Young Adult Book Cover Reveals For June 2021!

Today on The Booked Shelf we’re back with wrapping up the fantastic covers revealed throughout the month of June. This month’s post features 15+ covers from debuts to sophomore releases and much more, which readers can expect in 2022!

1. One For All by Lillie Lainoff

Revealed through the WNDB blog on June 4, this historical fantasy debut has been pitched as “a retelling of The Three Musketeers in which a girl with chronic illness trains as a musketeer and uncovers sisterhood, and self-love.” The story follows Tania de Batz whose “near-constant dizziness” makes the town assume she’s weak. Then when she attends a finishing school as her father’s dying wish she learns its actually training women who are socialites on the surface, but in reality are protecting France from downfall.

Cover designer is Rich Deas and illustrator is Kevin Tong. One For All is set to be released March 8, 2022!

An OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love.

Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand. Everyone in town thinks her near-constant dizziness makes her weak, nothing but “a sick girl”; even her mother is desperate to marry her off for security. But Tania wants to be strong, independent, a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion.

Then Papa is brutally, mysteriously murdered. His dying wish? For Tania to attend finishing school. But L’Académie des Mariées, Tania realizes, is no finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for a new kind of Musketeer: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a swordfight.

With her newfound sisters at her side, Tania feels for the first time like she has a purpose, like she belongs. But then she meets Étienne, her first target in uncovering a potential assassination plot. He’s kind, charming, and breathlessly attractive—and he might have information about what really happened to her father. Torn between duty and dizzying emotion, Tania will have to lean on her friends, listen to her own body, and decide where her loyalties lie…or risk losing everything she’s ever wanted.

2. One True Loves by Elise Bryant

Elise Bryant revealed through her Twitter on June 7, the cover to a Happily Ever Afters companion which is Lenore’s story as she’s “going on a dreamy summer cruise around Europe.” According to Bryant both novels can be read as standalones. The contemporary novel will feature “Black love / a Mediterranean cruise / important conversations about Black mental health” and more.

Cover artist is Michelle D’Urbano and designer is Jessie Gang. One True Loves by Elise Bryant is set to be released on January 4, 2022!

Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a…well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.

She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring out as they go – they have to be 110 percent prepared. But, it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.

When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance that will take her mind off all her problems. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen to girls like her.

Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.

But, as they get to know each other, with the cruise’s picturesque stops across Europe as a backdrop, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.

3. Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters

On June 7, Julian Winters and the Penguin Teen Blog, revealed the cover to an upcoming romance about “Pride, friendships, anxiety, moving on, and making your own Happy Ending…” according to Winters Tweet. Penguin Teen stated in their blog post that Winters novel has “Black boy joy, swoon-worthy queer love, and some delightful tributes to nerd culture!”

Cover designer is Samira Irmani and illustrator is Daniel Clarke. Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters is set to be released March 15, 2022!

School’s out, senior year is over, and Isaac Martin is ready to kick off summer. His last before heading off to college in the fall where he won’t have his best friend, Diego. Where—despite his social anxiety—he’ll be left to make friends on his own. Knowing his time with Diego is limited, Isaac enacts a foolproof plan: snatch up a pair of badges for the epic comic convention, Legends Con, and attend his first ever Teen Pride. Just him and Diego. The way it should be. But when an unexpected run-in with Davi—Isaac’s old crush—distracts him the day tickets go on sale, suddenly he’s two badges short of a perfect summer. Even worse, now he’s left making it up to Diego by hanging with him and his gamer buddies. Decidedly NOT part of the original plan. It’s not all bad, though. Some of Diego’s friends turn out to be pretty cool, and when things with Davi start heating up, Isaac is almost able to forget about his Legends Con blunder. Almost. Because then Diego finds out what really happened that day with Davi, and their friendship lands on thin ice. Isaac assumes he’s upset about missing the convention, but could Diego have other reasons for avoiding Isaac?

4. Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams

On June 8, The NOVL blog revealed the cover to Kelly McWilliams’s upcoming “gothic horror about two sisters separated by Jim Crow.” Twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood are separated only to be reunited as teens in the town of Eureka, Georgia where ghosts linger. But put the hauntings of the past to rest, they need to work together, to break a curse.

Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams is set to be released February 8, 2022!

As infants, twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while white-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia.

Magnolia knows nothing of her racial heritage, but secrets are hard to keep in a town haunted by the ghosts of its slave-holding past. When Magnolia finally learns the truth, her reflection mysteriously disappears from mirrors—the sign of a terrible curse. Meanwhile, in Harlem, Charlie’s beloved grandmother falls ill. Her final wish is to be buried back home in Georgia—and, unbeknownst to Charlie, to see her long-lost granddaughter, Magnolia Heathwood, one last time. So Charlie travels into the Deep South, confronting the land of her worst nightmares—and Jim Crow segregation.

The sisters reunite as teenagers in the deeply haunted town of Eureka, Georgia, where ghosts linger centuries after their time and dangers lurk behind every mirror. They couldn’t be more different, but they will need each other to put the hauntings of the past to rest, to break the mirrors’ deadly curse—and to discover the meaning of sisterhood in a racially divided land.

5. You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen

As of June 9, Laila Sabreen revealed the cover to her upcoming contemporary debut through her Twitter pitched as a “compelling” and “thought-provoking” novel where, “after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.”

Sabriya, Zakat, and Farah are prepping for summer break, but when anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, they decide to speak up and throw themselves into online activism.

Cover illustrator is Alex Cabal and designer is Gigi Lau. You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen is set to be released February 8, 2022!

Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments.

When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for…or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard.

6. This Cursed Crown by Alexandra Overy

On June 10 through Twitter, Alexandra Overy revealed the sequel cover to her 2020 debut These Feathered Flames. Her series is pitched as fantasy retelling of Firebird with a f/f romance.

Cover illustrator is Marisa Aragón Ware and art director is Kathleen Oudit. This Cursed Crown by Alexandra Overy is set to be released April 5, 2022!

In the explosive sequel to These Feathered Flames, twin sisters Izaveta and Asya find themselves separated once again, but discovering a way back to each other may be their most perilous challenge yet.
 
Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally’s help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.
 
Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov’s help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.
 
But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy…

7. The Kindred by Alechia Dow

As of June 11, Alechia Dow revealed through a book trailer, the cover to her upcoming romantic, sci-fi fantasy novel about “mind-paired Joy & Felix who crash on Earth while trying to flee those who want to kill them + steal their kingdom!”

Cover artist is Aleea Rae and art director is Gigi Lau. The Kindred by Alechia Dow is set to be released January 4, 2022!

Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.

Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.

Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.

8. Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp

Revealed via a book trailer through Twitter on June 11, Laekan Zea Kemp released the cover to her forthcoming contemporary novel “all about love and the power of music” pitched as Clap When You Land x On The Come Up. According to Zea Kemp’s tweets it will be another dual-POV romance. She also shared that the novel has also got: “a band of geriatric musicians trying to relive their Chicane protest days / a librarian grooming the next generation of activists / a wannabe Tejane singer…” and more.

Cover artist is Poppy Magda. Heartbreak Symphony by Laekan Zea Kemp is set to be released in April 2022!

Aarón Medrano has been haunted by the onstage persona of his favorite musician ever since his mother passed away. He seems to know all of Aarón’s deepest fears, like that his brain doesn’t work the way it should and that’s why his brother and father seems to be pushing him away. He thinks his ticket out is a scholarship to the prestigious Acadia School of Music. That is, if he can avoid blowing his audition.

Mia Villanueva has a haunting of her own and it’s the only family heirloom her parents left her: doubt. It’s the reason she can’t overcome her stage fright or believe that her music is worth making. Even though her trumpet teacher tells her she has a gift, she’s not sure if she’ll ever figure out how to use it or if she’s even deserving of it in the first place.

When Aarón and Mia cross paths, Aarón sees a chance to get close to the girl he’s had a crush on for years and to finally feel connected to someone since losing his mother. Mia sees a chance to hold herself accountable by making them both face their fears, and hopefully make their dreams come true. But soon they’ll realize there’s something much scarier than getting up on stage—falling in love with a broken heart.

9. Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye

Revealed through a Frolic exclusive on June 14 was Deborah Falaye’s fantasy debut Blood Scion in which the author has summarized it as following a “fifteen-year-old walking inferno on a mission to take down the colonizers and reclaim everything that has been stolen from her.” Alongside the reveal was a Q&A with Falaye.

Cover illustrator is Taj Francis and designer is Corina Lupp. Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye is set to be released March 8, 2022!

A young girl with forbidden powers must free her people from oppression in this richly layered epic fantasy from debut author Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology and perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.

This is what they deserve.

They wanted me to be a monster.

I will be the worst monster they ever created.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.

Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.

Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.

10. The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian

Stonewall-Award winning author Abdi Nazemian revealed through his Twitter on June 15, this contemporary novel set at an elite boarding school is about “the enclosed world of privilege and silence and the unlikely group of friends who dare challenge the status quo through their writing.”

Cover artist is Natalie Shaw and designer is Corina Lupp. The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian is set to be released on February 15, 2022!

Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate, Sarah.

But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story.

Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.

Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms.

And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.

At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

11. Lulu and Milagro’s Search For Clarity by Angela Velez

On June 16 through Twitter, Angela Velez revealed the cover to her forthcoming debut following a Latinx road trip adventure featuring two sisters who couldn’t be more different, but become begrudging partners on their school’s cross-country college trip.

Cover illustrator is Iliana Galvez and designer is Corina Lupp. Lulu and Milagro’s Search For Clarity by Angela Velez is set to be released February 8, 2022!

Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.

Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college, or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own Spring Break plans (Operation: Lose Your Virginity) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.

On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

12. This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves

Revealed through the WNDB Blog on June 17, was the cover to Aaron H. Aceves’s contemporary debut which he has summarized as “a bi Chicano kid trying to get over his best friend.” Alongside the cover reveal was also an annotated playlist with notes by the author.

Cover artist is Goñi Montes and designer is Laurent Linn. This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves is set to be released on March 29, 2022!

Enrique “Quique” Luna has one goal this summer—get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi by pursuing his other romantic prospects. Never mind that he’s only out to his best friend, Fabiola. Never mind that he has absolutely zero game. And definitely forget the fact that good and kind and, not to mention, beautiful Saleem is leaving L.A. for the summer to meet a girl his parents are trying to set him up with.

Luckily, Quique’s prospects are each intriguing in their own ways. There’s stoner-jock Tyler Montana, who might be just as interested in Fabiola as he is in Quique; straight-laced senior class president, Ziggy Jackson; and Manny Zuniga, who keeps looking at Quique like he’s carne asada fresh off the grill. With all these choices, Quique is sure to forget about Saleem in no time.

But as the summer heats up and his deep-seated fears and anxieties boil over, Quique soon realizes that getting over one guy by getting under a bunch of others may not have been the best laid plan and living his truth can come at a high cost.

13. An Arrow To The Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

On June 14, The NOVL blog revealed the cover to NYT Bestselling author Emily X.R. Pan’s upcoming contemporary novel which is pitched as “Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology.”

Cover artist and designer is David Curtis. An Arrow To The Moon by Emily X.R. Pan is set to be released April 12, 2022!

In Fairbridge, a series of bizarre phenomena brings together a pair of star-crossed lovers from rival families.

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. It’s the last year of high school, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

14. My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham

Through the WNDB Blog on June 22, the cover to Kayla Cottingham’s upcoming debut was revealed. It’s been pitched as a “sharp, feminist, horror” about “two girls, inexplicably linked,” “an ancient creature rising in the dark” and “the price we sometimes pay for wanting.” The author has tweeted readers should check out the book if they like “cosmic horror / haunted boarding schools, emo-bands-turned cults / sapphic romance / monster deer.”

Cover artist is Kerri Resnick and designer is Nicole Hower. My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham is set to be released April 5, 2022!

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy… but she’s also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn’t let her drown. Finch doesn’t know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she’s felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her.

Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena’s suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.

One night Finch, Selena, and her friends accidentally summon a carnivorous creature of immense power in the depths of the school. It promises to grant every desire the girls have kept locked away in their insecure hearts―beauty, power,adoration―in exchange for a price: human body parts. But as the cost of their wanting becomes more deadly, Finch and Selena must learn to work together to stop the horror they unleashed, before it consumes the entire island.

15. Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

As of June 25, debut author Vanessa Len revealed the cover to her upcoming contemporary fantasy novel through Twitter. The tagline reads, “In every story, there is a hero and a monster. She is not the hero.” The story follows Joan who stays with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, only to learn she’s half-human and half-monster and the boy she likes, is a monster slayer.

Cover illustrator is Eevien Tan and designer is Jessie Gang. Only A Monster by Vanessa Len is set to be released February 22, 2022!

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . . . . she is not the hero.

Additional cover reveals ↷

➣ Forward March by Skye Quinlan revealed exclusively through the LGBTQ Reads Blog (June 18, 2021)

➣ From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos revealed exclusively through the LGBTQ Reads Blog (June 21, 2021)

➣ All That’s Left In The World by Erik J. Brown revealed exclusively through the LGBTQ Reads Blog (June 23, 2021)

➣ The Moth Girl by Heather Kamins was revealed through the Penguin Teen Blog (June 28, 2021)

➣ Simon Teen revealed a list of covers featuring their Spring 2022 releases from 6/28-7/2 (June 28, 2021)

➣ Epic Reads revealed a list of covers featuring their Winter 2022 releases (June 28, 2021)

[All cover artists, designers, art directors, etc. are credited based on the articles, tweets, or from the authors themselves if they were mentioned]