June 6th
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar (Feiwel and Friends) - previously titled Donut Fall in Love.
“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”
Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.
Things get complicated though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show and her parents own the rival donut shop across the street. Then there's the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who Shireen is becoming fast friends with—though things are heating up between them in more than just the kitchen…
As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more— including potential sabotage—if she wants a sweet victory!
Always Isn't Forever by J.C. Cervantes (Razorbill)
Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.
Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life—instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.
When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.
Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson—but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?
Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See (Scholastic) - some editions titled Love Letters to Joy Corvi.
Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel.
But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?
She writes to Caldwell Cupid to help her sort out these new feelings and, over time, finds herself falling for the mysterious voice behind the letters. But falling in love might mean risking what she wants most, especially when the letter-writer turns out to be the last person she would ever expect.
The Broken Hearts Girls by Susan Bishop Crispell (Sourcebooks Fire)
Imogen Finch has never been in love... despite being the daughter of a matchmaker. Her only relationship to date was a fake one with a near stranger named August Tate that she made up to stop people from asking about her love life. To fill the void, she’s channeled her obsession with love into her passion for photography, using her ability to literally see the rose-gold glow of a person in love to capture stunning portraits.
But when her adviser says her photography portfolio is “one note”, she’s desperate to diversify. After hearing her forever crush, Ren, was recently dumped, she decides to photograph the broken-hearted, starting with him. Imogen is hopeful she’ll finally find love and get the right photos. So, the last thing she expects is for the real-life version of her fake boyfriend to show up in town asking why they “broke up”. Before she knows it she’s juggling August and Ren and falling for the first time in her life.
Ride or Die by Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu (Soho Teen)
Best friends Loli Crawford and Ryan Pope have earned their nickname, the “Bonnie and Clyde of Woolridge High.” From illegal snack swapping in kindergarten to reckless car surfing in high school, the two have been causing trouble in their town forever. Everyone knows that a majority of the mischief comes from Loli. She just can’t help herself when it comes to chasing thrills, drama, and adventure.
When Loli throws the biggest, wildest party Woolridge High has ever seen just to steal a necklace, she ends up meeting X, a strange, unidentified boy in a coat closet, who challenges her to a game she can’t refuse—one that promises to put her love of danger to the ultimate test.
Loli and X begin an ongoing anonymous correspondence, exchanging increasingly risky missions. Her fun has always been free and easy, but things spin out of control as she attempts to one-up X’s every move. As Loli risks losing everything—including her oldest friend—she'll face the most dangerous thing of all: falling for someone she knows she shouldn’t.
Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo (Peachtree Teen) - moved from May 16th.
For Jaime, returning to the tiny Vermont town of Saint Juniper means returning to a past he’s spent eight years trying to forget. After shuttling between foster homes, he hopes he can make something out of this fresh start. But every gossip in town already knows his business, and with reminders of his past everywhere, he seeks out solitude into the nearby woods, called Saint Juniper’s Folly, and does not return.
For Theo, Saint Juniper means being stuck. He knows there’s more out there, but he’s scared to go find it. His senior year is going to be like all the rest, dull and claustrophobic. That is until he wanders into the Folly and stumbles on a haunted house with an acerbic yet handsome boy stuck—as in physically stuck—inside.
For Taylor, Saint Juniper is a mystery. The surrounding woods speak to her, while she tries—and fails—to practice the magic her dad banned from the house after her mother died. Taylor can’t seem break out of her spiral of grief, until a wide-eyed teenager barges into her life, rambling on about a haunted house, a trapped boy, and ghosts. He needs a witch.
The Folly and its ghosts will bring these three teenagers together. But they will each have to face their own internal struggles in order to forge a bond strong enough to escape the Folly’s shadows.
The Warning by Kristy Acevedo (Sourcebooks Fire) - some editions dated June 1st.
The first in an upcoming dystopian duology about a girl who must decide how far she is willing to go to save herself when the world is coming to an end.
Like most high school seniors, Alexandra Lucas is caught between living in the moment and an unknown future. Her anxiety disorder doesn’t make that any easier. But she’s coping—until her train stops on the way home from a concert with her boyfriend. At first, she’s worried about breaking curfew. Then terror echoes through their train car.
A mysterious doorway has appeared beside the tracks, and a hologram claiming to be a human from the future shares a sinister warning. A comet is on a collision course with earth. All life there will end in six months’ time. To survive, people must step through one of the many portals that have opened around the world.
The holograms claim to offer safety. But how can anyone be sure? Stay or go—everyone must make their own choice. Alex’s family, her friends, her boyfriend all have different ideas. Alex is only sure of one thing: she wants to decide for herself. But every decision comes at a price.
Darkhearts by James L. Sutter (Wednesday Books)
When David quit his band, he missed his shot at fame. For the past two years, he’s been trapped in an ordinary Seattle high school life, working summers for his dad’s construction business while his former best friends Chance and Eli became the hottest teen pop act in America.
Then Eli dies. Suddenly David and Chance are thrown back into contact, forcing David to rediscover all the little things that once made the two of them so close, even as he continues to despise the singer’s posturing and attention-hogging. As old wounds break open, an unexpected kiss leads the boys to trade frenemy status for a confusing, tentative romance—one Chance is desperate to keep out of the spotlight. Though hurt by Chance’s refusal to acknowledge him publicly, David decides their new relationship presents a perfect opportunity for him to rejoin the band and claim the celebrity he's been denied. But Chance is all too familiar with people trying to use him.
As the mixture of business and pleasure becomes a powder keg, David will have to choose: Is this his second chance at glory? Or his second chance at Chance?
The Chaperone by M Hendrix (Sourcebooks) - moved from March 2023.
Embrace purity.
Navigate the world with care.
Trust your chaperone.
Stella can't go out by herself, or spend time with boys except at Visitations. Girls in New America must have chaperones at all times until they marry, so Stella's lucky that Sister Helen is like a friend to her. When Sister Helen dies suddenly, she's devastated, especially when the Constables assign Stella a new chaperone just days later.
Sister Laura is... different. She leaves Stella alone at the library (isn't that illegal?) and knows how to get into the "Hush Hush" parties where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she's been taught. What if the Constables' rules don't actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to keep them safe?
Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America, she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows. She sets out on a dangerous journey across what was once the United States, risking everything.
Some Shall Break by Ellie Marney (Little, Brown)
After a harrowingly close contact with juvenile sociopath Simon Gutmunsson, junior FBI consultants Emma Lewis and Travis Bell went their separate ways: Emma rejected her Quantico offer and Travis stayed to train within a new unit of the FBI Behavioral Science division. But the unit’s latest case is feeling eerily familiar and Kristin Gutmunsson—Simon Gutmunsson’s eccentric twin—reaches out to Travis to send a warning: Emma is in peril.
When Travis and Kristin turn up evidence that points back to Daniel Huxton, the serial killer that Emma had escaped, things become more complicated. With a copycat on the loose, Emma returns to Quantico and is thrown back into her past traumas. Compelled to prevent more tragedy—even if it means putting herself in danger—Emma turns to Simon for help once again. But Simon is keeping secrets that could impact their entire investigation. Will the team be able to stop the Huxton copycat before time runs out for his next victims?
War Widow by Deborah Falaye (HarperTeen) - moved from June 13th.
Though Sloane escaped Avalon with Baba and the surviving members of the Blades, her journey to Ilè-Orisha—the Shadow Rebels’ hidden fortress—has just begun.
There, she plans to rally the Rebels in a war against her father, Theodus Sol, the new Seer King, before he begins the extermination of every Scion and Yoruba in Nagea.
But instead of finding hope at Ilè-Orisha, Sloane stumbles into a massacre, ordered by Theodus himself.
To save her people, Sloane will have to join forces with the only beings capable of defeating the powerful king—the Orisha gods. Millennia after the deities were imprisoned by an ancient enemy, Sloane has just one chance to bring back the Orishas before Theodus succeeds in wiping out her people for good.
An epic, thrilling finale perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes, War Widow takes
Sloane’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge to
unforgettable heights as she rises from conscripted recruit to fierce,
unstoppable revolutionary—and attempts the impossible to save her
people.
The Grimoire of Grave Fates by Various YA Authors (Delacorte) - moved from 2022.
Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.
A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren't so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone's least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor's body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy's students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone's a suspect.
Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo's best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort's mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo's halls. But they're about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn't always play by the rules...
When It All Syncs Up by Maya Amaenyaw (Annick Press)
Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something has to change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health. Switching to her best friend Neil’s art school seems like the perfect plan at first. But she soon discovers racism and bullying are entrenched in the ballet program here, too, and there’s a new, troubling distance between her and Neil. And as past traumas surface, pressure from friends and family, a new romance, and questions about her dance career threaten to overwhelm her. There’s no choreography to follow–for high school or for healing. Aisha will have to find the strength within herself–and place her trust in others–to make her next move.
Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia and Julie Kwon (Levine Querido) - details not yet updated on Goodreads.
PEDRO & DANIEL is a sweeping and deeply personal novel – illustrated throughout with beautiful linework by Julie Kwon – that spans from childhood through teenage years and into adulthood, while tracing the lives of two brothers who are there for each other when no one else is. Together the brothers manage an abusive home life, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS epidemic. It is a coming-of-age story unlike any other.
The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen (Quill Tree Books)
Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang have been best friends since they met at a Lunar New Year festival when they were seven years old. Now seventeen, they’re inseparable. The only thing is, they won’t be together this summer.
Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And Jia—stable, solid Jia—will be home in Flushing, Queens, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future.
As the girls navigate heartbreaking surprises and shocking
self-discoveries, they lean on each other and realize that even though
they’re physically apart, they are still mighty together.
At the Speed of Lies by Cindy L. Otis (Scholastic)
Quinn was supposed to be having an epic junior year—not finding herself a third wheel to her best friend who suddenly has a new boyfriend and watching her older sister turn herself into a pretzel trying to make sure she has the best college applications possible. Which leads to Quinn’s sister joining a new club at school called Defend Kids that is working to help find the Turner kids who were kidnapped from a nearby town.
Suddenly the new club is all anyone is talking about, and it’s even helping Quinn grow her own social media platform. She runs an account about the goings-on around school and town and she notices loads of new followers every time she post about the missing Turner kids. When two of Quinn's classmates are kidnapped, suddenly the dangers that Defend Kids are trying to fight are all too real.
As the town comes out in search of the missing kids, tensions escalate around the school, there’s an uptick in social media trolling and bullying, and conspiracy theories abound. Before she knows it, Quinn is at the center of it all, trying to find out what’s going on and who’s behind it. Because if she doesn’t... Ava might just be pulled into something more dangerous than anyone ever imagined.
The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Scholastic)
A girl and a god, alone in communion...
In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried -- and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.
When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.
With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives -- if he doesn't destroy her first.
Something More by Jackie Khalilieh (Tundra Books)
Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.
Firebird by Sunmi (HarperCollins/Harper Alley) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2022, then from April 2023. Some editions still dated April 2023.
Caroline Kim is feeling the weight of sophomore year. When she starts tutoring infamous senior Kimberly Park-Ocampo--a charismatic lesbian, friend to rich kids and punks alike--Caroline is flustered . . . but intrigued
Their friendship kindles and before they know it, the two are sneaking out for late-night drives, bonding beneath the stars over music, dreams, and a shared desire of getting away from it all.
A connection begins to smolder . . . but will feelings of guilt and the mounting pressure of life outside of these adventures extinguish their spark before it catches fire?
Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aśka (Scholastic/Graphix) - previously published in Australia, moved from April 2023.
Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her favorite TV show, who has a lower-leg amputation, just like Maisie. But when Maisie and her mom arrive at the convention center, she is stopped in her tracks by Ollie, a cute volunteer working the show. They are kind, charming, and geek out about nerd culture just as much as Maisie does. And as the day wears on, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she's never had before. Is this what it feels like to fall in love?
Perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, this graphic novel debut is a fresh, one-of-a-kind story that celebrates the excitement of meeting someone special for the first time.
Good as Gold by Candace Buford (Disney Hyperion)
Some treasures are meant to stay buried . . .
Casey’s life in Langston has been charmed. She’s the queen bee of her prep school, a shoe-in for prom queen, and on her way to the Ivy League come fall. She can't wait to leave the whole town of Langston behind her. That is until her father loses his job and she finds herself on the brink of losing her ticket out of town.
The town of Langston is known for its picturesque lake and robust summer tourism. Everyone who lives in town has heard the rumors at some point-- there is a treasure buried deep below the surface that no one has ever been able to find. Few people actually believe in the treasure, and even fewer have searched for it. But some have tried...
Suddenly an outcast from her popular squad, Casey falls in with a new group of friends who are exactly the opposite of her usual crowd, but are more accepting. Together they devise a plan to find the elusive treasure, in a quest to get the money and save Casey's family and her future. But what they find is much more complicated than just a pile of gold. With thrilling twists and turns and high stakes adventure, fans of Outer Banks will devour this summer adventure.
Things I'll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould (Peachtree Teen)
Ten years ago, the Scar Squad promised each other nothing would tear them apart. They stuck together through thick and thin, late-night surf sessions and after school spodies. Even when Casey Jones Caruso lost her twin brother Sammy to an overdose, and their foursome became a threesome, the squad picked each other up. But when Casey’s feeling for the remaining members—Francesca and Benjamin—develop into romantic attraction, she worries the truth will dissolve them and vows to ignore her heart.
Then Ben kisses Casey at a summer party, and Frankie kisses another girl. Now Casey must confront all the complicated feelings she’s buried—for her friends and for her brother who she’s totally pissed at for dying. Since Sammy’s death, Casey has spilled all the things she can no longer say to him in journals, and now more than ever, she wishes he were here to help her decide whether she should guard her heart or bet it on love, before someone else makes the decision for her.
A Spark in the Cinders by Jenny Elder Moke (Disney Hyperion)
The story has reached it's happily ever after, the peasant girl has married her prince and become queen, all is well in the kingdom... but for Aralyn, the princesses stepsister, the story is only just beginning.
The kingdom of Novador has had a streak of misfortunes, with drought, famine, and disease plaguing the lands. According to a prophecy, restoring an ancient magical artifact-- the Protector's Blade-- is the only thing that can pull the kingdom back from the brink of destruction. With inside information from her fairy godmother, Aralyn teams up with lady knight Vee to go questing for the shattered pieces of the blade that have been scattered to the furthest reached of Novador. To win each element of the dagger, the girls must prove themselves by using their strengths to conquer their greatest fear. Aralyn uses wisdom, Vee physical prowess, and Queen Ellarose who is ruling the kingdom, uses benevolence. Together, these three powerful women fight to take their place as the rightful heirs to the kingdom.
June 13th
True True by Don P. Hooper (Penguin Young Reader) - not yet added to Goodreads.
This is not how seventeen-year-old Gil imagined beginning his senior year—on the subway dressed in a tie and khakis headed towards Manhattan instead of his old public school in Brooklyn. Augustin Prep may only be a borough away, but the exclusive private school feels like it's a different world entirely compared to Gil's predominately Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn.
If it weren't for the partial scholarship, the school's robotic program and the chance for a better future, Gil wouldn't have even considered going. Then after a racist run-in with the school's golden boy on the first day ends in a fight that leaves only Gil suspended, Gil understands the truth about his new school—Augustin may pay lip service to diversity, but that isn’t the same as truly accepting him and the other Black students as equal. But Gil intends to leave his mark on Augustin anyway.
If the school isn't going to carve out a space for him, he will carve it out for himself. Using Sun Tzu’s The Art of War as his guide, Gil wages his own clandestine war against the racist administration, parents and students, and works with the other Black students to ensure their voices are finally heard. But the more enmeshed Gil becomes in school politics, the more difficult it becomes to balance not only his life at home with his friends and family, but a possible new romance with a girl he’d move mountains for. In the end, his war could cost him everything he wants the most.
Legends and Liars by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill)
Josslyn
Drake is in over her head—again. After fleeing the Queen’s palace with
Prince Elian in tow, she’d hoped to finally find a way to solve both of
their magical problems in one fell swoop, with the help of
criminal-turned-ally Jericho Nox. But Valery, Jericho’s boss—and a
notoriously powerful mage—has other plans.
It soon becomes clear
that Valery can’t, or won’t, provide assistance. And with her
relationship with Jericho more confusing than ever, Joss realizes that
she’ll have to find her own way out of this magical mess, with or
without help from those around her.
Amid high tensions, Joss
sets out to learn to control the memory magic—along with her own natural
powers. As the struggle between Lord Banyon and the Queen threatens the
people Joss cares about, she stumbles onto hints of a monumental royal
secret. Her unwanted power just might hold the answers she needs to
solve all her problems—but she’ll have to work quickly, because the fate
of an empire hangs in the balance.
Wolfpack by Amelia Brunskill (Little, Brown) - moved from June 1st.
Within the idyllic grounds of Havenwood, nine teenage girls have forged a friendship closer than sisters. However, some of the girls, like Rose, have also grown to resent the restrictions imposed by Joseph, Havenwood's charismatic leader. So when Rose disappears, the remaining girls are unsure if she chose to leave, or if something has gone horribly wrong. As days, then weeks, go by without her return, they begin to question what they really know about Rose, Havenwood...and each other.
Secrets are revealed, trust is broken, and ultimately the girls must decide how far they will go to ensure they never feel unsafe again.
Told from the collective, shared point of view of the nine girls, this unputdownable novel will stay with you long after you read its shocking climax.
Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler (Wednesday Books)
Natalya Fox has twenty-hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she's been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)
How's a girl supposed to choose?
She can't, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines - one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she's always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.
In Dahlia Adler’s Going Bicoastal, there’s more than one path to happily ever after.
Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan (Inkyard Press)
Arjun Mehta is also at the mercy of the stars, but he isn’t complaining. His astrological reading destines him for success and Arjun resolves to use his year of good luck to impress his absentee parents and Madhuri, both of whom have rejected him on multiple occasions. So when Madhuri offers him the opportunity to be her relationship lab rat, he can’t help but agree. To him, it feels like the universe is finally granting his wishes.
As their prophecies slowly become true and real feelings emerge between the two childhood best friends, Madhuri faces an impossible choice. She must decide if destroying her family curse in an act of self-determination is worth breaking Arjun’s heart.
Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills (Athenuem)
It’s not all sugar and spice at Basil’s Bakery, where seventeen-year-old Aurelie is an overworked, underappreciated apprentice. Still, the job offers stability, which no-nonsense Aurelie values highly, so she keeps her head down and doesn’t dare to dream big—until a stranger walks in and hands her a set of Seeking stones. In a country where Seeking was old-fashioned even before magic went out of style, it’s a rare skill, but Aurelie has it.
The stranger, who turns out to be a remarkably bothersome bounty hunter named Iliana, asks for Aurelie’s help rescuing someone from the dangerous Underwood—which sounds suspiciously like an adventure. When the someone turns out to be Prince Hapless, the charming-but-aptly-named prince, Aurelie’s careful life is upended. Suddenly, she finds herself on a quest filled with magic portals, a troll older than many trees (and a few rocks), and dangerous palace intrigue.
Even more dangerous are the feelings she’s starting to have for Hapless. The more time Aurelie spends with him, the less she can stand the thought of going back to her solitary but dependable life at the bakery. Must she choose between losing her apprenticeship—or her heart?
What She Missed by Liara Tamani (Greenwillow Books)
When Ebony and her parents move into her grandmother’s house in a small lake town, Ebony is sure her life is doomed. And to make matters worse, the ghost of Ebony’s beloved grandmother—a strong swimmer who tragically drowned in the lake—is everywhere. Alula Lake does offer one perk: reconnecting Ebony with her childhood best friend, Jalen.
But as Ebony settles into life on the lake, she finds herself drifting away from Jalen and starting to gravitate towards his older sister, Lena. Lena is chaotic, disorderly, and rebellious, yet she offers a reprieve for the anger and sadness Ebony feels about losing her old life.
Set over the course of a summer, What She Missed is written in short chapters interspersed throughout with lyrical, compelling vignettes about what Ebony missed. An ode to nature, art, friendship, history, and family, this coming-of-age story explores one girl’s summer of change and self-discovery as she reimagines the world and her place in it.
Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Joy Gilbert (Simon and Schuster)
The Lo family sticks together. That’s what Honor has been told her whole life while growing up in the glare of the public eye on Lo and Behold, the reality show about her, her four siblings, and their parents.
Their show may be off the air, but the Lo family members still live in the spotlight as influencers churning out podcasts, bestselling books, and brand partnerships. So when Honor’s father announces that he’s moving out of their northern California home to rent an apartment in Brooklyn, Honor’s personal upset becomes the internet’s trending B-list celebrity trainwreck—threatening the aspirational image the Los’ brand (and livelihood) depends on.
After one of her best friends leaks their private conversation to a gossip site, bruised and betrayed Honor pours all her energy into reuniting her family. With her parents 3,000 miles apart, her siblings torn into factions, and all of them under claustrophobic public scrutiny, this is easier said than done. Just when Honor feels at her lowest, a guarded yet vulnerable boy named Caden comes into her life and makes her want something beyond the tight Lo inner circle for the first time. But is it fair to open her heart to someone new when the people she loves are teetering on the edge of ruin?
As increasingly terrible secrets come to light about the people Honor thought she knew best in the world, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to her family and fighting for the life she wants.
Look No Further by Rioghnach Robinson and Siofra Robinson (Amulet)
When seventeen-year-old Niko and fifteen-year-old Aili meet at Ogilvy Summer Art Institute, a selective camp for art students in New York City, they seem like complete opposites. Aili comes across as standoffish to Niko, while usually laid-back Niko feels like a fish out of water surrounded by so many highly driven peers. But when a teacher assigns them to work together on a personal history project, Aili and Niko find much more than they bargained for in one another.
The pair embark on a quest to uncover their shared history, while Aili also finds herself falling for her roommate—who may have already fallen for another girl at Ogilvy—and Niko navigates how to find his voice and place in the world. As Aili and Niko get to know each other over secret excursions off-campus, class trips, and their research projects, they both grapple with their personal identities and preconceptions. Soon they stumble on the most startling revelations of all: the fact that in their unlikely friendship, they have found a sibling—and themselves.
The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson (Greenwillow Books) - YA graphic novel, some editions dated June 1st.
Not that long ago, the Scientist discovered that all sadness, anxiety, and anger disappeared when you removed your heart. And that’s all it took. Soon enough, the hospital had lines out the door.
June is an exceptional high schooler, though not in the way you’d expect. She is the only one in town who still has her heart. When she looks at her heartless family and friends, she knows she can’t become one of them. But the pressure, loneliness, and heartache are mounting, and it’s becoming harder and harder to be the only one with a heart. And then June comes across an abandoned heart in a jar.
The heart in the jar intrigues her, it baffles her, and it brings her hope. June wonders if the heart can be used to revitalize her sister. But the heart also brings her Max, a classmate with a secret of his own: though he had his heart removed, he is starting to feel again. And it hurts.
June will have to choose between a boy she barely knows—a boy who’s in pain—and the sister she loves dearly—who feels nothing. But will her own heart rip in two in the process?
Kerilynn Wilson’s debut graphic novel is part speculative fiction and part cautionary tale. Her finely realized, extraordinary illustrations create a rich world ripe for exploration. Her use of color—or lack thereof—emphasizes June’s isolation and emotions in an emotionless society. The Faint of Heart is a moving and striking graphic novel that explores the complex emotional themes that often mark the adolescent years.
Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (Delacorte) - some editions dated May 2023, moved from June 6th.
Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.
Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he's waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.
It's not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she's not who she says she is? Wren's not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.
Boundless by Various YA Authors (Inkyard Press) - previously titled Bridges and Islands.
Boundless features 20 stories that center the biracial and bicultural experience from award-winning and bestselling authors. From platonic and romantic love to grief and heartbreak, these stories explore navigating life at the intersection of identities, and what it means to grow up surrounded by a multitude of traditions, languages, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics.
Returning to a father’s homeland. Trying to fit in at chaotic weddings and lavish birthday parties where not all are welcome. Processing grief at family gatherings. Figuring out how to share the news of a new relationship with loved ones. This collection celebrates bicultural and biracial characters at the helm of their own narratives, as they approach life with a renewed sense of hope and acceptance.
Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadijat VanBrakle (Holiday House)
Seventeen-year-old Fatima Tate, aspiring baker (100% against her conservative parents’ wishes), leads a pretty normal life in Albuquerque: long drives with BFF Zaynab, weekly services at the mosque, big family parties, soup kitchen volunteering (the best way to perfect her flaky dough recipe!), stressing about college. But everything changes when she meets a charming university student named Raheem. Knowing the 'rents would FREAK, Fatima keeps their burgeoning relationship a secret... and then, one day, her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Amazing! True serendipity!
Except it's not amazing. As soon as the ring is on Fatima’s finger, Raheem’s charm transforms into control and manipulation. Fatima knows she has to call the whole thing off, but Raheem doesn’t like to lose. He threatens to reveal their premarital sexual history and destroy her and her family’s reputation in their tight-knit Muslim community. Fatima must find the inner strength to blaze her own trail by owning her body, her choices, and her future. Combining the frank authenticity of Elizabeth Acevedo and the complex social dynamics of Ibi Zoboi, FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE is a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.
June 20th
Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool (Henry Holt) - previously titled Cursebreaker.
Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.
When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.
As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.
Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould (Wednesday Books) - previously titled Echo Sunset, moved from September 2022, then from December 2022, release date not yet updated on Goodreads.
But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona it’s clear that there’s something off about the town. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by the town’s gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and the only people who seem to know more than they’re letting on is the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery.
As
the sisters search for answers about their mother, Beck and Avery
become more drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up
emotions Beck has buried since her mother’s death. Beck is desperate to
hold onto the way things used to be, and when she starts losing herself
in Backravel and its connection to her mother, will there be a way for
Beck to pull herself out?
In her sophomore novel Courtney Gould
draws readers into the haunting town of Backravel and explores grief,
the weight of not letting go of the past, first love, and the bonds
between sisters, mothers and daughters.
Sixteen-year-old Phoenix bombs her SATs, jeopardizing her dream of attending Yale in the United States. But when she goes to a Hong Kong protest with her brother and begins to document the growing movement, she realizes there might be more to life than grades and test scores.
Kai is a seventeen-year-old artist from mainland China. When his mother dies, he's forced to move back to Hong Kong and trains to become a police officer, just like his estranged father. When he accidentally swaps phones with Phoenix and discovers she’s part of a secret protest network, he's given an assignment: infiltrate the group and report their plans back to the police.
As Kai and Phoenix join the struggle for the future of Hong Kong, a spark forms between them, pulling them together even as their separate worlds try to force them apart. Yet their relationship, built on secrets and deception, is on a collision course for disaster. When the lies fall away, will they still love the person left behind?
Ode to My First Car by Robin Gow (FSG)
It’s a few months before senior year and Claire Kemp, a closeted bisexual, is finally starting to admit she might be falling in love with her best friend, Sophia, who she’s known since they were four.
Trying to pay off the fine from the crash that totals Lars, her beloved car, Claire takes a job at the local nursing home up the street from her house. There she meets Lena, an eighty-eight-year-old lesbian woman who tells her stories about what it was like growing up gay in the 1950s and ’60s.
As Claire spends more time with Lena and grows more confident of her identity, another girl, Pen, comes into the picture, and Claire is caught between two loves–one familiar and well-worn, the other new and untested.
Thirty to Sixty Days by Alikay Wood (Amulet) - postponed from Fall 2021, then from 2022.
Hattie Larken doesn’t know if she’s ever really been real in her life. A compulsive liar with a quick-witted response to everything, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to just skate through the rest of high school until she can graduate and escape it all: the mind-numbing monotony of this town, the guilt of everything that happened with her dad, and the debt that her mom’s dealing with that she feels responsible for.
But then Hattie finds out she’s dying. Not like in that overdramatic way that people sometimes say they’re dying. She’s literally dying. Apparently, she was exposed to a parasite because of a mistake her mom’s company made. (And no, the irony of that all is not lost on Hattie…) And she’s not the only one. Two other kids from her class also have been exposed to the parasite: Carmen, who seems to be totally perfect, with the class presidency, a loving family, and a totally beautiful girlfriend; and Albie, a quiet kid who survived childhood cancer only to deal with this, which feels like an incredibly cruel joke from the universe.
Hattie, Albie, and Carmen are told they only have thirty to sixty days to live. But instead of just sitting around a hospital and waiting to die, the three kids form an unlikely alliance to live the last days of their lives out to the fullest. Stealing and sailing a boat to Miami? Absolutely. Adopting the turtle that a random college student hands to them? Of course—they couldn’t leave Scooter to fend for himself! Sneaking into the sold-out music festival in town? You better believe it! And if Hattie just happens to find a way to raise some money for her mom through filming all their misadventures—well, she’s not going to not do that then.
Snarky, bold, and deeply real, Thirty to Sixty Days examines the ways that three teens grapple with the thread of imminent death—and how each ultimately discovers what life ought to be.
Best Vacation Ever by Jessica Cunsolo (Wattpad Books)
Lori is beautiful, smart, and athletic, but she can’t speak up for
herself no matter the situation. Faye is happy to speak her mind--unless
her brother is involved.
When the girls get the chance to go on
a weeklong trip to a resort with Faye’s brother and four of his
friends, they jump at the chance to leave their problems behind.
However, things quickly get messy.
Soon everyone is fighting,
and relationships are being ripped apart. Going on the Best Vacation
Ever may turn out to be the Worst Decision Ever.
This
delightful, stand-alone novel from Jessica Cunsolo features romance and
friendship, but it’s also about learning to stand-up for yourself and
for what you want.
A Crooked Mark by Linda Kao (Razorbill)
Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and A.S. King.
Rae Winter should be dead.
Some say that walking away from the car crash that killed her dad is a miracle, but seventeen-year-old Matthew Watts knows that the forces of Good aren’t the only ones at work. The devil, Lucifer himself, can mark a soul about to pass on, sending them back to the land of the living to carry out his evil will.
Matt has grown up skipping from town to town alongside his father hunting anyone who has this mark. They have one purpose: Find these people, and exterminate them.
After helping his father for years, Matt takes on his own mission: Rae Winter, miracle survivor. But when Matt starts to fall for Rae, to make friends for the first time in his life, he’s not sure who or what to believe anymore. How can someone like Rae, someone who is thoughtful and smart and kind, be an agent of the devil? With the lines of reality and fantasy, myth and paranoia blurred, Matt confronts an awful truth....
What if the devil’s mark doesn’t exist?
And Break the Pretty Kings by Lena Jeong (HarperTeen) - moved from 2022.
Mirae was meant to save her kingdom.
But the ceremony before her coronation ends in terror and death, unlocking a strange new power within her and foretelling the return of a monster even the gods fear. Amid the chaos, Mirae’s beloved older brother is taken—threatening the peninsula’s already tenuous truce.
Desperate to save her brother and defeat this ancient enemy before they are beset by war, Mirae sets out on a journey with an unlikely group of companions while her unpredictable magic gives her terrifying visions . . . of a future she must stop at any cost.
The rich world building of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea meets the dark, thrilling edge of The Shadows Between Us in
this captivating fantasy debut, inspired by the historical Three
Kingdoms of Korea and filled with lavish, fantastical magic and a
protagonist who defies destiny to save her home.
This Town Is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris (Quill Tree Books)
A lot of things are in flux in Naomi’s life—her mom’s new job, her decision to try out for the varsity cheer squad, even the new hairstyle she decided to debut the first day of her senior year. But she knows her best friend, Kylie, has got her back through it all. Since Naomi’s mom was Kylie’s nanny, she and Kylie grew up together practically inseparable —even though Kylie’s family is white and privileged, while Naomi’s family is Black and has to work to make ends meet.
But when a video of Kylie calling the police on two Black teens in a
Target parking lot goes viral, Naomi is left shaken, and her town is
reeling from the publicity. As much as she tries to justify Kylie’s
actions, the evidence is mounting against the girl she’s known her
entire life. Naomi tries to reckon with Kylie and her family, the
questions from other Black kids at school, and her own missteps in the
video’s aftermath. But what happens when the tension reaches a boiling
point, and Naomi is caught in the center of the blast?
We Ship It by Lauren Kay (HarperTeen)
Olivia Schwartz has a plan. It’s even color-coded.
The plan is this: get a perfect SAT score, attend a prestigious college, and make a straight path toward her dream of becoming a doctor.
The last thing she wants to do—the summer before her senior year of high school, no less—is go on a cruise. Especially with her parents, younger brothers, and all the unspoken things between them since her older brother’s death so many years ago.
Then Olivia meets Sebastian. He’s everything she’s not: charming, exciting, willing to take risks and run with them. For the first time, Olivia feels like she can have fun.
But there’s a lot bubbling up under the surface on this cruise, and when past secrets begin to come to light, Olivia must face all the truths that she’s ignored for so long: about herself, Sebastian, her brother, the past she thought she understood, and the future she’s always planned.
A fun, romantic summer adventure and an emotionally powerful journey of growth, exploration, and acceptance all in one, We Ship It is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Becky Albertalli, and will transport readers to the thrilling magic of an unpredictable summer.The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis (Underlined) - some editions dated August 1st.
To say sixteen-year-old Audre doesn't fit in would be the understatement of the century. She's a city kid who's found herself in a rural town. The only girl at school who'd rather kiss a girl than a boy. Not to mention that the whole town believes there's a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods--and Audre is a born skeptic.
When the preacher's daughter and Audre's secret crush, Elle, goes missing on Halloween weekend, the town is quick to point fingers--in Audre's direction. While they harass Audre's family for being newcomers and nonbelievers, Audre realizes she might be the only person here who can find her friend.
The deeper she goes, though, the weirder it gets. What happened to Elle--and is the evil this town is hiding really what Audre thinks it is?
The Fight for Midnight by Dan Solomon (Flux)
Cassie is at the Texas State Capitol to protest Wendy Davis’s historic filibuster of the abortion bill HB2, and she’s rallying everyone she knows to join her. Until today, Alex didn’t know what a filibuster was, and he’d never given a moment’s thought to how he felt about abortion. But at the Capitol, he finds himself in the middle of a tense scene full of pro-life “blueshirts,” pro-choice “orangeshirts,” and blustering politicians playing political games as Wendy Davis tries to run out the clock at midnight.
Alex may have entered the Capitol looking to spend time with Cassie, but the political gets personal when he runs into his ex-friend Shireen in an orange T-shirt and quickly realizes that when it comes to an issue like abortion, neutral isn’t an option. Over the next nineteen hours—as things get increasingly heated both on the Senate floor and between the two sets of protesters—Alex will struggle to figure out what side he’s on, knowing that whatever choice he makes will bring him face-to-face with his past mistakes.
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury) - previously titled Camp Mirror Lake, previously dated June 6th.
This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.
Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.
But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected.
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham (First Second) - YA graphic memior.
Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.
After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien's mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.
Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search-- for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.
June 27th
You Won't Believe Me by Cyn Balog (Sourcebooks Fire)
An old lady appears in her room to feed her twice a day. Granny doesn't talk, but Willow can hear thumping from somewhere beyond her door. It's not Granny's shuffling steps. It's too loud to be Granny's cat. Is it someone? Something?
Then Granny's cat dies in Willow's room. And Granny follows a few days later. Willow will do anything to survive. But freeing herself from her bed is only the beginning... Because there is someone else in the house. Who is this mysterious teen who calls himself Elijah? And is he the reason she's hostage or the key to her escape?
Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price (HarperCollins) - previously dated May 2023 and August 2023.
But then Sir Thomas dies in a tragic accident inside his art emporium and Fanny finds evidence of foul play that, if revealed, could further jeopardize her already precarious position. Edmund, her best friend and secret crush, urges Fanny to keep quiet about her discovery, but Fanny can't ignore the truth: a murderer is among them.
Determined to uncover the truth, Fanny's pursuit for justice has her wading into the Bertram family business, uncovering blackmail, and brushing with London's high society when Henry and Mary Crawford arrive at Mansfield Park with an audacious business proposal. But a surprising twist of fate—and the help of local legends Lizzie Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy-brings Fanny more complications than she ever expected and a life-altering realizatin she never saw coming.
Plus One by Kelsey Rodkey (HarperTeen)
Lahey Johnson is notorious for helping her friends and classmates find love. Sure, she’s never had a boyfriend herself. But she could. If she wanted to. Right? She just hasn’t had a reason to focus on her own love life—but now, with her detested cousin Summer’s sweet sixteen coming up, she’s got the ultimate reason: revenge.
Lahey will do anything to prove that she can get a date to Summer’s party—anything, including juggle six prospective suitors in seven days. She’s matched people before—all she needs to do is figure out who these guys are looking for and become that girl. Easy.
The only issue? Her older sister’s irritating friend Adler has decided to take a front-row seat to the spectacle that is Lahey’s life. He can bother her all he wants—nothing will distract Lahey from her goal of one-upping Summer.
But as the party creeps closer, the panic sets in.
Can a matchmaker ever really meet her own match?
The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade (Sourcebooks Fire)
Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls--or half-Black girls--without believing there is an angel to be saved.
When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.
What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?
The Quiet Part Out Loud by Deborah Crossland (Simon and Schuster)
High school sweethearts Mia Clementine and Alfie Thanasis had a plan to escape their town for college in the east. Mia would leave her hard-core evangelical home for Sarah Lawrence College, and Alfie would have a new place to pursue his three loves: baseball, poetry, and Mia. But when Alfie got offered a scholarship to the University of San Francisco the same week the entire town found out about Mia’s mom’s affair with their church’s pastor, Mia’s world imploded and she pushed everyone away…including Alfie.
Five months after the worst summer ever, Mia is crashing at her best friend’s dorm at San Francisco State, just a few miles away from the University of San Francisco, praying she never runs into the boy whose heart she broke. And Alfie is trying to make the most of his freshman year while struggling to reconcile with the abrupt ending of his first love.
When Mia and Alfie’s paths cross for the briefest of moments, Mia realizes she never should have let him go and Alfie’s suppressed memories and feelings boil to the surface. But their reunion is cut short when a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco, leaving them to stumble desperately across the rubble in search of the ex they still love before the city crumbles—taking one, or both, of them with it.
Someone You Loved by Robin Constatine (Balzer + Bray)
Sarah feels unmoored following her boyfriend’s sudden and tragic death. Their love story was cut short after just two sweet months together, and now all Sarah can think about are the moments she and Alex should be sharing. Sarah distracts herself by consoling Ash—her best friend and Alex’s sister—and by rehearsing for the school play and working at her aunt’s diner. But none of that is as comforting as her nightly talks with Jake.
Jake is not ready to move on. Unable to sleep at night and “mopey”—according to his girlfriend, who doesn’t understand why he isn’t ready to jump back into partying—Jake is wracked with guilt as a witness to Alex’s death. His one source of joy is talking to Sarah. But between their growing closeness and his taking over as captain of the basketball team, Jake worries he is co-opting Alex’s life.
Both can’t help but wonder if they’re betraying Alex—and Ash—by acting on the feelings they can no longer deny. Given all that stands in the way, is their relationship worth fighting for?
But as Gary gets to know Gloria, he begins to truly understand her, and she accepts him for who he is—before long, they're best friends. Being part of the "in crowd" has always been Gary's dream, but as he comes closer to achieving infamy, he risks losing the first person who sees him for all he is, and realizes that amount of popularity is worth losing a true friend.
Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton (Bloomsbury)
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier-in-training at the most prestigious barracks in the kingdom, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. At night, working as an assassin for a dangerous group of mercenaries, Saoirse lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her siren powers and doesn't struggle constantly against an impulse to kill.
As the top trainee in her class, Saoirse would be headed for a bright future if it weren't for the need to keep her secrets out of the spotlight. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens her sister, Saoirse takes a dangerous job that will help her investigate: she becomes personal bodyguard to the crown prince.
Saoirse should hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father is the one who enforces the kingdom's brutal creature segregation laws. But when Hayes turns out to be kind, thoughtful, and charming, Saoirse finds herself increasingly drawn to him-especially when they're forced to work together to stop a deadly killer who's plaguing the city. There's only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer.
Featuring an all Black and Brown cast, a forbidden romance, and a compulsively dark plot full of twists, this thrilling YA fantasy is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.
What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther (Sourcebooks Fire)
Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she's officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she's somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.
When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she's already in too deep to back out. Lily might've dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school's yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly's prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.
As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.
Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier (Delacorte)
Kit's father had always told her he had no family, but four months ago his sudden death revealed the truth. Now she has a grandmother she never knew she had--Agatha Starling--and an invitation to visit her father's hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont... it's picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom year-round, downtown is straight out of the 1950s... there's even a cute guy to show Kit around.
The longer Kit's there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there's something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town's important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can't shake the feeling that everyone seems to be hiding something from her.
Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can't help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father ever leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
Invisible Son by Kim Johnson (Random House) - moved from 2022.
Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.
Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.
The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.
House Party by Various YA Authors (Joy Revolution)
The biggest event of the year is happening, and you're invited! Join us for Florence Hills High School seniors' last hurrah before graduation.
THE LOCATION: A megamansion in one of Chicago's wealthiest suburban enclaves.
THE HOST: DeAndre Dixon, aka FHHS's golden boy.
THE GUESTS: The populars, the jocks, the artists, and heck, even that one kid.
THE HOPE: All the drama ensues. Kisses are swapped between old friends, new friends, and could've-sworn-they-were-enemies kind of friends. Relationships get tested. Animals roam free. Secrets are spilled. Add dope music that's thumping, and there's a good chance the whole neighborhood will be disrupted.
Featuring: Angeline Boulley - Jerry Craft - Natasha Diaz - Lamar Giles - Ryan La Sala - Christina Hammonds Reed - justin a. reynolds - Randy Ribay - Yamile Saied Mendez - Jasmine Warga.
House Party offers a delightful snapshot of diverse classmates getting ready to say goodbye to high school and hello to life's next chapter--but not before they make their final night together one they'll never forget!
Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer (First Second) - YA graphic memoir
Sarah has always struggled to fit in. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, she grows up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors. People whisper in the supermarket. Classmates bully her. She has trouble containing her anger in these moments—but through it all, she has her art. She's always been a compulsive drawer, and when she discovers anime, her hobby becomes an obsession.
Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others. And in high school, the bullies are louder and meaner. Sarah's bubbling rage is threatening to burst.
No comments:
Post a Comment