Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A. S. King.

This book evoked mixed feelings in several friends, but overall, I liked it.  Vera seemed pretty realistic in terms of not wanting to/not being able to talk about her feelings about her mom leaving, her dad withdrawing and especially her best friend's abandonment and then death.  She also seemed realistic in her self-destructive behavior, needing an outlet for the things she couldn't figure out how to express otherwise.  My main quibble is that Vera seemed to get over her dabbling with alcohol pretty easily - maybe she wasn't a full-fledged alcoholic, but she was definitely using it as a crutch, and that need seemed to evaporate after getting blotto and beaten up at the work Christmas party.  That struck me as a pat way of dealing with her developing problem.

The Rise of Renegade X, by Chelsea M. Campbell

Damien Locke is all set for his 16th birthday - it's the day his life of crime officially begins.  It's basically a technicality - Damien's mom is the mad scientist Mistress of Mayhem, he is a shoe-in for Vilmore Academy, the ultimate school for teenage supervillains and he's already got his supervillain name picked out: Midnight Marauder.  But in Golden City, all supers have a letter appear on their hand on their 16th birthday to make it official - H for heroes and V for villains.  So imagine Damien's surprise when his V doesn't show up, but neither does an H; an X appears instead.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie has her growth spurt and discovers leave-in conditioner the summer after her freshman year in high school, and when she gets back to school, boys seem to notice.  In particular one boy, Matthew, whom Frankie begins to date.  But Matthew and his friends are part of a secret society, the Basset Hounds, and the society doesn't let in girls.  Frankie, frustrated at being underestimated, impersonates the Basset's leader, organizing increasingly daring and successful pranks on campus, but pulling off brilliant pranks while letting someone else gets the credit rankles, and ultimately she has to come clean.  There are elements of romance, but ultimately this story is about Frankie and her growing realization of how being female effects how others see and treat her.  It doesn't have a "happy ending" in that Frankie does not end up with the boy of her dreams, but she does recognize her own self-confidence, worth and sense of power.