In this time of social distancing, we keep finding ourselves perusing our shelves over and over again trying to find the perfect book to read. If you’re a mood reader, it can be very frustrating to go through every book on your TBR until you finally declare, I AM NOT IN THE MOOD FOR ANY OF THESE. And of course, the books you do want to read are not in your possession! So what’s a book nerd to do in these times? You can order a book online (support the indies!)—but what if you’re trying to save, or just seeking some instant gratification? And that, our friends, is where free & cheap eBooks come in.
There’s nothing like hitting download and having it zip right to your phone/e-reader in just a few seconds. We’re going to cover how you can download free eBooks from the library, find cheap ebooks that are on sale right now to binge, and our latest book recs with hopefully short library waits!
How to Download Free or Cheap eBooks
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Free eBooks at the library!
If you’re a broke book nerd, step one is to whip out the library card.
We can’t tell you how many of us on Team Epic Reads spent years thinking you could only borrow physical books from the library when in fact, you can borrow and download FREE ebooks directly to your phone or e-reader. It was, in fact, a game-changer. All you need is your library card to gain access to your local library’s catalog!
Using the Libby app, you can find and borrow a book with just a few taps. It has a built-in ebook reader and its own audiobook player! Plus, if you prefer, you can send books directly to your Kindle for reading. The Libby app allows you to sign in to multiple libraries with one or more library cards, stay signed in for as long as you like, download books for offline reading or stream them to save space, sample any book, read zoomable graphic novels and picture books, and consolidate all of your holds and loans on one convenient shelf! You can tag titles with ratings, sync loans and bookmarks, and keep track of your entire reading history. The possibilities are endless, and this app brings everything we love about libraries on the go.
You also might have heard about OverDrive, which functions in a similar way! All you need is a library card and you can access the entire digital catalog, download or stream books, and sign up for waitlists when the books you want are all checked out.
New releases and bestsellers all out of stock at your libraries? No need to sweat that either! We pulled together some of our faves that aren’t quite as new, and hopefully should be available:
- Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
- The Beholder by Anna Bright
- Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West
- Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Cheap eBooks to download!
If you’re the kind of reader that likes to reread and keep their books, then this part is for you! Okay, so the books aren’t completely 100% off sale but they ARE discounted like crazy at prices like $1.99 and $2.99. That’s just a fraction from the $9.99 price tag that most of our favorite YAs are usually, which means we can get either space them out so we don’t break the bank or invest in several eBooks for the price of one! Thankfully, there are a ton of cheap eBooks on sale right now.
We gathered some of the ones we’ve spotted so far so download these cheap eBooks now!
And if you don’t have an eReader, there’s an easy workaround for that. For those of you with a smartphone, you can download the Kindle or Nook app and once you purchase the eBook online, they should appear in the app, ready to be read.
eBooks On Sale Now
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can leave a fully grown man gasping for air. One touch, and she can kill.
No one knows why Juliette has such incredible power. It feels like a curse, a burden that one person alone could never bear. But The Reestablishment sees it as a gift, sees her as an opportunity. An opportunity for a deadly weapon. Juliette has never fought for herself before. But when she’s reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, she finds a strength she never knew she had.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. Between his friends, his family, and junior year, why press it? But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight.
Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
Gone by Michael Grant
In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It’s a terrifying new world and a fight is shaping up…
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
John Smith seems like an ordinary teenager, living a normal life with his guardian Henri in Paradise, Ohio. But for John, keeping a low profile is essential, because he is not an ordinary teenager. He’s an alien from the planet Lorien, and he’s on the run. A group of evil aliens from the planet Mogadore, who destroyed his world, are hunting anyone who escaped.
Nine Loric children were sent to Earth to live in hiding until they grew up and developed their Legacies, powers that would help them fight back—and help them save us. Three of them are now dead. John is Number Four…
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth
When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.
But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Talor moves to town, and Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece…
Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard
The perfect addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, this gorgeously designed package features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steel Scars and Queen Song, and never-before-seen maps, flags, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content.
Fans will be delighted to catch up with beloved characters after the drama of War Storm and be excited to hear from brand-new voices as well. This stunning collection is not to be missed!
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead.
But now her father, the Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life…
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm—and I’m the other girl from Kansas. I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I’ve been trained to fight. And I have a mission.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking…
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
A captivating novel about mental illness that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman.
Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench. Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior. Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn.
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with its future king—she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again…
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
Who are the Sawkill Girls?
Marion: The newbie. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find. Zoey: The pariah. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Val: The queen bee. Words like silk and eyes like knives; a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.
Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs…
Find a longer list of cheap eBooks on sale here!
Spotted some cheap eBook deals that aren’t on our list? Tell us in the comments to help out book nerds everywhere get a sweet deal cause we’re all in this together.