Chasing Pacquiao by Rod Pulido (Viking)
Self preservation. That’s Bobby’s motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It’s best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble.
But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive—by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby’s faith—in his hero and in himself—is shaken to the core.
A powerful and unflinching debut that will both shatter and uplift hearts with every read.
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertali (Balzer + Bray)
Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down. She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends: Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check, and Lili—newly out and thriving with a cool squad of queer college friends.
Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.
Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.
Like when Lili drops a tiny, queer bombshell: She’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen’s a raging hetero—not even Lili’s good friend Tessa.
Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with…
Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks Fire)
Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.
But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.
Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.
I Like Me Better by Robby Weber (Inkyard Press)
Winning should be a piece of cake, except Zack’s whole summer is already booked, and he’s stuck doing community service at the Marine Institute, a seaside conservation center and aquarium, to avoid suspension after a party gone wrong. As he struggles to balance his responsibilities and train a team who’d rather be anywhere else, Zack faces untamable camp-goers, unexpected betrayals, a ridiculous shark costume, and maybe the most challenging yet, Chip, the cute guy he keeps bumping into who won’t even give him a shot.
Zack has always played to win, but this summer, he just might learn everything in life isn't a competition.
We Don't Swin Here by Vincent Tirado (Sourcebooks Fire)
Bronwyn is only supposed to be in rural Hillwoods for a year. Her grandmother is in hospice, and her father needs to get her affairs in order. And they're all meant to make some final memories together.
Except Bronwyn is miserable. Her grandmother is dying, everyone is standoffish, and she can't even go swimming. All she hears are warnings about going in the water, despite a gorgeous lake. And a pool at the abandoned rec center. And another in the high school basement.
Anais tries her hardest to protect Bronwyn from the shadows of Hillwoods. She follows her own rituals to avoid any unnecessary attention—and if she can just get Bronwyn to stop asking questions, she can protect her too. The less Bronwyn pays attention to Hillwoods, the less Hillwoods will pay attention to Bronwyn. She doesn't get that the lore is, well, truth. History. Pain. The living aren't the only ones who seek retribution when they're wronged. But when Bronwyn does more exploring than she should, they are both in for danger they couldn't expect.
The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom by Allison L. Bitz (HarperCollins)
Bridget Bloom’s out-of-this-world voice is the perfect fit for center stage. When Bridget’s admitted to Richard James Academy, a college prep boarding school with a prestigious music program—where heartthrob Duke Ericson attends—all her dreams are on track to come true: leave the hometown where she’s never belonged, fall in love, and launch her Broadway career.
But upon arriving at the academy, she learns that due to her low music theory scores, she’s not eligible to perform or earn the sponsorship she needs to afford the tuition. Worst of all, Dean of Students Octavia Lawless, the one person with the power to reverse the decision, challenges her to work on her humility . . . by not singing at all.
Without her voice, Bridget will have to get out of her comfort zone and find a new way to shine. Good thing she is unstoppable!
Lose You To Find Me by Erik J. Brown (Balzer + Bray) - some editions dated July 2023.
Tommy Dees is in the weeds—restaurant speak for beyond overwhelmed. He’s been working as a server at Sunset Estates retirement community to get the experience he needs to attend one of the best culinary schools in the world. And to make his application shine, he also needs a letter of recommendation from his sadistic manager. But in exchange for the letter, Tommy has to meet three conditions—including training the new hire.
What he doesn’t expect is for the newbie to be an old crush: Gabe, with the dimples and kind heart, who Tommy fell for during summer camp at age ten and then never saw again. Unfortunately, Gabe doesn’t remember Tommy at all. The training proves distracting as old feelings resurface, and the universe seems to be conspiring against them.
With the application deadline looming and Gabe on his mind, Tommy is determined to keep it all together—but what if life isn’t meant to follow a recipe?Liar's Beach by Katie Cotugno (Delacorte) - moved from 2022.
In the aspirational world of Martha's Vineyard, prep-school kid Linden joins his roommate, Jasper, and several of their friends for the last weeks of summer. There we meet Jasper's sister Eliza, her friend Meredith, and Meredith's nemesis Aidy, and of course our very own Poirot: Holiday, the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden.
But when Jasper's enemy, Greg, is found lying facedown in the pool, the only question is... who did it?
Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum (Inkyard Press) - details not yet updated on Goodreads.
Margo Zimmerman is gay, but she didn’t know until now. An overachiever at heart, Margo is determined to ace her newly discovered gayness. All she needs is the right tutor.
Abbie Sokoloff has her own gayness down to a science. But a flunking grade in US History is threatening her acceptance to her dream school. All she needs is the right tutor.
Margo agrees to help Abbie get her history grade up in exchange for “Queer 101” lessons. But as they spend more and more time together, Margo realizes she doesn’t want just any girl—she wants the girl.
After being
jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn’t be more ready
to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all
from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe
between her and the people who broke her heart.
But when Jade
discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession
with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their
friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to
clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with….before
anyone else winds up in body bags.
Soon, Harleen discovers she’s sharing her life with Harley—a take-no-prisoners, who-cares-about attendance, maybe-we-oughtta-save-the-bunnies kind of girl. She is the opposite of Harleen in many ways. She is anarchy in a cute dress. And in this Jekyll and Hyde story, Harleen discovers that maybe evil ain’t so bad—as long as she doesn’t get caught.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (Henry Holt)
Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.
Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.
But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.
Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.
Lion's Legacy by L.C. Rosen (Union Square Co)
1. Stay, mope, regret it forever.
2. Go, try to reconcile with Dad, become his sidekick again.
3. Go, but make it his adventure, and Dad will be the sidekick.
The object of his father’s latest quest, the Rings of the Sacred Band of Thebes, is too enticing to say no to. Finding artifacts related to the troop of ancient Greek soldiers, composed of one-hundred-and-fifty gay couples, means navigating ruins, deciphering ancient mysteries, and maybe meeting a cute boy.
But will his dad let Tennessee do the right thing with the rings if they find them? And what is the right thing? Who does queer history belong to?
Against the backdrop of a sunlit Greek landscape, author L. C. Rosen masterfully weaves together adventure, romance, and magic in a celebration of the power of claiming your queer legacy.
The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman (Knopf)
When Selly's father leaves her high and dry in the port of Kirkpool, she has no intention of riding out the winter on land while he sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician's marks on his arm boards her ship, presenting her and the crew with a dangerous mission: to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods. What starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas, bringing two countries to the brink of war, two strangers closer than they ever thought possible and stirring two dangerous gods from centuries of slumber...
Solitaire by Alice Oseman (Scholastic) - originally published in the UK.
Tori Spring isn't sure how to be happy again. Then she meets Michael Holden, and they try to unmask the mysterious Solitaire (and survive high school) in Alice Oseman's stunning, unflinchinghonest debut novel, which first introduced her fan-favorite Heartstopper characters Nick and Charlie.
Northranger by Rey Terciero (HarperAlley) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2022.
Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier.
Cade’s plan to lie low at the movie theater all summer is disrupted when he’s forced to help his stepfather, Dale, work on the ranch of Dale’s old army general in order to earn some extra money for their financially struggling family. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the piles and piles of horse poop. The only silver lining is the company of the General’s two teen kids, who also live on the ranch—in particular, the ruggedly handsome and friendly Henry.
But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get…complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey comes a modern story of romance for today’s teen reader.
What are the stories we tell ourselves about America?
Home of the Brave
How do they shape our sense of history,
A Nation of Immigrants
cloud our perceptions,
Streets Paved with Gold
inspire us?
This Land Is Your Land
America Redux explores the themes that create our shared sense of American identity and interrogates the myths we’ve been telling ourselves for centuries. With iconic American catchphrases as chapter titles, these twenty-one visual stories illuminate the astonishing, unexpected, sometimes darker sides of history that reverberate in our society to this very day: from the role of celebrity in immigration policy to the influence of one small group of white women on education to the effects of “progress” on housing and the environment to the inspiring force of collective action and mutual aid across decades and among diverse groups.
Fully illustrated with collaged archival photographs, maps, documents, graphic elements, and handwritten text, this book is a dazzling, immersive experience that jumps around in time and will make you view history in a whole different light.
You Plantation Prom is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams (Little Brown)
Harriet Douglass lives with her historian father on an old plantation in Louisiana, which they’ve transformed into one of the South's few enslaved people’s museums. Together, while grieving the recent loss of Harriet’s mother, they run tours that help keep the memory of the past alive.
Harriet's world is turned upside down by the arrival of mother and daughter Claudia and Layla Hartwell—who plan to turn the property next door into a wedding venue, and host the offensively antebellum-themed wedding of two Hollywood stars.
Harriet’s fully prepared to hate Layla Hartwell, but it seems that Layla might not be so bad after all—unlike many people, this California influencer is actually interested in Harriet's point of view. Harriet's sure she can change the hearts of Layla and her mother, but she underestimates the scale of the challenge…and when her school announces that prom will be held on the plantation, Harriet’s just about had it with this whole racist timeline! Overwhelmed by grief and anger, it’s fair to say she snaps.
Can Harriet use the power of social media to cancel the celebrity wedding and the plantation prom? Will she accept that she’s falling in love with her childhood best friend, who’s unexpectedly returned after years away? Can she deal with the frustrating reality that Americans seem to live in two completely different countries? And through it all, can she and Layla build a bridge between them?
Money Out Loud by Berna Anat (Quill Tree Books) - YA Non-fiction, some editions dated April 2023 and May 9th but publisher confirms this date.
Wait. So no one taught you about money, either? Let’s figure this $h*t out together.
In this illustrated, deeply unserious guide to money, Berna Anat—aka the Financial Hype Woman—freaks out her immigrant parents by doing the unthinkable: talking about money. Loudly.
Because we’re done staying silent, confused, and ashamed about our money. It’s time to learn about all the financial stuff that always felt like it wasn’t meant for us and figure out how to survive—and thrive. Like:
- How to actually start budgeting, saving, and investing (without all the confusing finance-ese)
- How our traumas shape our most toxic money habits—and how to change to new patterns
- How to navigate a garbage system that has excluded marginalized folks for too long
- How to use money to fund your biggest dreams
No more keeping our money on mute. It’s time to grab the mic.
Every Day: The Graphic Novel by David Levithan and Dion MBD (Knopf)
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There's never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that--even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It's all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone they want to be with--day in, day out, day after day. But can Rhiannon love someone who is destined to change every day?
For the first time on the page, A's epic story will be brought to life as a graphic novel, with illustrations by Dion MBD.The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson (Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab) - moved from May 1st, release date not yet changed on Goodreads.
With her dad’s drinking and spending getting out of control, Sarah struggles to make sure that the bills are paid, that her brother is fed and safe, that her dad’s grief won’t crush them all. She has no time for art, unless she’s cranking out a piece to sell online for some grocery money. And she definitely doesn’t have the time or the emotional energy to find out if her sweet, handsome classmate, David Garza, could be more than a friend.
But then a school project prompts Sarah to delve into her mom’s Mexican and Guatemalan roots. As she learns more about this side of her heritage, Sarah starts to understand her mom better―and starts to face her own grief. When she stumbles upon a long-buried piece of history that mattered deeply to her mom, Sarah realizes she can’t carry her pain silently anymore. She has to speak up, and she can’t do it alone.
There are plenty of words Jonah Collins could use to describe Dylan Ramírez. “Arrogant,” “spoiled,” and “golden boy” to name a few. Likewise, Dylan thinks he has Jonah accurately labeled as an attention-seeking asshat who never shuts his filthy mouth. Their friends are convinced Jonah’s and Dylan’s disdain for one another is just thinly veiled lust—a rumor that surges like wildfire when the two wake up in one bed after homecoming. Mutually horrified, Dylan and Jonah agree to use the faux pas to their advantage by fake dating. If they can stay convincing long enough to end their “relationship” in a massive staged fight, they can prove their incompatibility to their friends once and for all. But the more time they spend together, the more their plan begins to fall apart—and the closer they come to seeing each other clearly for the first time.
You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie (Feiwel and Friends)
Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green’s life revolves around soccer. Her friends, her future, and her father’s intense expectations are all wrapped up in the beautiful game. But after she incites a fight during playoffs with her long-time rival, Leticia Ortiz, everything she’s been working toward seems to disappear.
Embarrassed and desperate to be anywhere but home, Vale escapes to her beloved childhood soccer camp for a summer of relaxation and redemption…only to find out that she and the endlessly aggravating Leticia will be co-captaining a team that could play in front of college scouts. But the competition might be stiffer than expected, so unless they can get their rookie team’s act together, this second chance—and any hope of playing college soccer—will slip through Vale’s fingers. When the growing pressure, friendship friction, and her overbearing father push Vale to turn to Leticia for help, what starts off as a shaky alliance of necessity begins to blossom into something more through a shared love of soccer...and maybe each other.
Sharp, romantic, and deeply emotional, You Don’t Have a Shot is a rivals-to-lovers romance about rediscovering your love of the game and yourself, from the author of Ophelia After All.
Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Weber (Balzer + Bray)
Twin queens Wren and Rose have claimed their crowns... but not everyone is happy about witches sitting on Eana's throne.
Cool-headed Rose sets off on a Royal Tour to win over the doubters, but soon finds herself drawn to the Sunless Kingdom. Here secrets are revealed about those closest to her, and Rose finds her loyalties divided.
Meanwhile rebellious Wren steals away to the icy north to rescue their beloved grandmother, Banba. But when she accepts King Alarik's deadly magical bargain in exchange for Banba's freedom, the spell has unexpected - and far-reaching - consequences...
As an ancient curse begins to arise from the darkness, the sisters must come together and unite the crown. Their lives - and the future of Eana - depend on it.
Break the ice to free the curse,
Kill one twin to save another...
I'm Not Supposed to Be In The Dark by Riss M. Neilson (Henry Holt)
Seventeen-year-old Aria Cayetano dreams of ghosts. She used to see them too, but thanks to a special tea brewed by her grandfather, Aria’s connection to the spirit world has been severed. Until a decades old rosebush suddenly dies across the street, convincing Aria that something supernatural is happening in her neighborhood.
She aches to investigate it, but the rosebush sits on her ex best friend Derek Johnson’s front lawn, and she can't question him because he hates her now. Aria doesn't know what drove them apart years ago, but she does know Derek's been acting strange for weeks, sneaking out in the dead of night to who knows where.
Then, days after the rosebush dies, Derek begins speaking to her again. At least Aria thinks it’s him. Until she discovers there’s a ghost inside of Derek that will take his life if it doesn’t find what it’s searching for. As Aria and Derek race to uncover the mystery, another kind of magic takes them by surprise: love. But Aria has to decide how far she’s willing to go to save Derek, especially when helping the ghost means tapping into whatever the tea has buried inside of her.
Bone-chilling and spellbinding, I’m Not Supposed to Be in the Dark is an alluring ghost story that’s about exorcising the past to find a future to believe in.
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (Little Brown) - YA graphic novel.
Lady Camembert wants to live life on her own terms, without marriage. Well, without marrying a man, that is. But the law of the land is that women cannot inherit. So when her father passes away, she does the only thing she can: She disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city of the Kingdom of Fromage to start over as Count Camembert.
But it’s hard to keep a low profile when the beautiful Princess Brie, with her fierce activism and great sense of fashion, catches her attention. Camembert can’t resist getting to know the princess, but as the two grow closer, will she able to keep her secret?
A romantic comedy about mistaken identity, true love, and lots of grilled cheese.
This Is The Way The World Ends by Jen Wilde (Wednesday Books) - moved from 2022.
As an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy in New York City, Waverly is used to masking to fit in—in more ways than one. While her classmates are the children of the one percent, Waverly is getting by on tutoring gigs and the generosity of the school’s charming and enigmatic dean. So when her tutoring student and resident “it girl” asks Waverly to attend the school’s annual fundraising Masquerade disguised as her, Waverly jumps at the chance—especially once she finds out that Ash, the dean’s daughter and her secret ex-girlfriend, will be there.
The Masquerade is everything Waverly dreamed of, complete with extravagant gowns, wealthy parents writing checks, and flowing champagne. Most importantly, there’s Ash. All Waverly wants to do is shed her mask and be with her, but the evening takes a sinister turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school’s top donors—and witnesses a brutal murder. This gala is harboring far more malevolent plots than just opening parents’ pocketbooks. Before she can escape or contact the authorities, a mysterious global blackout puts the entire party on lockdown. Waverly’s fairy tale has turned into a nightmare, and she, Ash, and her friends must navigate through a dizzying maze of freight elevators, secret passageways, and back rooms if they’re going to survive the night.
And even if they manage to escape the Masquerade, with technology wiped out all over the planet, what kind of world will they find waiting for them beyond the doors?
The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown (Levine Querido) - details not yet updated on Goodreads.
1. Blueberries
2. Art show in ShoeHorn
3. Lizzo concert
4. Thrift shop pop-up
5. Skinny Dipping at the lake house
6. Amusement Park Day!
7. Drew Barrymarathon
8. Paintball day
Oh, and
9. Fall out of love with Hailee
Andrea Williams has got this. The Best Summer Ever. Two summers ago, she spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She's waited
too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends, and the best parents anyone could ask for (just don't tell them that), she's going to live it up.
There's just one thing that could ruin it: Her best friend, Hailee, finding out Andrea's
true feelings. So Andrea WILL fall out of love with Haile - even if it means dating the
cute boy George who keeps showing up everywhere with a smile.
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude (Bloomsbury)
Avery Byrne has secrets. She's queer; she's in love with her best friend, Cass; and she's suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression. But on the morning Avery plans to jump into the river near her college campus, the world discovers there are only nine days left to live: an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it.
Trying to spare her family and Cass additional pain, Avery does her best to make it through just nine more days. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery would do anything to save the ones she loves. But most importantly, she learns to save herself. Speak her truth. Seek the support she needs. Find hope again in the tomorrows she has left.
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is a celebration of queer love, a gripping speculative narrative, and an urgent, conversation-starting book about depression, mental health, and shame.
Revelations by Bella Higgin (Wattpad Books)
A grim shadow hangs over Belle Morte. Renie's dream of saving her sister
is in ruins, and Edmond, the man she loves, has been imprisoned for
breaking one of the vampires' most important rules. The vampire Council
descends on the mansion, determined to unravel the mystery behind the
bloody attack that has left Belle Morte reeling, but the truth is
deadlier than they imagined, threatening the lives of everyone that
Renie and Edmond hold dear.
Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi (Balzer + Bray) - moved from 2021.
Warrior Princess. That’s what Nigeria Jones’s father calls her. He has raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. Nigeria is homeschooled and vegan and participates in traditional rituals to connect her and other kids from the group to their ancestors. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch of their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended. She finds herself taking care of her baby brother and stepping into a role she doesn’t want.
Nigeria’s mother had secrets. She wished for a different life for her children, which includes sending her daughter to a private Quaker school outside of their strict group. Despite her father’s disapproval, Nigeria attends the school with her cousin, Kamau, and Sage, who used to be a friend. There, she slowly begins to blossom and expand her universe. She is also tested in ways she never anticipated.
As Nigeria searches for her mother, she starts to uncover a shocking truth. One that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her life and her family.
From award-winning author Ibi Zoboi comes a searing, powerful
coming-of-age story about discovering who you are in the world—and
fighting for that person—by being brave enough to remix the founding
tenets of your life. It’s about having the courage to be your own
revolution.
Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (Balzer + Bray)
2019. Moud (short for Mahmoud) is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.
1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.
1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side. Bobby is forced to hide his sexuality for fear of losing everything he’s worked so hard for.
Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles in three different
eras, this sweeping tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode
to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all
the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.
The Iron Vow by Julie Kagawa (Inkyard Press)
After leaping through the portal to Evenfall, Meghan and her companions find themselves in a terrifying new world where Nightmares roam and glamour is nearly nonexistent. As their magic wanes and the creatures of Evenfall rise against them, the race to find the Nightmare King grows ever more desperate. But what they discover--about Evenfall, about the Nightmare King, about themselves--will shake everything they thought they knew to the core.
The Nightmare King stirs. A world hangs in the balance. And as twilight descends upon all the realms of Faery, Meghan and her allies must make one more impossible choice.
The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley (Labyrinth Road)
Jillian and Henry are the kind of couple who do everything together. They take the same classes, have the same hobbies, and applied for the same super-competitive scholarship so they can go to the same dream college. They even come out as gay to each other on the same night, after junior prom, prompting a sudden breakup that threatens their intertwined identities and carefully designed future. Jillian knows the only way to keep everything on track is to approach their breakup with the same precision and planning as their scholarship application. They will still be "Jillian and Henry"--even if they're broken up.
Except they hadn't planned on Henry meeting the boy of his dreams or Jillian obsessing over a cool girl at school. Jillian is desperate to hold on to her best friend when so much else is changing. But as she and Henry explore what--and who--they really want, it becomes harder to hold on to the careful definitions she has always lived her life by. Stuck somewhere between who she was with Henry and who she might be on her own, Jillian has to face what she can't control and let go of the rules holding her back.
Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf (Walker Books US) - previously published in the UK.
It’s Libra Season, and Cat Phillips is ready to run headfirst into love. The only problem is that her crush is on her best friend, Alison Bridgewater, who is more interested in chatting with boys.
Maybe Cat should take this as a sign to get over Alison, even if that means dating the musically challenged Jamie Owusu. After all, a new boyfriend is the best cleanse, at least according to Cat’s friends. Unfortunately, having a boyfriend is a lot harder than Cat expected. And then Morgan Delaney swoops in with her green glasses, enigmatic smile, and talent for teasing Cat in ways that make her feel überlicious. But Morgan is a Gemini, and there’s no way that’s in Cat’s horoscope.
Will Cat finally get the girl of her dreams? Or is there a chance there’s more to life than Alison Bridgewater? The stars align for the cast of this energetic romp full of comedic misunderstandings and sparkling language.
Breakup, Makeup by Stacey Anthony (Rnning Kids Press) - YA graphic novel.
Eli Peterson is a self-taught, up-and-coming makeup artist in the cosplay scene who is just barely making ends meet. While they might be slaying it with their breath-taking, innovative looks, they're also trying to save up enough money for top surgery and convince their parents that taking a gap year to focus on their dream of being a makeup artist is worthwhile. During a convention, Eli hears about Makeup Wars, a cosplay makeup competition that could change everything because the grand prize is a scholarship to Beyond, the best SFX school on the West Coast. The problem is that they be going head-to-head with some of the most talented up-and-coming makeup artists--including rival influencer Zachary Miller, who also happens to be their ex-boyfriend.
As the competition gets underway, Eli pushes themselves to be the best in the competition, while also trying not to get tangled up in the complicated feelings they have for Zach. Now Eli will have to juggle their makeup brushes, their rekindled feelings for Zach, and their self-doubt, in order to win and achieve everything they have ever wanted: a chance to chase their dream and the courage to accept that maybe they deserve a second chance at love after all.
May 16th
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (Henry Holt) - moved from October 2022, then from January 2023, then from February 2023. Some editions dated May 1st, but author confirms this date.
After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.
For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if
Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim
to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative
sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into
the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past.
And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over
their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a
future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?
Bound by Blood and Spirit by Andrea Robertson (Philomel)
Ara and her companions are separated, and the world is in danger. The evil Vokkans are continuing their conquest of Saetlund and the world Ara is meant to protect. The only thing that can stop the wizards and the destroyer, Vokk, is Ara and her Loreknights. But she still has many to find.
Teth is captured—thrown into prison with none other than their betrayer, Prince Eamon. While he struggles with a shocking secret from his past, he must determine whether he can trust his former friend to help turn the tables on the dark wizards. Meanwhile, Eamon has to gather all his courage and wit to enact a secret plan to help his sister and redeem himself—no matter what.
As a battle to save their world approaches, Ara and her friends must rally their forces—some more mysterious than they ever could have imagined—and take back their kingdom, once and for all. Ultimately, they will change the future of Saetlund forever.
From internationally bestselling author Andrea Roberston comes the final book in a gorgeously written new fantasy series perfect for readers of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone or Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series.
Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s doubling for his brother.
Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future queen of Eliana.
Gael Palma is the infamous boy assassin Cade has vowed to protect.
Patrick McKenna is the reluctant heir to a kingdom, and the prince Gael has vowed to destroy.
Cade doesn’t know that Gael and Valencia are the same person.
Valencia doesn’t know that every time she thinks she’s fighting Patrick, she’s fighting Cade.
And when Cade and Valencia blame each other for a devastating enchantment that takes both their families, neither of them realizes that they have far more dangerous enemies.
Cowritten by married writing team Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore, this is a lush and powerful YA novel about owning your power and becoming who you really are - no matter the cost.
The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes (Dial) - moved from 2021, then from 2022.
Everyone hopes for a letter--to attend the Estuary, the Pines, the Glades, the Meadows. These are the secret places where only the best and brightest go to burn even brighter.
When Eleanor gets her letter, she knows she's freed from her hardscrabble life by the sea, in a country ravaged by climate disaster. But despite the Meadows' luminous facilities, endless fields, and pretty things, it keeps a dark secret: its purpose is to reform the students inside, to condition them against their attractions, to show them that one way of life is the only way to survive. Anything else, they're told, will topple a society only just past the brink of collapse.
After the Meadows, Eleanor is an adjudicator, making sure her former classmates don't stray from the life they've been conditioned to live. But Eleanor can't escape her past, or thoughts of the girl she once loved. Because that girl isn't here anymore. And as secrets emerge that set Eleanor on a dangerous but determined search for the truth, she knows if she's not careful, it could be her fate too.
Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland (Feiwel and Friends)
In becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more.
Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside.
A blade.
When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love's place in their village's Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls...or they don't survive long enough to become either.
Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants - particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual - one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life...or betrays her own heart.
Court of the Undying Seasons is a deliciously dark romantic novel and a pitch perfect modern take on classic vampire tropes.
We’ll Never Tell by Wendy Heard (Little, Brown/Ottaviano) - details not yet updated on Goodreads.
No one at Hollywood High knows who’s behind We'll Never Tell—a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA's most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.
Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini “murder house,” which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it’s a mad dash to get out before the police arrive—at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?
A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don't, the house will claim more victims.
Make the Fireflies Dance by Rachel Bateman (Running Press Kids)
Quincy Walker is a hopeless romantic, so when she's kissed by a stranger in a dark theater, her rom-com obsessed imagination begins plotting the perfect movie-version ending to her senior year (which ends, like all great high school rom-coms, with the prom). With the help of her friends, Operation Mystery Kisser is born: a plan to set Quin up on dates with all the guys who were at the theater that night so she can discover who kissed her. The only problem? Her friends insist on blind dates, and Quin hates letting go of control--just ask the members of her group for her final project for film class. As prom draws nearer, Quin is no closer to finding who her mystery kisser was, and she's not sure she wants to continue looking. Maybe it's her dad's failing health and her brother's absence; maybe it's the fact that she's fighting with her best friend; or maybe--just maybe--it's that she's falling for a guy who definitely isn't the one she's been looking for.
Rubi Ramos' Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra (Wednesday Books)
*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.
But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.
*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.
Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.
But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…
When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out--even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.
Those Who Saw the Sun by Jaha Nailah Avery (Levine Querido)
Those Who Saw the Sun is a collection of oral histories told by Black people who grew up in the South during the time of Jim Crow. Jaha Nailah Avery Is a lawyer, scholar, and reporter whose family has roots in North Carolina stretching back over 300 years. These interviews have been a personal passion project for years as she’s traveled across the South meeting with elders and hearing their stories,
One of the most Important things a culture can do is preserve history, truthfully. In Those Who Saw the Sun we have the special experience of hearing this history as it was experienced by those who were really there. The opportunity to read their stories, their similarities and differences, where they agree and disagree, and where they overcame obstacles and found joy - feels truly like a gift.
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley (Katherine Tegen Books)
A tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, and her future precarious, until she receives an invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, watching her youngest children while Alice finishes writing her latest novel.
Marin accepts and soon finds herself spending her days with Alice’s peculiar girls: Thea, who buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, and Wren, who does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice’s eldest daughter returns home. Evie Hallowell is unexpected and every bit as strange as her little sisters, and yet Marin finds her compelling. She is quickly drawn in by Evie’s curious behavior and ethereal grace.
But even as Marin settles in at her new home, she can’t escape the
anxiety that hangs over her like a shadow. Dead birds keep appearing in
Marin’s room. The children’s innocent pranks escalate. And there is
something dangerous lurking in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in
its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its
secrets before they consume her.
Transmogrify! by Various YA Authors (HarperTeen)
A spell gone wrong
A righteous quest for revenge
A mirror that only shows the truth
The hidden power of a name
Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify! you’ll
embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable
characters who embody many different genders and expressions and
experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for
celebration.
A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Now all Gage wants is to move on.
Gage’s
biological father convinces him that ignoring his feelings altogether
is the best way forward. So when his stepdad shows him a job opening in
one of his idol's restaurants, Gage knows this is his chance to convince
everyone that he is okay. He applies for the job, asks out a crush, and
volunteers to host a memorial for Hunter.
But the longer Gage
ignores his grief, the more it warps from sadness into uncontrollable
anger that undermines everything he is trying to do and to be.
When
his temper finally turns on the people he loves, Gage must decide what
real strength is—holding in his grief until it destroys him, or asking
for help and revealing his broken heart for all to see.
Dylan Tang plans to enter NYC's Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making contest--if he wins, his aunt's struggling Brooklyn Singaporean-Chinese takeout, Wok Warriors, could get some much-needed publicity.
While delivering orders one night, Dylan ends up at a swanky penthouse where he meets a cute boy and his haughty...friend? Whatever they are, Dylan doesn't expect to see either of them again. But then the charming one, Theo Somers, shows up at the takeout and takes a vested interest in Dylan's life, including his mission to recreate his grandmother's mooncake recipe for the competition. Theo even donates an absurd amount of money to help keep the Tangs' business afloat.
Dylan is speechless. He can't possibly pay Theo back. Theo is willing to call it even--Dylan just needs to be his fake date to a family wedding in the Hamptons. But Theo's true agenda is a bit more complicated--and could have serious repercussions.
Dylan might be catching feelings, but he can't risk ruining his family's reputation. Maybe he should just retreat to the comfort he knows, cooking with his aunt and cousins and preparing mooncakes? After all, his heart was never supposed to be on the menu.
Last Canto of the Dead by Daniel Jose Holder (Rick Riordan)
Healer. Destroyer. Creator. Mateo Matisse and Chela Hidalgo are not just two teenagers in love--they're powerful gods in human form. Powerful enough to have saved their Brooklyn diaspora community from the wrath of an ancient enemy and to have raised their once-sunken native island of San Madrigal from the sea.
But soon they discover that their problems are far from over. On the shores of San Madrigal, two creature armies are battling for survival. And on the streets of Brooklyn, a once tight-knit community is divided, with two sides at each other's throats. But worst of all, a heartbreaking prophecy rips these two young lovers apart, sending Mateo back to the city, where cops are now patrolling the streets, and keeping Chela tethered to the island, where chaos and death lurk around every corner.
Healer. Destroyer. Creator. As gods, their powers know no limits. But as teenagers--separated, desperate, grieving--what will become of them? And what will become of their people?
Join their battle and witness their love in this thrilling conclusion to the epic saga that began with BALLAD & DAGGER.
Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.
Hurt You by Marie Myung-Ok Lee (Blackstone)
Inspired by the unabashed social realism of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Hurt You moves beyond the quasi-fraternal bond of the unforgettable George and Lenny to explore an actual sibling bond of Georgia, sister to Leonardo da Vinci Daewoo Lee, who has an unnamed neurological disability that resembles autism. The race, disability, and class themes spin themselves out not on a ranch but in a suburban high school where the Lee family has moved from the city for better services for Leonardo.
Suddenly unmoored from the familiar, including the support of her Aunt Clara, Georgia struggles to find her place in an Asian-majority school where whites still dominate culturally, and she finds herself also feeling not Korean enough. Her one pole star is her commitment to her brother, a loyalty that finds itself at odds with her immigrant parents' dreams for her, and an ableist, racist society that may bring violence to Leonardo despite her efforts to keep him safe.
Steinbeck was fearless about bringing his stories to realistic, not tidy, conclusions that reflected actual society in the 1930s. Of Mice and Men's Lenny was to some eyes a monster and a killer; in the 2020s, Hurt You reflects statistics that a person with intellectual disability is much more likely to be a victim, not a perpetrator, of violent crimes, despite enduring stereotypes that they are the ones who should be feared.
From Here by Luma Mufleh (Nancy Paulsen Books) - YA memior.
With no word for "gay" in Arabic, Luma may not have known what to call the feelings she had growing up in Jordan during the 1980's, but she knew well enough to keep them secret. It was clear that not only would her family have trouble accepting who she was, but trapped in a religious society, she could also be killed if anyone discovered she was gay. Luma spent her teenage years increasingly desperate to find a way out. After two suicide attempts, she finally realizes that to survive, she must leave the Middle East for good. While attending college in the United States, Luma endures the agonizing process of applying for political asylum, which ensures her safety--but causes her family to break ties with her.
Suddenly becoming a refugee in America is a rude awakening. Disowned, depressed, and broke, Luma must rely on the grace of both friends and strangers as she builds a tenuous new life finally embracing her full self. Slowly, she forges a new path forward with both her biological and chosen families, eventually founding Fugees Family, a nonprofit dedicated to the education and support of refugee children in the United States.
As hopeful as it is heartrending, From Here is a coming-of-age memoir about one young woman's search for belonging and the many meanings of home for those who must leave theirs.
The Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall (Bloomsbury) - moved from April 2023.
In 1521, Calizto is a young Aztec warrior in Tenochtitlan, fighting desperately to save his city from Spanish imperialists. With his family dead and the horrors of war surrounding him, Calizto asks a sacred moon conch for guidance.
Connected by the magical conch, Sitlali and Calizto are able to magically communicate across centuries, finding comfort in each other as they fight to survive. With each conversation, they fall deeper in love, but will they be able to find a way to each other?
A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children.
This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured . . . for months. But it all came at a steep cost.
With compassion and his keen journalist's eye, Sibert Honor creator Don Brown illuminates the horrors of Mariupol and the depredations of its people not seen in the city since World War II. He also shows that outside of Mariupol, the city's agonies were mirrored by similar events occurring in towns and cities across Ukraine.
83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at The Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn't confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds--a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape.
Julieta and the Romeos by Maria Andreu (Balzer + Bray) - some editons dated May 3rd but publisher confirms this date.
Julieta knows that “happily ever afters” aren’t real. (Case in point: her parents’ imploding marriage.) But then again, could this be her very own meet-cute?
As things start to heat up in her fiction, Julieta can’t help but notice three boys in her real life: her best friend’s brother (a/k/a her nemesis), the boy next door (well, to her abuela), and her oldest friend (who is suddenly looking . . . hot?). Could one of them be her mysterious collaborator? But even if Julieta finds her Romeo, she’ll have to remember that life is full of plot twists . . .
From the author of Love in English comes a fresh take on love and romance, and a reminder to always be the author of your own life story.
May 23rdOf Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena (FSG)
Roshan Chaya is out for justice. Abandoned by her parents at birth and adopted by the kingdom of Jwala's most notorious bandit before his brutal murder, she is now leader of the Shadow Clan, a gang of farmers-turned-bandits impoverished by the provincial governor’s atrocities and corruption. Roshan’s goal: to avenge her adoptive father and earn back rights and dignity for her people.
Prince Navin has always felt like an outcast. Second in line for the throne, he has never been close to his grandmother, Queen Bhairavi of Jwala. When a night out drinking with friends leads to his capture by the infamous Shadow Clan, Navin schemes to befriend Roshan and use her as a means to escape. His ploy, however, brings Navin closer to the corruption and poverty at the heart of Roshan’s province, raising questions about its governor and Navin’s own family.
To further complicate things, the closer Roshan and Navin get, the harder it becomes to fight their growing attraction. But how can they trust each other when the world as they know it starts to fall apart?
Set in a magical world inspired by the badlands of 17th century India, this standalone epic fantasy novel by Tanaz Bhathena is packed with political tensions, dangerous schemes, and swoon-worthy romance that asks the age old question: can love conquer all?
Something Like Possible by Miel Moreland (Feiwel and Friends)
On the worst day of her life, Madison is dumped by her girlfriend, then fired as said (ex)girlfriend’s campaign manager... plus she accidentally rear-ends the student government advisor—the one person whose good word might help her win a spot at a prestigious youth politics summer camp.
But Madison is nothing if not a girl with a plan, and she isn’t going to let a little thing like heartbreak (or a slightly dented bumper) get in her way. Soon, she has a new junior class president candidate to back—although the two of them might be getting a little too close on the campaign trail. Between navigating her growing crush and corralling a less than enthusiastic election team, Madison has had it with unexpected changes to her carefully laid plans. But when she and a group of queer classmates discover a pattern of harassment within the student government, Madison's forced to shift gears once again.
Something Like Possible is a love letter to ambitious girls, queer solidarity, and how to keep moving forward when the world seems set on pushing you back.
Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington (FSG) - moved from 2022.
I'm safe here.
That's how Sadie feels, on a perfect summer day, wrapped in her girlfriend's arms. School is out, and even though she’s been struggling to manage her chronic anxiety, Sadie is hopeful better times are ahead. Or at least, she thought she was safe. When her girlfriend reveals some unexpected news and the two witness a violent incident of police brutality unfold before them, Sadie’s whole world is upended in an instant.
I'm not safe anywhere.
That's how Sadie feels every day after—vulnerable, uprooted. She retreats inside as the weeks slip by and relies on her phone to stay connected to the outside world. When Sadie’s therapist gives her a diagnosis for her debilitating panic—agoraphobia—she starts on a path of acceptance and healing. Meanwhile, Sadie's best friend, Evan, updates her on the protests taking place in their city. Sadie wants to be a part of it, to use her voice and affect change. But how do you show up for your community when you can’t even leave your house?
I can build a safe place inside myself.
That’s what Sadie learns over the course of one life-changing summer, with some help from her family, her best friend, an online platform for activists, and a magnetic crush she develops for the new boy next door.
From critically acclaimed author Mariama J. Lockington comes Forever is Now, a powerful young adult novel-in-verse about mental health, love, family, Black joy, and finding your voice and power in an unforgiving world.
Picture Perfect Boyfriend by Becky Dean (Delacorte)
Aspiring nature photographer Kenzie Reed just can’t get her straitlaced family of optometrists to take her art seriously. She’s resigned to putting aside her dreams and accepting the depressing life that awaits her at the family business. She even makes up a fake, boring boyfriend—Jacob—to get her parents off her back.
But when the Reeds arrive in Hawaii for spring break, Kenzie is shocked that "Jacob" shows up at the airport—and joins their vacation. Kenzie can’t reveal him as a fraud without confessing her lie, so she’s stuck playing along while trying to find out who he really is.
No way is she going to actually fall for him—because even though he’s funny, nice, smart, and cute, he’s also a liar. Isn’t he?
Filled with warm summer breezes and salty sea air, Becky Dean’s Picture-Perfect Boyfriend will sweep you off your feet into a tropical paradise, sun on your shoulders—where love is just around a palm tree.
The next LGBTQ young adult rom-com from New York Times bestselling author Jason June (author of Jay’s Gay Agenda and Out of the Blue)
follows femme, gay teen Riley Weaver as he fights back against a
classmate’s femmephobia and takes a bet that he can find a masculine
date to the annual Gaybutante Ball.
Femme, gay teen podcaster Riley Weaver has made it to junior year, which means he can finally apply for membership into the Gaybutante Society, the LGBTQ+ organization that has launched dozens of queer teens’ careers in pop culture, arts, and activism. The process to get into the society is a marathon of charity events, parties, and general gay chaos, culminating in the annual Gaybutante Ball. The one requirement for the ball? A date.
Then Riley overhears a fellow gay classmate, Skylar, say that gay guys just aren’t interested in femme guys or else they wouldn’t be gay. Riley confronts Skylar and makes a bet to prove him wrong: Riley must find a masc date by the time of the ball or he’ll drop out of the Society entirely. Riley decides to document the trials and tribulations of dating when you’re femme in a brand-new podcast. Can Riley find a fella to fall for in time? Or will this be one massive—and publicly broadcast—femme failure?
This new novel from New York Times bestselling author Jason June explores how labels can limit and liberate us and shows just what can happen when you bet on yourself.
City of Vicious Night by Claire Winn (Flux)
It’s been four months since runaway heiress Asa crash-landed on matriarchal outlaw colony Requiem, bringing a nasty AI and host of deadly secrets with her. Now, she runs with almost-girlfriend Riven’s smuggler crew, stealing kisses between gunfights and heists. But when a mysterious hacker sabotages their latest job, other gangs turn against them, blaming them for the destruction the rogue AI caused. Nowhere in the city is safe.
The only way to protect their crew is a
series of trials for control of an underworld faction–and vying for a
matriarch’s throne is a dream Riven can’t let go. But as the trials
intensify, the saboteur hounds Asa and Riven’s every step, determined to
kill Asa and right her father’s wrongs. When the saboteur reveals a
horrific conspiracy threatening all of Requiem–one involving the crew
member they thought they’d lost–the girls must decide whether to risk
their own skins for a city that loathes them.
THIS WASN’T PAUL’S IDEA.
The last thing he’s interested in is exploring new countries or experiencing anything that might be described as “cultural enrichment.” But like it or not, he’s stuck with his brother, Theo, for two weeks in Taiwan, a place that—while fascinating to Theo—holds no interest to Paul at all.
While on a short trip to a local electronics store, Paul becomes hopelessly lost in Taiwan’s twisting, narrow streets, and he has no choice but to explore this new environment in his quest to find his way back to Theo’s apartment.
In an unfamiliar place with no friends—and no GPS!—there’s no telling what adventures he could happen upon. And who knows? Maybe it turns out he has friends in Taiwan, after all.
Ever Since by Alena Bruzas (Rocky Pond Books)
Seventeen-year-old Virginia makes bad choices. In fact, she's That Kind of Girl, according to the whispers. But as long as she has her tight group of best friends by her side, she's able to ignore the gossipers. Until she finds herself spending time with Rumi, Poppy's boyfriend. Breaking with tradition, she doesn't hook up with Rumi. Worse, she falls in love with him.
While Virginia and Rumi's relationship grows in secret, she discovers that his little sister, Lyra, is being groomed for abuse. The soon-to-be-abuser is a respected member of the community, and only Virginia knows who he is and what he does. If she stays quiet, Lyra will become a victim. But coming forward feels equally impossible.
The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes (Balzer + Bray)
Luis’s attention soon turns to something more and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no.
Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker which eventually leads her to an unlikely group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done.
A Starlet's Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper (Holiday House)
Eighteen-year-old Henrietta arrives in Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of trading her boring life for stardom.
She’s determined to make it as an actress, despite her family’s doubts and rumors of would-be starlets gone missing. And by the skin of her teeth, she pulls it off! A serendipitous job offer arrives and Henrietta finds herself on a whirlwind publicity tour for a major film role—with a vexingly unpleasant actor tapped by the studio to be her fake boyfriend.
But fierce Henrietta has more in common with brooding Declan than she realizes. They both have gifts that they are hiding, for fear of being labeled strange: he is immune to injury and she can speak to ghosts. Together, they might be the only people in Hollywood who can do something about these poor missing girls. And in doing so . . . they might just fall in love for real.
This whip smart, seductive caper by the author of Murder for the Modern Girl has the perfect combination of romance, vengeance, and a hint of the supernatural, set in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Hand to fans of These Violent Delights and My Lady Jane.
If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So (HarperTeen) - previously published in the UK.
This summer, Elsie is finally going to confess her feelings to her longtime—and long-distance—crush. Ada’s fanfics are to die for, and she just gets Elsie like no one else. That is, until Joan, Elsie’s childhood best friend, literally walks back into her life and slots in like she had never moved away to Hong Kong and never ignored Elsie’s dozens of emails and letters.
Then Ada mentions her grandmother’s own long-lost pen pal (and maybe love?), a woman who once lived only a train ride away from Elsie’s Oxford home, and Elsie gets the idea for the perfect grand gesture. But as her plan to reunite the two older women ignites a summer of repairing broken bonds, Elsie starts to wonder if she, too, can recover the things she’s lost…
With a beautifully earnest teen voice, a light epistolary element,
and a dash of fandom, this wistful and delightful debut is a love letter
to queer coming-of-age, finding community, and finding yourself.
Magic Has No Borders by Various YA Authors (HarperTeen)
A girl fights for her life against a malignant, generations-old evil...
A peri seeks to reclaim her lost powers...
A warrior rebels against her foretold destiny...
From chudails and peris to jinn and goddesses, this lush collection of South Asian folklore, legends, and epics reimagines stories of old for a modern audience. This fantasy and science fiction teen anthology edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra contains a wide range of stories from fourteen bestselling, award-winning, and emerging writers from the South Asian diaspora that will surprise, delight, and move you. So read on, for after all, magic has no borders.
With stories by:
- Sabaa
Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes
series, and winner of the National Book Award and Printz Award for All
My Rage
- Sayantani DasGupta, New York Times bestselling author of the
Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series
- Preeti Chhibber, author of
Spider-Man's Social Dilemma
- Sona Charaipotra, author of Symptoms of a
Heartbreak and How Maya Got Fierce, and coauthor of The Rumor Game and
Tiny Pretty Things, now a Netflix original series.
- Tanaz Bhathena,
award-winning author of Hunted by the Sky and Of Light and Shadow
- Sangu
Mandanna, bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular
Witches and the Celestial Trilogy
- Olivia Chadha, author of Rise of the
Red Hand
- Nafiza Azad, author of William C. Morris Award nominee, The
Candle and the Flame
- Tracey Baptiste, New York Times bestselling author
of The Jumbies series and Minecraft: The Crash
- Naz Kutub, author of The
Loophole
Nikita Gill, bestselling author of Wild Embers and Fierce
Fairytales
- Swati Teerdhala, author of the Tiger at Midnight trilogy
- Shreya
Ila Anasuya, New Voices selection
- Tahir Abrar, New Voices selection
Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Razorbill) - moved from 2022.
Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han.
Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, though confident and self-assured, is what they call a late-bloomer. She's never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. She's determined to change that but after her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming--declaring her too inexperienced--and all her back-up ideas fall through, she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend's boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until Saylor breaks up with said boyfriend.
Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he's the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn't quite ready for all the attention or to be someone's boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex's best friend to the dance.
Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart.
And it works--guys are finally noticing Bethany. But things get complicated as their kissing sessions--for research of course!--start to feel real. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou (Razorbill) - moved from June 13th.
But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.
But the investigation turns personal when Io’s estranged oldest
sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets
from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues
through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that
involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction
comes to her own doorstep.
There are two things Tess Crawford knows for sure:
- She’s destined to be a great Trinidadian Carnival costume designer like her renowned uncle, Russell Messina, and will one day inherit leadership of the family’s masquerade band, Grandeur.
- Her classmate, the popular social media influencer, Brandon Richards, is the bane of her existence. Everything about him irks her, from his annoying nickname for Tess (Boop) to his association with David, her awful ex.
But when the future of Grandeur nears the brink of collapse in the face of band rivalry, Tess finds to her chagrin that she must team up with Brandon in a desperate attempt to revive the company.
As Tess and Brandon spend more time together, Tess begins to wonder if everything she thought she knew might not be so certain after all. . . .
Set in lush, gorgeous Trinidad, this is a novel about finding love in the most unexpected places.
The Girl Next Door by Cecilia Vinesse (Quill Tree Books)
Film club nerd Cleo Ferrara’s senior year was like a storyboard waiting to be filmed. She knew the scenes, the players, and the eventual happy ending. Attend film school with her boyfriend, Daniel Sheridan. Become a film-making power couple. Take Hollywood by storm. Cut. Print. Fade to black.
But in a plot twist Cleo never saw coming, Daniel dumps her for Kiki Pearson, the head cheerleader. This would be the point in the movie where the Sad Girl Music plays while the protagonist looks longingly out her window, but when Cleo looks out hers, she sees Marianne Lacerda, her former best friend…and a new storyboard unfolds.
Marianne is also nursing a heartache. When Daniel was dumping Cleo for Kiki, Kiki was dumping Marianne for Daniel. So instead of watching their exes parade around school, Cleo and Marianne start fake dating each other to ignite a little chaos in this bizarre love square. But any movie buff knows that when you introduce fake dating in Act I, it’s going to get real by Act III. With friendship, the future, and love on the line, can Cleo script a happy ending for herself—or will she get her heart broken again?
The Melancholy of Summer by Louisa Onome (Feiwel and Friends)
Doesn’t she see? I can do this on my own.
Summer Uzoma is fine. Sure, her parents left her behind when they went on the run after being accused of committing a crime last year. Sure, she’s been alternating stays at her friends Sid and Tanya’s houses. Sure, she sometimes still secretly visits her old house. And sure, she has trouble talking about any of this. But she’s fine. She has her skateboard and bus pass and the beach. She just has to turn eighteen in a few weeks and then she’ll officially be an adult. She’ll really and truly be free.
So it’s extra annoying when a nosy social worker gets involved and insists on finding a relative to take Summer in and to figure out her funding for college, as if the rest of her family didn’t abandon her just like her parents did. Summer doesn’t expect any of them to be available, so she’s very surprised to hear that she’ll be living with her cousin Olu—someone she hasn’t seen in years, who’s only a year older, and who’s a famous singer in Japan last she heard.
Life with Olu is awkward, partly because Olu has her own drama to deal with but largely because Summer no longer knows how to let people in. And what’s the point anyway, when they’re always leaving? Even Sid and Tanya will be going off to college, something Summer isn’t sure she actually wants anymore. With Olu, Sid, and Tanya’s efforts, can Summer learn to open up again?
You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker (Joy Revolution) - moved from June 2023.
Sasha Johnson-Sun might not know everything--like how to fully heal after her dad's passing or how many more Saturdays her mom can spend cleaning houses. But the one thing Sasha is certain of? She will graduate this year as Skyline High's class valedictorian.
At least, she was sure before the principal calls Sasha and her cute, effortlessly gifted ex-best friend, Ezra Davis-Goldberg, into his office to deliver earth-shattering news: they're tied for valedictorian and the scholarship attached...
This outcome can't be left to chance. So, Sasha and Ezra agree on a best-of-three, winner-take-all academic bet. As they go head-to-head, they are forced not only to reexamine why they drifted apart but also to figure out who they've become since. With her future hanging in the balance, Sasha must choose: honor her family's sacrifices by winning (at all costs) or give her heart a shot at finding happiness?
Rhythm & Muse by India Hill Brown (Quill Tree Books)
Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, Elise Bryant, and Kasie West!
Darren Armstrong lives in his head. It’s nice in there—safe from others’ unsolicited opinions and critiques. Surrounded by talkative family and showboat friends, Darren’s always been happy to play the role of observer. Until Delia Dawson came along—transfer student, host of the Dillie D in the Place to Be podcast, and total dream girl, in Darren’s opinion.
His friends are all convinced he’s going to do nothing but pine away for Dillie in silence. But when Dillie puts out a call for listeners to make a theme song for the pod, one of Darren’s secret side projects—anonymously submitted by his meddling friends—catches her ear.
As Dillie sets out to uncover the mystery singer behind the track,
Darren has to decide: Is he ready to step out of the shadows and take
the lead in his own life?
No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore (Bloomsbury) - previously titled A Supercut of Us.
When their father went to prison last year for embezzlement, twins Alex and Olly Brucke lost everything: their house, their college funds, most of their friends, and even their mother, who's so focused on making ends meet that she's never around anymore. The only thing they can count on lately is each other.
But after their father dies unexpectedly in prison, the twins start to fracture. Alex is spiraling, skipping classes to spend all of her time drunk or high. And Olly is struggling with a secret his dad ordered him to keep: they have a secret half-brother named Tyler.
When Tyler shows up in their lakeside town for the summer, hoping to get to know his siblings, Olly hides the truth from Alex. But as Alex and Tyler start to form a friendship, the lies become harder to juggle. If they can't confront their father's past and fix their relationship, Olly and Alex each risk losing two siblings forever.
No Perfect Places is a thought-provoking novel about grief, family secrets, and figuring out how to belong against the odds.
The Agathas: The Night in Question by Liz Lawson and Kathleen Glasgow (Delacorte)
Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams became the talk of Castle Cove when they cracked the biggest case of the fall: the death of Brooke Donovan. Together, the Agathas put Brooke's killer away for good, and since then things around town have been almost back to normal. Quiet, even.
But if Alice and Iris know anything, it's that sometimes quiet is just the calm before the storm. The truth is, Brooke's disappearance wasn't the first mystery to rock Castle Cove, and it won't be the last. So when their school dance at the infamous Levy Castle—the site of film starlet Mona Moody's unsolved death back in the 1940s—is interrupted by a violent assault, Iris and Alice pull out their murder boards and get back to work.
To understand the present, sometimes you need to look into the past. And if the Agathas want a chance at solving their new case, that's exactly where they'll need to start digging. Only, what they uncover might very well kill them.
It’s summertime and 17-year-old Coley has found herself alone, again. Forced to move to rural Oregon after just losing her mother, she is in no position to risk her already fragile heart. But when she meets Sonya, the attraction is immediate.
Coley worries she isn't worthy of love. Up until now, everyone she's loved has left her. And Sonya's never been with a girl before. What if she's too afraid to show up for Coley? What if by opening her heart, Coley's risking it all?
They both realize that when things are pushed down, and feelings are forced to shrivel away, Coley and Sonya will be the ones to shrink. It’s not until they accept the love they fear and deserve most, that suddenly the song makes sense.
Based on the billboard-charting smash hit song and viral music video GIRLS LIKE GIRLS, Hayley Kiyoko's debut novel is about embracing your truth and realizing we are all worthy of being loved back.
Earth Called by P. C. Cast (Wednesday Books)
The Pack and the Wind Riders must find a way to stop the God of Death before all is lost.
There is one hope: Ralina, Death’s Storyteller. The woman meant to be by his side, recording all his feats of greatness. Instead Ralina’s heeds the call of the Goddess of Life, the only one who can defeat Death and escapes to warn the Pack and the Wind Riders.
In this last installment of the Tales of a New World series, love and goodness are put to the ultimate test as gods, humans, and animals come together to save everything they hold dear.
The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin (HMH)
When college freshman Kat Fields receives a mysterious email urging her to visit an isolated, relatively unknown Texas town with a history of witchcraft, strange sightings, and “devil lights”—glowing red stars that appear above the town’s hills every night—she ditches her plans for spring break and takes a solo road trip to Estrella Roja to investigate the lights for her podcast, Paranormal Texas, catchphrase: “Y’all stay spooky!”
Meanwhile, Marisol “Mari” Castillo, is also headed for Estrella Roja to attend the funeral for her abuela whom she hasn’t seen since childhood, when her mother cut ties with the family and left town. Feeling lost and maybe a little bored, she decides to help Kat investigate after a chance meeting at the local diner—and, okay, it doesn’t hurt that Kat is super cute.
As the two girls grow closer not only to each other, but to uncovering a dark legacy that the town was built on, they accidentally unleash an ancient danger that could threaten everything they love and have come to love about each other.
Delightfully creepy and unapologetically queer, in this horror romp
of a graphic novel sometimes dreams do come true. Nightmares are
technically dreams, after all.
Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner and Carlyn Greenwald (Simon and Schuster) - YA graphic novel.
In his small Georgia town, Barclay Elliot is basically a legend. Here basketball is all that matters, and no one has a bigger spotlight than Barclay. Until he decides to use the biggest pep rally in the town’s history to come out to his school. And things change. Quickly.
Barclay is faced with hostility he never expected. Suddenly he is at odds with his own team, and he doesn’t even have his grandfather to turn to the way he used to. But who is Barclay if he doesn’t have basketball?
His best friend, Amy, thinks she knows. She drags him to her voting rights group, believing Barclay can find a bigger purpose. And he does, but he also finds Christopher. Aggravating, fearless, undeniably handsome Christopher. He and Barclay have never been each other’s biggest fans, but as Barclay starts to explore parts of himself he’s been hiding away, they find they might have much more in common than they originally thought.
As sparks turn into something more, though, Barclay has to decide if he’s ready to confront the privilege and popularity that have shielded him his entire life. Can he take a real shot at the love he was fighting for in the first place?
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro (Page Street) - moved from May 30th.
Before Emile can sort out his affections or unravel the growing Montoni family mystery, his identity is revealed and his aunt comes to collect him.
When she arrives, Count Montoni forces everyone to depart to the remote Udolpho Castle—where there are no witnesses and no chance for escape. There, Emile realizes that he will have to risk his life to find the love he deserves—and survive the Montoni family.
Ava's Demon Book One: Reborn by Michelle Fus (Skybound Comet) - YA graphic novel, release date and description not yet updated on Goodreads.
When a young, shy girl named Ava discovers that the demon who haunts her is actually the spirit of an ancient alien queen named Wrathia, the two form a powerful pact-in exchange for a better life, Ava must help Wrathia seek revenge against TITAN, the god-like being who destroyed her empire.
To aid Ava against TITAN, she must first assemble Wrathia's most trusted warriors and the lifeforms they haunt. The only problem is, she doesn't know what they look like, or where to find them.
Joining her on her mission is Maggie, Ava's former best friend and fellow refugee, Odin, a brooding young man with a mysterious past, and Gil, a dedicated follower of TITAN. And unbeknownst to Ava, all three of them are hiding their own inner demons...looks Wrathia's army might be closer than she thinks.
Moonlit Vine by Elizabeth Santiago (Lee & Low Books/Tu Books) - moved from 2022.
Despite her name, Taína Perez doesn't know anything about her Taíno heritage, nor has she ever tried to learn. After all, how would ancient Puerto Rican history help with everything going on? There's constant trouble at school and in her neighborhood, her older brother was kicked out of the house, and with her mom at work, she's left alone to care for her little brother and aging grandmother. It's a lot for a 14-year-old to manage.
But life takes a wild turn when her abuela tells her she is a direct descendant of Anacaona, the beloved Taíno leader, warrior, and poet, who was murdered by the Spanish in 1503. Abuela also gives her an amulet and a zemi and says that it's time for her to step into her power like the women who came before her. But is that even possible? People like her hardly make it out of their circumstances, and the problems in her home and community are way bigger than Taína can manage. Or are they?
A modern tale with interstitial historical chapters, The Moonlit Vine brings readers a powerful story of the collective struggle, hope, and liberation of Puerto Rican and Taíno peoples.
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