The Gripped series has earned two new honors from the 2026 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest.
Gripped Part 4: Smoke & Mirrors received the Gold Medal in Young Adult – Coming of Age.
Gripped Part 6: The Dunkin Legacy received the Silver Medal in Young Adult – Social Issues.
Results were announced September 1, 2026. Both novels also carry 5-star Readers’ Favorite reviews, posted ahead of the contest results.
Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest international book-award contests. It receives thousands of entries from around the world each year and sorts them into more than 150 genre categories, so a book is judged against other titles in its own lane.
Awards are score-based. Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention, and Finalist correspond to judging bands — not a forced podium. Gold is the top band in a category. Not every category awards a Gold if no book reaches that score.
For Gripped, the pairing is the point. Smoke & Mirrors was recognized at the highest level as a coming-of-age novel. The Dunkin Legacy was recognized in the social-issues category that has always defined the series: addiction, family fracture, crime, faith, and the long work of getting back up. Two different books. Two different YA lanes. Same year.
The series, written by Stacy A. Padula and published by Briley & Baxter Publications, follows a circle of teens and families in Montgomery, Massachusetts. It is currently being adapted for television by Emmy Award-winning producer Mark Blutman. Part 6 includes a foreword by New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson.
What Readers’ Favorite said about Gripped Part 4
Keith Mbuya reviewed Smoke & Mirrors for Readers’ Favorite and awarded it 5 stars. He called it a young adult contemporary drama “laced with crime, gritty realism, and suspense,” and wrote that Padula introduces the cast “with raw prose, lively conversations, and vivid imagery.”
On the book’s shape and pace, he wrote:
“The story unfolds like a premium teen drama TV show featuring parallel compelling storylines, spellbinding cliffhangers, and everything about high school, college, and teenage life.”
On why it belongs with teen readers, he added:
“Young adults will learn a lot about the pitfalls of drug dealing and addiction, handling social and intimate relationships, and, more importantly, learn to make better decisions. This page turner is an enthralling standalone fourth installment in the Gripped series. I loved it.”
Read the full review: readersfavorite.com/book-review/gripped-part-4
What Readers’ Favorite said about Gripped Part 6
Ibrahim Aslan reviewed The Dunkin Legacy for Readers’ Favorite and awarded it 5 stars. He described the novel as the story of a former college football star whose injury, painkillers, and dangerous ties pull an entire family into harm’s way — while his brothers fight to hold the family together.
His verdict:
“Gripped by Stacy A. Padula is a grounded YA tale about family, faith, and survival during tough times.”
On hope inside the wreckage, he wrote:
“Even additional story arcs, like Chris working on himself, are meaningful because they remind you that not everything is falling apart in Taylor’s family. Hope still exists.”
And on who the book is for:
“Danger and faith thread steadily through the book, and it’s the kind of story that lingers. Readers who like crime novels mixed with realistic family drama, spiritual growth, and redemption will be hooked from start to finish.”
Read the full review: readersfavorite.com/book-review/gripped
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