Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing But the Truth | 2006 | Justina Chen | Buy |
| 2 | Girl Overboard | 2008 | Justina Chen | Buy |
| 3 | North of Beautiful | 2009 | Justina Chen | Buy |
| 4 | Return to Me | 2013 | Justina Chen | Buy |
| 5 | A Blind Spot for Boys | 2014 | Justina Chen | Buy |
| 6 | Lovely, Dark, and Deep | 2018 | Justina Chen | Buy |
Justina Chen’s standalone young adult novels share common themes of identity, cultural heritage, and self-acceptance, though each tells its own story with a different cast of characters. Her debut, Nothing But the Truth (2006), follows a half-Taiwanese, half-white teen navigating a math camp and her mixed-race identity. Girl Overboard (2008) takes a teen snowboarder to China, and North of Beautiful (2009) centers on a girl with a port-wine stain birthmark who travels to China and reconsiders her ideas about beauty.
Her later novels continue exploring teens in transition. Return to Me (2013) follows a girl whose family relocates from Seattle to New Jersey after her father’s affair, while A Blind Spot for Boys (2014) sends its protagonist on a trek to Machu Picchu. Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2018) tells the story of a girl who develops a severe sensitivity to light and must rebuild her life around new limitations.