Release date not yet known
I Put a Spell on You by Claire Edge (HarperCollins)
And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun (Knopf) - note change to title from "You" to "Her".
The Han sisters – Mirae and Soojin – possess an unusual gift inherited from their mother: the ability to reanimate the dead.
It began with an ancestor who buried a chicken bone in the dirt and inadvertently brought the bird back to life, saving her family from starvation. The sisters have always heeded their late mother’s warning never to resurrect anything larger than a small animal. But when Mirae is found mysteriously drowned, Soojin is unable to resist the temptation to bring her back to life.
At first, the sisters are overjoyed to be reunited, but Soojin’s happiness is overshadowed by the burden of keeping the resurrect- ed Mirae hidden from the world, especially from her father. When Soojin rekindles a relationship with a childhood friend, Mark, he ecomes her reluctant co-conspirator, but also her conscience, questioning the wisdom of keeping Mirae tied to a world where she doesn’t belong.
Meanwhile, Mirae is having trouble remembering her own name and is plagued by an insatiable hunger and lust for vengeance. As Mirae’s bloodlust grows, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that the sister she brought back isn’t the one she knew.
Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey (Delacorte)
Hannah Hill at Delacorte has acquired Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey, a sapphic YA romance set in a Halloween-obsessed town, in which a local enlists the help of the new girl to plan the upcoming fall festivities, not realizing she has recruited a real witch. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary sold world English rights.
Most Valuable Player by Amanda Woody (Viking)
Dana Leydig at Viking has bought Most Valuable Player by Amanda Woody (They Hate Each Other), a queer YA rom-com in which a cocky quarterback gets benched for low grades, and finds his tutor to be none other than the elusive waterboy who just ruthlessly rejected him. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Delacorte)
Alison Romig at Delacorte has acquired The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Hatchet Girls). When a group of childhood friends meet at an abandoned reform school for girls, Hazel Perez is accidentally knocked unconscious and awakes with a thirst for payback that isn't her own. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Lane Heymont at the Tobias Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr (Abrams)
Maggie Lehrman at Abrams has acquired North American rights to Truth Is by Morris Award finalist and Walter Award Honoree Hannah V. Sawyerr (All the Fighting Parts). Seventeen-year-old poet Truth Bangura begins senior year unsure of life after graduation, but when she learns she's pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, she makes one decision she is sure about—an abortion. When Truth performs a poem about her decision and her emotionally turbulent home life, the performance is recorded and posted online for everyone to see—including her mother. Publication is set for fall 2025. Jordan Hill at New Leaf Literary did the deal; the author is now represented by Samantha Fabien at Root Literary.
Extraordinary Quests for Amatuer Witches by Kayla Cottingham (Delacorte)
Pizza Witch by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins (Skybound Comet) - YA graphic novel, traditionally published edition not yet added to Goodreads.
Alex Antone at Skybound Comet has acquired world rights in an exclusive submission, to Pizza Witch by Sarah Graley (Glitch) and Stef Purenins, a YA graphic novel by the creators of Donut the Destroyer and Our Super Adventure, in which pizza magic trainee Roxy journeys to be the best Pizza Witch that's ever lived as she navigates unsupportive parents, a lackadaisical boss, and finding confidence in herself. Publication is set for September 2025; Steven Salpeter at Assemble Media negotiated the deal while at Curtis Brown Ltd.
September 2nd
Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause (Peachtree Teen)
Marry the Prince, then kill him…
Princess Madalina and her twin sister Inessa were born attached at the hand and separated right after. That’s the only time the sisters ever held hands. The girls’ personalities have been shaped in the Sinet family’s drive to make their kingdom more than it is: unrespectable and loathsome, a damp place where deceit fills the palace walls like mold.
Madalina is different from her family. She’s considered the weak one and only finds peace in the garden, tending the flowers, which are pejoratively called grave flowers because they are ideal for tortures and torments. Secretly, she dreams of escape and a new life.
Then Inessa, who was betrothed to Prince Hadrian, the heir of a wealthy kingdom, appears to Madalina as a ghost. She decries her murder and begs Madalina to free her from Bide, a terrifying place where souls get caught. Now Madelina must take her sister’s place and carry out her secret mission: Inessa wasn’t just sent to marry Prince Hadrien, but to kill him, too, and solidify a pact with his uncle.
On behalf of her family, Madelina must finish the job, knowing that whoever wanted Inessa dead is sure to wish her dead as well.
Step into the deadly and decedent world of Grave Flowers, a seductive, royalcore romantic fantasy from acclaimed author Autumn Krause that will enthrall readers at every turn.
Rules for Fake Girlfriends by Raegan Revord (Wednesday Books)
Rom-com obsessed but perpetually single Avery Blackwell abandons her plans to attend Columbia in favor of spending her freshman year at her recently deceased mother’s alma mater in a seaside town in England. On the train, Avery makes a deal straight out of one of her beloved romance books with a charming local girl named Charlie: if Avery will pretend to be her girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Charlie will help Avery solve the scavenger hunt her artistic, free-spirited mother left behind on campus decades ago.
As their quest takes them all over Brighton, Avery finally starts to connect with the mother she always loved but never really understood. Before long, pretending to be Charlie’s girlfriend starts to feel like more than just an illusion. But when long-hidden secrets come to light, Avery grapples with an uncertain future and whether or not love is worth the risk.
The Deep Well by Laura Creedle (Quill Tree Books) - moved from 2024, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
When five-year-old April Fischer heard a strange voice coming from the bottom of a superdeep borehole, it triggered a massacre. Among the victims of the massacre was April’s foreman dad, but his body was never found.
Urban legend has it that the massacre was a blood sacrifice made by the mysterious Deep Well cult to open a portal to another dimension. It doesn’t help when the terrible movie based on her life called Hellhole! suggests that a demon-possessed April opened the portal on the day of the massacre. After that, only April’s best friend, the skeptical, acerbic Grace stood by her.
Almost twelve years later, an online group of Deep Well cultists are convinced that the voice told April to open a portal to another dimension— and she needs to come back to the drill site on her seventeenth birthday to finish the job.
Nothing could bring April back until documents from the drill site convince her that her dad is on the other side of the portal— and that he's still alive. Aided by Grace, Zach, who lost his uncle in the massacre, and Slater, a mysterious newcomer with motives of his own, April searches for the truth about what happened that day with the hope of bringing her dad back home.
But the clock is ticking down towards her birthday, and the cultists need another sacrifice...
Bad In the Blood by Matteo L. Cerilli (Tundra) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.
In the city of Puck’s Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city’s humans and its fey inhabitants — folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.
Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he’s working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder... mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.
Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it’s too late?
The Steps by Wendelin Van Draanen (Holiday House) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Riverdale meets The Queen’s Gambit in this fun, twisty thriller by an Edgar Award-winning author, featuring a deliciously dysfunctional family with dark secrets and shifting alliances.
Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family’s web of deception.
But ever since Ruby’s mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby’s father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby’s cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging stepmom who has two teens of her own—The Steps.
So when strange and dangerous things begin happening on the Vossen estate, Ruby sees only one logical explanation: The Steps are scheming to inherit the Vossen fortune. And as things get more and more intense, it seems like killing is in their playbook.
Luckily, Ruby has her own playbook, and she’s not about to go down without a fight. She’ll even break her dad’s rules to get her cousin back on her side of the chessboard . . . It’s time to check-mate The Steps before they can finish the Vossens off.
Secrets, lies, and lethal threats abound in this clever, quirky thriller by the award-winning, bestselling author of Flipped and the Sammy Keyes mysteries.
Wake Now in the Fire by Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dung (Chronicle Books) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2023.
In this empowering graphic novel based on a true story, a group of high schoolers in Chicago work to overturn the system-wide ban of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.
It starts as an update at one Chicago high copies of a certain book are no longer allowed in the classrooms or the library. But it’s not just one high school—it’s all Chicago public schools. Not even the principals know why this is happening; they just know they must comply with the order. One thing is The book, which tells a story of oppression, survival, and resistance against authoritarian power, is seen as a threat, dangerous enough to ban.
One other thing is Some of the students aren’t going to let this go without resistance of their own.
As the extent of the ban becomes known, the students rise up. They organize a school-wide walkout and library sit-in. They publicize the banning in every forum they social media, the press, classes, clubs, the school paper. And most of all, they get everyone they know to read the Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.
Told from multiple perspectives, based on extensive interviews with the real-life students and teachers who were affected, and written by the librarian who exposed key information about the Chicago Public Schools censorship decision, Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalized account of a true event that galvanized a community. With illustrations by Alex Award-winner AJ Dungo that perfectly capture the everyday joys, heartbreak, and stresses of high school, this graphic novel is an inspiring portrayal of student activism taking on one of most urgent issues of our time, and a passionate reminder of why protecting the books we love matters.
Witchkiller by Ashlee Latimer (Scholastic)
What becomes of the girl who kills a witch? Be prepared to question everything you once knew in this Hansel & Gretel retelling for fans of Kalynn Bayron and Jennifer Donnelly.
Gretel loves her brother, Hansel, but lately she barely recognizes him. It's been months since that terrible day in the cottage, when she found her brother in grave danger and had to kill the witch. Her life has changed completely since then--she now lives in a big castle with Hansel and their father, forced to wear corsets and dance with boring, old men at balls.
One day, while wandering in the woods next to their new property, Gretel comes across a community of witches. But what she sees is nothing like the stories she's heard. These witches are healers, helping those in need.
Gretel must dig deep to find the truth of what really happened that day in the cottage. And when she's forced to confront everything she knows about her family and the world around her, she must decide where her true alliances lay.
Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon (HarperAlley) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2024.
In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Dos Erres Massacre with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.
Langley, Maryland, 2013.
Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about the life their mother lived before she came to Maryland. In fact, Clara avoids even telling people she’s from Guatemala. So when Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of former military leader Efrain Rios Montt, at first the questions he asks Clara are shut down—he and Charlie were born here, after all, and there’s no reason to worry about places they haven’t been. But as the trial progresses, Clara begins to slowly open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.
Dos Erres, Guatemala, 1982.
Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the civil war every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village of Dos Erres, a Q’eqchi Maya community tucked away in the mountains of Guatemala. They spend their days thinking of other things—Clara, of gifts to bring her neighbors and how to perfect her mother’s recipes, and Elena, of rock music and her friend Ana, whose family had to flee to the US the year before. But the day the Kaibiles come to Dos Erres and destroy everything in their path, the sisters are separated as they flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever?
Reasons to Hate Me by Susan Metallo (Candlewick) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
A hilarious and heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent theater nerd that tackles slut-shaming, what it means to be a friend, and the power of forgiving others—and yourself.
There are countless good reasons to hate seventeen-year-old Jess Lanza, Stone Bridge High’s premier autistic theater nerd and Champion of Questionable Life Choices. Unfortunately, the cyberbullies that hounded her all summer are stuck on last year’s life-ruining mistake, the one that earned Jess the title “Boyfriend Stealing Slutbag.”
To relieve the bullies of their stale content, Jess vows to dazzle them with online posts about her own ridiculous fails and embarrassing character traits. But somehow, all of Jess’s posts circle back to her friendship with Chloe—the friendship her alleged sluttiness pulverized—and the gaping hole she left in Jess’s life. As Jess chases Chloe’s forgiveness, she must confront some of her darkest weaknesses—and darker still, the truth of what happened with Chloe’s boyfriend, a story neither of them wants to hear.
Told through a series of blog posts and short scripts, this cleverly staged and structured debut novel crackles with spot-on dialogue, features a range of fully developed neurodiverse characters, and sharply evokes high school in all its hilarious and agonizing complexity.
Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson (Margaret K. McElderry Books) - moved from August 2025.
Ellis has a lot of expectations for her senior year, but moving from Manhattan to Bramble Falls, Connecticut is not one of them. Yet in the wake of her parents' separation, that's exactly where she and her mother are headed.
Bramble Falls might be charming, but it's also full of distractions. Like local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend—and first kiss—who has not only majorly glowed up but wants nothing to do with Ellis.
Then there's the Falling Leaves Festival, a month-long tourist attraction run by Ellis's aunt—celebrating everything autumn. The festival seems nice and all, but Ellis doesn't have time to be roped into her aunt's enthusiastic planning. Dragged to each event, she can't stop bumping into Cooper, the one person she's hoping to avoid.
But the longer she stays in Bramble Falls, the harder it is to pretend she's not falling for this town and the people in it. As her return to Manhattan gets pushed further and further out, Ellis is forced to confront exactly what she wants for her future—and what that means for her present.
Sunderworld Vol. 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry (Dutton)
The second installment in the instant NYT bestselling new fantasy series from Ransom Riggs, author of the #1 global phenomenon Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.
Sunderworld isn’t finished with Leopold Berry—not by a long shot. In the aftermath of the incredible cliffhanger that ended Vol. 1, Leopold, Emmet, and Isabel will begin to unravel the mysteries of Sunder and the secret history of Leopold’s family. Vol. 1 left readers breathless, and Vol. 2 promises even more magic and suspense.
For the Rest of Us by Various YA Authors (Quill Tree Books)
Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has acquired world rights to For the Rest of Us, a YA anthology of contemporary short stories about the joy and wonder that the holidays bring, with each story immersing readers in a different national or cultural holiday, edited by Dahlia Adler. Contributors include Candace Buford, AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy, Preeti Chhibber, Natasha Diaz, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Kosoko Jackson, Aditi Khorana, Katherine Locke, Abdi Nazemian, Laura Pohl, Sonora Reyes, and Karuna Riazi. Publication is planned for winter 2025; Patricia Nelson at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency did the deal.
Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis-Featherstone (Wednesday Books) - previously titled Oxford Slays.
Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books has bought, in a preempt, Oxford Slays by Rachael Davis-Featherstone. For fans of Ace of Spades and The Secret History, Oxford Slays is a high-stakes, kill-or-be-killed YA murder mystery set at a fictional Oxford University about a girl who has been accused of murdering her best friend, and must prove her innocence before an anonymous social media account ruins her. Publication is set for spring 2025; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio did the two-book deal for North American rights on behalf of U.K. packager Storymix.
Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy (Delacorte) - US edition not yet added to Goodreads.
"Keep
Your Friends Close centers on Chloe, a student at Morton Academy who
finds her social life in free fall after her best friend snatches the
Head Girl position away from her. Chloe begins venting her frustrations
via her Book of Crime and Punishment where she and her friends imagine
suitable punishments for those who have wronged them. But when people
start dying in similar circumstances from the book, Chloe races to
uncover who’s behind the string of murders before the killer catches up
to her."
September 9th
Split the Sky by Marie Arnold (Little, Brown) - previously titled Jump House.
Fifteen-year-old Lala Russell is doing a bad job at being a Black girl. She has social justice fatigue, and she doesn't want to join the Black Alliance Club at her school (even though she agrees with them). A gifted cellist, she’s focused on leaving her small town and accomplishing her goals and dreams. But Lala has also inherited another gift, her grandmother Sadie's gift of foresight. She has visions of the future—and they always come true.
In Davey, the Texas sundown town she lives in, there is growing tension, as a black organization attempts to diversify the nearly all-white part of town. Amidst violent protests, Lala has a vision. In it, a Black teenage boy is shot in the chest by a white homeowner. Now Lala has a find the boy and save him.
But Grandma Sadie has a vision too. After the boy's murder, a wave of protests breaks out. And the outrage over the casual and frequent slaying of unarmed Black children will result in unprecedented change. Change that won’t happen if the vision is altered. Lala is faced with an existential question—can she allow herself to sacrifice one life to, in turn, save many? And if so, whose life will she choose?
You've Goth My Heart by LC Rosen (Little, Brown) - cover not yet updated on Goodreads.
House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt (Viking) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Violet’s best friend’s death was ruled a freak accident, but Vi knows there’s more to the story than what’s in the official report. Emoree had been trying to tell her something right up until her death—cryptic messages all centered around her elite new boarding school’s mysterious secret society known as the Cards.
So Violet does what no one else seems willing to do: transfers to Emoree’s fancy school so she can dig into the Cards’ murky history and find out what really happened to her friend. She knows the truth might not be pretty, but what she doesn’t bargain for is the obnoxiously privileged (and frustratingly alluring) boy at the center of it all…and the vengeful ghost that’s haunting his family.
Elsewhere: Deluxe Edition by Gabrielle Zevin (FSG) - anniversary edition of a 2005 release, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Beloved by generations of readers, Elsewhere is an original, moving novel about love, loss, and the meaning of it all from the New York Times–bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry.
Is it possible to grow up while getting younger?
Welcome to Elsewhere. The beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick, and you’ll never turn even a day older . . .
This is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth yet completely different. Here, Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby and returns to Earth.
But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. Now that she’s dead, though, Liz is forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has never met before. And it isn’t going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?
A book that transcends genre and category, Elsewhere is a modern YA classic. This deluxe edition features stained edges, a new Q&A from the author, and personal black-and-white photographs.
Thorn Season by Kiera Azar (HarperCollins/Storytide) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
A persecuted few are Wielders, able to exert a physical power that extends beyond their visible body: magically projecting their Spectre to caress, to pick a lock... even to kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.
Alissa Paine, heiress of a noble lineage, daughter of a Hunter family... is also a Wielder. As she approaches her 18th Season, Alissa knows she has escaped execution so far only through painful self-control, and the fragile efforts of her beloved father. Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of hidden intentions—and between two equally dangerous men. One is a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairytale prince, who would see her destroyed in an instant if the truth were known—and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own. It’s Rose Season at the palace, but Alissa knows that survival will depend on being the most vicious of the thorns.
The Heights: Balancing Act by Paula Chase (Wednesday Books) - moved from 2022.
A Sweet Valley High for a new generation, a dishy, dazzling YA drama set against the backdrop of an elite charter school where stars are made—or fade.
When Chyna gets a scholarship to the newest, most prestigious sports school in the city, it’s the best opportunity to do the gymnastics she loves. But between caring for her ailing mother and dealing with the elitist girls on her gymnastics team, she’s not sure she belongs.
Meanwhile, Jamaal is reeling from the death of his brother—who was also secretly Chyna’s boyfriend. Becoming star of the Power Panthers basketball team is his way to honor his brother’s memory and nothings going to stand in his way. Not even his health.
Filled with gossip, high-stakes sports drama, and tons of heart, BALANCING ACT is the first in a riveting new series about teens fighting for their dreams in a city where picking a side is no game.
The Princess in the Piazza by Ben Hatke (Roaring Brook Press) - moved from September 2022, then from February and September 2024, release date not yet updated on Goodreads but confirmed on publisher website.
Roaring Brook has bought The Princess in the Piazza, a YA novel from Ben Hatke. The book follows Sebastian, an American teenager spending the summer in Italy, who falls in love with a Renaissance princess who has been dead for 500 years, and finds himself swept up in her ages-old conflict with a sinister wizard.
Everything About You by Robby Weber (HarperCollins/Storytide)
September 10th
The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner (Delacorte)
September 16th
Hekate: The Witch by Nikita Gill (Little, Brown) - description and cover not yet updated on Goodreads.
Hekate sings the story of its eponymous heroine. Born into a world on fire and at war, she and her mother are left behind by the menfolk of their Titan family as the battle against the new Gods–the Olympians–begins. Soon, Hekate and her mother are forced to flee their home as the Olympians overpower and enslave the Titans, including Hekate’s father, Perses, and gain dominion over the universe. In a bid to protect Hekate from the clutches of Zeus and Poseidon, her mother leaves her in the underworld with the goddess Styx and king of the underworld, Hades, where she must make a life for herself and discover her divine purpose.
Here begins Nikita Gill’s beautiful and propulsive reimagining of Hekate’s myth which unfolds into a coming-of-age adventure story and quest in which our young protagonist – not yet a goddess – sets out to discover what has happened to her parents, heal from the trauma of her separation from them, make a new home for herself in the underworld, and, eventually, step into her true power as a woman and goddess, before it’s too late.
Love and Video Games by Zachary Sergi (Running Press Kids) - previously titled Don't Love the Player, Love the Game.
In the real world, Keegan Thomas is a gay, eighteen-year-old mythology nerd with undiagnosed chronic pain. But in the myth-inspired, online video game world of Pantheonic, he is the glorious and powerful K.Odyssia, slaying legions of enemies and completing quests for honor and glory along with his team, the Epic Hearts. Despite his closeness to his gamer friends--and the secret crush he has on his teammate, Alix--no one knows that he is struggling with the sudden onset of chronic pain in his lower back and fears it will hinder his ability to move to NYU in the fall.
When a quest in Pantheonic turns out to be a secret invitation to an in-person tournament in New York City, Keegan has to battle his fears of concealing and managing his pain so that his team can attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. Competing against six other teams, members of the Epic Hearts must work together to outwit and outplay the others to win the tournament and the hefty cash prize. But can Keegan as K.Odyssia be one of the heroes that Pantheonic needs while he's laser-focused on his own epic battle? Will he be able to level up his relationship with Alix and lead his team to victory? It's time for the games to begin!
The Others by Cheryl Isaacs (Heartdrum)
In this haunting sequel to her deliciously scary debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) explores the sharp edges of lingering trauma and the bonds of love that heal us.
Only weeks ago, Avery pulled her best friend, Key, from the deadly black water. The cycle from her family’s Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) stories is finally broken, the black water is now a harmless lake, and her problems are far from All Avery wants is a normal summer with Key, her now-boyfriend.
The trauma, however, casts a long shadow over the town. Some victims never returned. Terrifying memories threaten to resurface, but Avery pushes them down. Who she’s really worried about is Key. The two are supposed to be closer than ever—so why does he feel so distant?
Wracked by anxiety, Avery begins to see a chilling reflection in every mirror, one that moves on its own—and she’s not the only one. With her family’s safety in the balance, Avery must Run away to the safety of normal life with Key, or return to lake’s edge and face her reflection, before her home is subsumed by darkness once and for all….
I Killed the King by Andrea Hannah and Rebecca Mix (HarperCollins/Storytide)
One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out—with beasts, murder, and magic—in this first book in a thrilling locked-room whodunnit YA fantasy duology by Andrea Hannah and New York Times bestseller Rebecca Mix.
After a decade of war, the kingdoms of Avendell and Istellia have finally agreed to peace. As nobles and magic wielders from both countries arrive at remote Castle Avendell for a historic all-night masquerade to celebrate, King Costis summons an unlikely group to his the crown prince, his Istellian bride-to-be, his personal guard, a wild beast teamer, and the palace’s questionable new healer. But before Costis can reveal why he has gathered them, the castle goes dark.
When the lights come back, the king is dead—murdered with the princess’s knife, in a weak spot only his guard knew of, and with venom from one of the beast tamer’s monsters lacing the blade.
With no clear killer—and everyone a suspect—they make a risky Tell no one until the treaty is signed. But when a winter storm seals everyone inside and someone aware of the king's untimely death begins to pick off guests one by one, the six suspects must work together to discover who killed the king... before one of them is next.
The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes (HarperCollins)
From bestselling author Sonora Reyes comes a poignant and searingly honest companion novel to the multi-award-winning The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, following beloved character Cesar Flores as he comes to terms with his sexuality, his new bipolar diagnosis, and more mistakes than he can count.
Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, he’s come out to Mami, his sister, Yami, and their friends, taken his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist’s blessing to reunite with Jamal.
Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for The Thoughts—the ones that won’t let all his Catholic guilt and internalizations stay buried where he wants them. The louder they become, the more Cesar is once again convinced that he doesn't deserve someone like Jamal—or anyone really.
Cesar can hide a fair amount of shame behind jokes and his “gifted” reputation, but when a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he’s faced with a stark burn every bridge he has left or, worse—ask for help. But is the mortifying vulnerability of being loved by the people he’s hurt the most a risk he’s willing to take?
Through Our Teeth by Pamela N. Harris (Quill Tree Books)
September 23rd
Unending by Ivelisse Housman (Inkyard Press) - moved from March 2024, then from June 2024 and July 2025, publisher confirms this date.
In this high-octane conclusion to the Unseelie
duology, which Andrew Joseph White calls “a portal to a world of
glimmering fae and blistering magic,” two sisters discover that the
things that make them different can lend them more power than they ever
imagined.
Isolde Graygrove has always put her changeling twin
sister first. But ever since Seelie returned from the faerie realms with
a newfound confidence in her magic and secrets she’s keeping even from
her twin, Isolde can’t help but wonder: who is she, if not her sister’s
protector?
Seelie knows there are some problems even magic can’t
solve. Like the distance between her and Isolde, the terror of her
growing and unfamiliar emotions for Raze, or the fact that the world’s
last firedrake has imprinted on her like a baby duckling. Still, she
can’t help but try.
When Seelie accidentally splinters the three
realms, tangling the human and faerie worlds together into something
new, the vicious faerie Gossamer is determined to take full advantage of
the chaos unleashed. Seelie and Isolde will need to spill their
secrets, decide who they can trust, and navigate the sinister glamour of
the faerie courts to save humankind and fae alike.
This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth (Holiday House) - moved from September 3rd.
Historic Loch Creek is a witchy New England tourist trap—but it’s just a trap for Briar, who’s convinced she’ll die there among the waves that devoured her twin brother thirteen years ago. But when her best friend who she’s loved since childhood, Finn, vanishes from the seaside carnival, there’s only one person who can help Briar find him: Morgan, the standoffish goth girl everyone calls the town witch.
But as Briar uncovers secrets as deep and dark as the water that haunts her, it quickly becomes clear that Finn has gone much further than an out-of-state college. He’s lost in time, and neither of them are safe. The seductive yet evil underwater entity that intended to claim Briar’s body in more ways than one still needs its sacrifice...
And it’s too hungry to go unsated.
Equal parts steamy epic romance and pulse-pounding horror, This Raging Sea is a dark fantasy as sweepingly powerful as the ocean that threatens to consume everything and everyone Briar has ever loved—prepare to be devoured.
Flip! by Ngozi Ukazu (First Second) - YA graphic novel, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
SENIOR YEAR BUCKET LIST? SWITCH BODIES WITH YOUR CRUSH.
Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem: She keeps having crushes on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, the most popular boy at school, who receives Chi-Chi’s private video proposal to go to senior prom.
But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi—shy nerd and scholarship student—switches bodies with Flip. Suddenly Chi-Chi is 6’1” and cool, while Flip gets a crash course on Chi-Chi’s life—that is, k-pop, hair- braiding, and being a poor kid of color at a rich white private school.
With graduation looming and their body swaps lasting longer and longer, Chi-Chi and Flip must form the most unlikely friendship their school has ever seen. But will they survive senior year? And, most importantly, can they find a way back to themselves?
From bestselling author of Check, Please! comes Flip, a thrilling and fantastical tale about self-acceptance, black girlhood, and how walking a mile in someone else’s shoes can teach you how to finally see yourself.
Hello Sunshine by Keezy Young (Little, Brown) - YA graphic novel, Goodreads lists a December 2025 release date, but the publisher confirms this September 2025 release, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
In this lush and creepy young adult graphic novel about mental health, healing, and romance, a troubled teen suddenly disappears from his small town—sending his loved ones on a paranormal journey to save him from his inner demons.
Noah is heartbroken. He returns from bible camp to find that Alex, his secret boyfriend, has had a breakdown and disappeared. He wishes more than anything that he hadn’t left that day.
Sky is determined. She’ll stop at nothing to find her childhood friend, even if it means alienating the people she loves.
Izzy is ashamed. She knew something weird was going on with Alex, and she didn’t say anything to her boyfriend, Jamie—Alex’s twin brother. If she had, would Alex still be here?
Jamie is angry. Angry at Alex for being gone, angry at himself for not noticing something was wrong, and angry at his long-dead mother, Desdemona, who had problems of her own.
But what if there was something more to Desdemona’s demons than just mental illness? Why is Jamie seeing her ghost? And can he get past his hatred of her if it means finding out what happened to his brother?
A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal (FSG) - moved from 2023.
After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 New York Times-bestseller A Tempest of Tea, Arthie and her crew still have plenty of hearts to break and crimson-red secrets to uncover. Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.
White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public calls for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.
Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, but it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time—and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.
In Ceylan.
Moonsick by Tom O'Donnell (Wednesday Books)
Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books has acquired a debut YA horror novel by Tom O'Donnell titled Moonsick and a second untitled YA horror. The story, pitched as The Purge but with werewolves, follows a privileged high school student who turns into a werewolf one night and has to reconcile her old, comfortable lifestyle with her new life after a night of mayhem on the eve of graduation. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Noah Ballard at Verve sold world English rights.
Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian (HarperCollins)
Try Your Worst by Chatham Greenfield (Bloomsbury)
Torchfire by Moira Buffini (HarperCollins/Storytide)
September 30th
Showstopper by Lily Anderson (Henry Holt)
From Printz Honor winning author Lily Anderson comes a young adult horror about seventeen-year-old Faye and her friends who try to survive the summer when their theater camp turns into a real-life horror show.
This summer’s production is to die for.
The Ghostlight Youth Theater Camp isn’t the best program in the world, but to Faye, it’s home. Every summer since junior high, Faye and her friends have come together for a month-long musical intensive. For her last year before graduation, Faye’s finally ready to take center stage as her true Afro-Latina self and break out of her good-girl princess roles.
But as Faye steps into her spotlight, complications arise. Suddenly, she's competing with her BFF for lead roles, and distracted by the attentions of the new camp hottie.
Even when the drama turns deadly, Faye remains determined to make this the best production the Ghostlight has ever seen. It must be a coincidence that the stagehands keep disappearing and having gruesome accidents, right? But dark secrets are hiding behind the scenes, and opening night might turn out to be a bloodbath. Lights, curtains...murder!
Seven for a Secret by Mary E. Roach (Disney) - moved from August 2025.
When she arrives, she expects to be alone in a town of smiling churchgoers and surrounded by a looming forest that seems to whisper to Nev. Or maybe that’s just the PTSD her social worker kept talking about. Instead, she is met with familiar faces—other girls who had lived in the group home, and the men who ran the home, who are going missing and turning up dead, one by one.
As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan’s secrets—and more bodies pile up—Nev must unravel the mysteries locked in her own mind as they hunt down a killer who is willing to do anything to make sure the past stays buried.
Joy to the Girls by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick (Simon and Schuster) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
For Alex and Molly, the last three years have felt like Christmas every day. So what better way to celebrate winter break of their senior year than a romantic getaway in a town right out of a Christmas card?
Aside from sampling all the holiday cheer Barnwich has to offer, Alex and Molly have an important mission this weekend: to help their friend Cora get her crush to fall for her. But in between ice skating, snowball fights, and matchmaking schemes, it becomes obvious that Alex and Molly have another mission this weekend: to not reveal the huge secrets they’re keeping from the other. Secrets about their post-college plans that threaten to tear them apart.
Will these two be able to help Cora get the girl and keep theirs—or will this be the last Christmas of Alex and Molly’s love story?
A Fate Unwoven by Rachael A. Edwards (Peachtree Teen) - previously titled Threads of Fate.
A heretical storyteller partners with an ancient spirit to undo the magic that subjugates her to the crown, in this chilling debut fantasy filled with monsters, dark rituals, and corrupt deities.
The Emperor of Wyrecia is dying, and 17-year-old Lena has just gained the power to control fate itself, binding her to the young prince Dimas as the kingdom's next Fateweaver. Hunted by the empire's most ruthless soldiers, Lena escapes with a handsome smuggler toward enemy territory. But a former lover betrays Lena, and her magic becomes agony—compelling Lena to submit to a gilded cage. Still, an ancient spirit offers hope: to sever her bond to the throne, Lena must unroot a ritual hidden beneath the palace. As Prince Dimas struggles to forge friendship with Lena and bring his kingdom under peaceful rule, sinister cultists unveil a twisted plan to unleash an ancient evil that could tear the realm asunder. With every step Lena takes on her quest to freedom, she uncovers a troubling imperial past that tarnishes the nation’s matron goddess. Perhaps the oral histories passed down to Lena are not foolish heresy, after all.
Written with compelling mystery, sensual queer romance, and a dual point of view narrative, this dark fantasy roots its magic system in mythological lore. An engaging selection for young adult readers who don’t mind a little terror with their adventure!
Bitten by Jordan Gray (Little, Brown) - moved from July 2025, publisher confirms this date.
After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.
Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.
With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.
Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.
The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.
Never, Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan (Little, Brown) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Yining stopped believing in dreams the day her beloved uncle died. Driven to survive, she’s become a good thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that could yield the key to a better life, it is stolen by her grasping step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the Iron Mountains to seize it back.
Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious Prince Zixin, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems as she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally a cunning advisor from a rival court who keeps dangerous secrets of his own. Desperate to secure her freedom, Yining embarks on a perilous quest where she must choose who to trust, unravel the mystery of her past, and fight for a future that both frightens and calls to her.
This sweeping fantasy romance, the first in an enthralling new series, is the young adult debut of the acclaimed author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior.
To the Stars and Back by Peglo (Little Brown Ink) - previously a webtoon, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Opposites attract in this sweet neighbors-to-lovers romance based on a WEBTOON favorite. Perfect for fans of Heartstopper.
Introverted university student Kang Dae spends most of his time alone, and he prefers it this way. So he’s initially unhappy when bubbly new student Bo Seon moves into his apartment complex and sets out to befriend him. But before Kang Dae realizes it, his life has changed irrevocably.
As the two become closer, they slowly realize they have romantic feelings for each other; but neither has been in a real relationship before and both have trauma in their pasts. Will they be able to embrace the possibilities of what could be, or will they find that a new romance is a bridge too far?
A top ten slice-of-life WEBTOON with over one million subscribers, this beloved webcomic is now available in a breathtaking new format, where you can see episodes 1-101 of Kang Dae and Bo Seon’s relationship unfold— in all its beautiful, awkward, and heartwarming glory—with this can’t-miss collectible edition that also includes a brand-new, exclusive story
You've Found Oliver by Dustin Thao (Dutton)
A new story, a new love, an impossible divide. The much-awaited companion to the New York Times bestselling You’ve Reached Sam will break your heart open.
I’ve missed you every day since you left. But I’m sure you already knew that. It’s time to let you go now. I’ll miss you all the time, Sam.
It’s been a year since his best friend, Sam, died. Even though Oliver knows he won’t get a response, he can’t stop texting Sam’s number, especially as the anniversary of his death approaches.
Then one day he accidentally hits the call button, and someone picks up.
The voice on the other end isn’t Sam. Sam’s number was reassigned and a stranger has been receiving Oliver’s private and vulnerable messages for months. But Ben, a college student in Seattle, won’t remain a stranger for long. Oliver knows he should stop communicating now that he knows the truth—but he can’t get Ben out of his head.
Fireblooms by Alexandra Villasante (Nancy Paulsen Books) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
An absorbing speculative Queer YA romance set in a town that uses technology to prevent hate speech and bullying. From the LAMBDA Award-winning author of The Grief Keeper.
When seventeen-year-old Sebastian agrees to come to New Gault to care for his absent and abusive mother after her cancer diagnosis, he is not prepared for the strange new community that awaits him or the distressing state he finds his mother in. He tries to help, but despite being ill, her tongue is as sharp as ever, finding all Sebas’s tender places. But he promised his Abuela he’d try to make this work.
Unfortunately trying also means attending TECH, New Gault’s high school. His first day, he’s assigned to enthusiastic TECH student ambassador, Lu, who introduces him to all TECH can offer—a safe space, free from bullying. But all this safety and technology comes with a catch—not only do you have to watch what you say, but you have to stay within a strict word limit. Sebas declines. To him New Gault feels more like the Stepford Wives than freedom.
For Lu, who suffers from anxiety and has a history of being bullied, TECH is a lifeline somewhere they can be safe. They can’t understand why Sebas would refuse. When Sebas rejects TECH, it feels as if he’s rejecting Lu.
But when Sebas learns if he doesn’t accept the TECH phone and abide by the rules, his mother will be denied cancer treatment, he changes his tune. Slowly, Lu and Sebas form a friendship that morphs into something more, but the closer they get, the more Sebas challenges Lu’s beliefs about TECH and what it means to be safe. Meanwhile, Sebas contemplates how to forgive his dying mother for being no mother at all.
This thought-provoking, tender love story examines what we’re willing to give up to feel safe as two broken teens navigate emotional trauma and discover what blooms may come from the ashes.
These Stolen Words by Tori Bovalino (Page Street YA)
Liam has been dead for ten months, haunting the house he used to share with his family, and facing intermittent and terrifying encounters with an eldritch entity called The Beast, who seems determined to consume his soul. Besides that complication in Liam’s new existence, he’s actually adjusted well enough to boredom. But all of that changes when a new family moves in and Liam finds himself sharing a room with Drew Tarpin, who is all of the things Liam never was when he was athletic, queer, and effortlessly cool.
Except, Liam and Drew do have something in their hopeless attraction to Hannah Steward, the nerdy captain of the school mock trial team. After Drew stands in to protect Liam from the Beast, he agrees to help her win Hannah over if Drew keeps Liam from spending the entirety of his afterlife as demon food. It shouldn’t be hard, since Liam was in unrequited love with Hannah for his entire natural life, and her best friend until his untimely death. But the Beast will not be satisfied no matter how much Drew fights back on Liam’s behalf—and when Hannah catches on that Liam might not be totally gone, it puts all of their lives at risk.
What We Did to Each Other by Josuee Hernandez (Flux)
It’s the early 2010s, and seventeen-year-old Yesenia Rivera hates everything about her brown skin and wide nose, her curly hair and hand-me-down clothing, and her inability to fit in with either the Mexican girls or the white girls at her school. So when her mother’s new job requires them to uproot their lives and move to the Pacific Northwest, Yesenia devises a plan to remake herself completely. Cloaked in skin lightening cream, blue contact lenses, dyed-blonde hair, and a “whiter” name, Yesenia’s–aka Jessie’s–newfound ability to pass as white in her new school gets her the popularity she’s always dreamed of. Yet as her brazen confidence morphs into hubris, all it takes is a couple of slip-ups for someone to take notice.
Guillermo Rivera—aka Willy, an easier-to-pronounce nickname bestowed upon him by his classmates—is no stranger to sticking out at their predominantly white high school, right down to his too-small wrestling shoes. Bothered by how little he’s able to help his low-income mother and seduced by the prospect of financial stability, he reluctantly settles into a flattened, stereotyped version of himself in exchange for being needed by his white peers. But when selling to Jessie's new friends pushes him farther out of his comfort zone and, dangerously, into theirs, both he and Jessie begin to suffer the mounting cost of what whiteness demands of them. The more they’re forced together, the more their tenuously crafted double lives threaten to crumble. Until one day, when those lives collide...
All the Way Around the Sun by XiXi Tan (Quill Tree Books)
Bad Boy: A Graphic Memior by Walter Dean Myers and Dawud Anyabwile (HarperCollins) - YA graphic novel.
Untitled by Unknown YA Author (HarperCollins)
Hi there! Where did you see that I Put a Spell on You would be released in September 2025? I haven't been able to find any information on the book!
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