What’s a better summer getaway than with a good book? The Booked Shelf is here to recommend 7+ Young Adult Books perfect for the summer season including stories full of romance, emotional stories, figuring out future dreams, and sweeping adventures!
One True Loves by Elise Bryant (Happily Ever Afters #2) Release Date: January 4, 2022
Summary: 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 always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it 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. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not 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 during the picturesque stops across Europe, 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.
The Ghosts Of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero Release Date: May 10, 2022
Summary: Magic will burn you up.
Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career.
When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died over a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth.
But Benjamin isn’t the only one interested in Ilana. Rudolph Wassermann, a man with no shadow, has become fascinated with her and the music she plays. He offers to share his magic, so Ilana can be with Benjamin and pursue her passion for violin. But after Ilana discovers the truth about Wassermann and how Benjamin became bound to the city, she resolves to save the boy she loves, even if it means losing him—forever.
Breathe And Count Back From Ten by Natalia Sylvester Release Date: May 10, 2022
Summary: Verónica, a Peruvian‑American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body, in this gorgeously written and authentic novel.
Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body. Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor. She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.
Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan Release Date: May 17, 2022
Summary: Fallon and Chloe used to be best friends, but last summer they hooked up right before Chloe left for college, and after a series of misunderstandings they are now not speaking to one another. A year later, Chloe’s back home from school, and Fallon is doing everything in her power to avoid her–which is especially difficult because their moms own a business together, a gourmet ice cream truck where both girls work.
When their moms have the opportunity to make a presentation to some venture capitalists in Texas–something that could seriously expand their business and solve all their money problems to boot–it’s up to Fallon to work a series of food truck festivals across the country. But she can’t do it alone, and Chloe is the only one available to help. As tensions heat up again between the two, will Fallon be able to keep her cool?
Beauty And The Besharam by Lillie Vale Release Date: May 24, 2022
Summary: Seventeen-year-old, high-achieving Kavya Joshi has always been told she’s a little too ambitious, a little too mouthy, and overall just a little too much. In one word: besharam.
So, when her nemesis, Ian Jun, witnesses Kavya’s very public breakup with her loser boyfriend on the last day of junior year, she decides to lay low and spend the summer doing what she loves best–working part time playing princess roles for childrens’ birthday parties. But her plan is shot when she’s cast as Ariel instead of her beloved Belle, and learns that Ian will be her Prince Eric for the summer. [Cue the combative banter.]
Exhausted by Kavya and Ian’s years-long feud, their friends hatch a plan to end their rivalry by convincing them to participate in a series of challenges throughout the summer. Kavya is only too eager to finally be declared the winner. But as the competition heats up, so too does the romantic tension, until it escalates from a simmer to a full-on burn.
Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest Release Date: June 7, 2022
Summary: While on a school trip to the Poconos Mountains (in the middle of a storm) high school seniors, Zyla Matthews and Kai Johnson, run away together leaving their friends and family confused. As far as everyone knows, Zyla and Kai have been broken up for months. And honestly? Their break up hadn’t surprised anyone. Zyla and Kai met while working together at an amusement park the previous summer, and they couldn’t have been more different.
Zyla was a cynic about love. She’d witnessed the dissolution of her parents’ marriage early in life, and it left an indelible impression. Her only aim was graduating and going to fashion school abroad. Until she met Kai.
Kai was a serial monogamist and a hopeless romantic. He’d put a temporary pause on his dating life before senior year to focus on school and getting into his dream HBCU. Until he met Zyla.
Alternating between the past and present, we see the love story unfold from Zyla and Kai’s perspectives: how they first became the unlikeliest of friends over the summer, how they fell in love during the school year, and why they ultimately broke up… Or did they?
The Edge Of Summer by Erica George Release Date: June 14, 2022
Summary: Saving the whales has been Coriander Cabot and her best friend Ella’s dream since elementary school. But when tragedy strikes, Cor is left to complete the list of things they wanted to accomplish before college alone, including a marine biology internship on Cape Cod.
Cor’s summer of healing and new beginnings turns complicated when she meets Mannix, a local lifeguard who completely takes her breath away. But she knows whatever she has with Mannix might not last, and that her focus should be on rescuing the humpback whales from entanglement. As the tide changes, Cor finds herself distracted and struggling with her priorities.
Can she follow her heart and keep her promise to the whales and her best friend?
The Charmed List by Julie Abe Release Date: July 5, 2022
Summary: After spending most of high school as the quiet girl, Ellie Kobata is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List—thirteen items she’s going to check off one by one. She’s looking forward to riding rollercoasters, making her art Instagram public (maybe), and going on an epic road-trip with her best friend Lia.
But when number four on Ellie’s list goes horribly wrong—revenge on Jack Yasuda—she’s certain her summer has gone from charmed to cursed. Instead of a road trip with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list—fall in love—may be happening without her realizing it.
How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra Release Date: July 12, 2022
Summary: Ever since she was little, farmer’s daughter Maya Gera has known what her future holds.
The heiress to a mini garlic empire in the heart of Gilroy, California, she’s meant to be a good Indian girl — which means agriculture school, an MBA, and settling down with a suitable Sikh boy.
So spending her 17th summer at cow camp in New Jersey is a really big deal. Farm kids nationwide convene to learn to milk cows, shuck corn, and, uh, form ‘strategic alliances.’ But when Maya gets kicked out of camp after an expensive accident — yes, it involves a boy — she scrambles to save face and keep her parents from finding out. Hard to do when she owes the school thousands of dollars.
Desperate to earn enough to pay off her mistake, Maya interviews for an internship at Fierce, a fashion magazine she’s been obsessed with forever. When she lands a gig as assistant features editor, it’s a New York City dream come true. Especially because she rocks at it.
But it might soon become her worst nightmare — because the Fierce folks think she’s 26.
And just wait until her parents find out.
A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea & Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey Release Date: November 10, 2020
Summary: For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.
Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno Release Date: May 14, 2019
Summary: Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat.
But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.
As her college decision looms, Rosa collides – literally – with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?
As of April 11, news broke that the film adaptation for graphic novel Nimona, which was formerly scrapped, has now been picked up by Netflix and is set to stream in 2023.
The summary for the animated project, with the novel having been written by ND Stevenson, has been pitched as follows: “A Knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill.”
Chloë Grace Moretz (Nimona), Riz Ahmed (Knight Ballister Boldheart) and Eugene Lee Yang (Ambrosius Goldenloin) are attached to voice the main cast which was originally reported through Collider in an exclusive back in early 2021. Netflix is joined by Annauprna Pictures (co-producer) and with animation from DNEG animation.
Nimona (2015), which was formerly cancelled by Disney with the closing of Blue Sky Studios at 75% completion, is now being helmed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Spies In Disguise).
Stevenson had this to say about the announcement via Twitter alongside a first-look still,”Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop. She’s a fighter…but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her. I am excited out of my mind to announce that THE NIMONA MOVIE IS ALIVE…”
Producers for the project include Roy Lee, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary alongside Robert L. Baird, Megan Ellison and Andrew Millstein serving as executive producers.
Stevenson’s webcomic, which began in 2012, was later picked up by Harper Collins for publication in 2015 having now gone on to win an Eisner Award, a Cybils Award and a Cartoonist Studio Prize.
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.
But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.
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]
As of April 13, Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli revealed the sequel cover to their 2018 novel What If It’s Us which will be titled Here’s To Us through Buzzfeed.
What If It’s Us is pitched as a “queer love story about two very different boys who find fate is either drawing them together or pulling them apart.” Ben and Arthur meet at a post office in New York where following a series of moments both good and bad, they wonder whether their relationship will work out.
In the sequel, Ben and Arthur have continued on with their lives, busy with internships and school, however “even as the boys try to shake off the past, they keep running into each other in the present. Is this the universe trying to tell them there’s a do-over in their future?”
According to the article, readers can expect “Arthur and Ben’s big romantic do-over.” The cover was highlighted alongside a list of Queer YA novel recommendations.
Cover artist is Jeff Östberg, including designers Erin Fitzsimmons and Alison Donalty.
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?
Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera is set to be released December 28, 2021!
On November 16, Netflix officially revealed the trailer to Tiny Pretty Things, the upcoming television series based on Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton’s YA novel which is set to stream on December 14.
The series is set to follow Neveah (Kylie Jefferson), a ballerina who gets her chance in being part of Chicago’s elite academy, Archer School of Ballet. However, after learning she’s taking the place of a previous classmate who fell to her death, Cassie Shore, Nevah learns just how cutthroat and secretive the school really is.
In the vein of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Bunheads,’ this 10-episode series looks to be filled with intrigue and mystery!
Other students of the academy will include Brennan Clost (Shane), Barton Cowperthwaite (Oren), Damon J. Gillespie (Caleb), Casimere Jollette (Bette), and Daniela Norman (June).
Kylie Jefferson, set to play the main character of Neveah, is a contemporary ballet dancer, choreographer, and now actress. ‘Tiny Pretty Things’ is her debut role.
Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her.
Privileged New Yorker Bette’s desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.
When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.
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.
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.
On October 13, it was announced that Ibi Zoboi’s 2018 Contemporary novel Pride was recently picked up to be adapted as a series with HBO!
Deadline announced that screenwriter Aziza Barnes, alongside actress and screenwriter Natasha Rothwell would be leading the development alongside Alloy Entertainment.
Pride follows Zuri Benitez whose not interested in the wealthy family that moves in across the street, much less the two teenage sons. However that begins to change when she needs to get along with one of the sons, Darius and sparks begin to fly. Pride also discusses gentrification as Zuri notices her beloved neighborhood, begins changing.
Zoboi’s novel also explores Zuri’s Haitian-Dominican heritage.
Warner Bros. Television is attached alongside production with executive producers Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo through Alloy.
Barnes was the writer for Snowfall and Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters, while Rothwell is a recurring lead actress and writer for HBO’s Insecure.
No other details about the upcoming adaptation were announced. Zoboi is a National Book Award Finalist and her star-reviewed novel Pride is a Pride And Prejudice retelling.
Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.
But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.
On October 9, Roseanne A. Brown revealed through her Twitter the sequel cover to A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin which will be titled A Psalm Of Storms And Silence.
ASOWAR follows refugee Malik who wants to escape his war-stricken home with his sister, but when she’s captured the only way he can get her back is to kill the crown princess. Karina has aspirations of her own and the only way she can accomplish them is by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of a competition.
Brown is a New York Times and Indie Bestselling author whose debut, A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin, is currently under option with ABC Studios for a television adaptation.
The cover artist is Tawny Chatmon and designer is Jessie Gang.
The ASOWAR duology is set to conclude next summer in 2021!
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
A Psalm Of Storms And Silence Is Set To Be Released on June 1, 2021!
Revealed through Roseanne A. Brown’s Twitter, the rights to her debut fantasy novel A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin have been picked up by ABC Studios, as of September 17!
A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin follows refugee Malik who wants to escape his war-stricken home with his sister, but when she’s captured the only way he can get her back is to kill the crown princess. Karina has aspirations of her own and the only way she can accomplish them is by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of a competition.
According to the Publishers Marketplace Deal Report, it was optioned with ABC Studios alongside Alice Lawson at The Gersh Agency and Quressa Robinson at Nelson Literary.
Brown has pitched her novel as “what would happen if Aladdin and Jasmine had to kill each other, and it’s full of West African folklore, dark magic, betrayal, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.”
Brown’s ASOWAR duology is set to conclude with A Psalm Of Storms And Silence, which is set to be released in Summer of 2021!
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown is out now!
During the month of September there are tons of fantastic releases to look forward to, too many to count! From sequels to standalones, anthologies, even new series!
Today on The Booked Shelf I’m highlighting 15+ YA releases across contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi that you don’t want to miss!
Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .
For too long the cruel, beautiful Automae have lorded over the kingdom of Rabu, oppressing the humans who live there. But the human revolution is on the rise, and at its heart is Ayla. Once handmaiden, now fugitive, Ayla escaped the palace of Lady Crier, the girl Ayla had planned to kill . . . but instead fell in love with. Now Ayla has pledged her allegiance to Queen Junn, whom she believes can accomplish the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. Without it, the Automae will be weakened to the point of extinction.
But playing at Ayla’s memory are the powerful feelings she developed for Crier. And unbeknownst to her, Crier has also fled the palace, taking up among travelling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.
As their paths collide, neither are prepared for the dark secret underlying the Iron Heart.
In this stunning sequel to acclaimed author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War, the love that launched a revolution must now pave the way for a whole new era . . . and the ultimate change of heart.
Forbidden to touch, will they be doomed by their love? The Wrath & the Dawn meets Renegades in this literary, genre-bending, stunningly romantic YA fantasy—the first in a planned duology—from bestselling, powerhouse authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.
Comic book geek Wesley Hudson excels at two things: slacking off at his job and pining after his best friend, Nico. Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren’t helping much with his secret crush.
And his dream job at Once Upon a Page, the local used bookstore, is threatened when a coffeeshop franchise wants to buy the property. To top it off, his annoying brother needs wedding planning advice. When all three problems converge, Wes comes face-to-face with the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.
Now, confronted with reality, can Wes balance saving the bookstore and his strained sibling relationship? Can he win the heart of his crush, too?
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
From the award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life.
Xochital is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village’s stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enimagic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.
Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.
One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.
Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria–and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there’s this boy . . .
Pheus is a golden-voiced, bachata-singing charmer, ready to spend the summer on the beach with his friends, serenading his on-again, off-again flame. That changes when he meets Eury. All he wants is to put a smile on her face and fight off her demons. But some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, Eury and Pheus must fight for each other and their lives.
This Own Voices retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice is perfect for fans of Ibi Zoboi’s Pride and Daniel José Older’s Shadowshaper.
In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.
At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.
On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.
When Enchanted Jones wakes with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night, no one—the police and Korey’s fans included—has more questions than she does. All she really knows is that this isn’t how things are supposed to be. Korey was Enchanted’s ticket to stardom.
Before there was a dead body, Enchanted was an aspiring singer, struggling with her tight knit family’s recent move to the suburbs while trying to find her place as the lone Black girl in high school. But then legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots her at an audition. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.
Enchanted is dazzled by Korey’s luxurious life but soon her dream turns into a nightmare. Behind Korey’s charm and star power hides a dark side, one that wants to control her every move, with rage and consequences. Except now he’s dead and the police are at the door. Who killed Korey Fields?
There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history. But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or why her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world—and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.
So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough—they are everything.
Witty and heartfelt with characters that leap off the page, Miss Meteor is acclaimed authors Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia’s first book together.
Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever in The Silvered Serpents.
They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.
Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.
Every Body Looking is a debut novel in verse in the style of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds. Candice Iloh’s book tells the story of Ada–daughter of an immigrant father and an African American mother–and her struggle to find a place for herself in America and in her own family.
“This is a story about the sometimes toxic and heavy expectations set on the backs of first generation children, the pressures woven into the family dynamic, culturally and socially. About childhood secrets with sharp teeth. And ultimately, about a liberation that taunts every young person.”–New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds
Every Body Looking is a heavily autobiographical novel of a young woman’s struggle to carve a place for herself–for her black female body–in a world of deeply conflicting messages.
Told entirely in verse, Ada’s story encompasses her earliest memories as a child, including her abuse at the hands of a young cousin, her mother’s rejection and descent into addiction, and her father’s attempts to create a home for his American daughter more like the one he knew in Nigeria.
The present-tense of the book is Ada’s first year at Howard University in Washington D.C., where she must finally confront the fundamental conflict between who her family says she should be and what her body tells her she must be.
Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire―and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
A broken world. An overwhelming evil. A team of warriors ready to strike back.
Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara.
A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts.
But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara’s capital, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? What secrets is he hiding?
Only one thing is clear: Talin is ready to fight to the death alongside her fellow Strikers for the only homeland she has left . . . with or without the boy who might just be the weapon to save—or destroy—them all.
After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home—sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father.
Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother’s unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can’t put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.
Lured home a decade later, Manon and Thaïs discover their mother’s legendary last work, long thought lost: White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into the island’s surreal society, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother—and themselves.
What if you could bring your best friend back to life—but only for a short time?
Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he’s about to die . . . again. He doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents.
But what if Jamal could have a second chance? A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies . . . permanently. And Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death. So how can Jamal fix everything if he can’t tell Q the truth?
Early Departures weaves together loss, grief, friendship, and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life—and beyond.
In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.
Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.
Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.
Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.
Which September YA Books are you looking forward to? 📚✨
The Booked Shelf 