Young Adult Cover Reveals For October 2020!

Today on The Booked Shelf we’re wrapping up some of the phenomenal covers revealed throughout October, featuring 20+ YA books releasing in 2021!

1.Love And Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura

On October 2, We Need Diverse Books blog revealed the cover to Misa Sugiura’s upcoming Queer rom-com following a fake relationship between two girls over the course of the summer! Willow asks Nozomi to pose as her girlfriend to make her ex jealous, but when Nozomi wants to prove she’s not just a stand-in, their relationship turns into something real.

Cover artist is Hannah Good and designer is Alison Klapthor. Love & Other Natural Disasters is set to be released June 8, 2021!

When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn’t what she had in mind.

That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.

Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take a turn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t plan for.

2. Rising Like A Storm by Tanaz Bhathena

Revealed through Penguin Teen Canada’s Twitter on October 2, was the sequel cover to Hunted By The Sky titled, Rising Like A Storm. Inspired by medieval India, the duology follows Gul, a girl with a star-shaped mark whose capable of wielding a powerful magic and is on a mission to get revenge on the king, who killed her parents. But along the way, she meets stable boy Cavas, whose eager to save his ill father.

The cover designer is Elizabeth Clark. Rising Like A Storm is set to be released June 22, 2021!

In the concluding installment to the Wrath of Ambar duology from masterful author Tanaz Bhathena, Gul and Cavas must unite their magical forces―and hold onto their growing romance―to save their kingdom from tyranny.

With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar’s death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn’t know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good.

Then a grave mistake ends with Cavas taken prisoner by the government. Gul must train an army of warriors alone. With alliances shifting and the thirst for vengeance growing, the fate of Ambar seems ever more uncertain. It will take every ounce of strength, love, and sacrifice for Gul and Cavas to reach their final goal―and build a more just world than they’ve ever known.

3. Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

On October 2, Rodkey revealed the cover to her debut contemporary romance through Twitter. Following Madeline Moore and her family-owned bookstore that’s remained open for generations, she learns of a competing chain bookstore, but one of the employees is determined to take her customers.

Cover artist is Sarah Long and designer is Jessie Gang. Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey is set to be released May 18, 2021!

Don’t you just love the smell of old books in the morning?

Madeline Moore does. Books & Moore, the musty bookstore her family has owned for generations, is where she feels most herself. Nothing is going to stop her from coming back after college to take over the store from her beloved aunt.

Nothing, that is—until a chain bookstore called Prologue opens across the street and threatens to shut them down.

Madeline sets out to demolish the competition, but Jasper, the guy who works over at Prologue, seems intent on ruining her life. Not only is he taking her customers, he has the unbelievable audacity to be… extremely cute.

But that doesn’t matter. Jasper is the enemy and he will be destroyed. After all—all’s fair in love and (book) wars.

4. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

We Need Diverse Books blog unveiled the cover to Maldonado’s contemporary debut Fat Chance, Charlie Vega on October 5. Alongside the reveal was a Q&A delving more into Maldonado’s writing process, publishing journey, etc. The novel follows Charlie who is a smart, funny, ambitious girl, and fat. When a cute classmate notices her, she learns she’s the second choice. Everyone seems to have ideas of how she should be and wonders whether she’s actually being seen or heard.

Cover artist is Ericka Lugo. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado is set to be released February 2, 2021!

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing–he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.

5. Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

As of October 2, Anders revealed the cover to her Young Adult debut titled Victories Greater Than Death through Twitter. Pitched as ‘Star Wars‘ meets ‘Doctor Who‘ this novel follows a human clone named Tina and her crew that try and save the world. The author mentioned that this book will feature LGBTQ+ heroes who save worlds, even enemies to friends to lovers.

Cover artist is Razaras and designer is Lesley Worrell. Victories Greater Than Death is set to be released April 13, 2021!

Tina has always known her destiny is outside the norm—after all, she is the human clone of the most brilliant alien commander in all the galaxies (even if the rest of the world is still deciding whether aliens exist).

But she is tired of waiting for her life to begin.

And then it does—and maybe Tina should have been more prepared. At least she has a crew around her that she can trust—and her best friend at her side. Now, they just have to save the world.

From internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) comes a thrilling adventure set against an intergalactic war—Anders’s long-awaited YA debut.

6. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Through Goffney’s Twitter on October 5, she revealed the cover to her Black contemporary debut Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry which features an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears.

Cover artist is Mlle Belamour and designer is Molly Fehr. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is set to be released May 4, 2021!

Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud” and all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing…

Then an anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer.

Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.

7. Darling by K. Ancrum

On October 6, Ancrum revealed the cover to her Peter Pan retelling through Twitter called Darling. Its Wendy Darling’s first time in Chicago and a boy named Peter invites her for a night on the town, where they head the city’s underground. Ancrum mentioned her novel will include “Other things it has: secondary F/F, Ojibwe major character, Biromantic Ace LI, ACAB,” and more.

On Wendy Darling’s first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. He’s dizzying, captivating, beautiful—so she agrees to join him for a night on the town.

Wendy thinks they’re heading to a party, but instead they’re soon running in the city’s underground. She makes friends—a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemies—the terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light.

Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night—and make sure everyone else does, too?

Cover artists are Steve Freeman and Eve Steben from There.Is.Studio. Darling by K. Ancrum is set to be released June 22, 2021!

8. Sisters Of The Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua

As of October 6 through Twitter, the Nanua sisters revealed the cover to their newest Fantasy novel called Sisters Of The Snake which follows a pair of twins separated at birth who meet and swap places. Ria and Rani learn that danger lurks in both worlds, and only working together can prevent ruin.

Cover illustrator is Fatima Baig and designer is Chris Kwon. Sisters Of The Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua is set to be released June 15, 2021!

A lost princess. A dark puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost.

Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive.

When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.

A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.

9. Where The Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass

As of October 7 via Twitter, Dass revealed the cover to her Persuasion retelling set in Trinidad and Tobago called Where The Rhythm Takes You. Reyna lives in her parent’s seaside resort. It’s been two years have passed since her mother passed away and Aiden, her first love, left to pursue music. Now, he’s back as a VIP guest and Reyna’s noticing everyone around her seems to be moving on.

Cover illustrator is Kingsley Nebechi, with designers Jessie Gang and Alison Donalty. Where The Rhythm Takes You is set to be released May 11, 2021!

Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at her family’s gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago, the Plumeria. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It’s been two years since Reyna’s mother passed away, two years since Aiden – her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything – left the island to pursue his music dreams. Reyna’s friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try to keep the Plumeria running.

And that’s when Aiden comes roaring back into her life – as a VIP guest at the resort.

Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanal – the latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of them…

10. XOXO by Axie Oh

Revealed through Twitter on October 7, was the cover to Oh’s Rom-Com. Jenny is a cello prodigy and eager to attend a prestigious music academy. She meets Jaewoo, who pulls her out of her comfort zone, but then he disappears. They reunite in South Korea months later at the same elite arts academy and Jaewoo, is one of the biggest K-Pop stars.

Cover illustrator is Zipcy and desinger is Jessie Gang. XOXO is set to be released July 13, 2021!

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

11. The Chariot At Dusk by Swati Teerdhala

On October 8, Teerdhala revealed through her Twitter the cover to her third Tiger At Midnight novel, which wraps us the trilogy. Following a skilled assassin named Esha and soldier named Kunal, they become part of this cat-and-mouse game as they try to outwit each other.

Cover illustrator is Michael Marsicano and David Curtis. The Chariot At Dusk is set to be released on June 29, 2021!

A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.

Esha is reeling from Kunal’s betrayal, but she has a kingdom to rule from behind a thin smokescreen—pretending to be Princess Reha while she sends her most trusted soldiers to collect Reha and Kunal by any means necessary. Traitors, after all, must be punished.

But the Yavar are attacking from every front—tracking down Kunal and Reha in the remote mountains, kidnapping Harun—in search of legendary artifacts that will give them the power to break the precarious janma bond and release the destructive magic back into the lands.

Now that the race is on to find the missing artifacts, Esha must put aside her rage and work with Kunal again—but can she find the strength to forgive him, or will the Viper have her revenge at any cost?

12. An Emotion Of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

Revealed exclusively through Entertainment Weekly on October 13, was the cover to Mafi’s newest Contemporary which follows “a Muslim teen’s struggle in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.”

Cover illustrator is Rick Lee and designer is Rodrigo Corral Studio. An Emotion Of Great Delight is set to be released June 1, 2021!

It’s 2003, several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.

She’s too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her hear—

It’s broken.

Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through, saying nothing. She devours her own pain, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

13. Rise To The Sun by Leah Johnson

Over at Hello Sunshine was the exclusive cover reveal to Johnson’s newest Queer Contemporary, following two girls and a life-changing music festival. In a story alongside the cover written by Johnson herself, she mentioned her novel is about “losing yourself in music, but turning to the person next to you in the crowd at a show, sweaty and screaming, and finding yourselves in each other. It’s about being undeniably messy and hopelessly hopeful.”

Cover artist is Alexis Franklin and designer is Steph Yang. Rise To The Sun is set to be released July 6, 2021!

Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival.

Toni is grieving the loss of her roadie father and needing to figure out where her life will go from here — and she’s desperate to get back to loving music. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again) and is beginning to feel like she’ll always be a square peg in a round hole — but the Farmland Music and Arts Festival is a chance to find a place where she fits.

The two collide and it feels like something like kismet when a bond begins to form. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other (and music) more than they ever imagined.

14. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

On October 19 Sambury revealed through Twitter, the cover to her contemporary fantasy debut about Black witches in near future Toronto. Voya is given a horrifying task, killing her first love to save her family’s magic. But, she’s never been in love, so she’ll have to find the perfect guy.

Cover artist is Thea Harvey and designer is Rebecca Syracuse. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury is set to be released June 15, 2021!

After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.

Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?

With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything. 

15. The Ivies by Alexa Donne

On October 26 Donne revealed through Twitter, the cover to her Thriller debut about a group of girls with the same mission, to get into the Ivy League. But the competition is serious and deadly.

The cover photographer Christine Blackburne, and cover designer Casey Moses. The Ivies is set to be released May 25, 2021!

Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is.

Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I’m one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions…among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business.

And in some cases, it’s deadly.

16. Radha and Jai’s Recipe For Romance by Nisha Sharma

On October 27 Sharma revealed through her Twitter, the cover to her next Contemporary Romance about two dancers, looking face their fears.

Cover artist is Justine Poulter. Radha and Jai’s Recipe For Romance is set to be released July 13, 2021!

Radha is on the verge of becoming one of the greatest Kathak dancers in the world . . .until she discovers a family betrayal and pulls out of the biggest competition of her lifetime. Now, she has left her Chicago home to follow her stage mom to New Jersey. At the Princeton Academy of the Arts, Radha is determined to leave performing in her past, and reinvent herself from scratch.

Jai is captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, ranked first in his class, and an overachiever with no college plans. Tight family funds means medical school is a pipe dream, which is why he wants to make the most out of high school. When Radha enters his life, he realizes she’s the exact ingredient he needs for a show-stopping senior year.

With careful choreography, both Radha and Jai will need to face their fears (and their families) if they want a taste of a happily ever after.

Additional cover reveals ↷

➣ A Season Of Sinister Dreams by Tracy Banghart revealed exclusively by The NOVL (October 5, 2020)

➣ Flamefall by Rosaria Munda revealed by Penguin Teen (October 7, 2020)

➣ Sky Breaker by Addie Thorley revealed exclusively by Storygram Tours (October 15, 2020)

➣ Simon Teen 2021 Cover Reveals Week posted exclusively by the Riveted Lit blog (October 19, 2020)

➣ Devil In The Device by Lora Beth Johnson was revealed by Penguin Teen (October 21, 2020)

➣ Hani and Ishu’s Guide To Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar revealed through We Need Diverse Books (October 21, 2020)

➣ Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim was revealed exclusively by the author through Twitter (October 23, 2020)

➣Me (Moth) by Amber McBride was revealed exclusively by the author (October 26, 2020)

➣ The Desolation’s Of The Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs was revealed exclusively through Penguin Teen (October 27, 2020)

➣ Mina And The Undead by Amy McCaw had its cover revealed exclusively by the author (October 31, 2020)