You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Andrew Joseph White

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Book cover for You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)
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Book cover for You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Image for variant 9781682638224

You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)

You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Andrew Joseph White

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Description

PREORDER NOW to receive the limited deluxe edition--only available on the first printing while supplies last! This striking deluxe hardcover edition features metallic edges, illustrated endpapers, a special case stamp, and foil jacket effects.

Bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with another horrific YA thriller: a profound portrait of a struggling teen trying to convince the world--and himself--that he's better than the serial killer who raised him.

Morgan Slaughter, a seventeen-year-old trans boy with autism, put his serial killer father in prison years ago. Despite that, everyone thinks Morgan will grow up to be just like his dad: including his volatile mother, the documentary crew following their family, and maybe himself.

Desperately, Morgan latches onto his father's final victim--the only one who was never identified--hoping that if he unravels the mystery, he'll finally prove he's better than the man who hurt him. But this puts Morgan in the crosshairs of classmate Felicity Keating, who knows the truth about Morgan's childhood--that he wasn't just a witness to his father's brutality, he was an accomplice. And if he doesn't let them help with his investigation? They'll tell everyone.

Forced to confront his past, Morgan's ugly but carefully controlled world unravels. The film crew is manipulative. His mother's temper spirals into malice, then violence. And Morgan and Felicity may be more tightly intertwined than either of them can stomach . . .

You're No Better is a gritty and unapologetic coming-of-age suspense about teens who grew up surrounded by cruelty and are clawing their way to adulthood the only way they know how.

About the Author

Andrew Joseph White is the bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Compound Fracture, and more. Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley, he received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University, and lives in Virginia with his wife and their cranky cat. Learn more at AndrewJosephWhite.com.

Critical Reviews

In social media posts throughout, White has perfectly mimicked the cultures of each unique platform, adding poignant depth to how the true crime industry is treated in different media spaces, professional and social alike. . . . Physical and emotional violence match in intensity, offering a consistently unsettling and engaging narrative that is angry and passionate, with a beacon of hope at the end for escaping abuse. . . . This harrowing, action-packed thriller shines a spotlight on the exploitative nature of the true crime industry. Perfect for teens frustrated by the cruelty of the world, impossible to put down, and enthralling until the very end.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

White crafts a precise and gripping plot filled with vivid imagery and dynamic three-dimensional characters. Through Morgan, who's desperate, flawed, empathetic, and sincere, he explores the violent impact of stereotypes that link neurodivergence and mental illness to murderous impulses. The resolution offers a satisfying harmony of realism, catharsis, and grounded hope for healing.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

White relies on curiosity and empathy to drive the reader forward through a plot thick with triggering content and the internal musings of an unlikable protagonist. And yet, Morgan is incredibly interesting and more than deserving of the reader's investment. His complexities go beyond neat labels, though autistic is an important one, to place him at a messy intersection of experiences and identities that he's learning to define for himself.
--Booklist (starred review)

The fallible, wholly authentic protagonist is a constant in White's YA novels, as is the idea that, though the story is complete, the character still has a whole life of growth ahead of them. . . . You're No Better brilliantly uses extremes to highlight and honor the intricacies and complicated intersections of adolescent and neurodivergent trans experiences, creating a novel that can speak to a multitude of teens.
--Shelf Awareness

Publishing Information

Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Pub date: 2026-10-20
Length: 384 pages

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