quickly when a suggestive video of her and Peter gets leaked to the entire school. To complicate things even further, John Ambrose McClaren — a boy from Lara Jean’s past — is back, and so are all of her feelings.
8. The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
A gripping, raw, and emotional story about Starr Carter, whose life changes forever when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend, Khalil. Reeling from his loss and grappling with the realities of police brutality, racism, and microaggressions, Starr has to find a way to survive the aftermath. This timely and poignant book underscores the importance of anti-racist activism, criminal justice reform, and the power of using our voice for good.
9. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
by Joya Goffney
Fans of “Harriet the Spy” will connect with perpetual list-maker Quinn, who loses her journal and quickly finds that her deeply personal lists have been made public on Instagram. When the person behind the anonymous account offers her a deal, Quinn has to face some of her greatest fears in order to get her journal back safely. Enlisting the help of the last person to be seen with her journal, Carter Bennett, Quinn is on a mission to find the blackmailer…and maybe try something new, make friends, and fall in love along the way.
10. Don’t Read the Comments
by Eric Smith
Ever needed to escape from real life? SAME. For Divya Sharma and Aaron Jericho, life in the virtual world of their video game is so much better than reality. There, they take on infinite worlds and find all the connections they struggle to make IRL. Things seem great until a group of trolls take things too far, and doxing threatens to harm Divya’s and Aaron’s very real lives. The book tackles harassment in online spaces and also celebrates online relationships that come to mean so much.
11. Tweet Cute
by Emma Lord
Perfectionist overachiever? Check. Ultra popular class clown? Check. Viral Twitter wars? Check. This book offers a delightful twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope as Pepper and Jack fight it out publicly on Twitter…all while totally drooling over each other (anonymously!) on a chat app. There’s online shipping, epic swooning, and way more feelings than 280 characters can contain.
12. Meet Cute Diary
by Emery Lee
Everyone loves the Meet Cute Diary, a beloved blog that features adorable happily-ever-afters of trans romances. Unfortunately for its readers — and the person behind it all, Noah Ramirez — every single story on the blog is fake. At the threat of being exposed, Noah scrambles to try to prove these stories are actually real. Cue Drew, an adorable book retailer willing to fake-date Noah for all the internet to see. So much to love in this charming rom-com.
13. Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous
by Suzanne Park
LA teen Sunny Song is going to have the perfect summer ever once she finds a boyfriend and finally reaches 100,000 followers on social media. Her plans are wrecked when a risqué video of Sunny goes viral and she’s sent to camp in the middle of nowhere. With. No. Phone. Fully prepared to hate her forced digital detox, Sunny is surprised when life on the farm results in new friends, flirting, and a new appreciation for life away from Wi-Fi.
14. A Chorus Rises
by Bethany C. Morrow
From perfect hair to a magical voice (literally), Naema is a teen influencer loved by all. But when she exposes someone’s secret siren powers, everyone around her views her as the ultimate mean girl, including her own friends and boyfriend. All Naema can think to do is run away. Away from it all, Naema is able to tap into herself, discover who she’s meant to be, and celebrate her Black girl magic.
15. Ace of Spades
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in this YA thriller starring head prefects Devon and Chiamaka as they’re taunted by an anonymous texter named Aces who’s exposing people’s secrets. With little in common aside from Aces, Devon and Chiamaka become unlikely allies. This shocking, queer mystery confronts the scary realities of the anonymity of social media, as well as the dark realities of institutional racism and class struggles.
16. They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio are both going to die today. Perfect strangers, the two use an app called Last Friend to meet up and spend their final 24 hours on an epic adventure. On their final day before death, they eat delicious food, explore their city, say their farewells, and discover what it really means to live. (And yes, you’ll absolutely need tissues for this one.)
17. Kill the Boy Band
by Goldy Moldavsky
All good fangirling happens on the internet — and that’s a key tenant of this hilarious and surprisingly feminist story about four girls who take their boy band obsession too far when they kidnap one of the bandmates. Campy, dark, and fun, this book celebrates the obsessions, desires, and connections of teen girls.
18. Gossip Girl
by Cecily von Ziegesar
When it comes to social media obsessions, the entire Gossip Girl series is the OG. Set in New York City’s Upper East Side, the series follows a group of rich classmates as they navigate the highs and lows of high school. There are lies, heartbreak, scandals, sex, jealousy, connection, and everything in between — all the more complicated by the anonymous blogger known only as gossip girl, who knows, sees, and reveals all on their blog. XOXO.
Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her debut novel, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, was a Cosmopolitan Best New Book and a PopSugar Best New YA Novel. Her next novel, No Filter and Other Lies, explores teenage life in the social media age — and the lies we tell ourselves and others. By day, Crystal is a social media manager working in higher ed, and by night, a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, spending too much time on her phone, and being extra. Her work has also been published in Latina, BuzzFeed, and the Hartford Courant. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. No Filter and Other Lies releases Feb. 1, 2022.