As of July 28, Variety reported exclusively that NYT Bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi had the rights to her 2021 contemporary novel Yolk acquired to be adapted into a television series with Picturestart.
The novel follows two estranged sisters, Jayne and June Baek— Jayne is making her way through fashion school in New York City, while her sister June has a high-finance paying job and has never really struggled in her life, until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer. Now the sisters have to reunite, flung together by circumstances, but get into a messy plot of switching places and committing insurance fraud.
Choi will be adapting her novel for the screenplay alongside Jessica O’Toole (“XOXO Kitty”, “Jane The Virgin”), with O’Toole serving as showrunner.
Executive producers attach to the project include Erik Feig, founder and CEO of Picturestart, Samie Kim Falvey, Julia Hammer, Emily Wissink alongside Jermaine Johnson of 3 Arts and Lulu Wang (director of The Farewell) and Dani Melia of Local Time, a newly formed production company.
Feig stated in the article, “Mary is quickly proving herself to be the voice of a generation, applying her keen observational eye to the universal themes of family, identity, and belonging in this peerless coming-of-age story. She’s viciously funny but deeply empathetic at the same time, and the moment we read ‘Yolk,’ we knew it was a series we had to make at Picturestart—and we knew Mary had to be the one to adapt it.”
According to Choi’s Instagram post, she exclaimed, “SO. PUMPED. Also exquisitely in love with this entire team so hard already. I can’t wait to make this so good and so squish and so sob…”
Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.
On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer.
Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.
In this spin-off series toCaraval, readers follow Evangeline Fox who after learning the love of her life will marry another, strikes a deal with the Prince Of Hearts, Jacks, which could mean taking part in a far more dangerous game than she’s realized.
According to the article, the sequel will pick up immediately “following the shocking events at the end of the first book, as Evangeline reels from a deeply personal betrayal and tries to figure out whether she’ll ever truly have a chance at a happily ever after.”
Alongside the cover reveal was a mini Q&A with Garber in which she shares that she views Broken Heart as “a wounded fairytale saga where all the characters are searching for love and some of them are willing to fight much dirtier than others.”
When asked what can be expected from this continuation Garber revealed readers will “find out more about our characters, more about the world, and as far as romance goes . . . let’s just say that if Ballad were to have a warning label on the back, it might read something like: Caution: this book contains, bloodshed, love, and heartbreak. Enter this story at your own risk. Happily Ever Afters are not guaranteed.”
Cover artist is Erin Fitzsimmons. Garber is a New York Times and Sunday Times Bestselling author.
Not every love is meant to be…
After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.
But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.
Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .
The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber is set to be released September 13, 2022!
Hey 24hr.YABookBlog, creator of The Booked Shelf here! Its a new year which not only means I’m highlighting YA Book News, but also the fantastic bloggers in the bookish community!
I had the opportunity to interview Michelle from MagicalReads7, who brings such a fun energy and enthusiasm to whatever she posts! She reads a variety of genres including contemporary and fantasy, but remains a mostly YA space.
Today marks the first Book Blogger interview of 2022, hopefully to remain a staple alongside all the bookish news here at TBS, enjoy our interview!
Great to have you as a guest on the blog today Michelle! What inspired you to start a book blog and how has the journey been so far?
Michelle:Thanks for having me! I’m honored to be a part of your interviews. I started a book blog mostly because one day I decided to write book reviews and wanted a platform to post all of them. My journey has been pretty typical honestly; starting my blog has helped me connect a lot more with authors and other bloggers.
You launched the ‘Author Of Color’ Awards to give writers of color (particularly YA) more recognition, which is such a wonderful project that I noticed you launched in 2019! Can you talk more about what inspired this and more of your process for putting it together each year?
Michelle: I started these awards on a whim (during the busiest part of my semester lmao) partially to procrastinate and mostly because I was fed up with the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards. As much as I know that those nominees are chosen by statistics, it was painful and frankly infuriating to see the pattern of how certain books were nominated. I wanted to give more recognition to books by authors of color because of how disproportionately they were represented as nominees, and I focused on YA books because I’m primarily a YA blogger!
On your blog you feature such varying amounts of content from reviews to interviews, weekly memes, discussions, fun lists, etc. Which is your favorite kind of post and can you share your process for creating them?
Michelle:My favorite kinds of posts are actually my discussion posts! Creating book rec lists is fun too but so time consuming (putting together the list itself, formatting the post, etc.). Discussion posts are basically a way for me to write 1000 words on a random topic and unload my mostly unfiltered thoughts.
Can you recommend some of your favorite books & what you love about them so much?
Michelle:Oh, it’s so difficult to choose just a few…I love Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta; frankly, all of her books have such a close place in my heart, as do Emma Mills’s books, particularly Foolish Hearts. I honestly could not tell you why I emotionally attach to certain books, but once I do, I usually reread them constantly.
I’ve noticed quite a number of lists on your blog too! Which one did you enjoy creating the most & why?
Michelle:I love the emoji series where you can click on an emoji and I’ll give you a release from a certain month of the year. It’s a fun way for me to match books to emojis and allows for a certain personalization for the people reading the list.
A staple for many book bloggers are reviews! Can you share some of your favorites that you’ve written on Magical Reads?
What kinds of stories and genres do you love reading the most?
Michelle: I used to be a huge fantasy reader, but over the past couple of years, I’ve been more into contemporary. I love stories where I instantly connect to the protagonist/characters no matter the genre though!
What inspires you as a content creator?
Michelle:People interacting with my posts and finding new books inspires me! I love when people @ me to tell me they found a new recommendation from me.
Any difficulties or challenges you’ve faced as a book blogger and how did you overcome them?
Michelle:Personally, I’ve gone through a few blogging slumps where I’m burned out and never feel like working on my blog. These usually pass; I try to still write posts but not as often to give myself a break. I think it’s important to know that, if you’re not enjoying it, you can and should take a break!
Favorite part about being a book blogger?
Michelle:This sounds so braggy but I like getting ARCs and getting to read books early because it helps me hype the book more before its release. While you can still promote the book early without reading it, I’ve found that it’s easier when you’ve already read it so you can talk about specifics.
Any other interests you have outside of blogging?
Michelle: I used to play the piano and will still randomly sit down and play for a bit. I also watch and rewatch a lot of TV shows. During quarantine, I meant to get into embroidery but that didn’t quite pan out…
Thank you Michelle for sharing about yourself as a book blogger & highlighting your work in the bookish community!
Michelle (Magical Reads) is a book reader, reviewer, and blogger. She’s a college student who can usually be found reading instead of studying.
Hey, it’s The Booked Shelf here! For a bit of background I started this blog in the summer of 2019 to highlight all the YA Book news out there!
Flashforward to 2021, TBS is still going strong! However, with lots of book news to cover and the blog being run by only one person (me!) it can be a bit of a struggle as you can see over these past few months to write about all the latest bookish news out there.
That’s why I’m asking you, reader of my blog to let me know what kind of posts do you like to see and what should I prioritize? Hearing your feedback would truly motivate me to get more news out there if I know what readers are interested in seeing.
Down below will be a few survey questions of different kinds of content and posting schedules. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on all the things about TBS that you enjoy and perhaps where I can improve? I’ll do my best to take all opinions to heart and work to continue bringing stellar book news articles!
*This post may or may not be deleted after some time to keep the blog feed neat, but without a doubt, I’ll be keeping track of all your feedback! Thanks for reading!!
As 2021 continues, it’s another month filled with fantastic new releases. From rom-coms to mystery thrillers, and doomsday prepping?! Lots of books to look forward to in February!
Today on The Booked Shelf we’re highlighting some YA Contemporary titles you need on your TBR!
Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard.Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.
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.
2. The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto Release Date: February 2, 2021
A classic sort of love story… except somebody might wind up dead.
Nobody knows Delilah like Logan does. Nobody. He makes sure of it by learning everything he can through her social media and watching her through a hidden camera he has trained on her house. Some might call him a stalker. Logan prefers to be called “romantic.”
But after Logan sees Delilah killing her abusive stepfather, he realizes there’s still more about her to discover. His sweet, perfect Delilah isn’t so perfect after all.
Delilah knows she should feel guilty, but all she feels is free. She’s so over the men in her life controlling her. Except Logan saw what she did, and he won’t let her forget it.
Delilah is done being the victim. And she refuses to be a character in Logan’s twisted fantasy. If Logan won’t let her go… she’ll make him.
After a horrifying public rejection by her crush, Ellie Nichols does what any girl would do: she flees the country. To be more precise, she joins her high school’s study abroad trip to England. While most of her classmates are there to take honors courses and pad their college applications, Ellie is on a quest to rebuild her reputation and self-confidence. And nothing is more of a confidence booster than getting a hot British boyfriend.
When Ellie meets Will, a gorgeous and charming Brit, she vows to avoid making the same mistakes as she did with the last guy she liked. Which is why she strikes up a bargain with Dev, an overachieving classmate who she’s never clicked with, but who does seem to know a lot about the things Will is interested in—if he helps her win over her crush, then she’ll help him win over his.
But even as Ellie embarks on a whirlwind romance, one that takes her on adventures to some of England’s most beautiful places, she still needs to figure out if this is actually the answer to all her problems…and whether the perfect boyfriend is actually the perfect boy for her.
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.
Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?
5. Like Home by Louisa Onomé Release Date: February 23, 2021
Fans of Netflix’s On My Block, In the Heights, and readers of Elizabeth Acevedo and Ibi Zoboi will love this debut novel about a girl whose life is turned upside down after one local act of vandalism throws her relationships and even her neighborhood into turmoil.
Chinelo, or Nelo as her best friend Kate calls her, is all about her neighborhood Ginger East. She loves its chill vibe, ride-or-die sense of community, and her memories of growing up there. Ginger East isn’t what it used to be, though. After a deadly incident at the local arcade, all her closest friends moved away, except for Kate. But as long as they have each other, Nelo’s good.
Only, Kate’s parents’ corner store is vandalized, leaving Nelo shaken to her core. The police and the media are quick to point fingers, and soon more of the outside world descends on Ginger East with promises to “fix” it. Suddenly, Nelo finds herself in the middle of a drama unfolding on a national scale.
Worse yet, Kate is acting strange. She’s pushing Nelo away at the exact moment they need each other most. Nelo’s entire world is morphing into something she hates, and she must figure out how to get things back on track or risk losing everything—and everyone—she loves.
6. Preppedby Bethany Mangle Release Date: February 23, 2021
A thrilling and funny debut about a teen raised in a doomsday community who plots her escape with the boy from the bunker next door.
Always be ready for the worst day of your life.
This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.
Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be.
When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.
On February 5, Epic Reads revealed the cover to finale in Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove Trilogy titled Gods & Monsters.
Louise le Blanc is a witch who took shelter in the city of Cesarine, but even there witches are hunted, feared, and burned.
Reid Diggory is a witch hunter, loyal to his role. When the two of them meet, they never expected to be given an impossible solution that could protect them both: marry each other.
Mahurin’s novels starting with Serpent & Dove and its sequel Blood & Honey are New York Times and indie Bestsellers. The series is a fantasy take on French witches interwoven with an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Cover artist is Katt Phatt, designer is Jessie Gang, and art director is Alison Donalty.
Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.
Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin is set to be released August 3, 2021!
On November 5, Netflix India revealed the official trailer to Mismatched, an upcoming adaptation based on Sandhya Menon’s 2017 debut, When Dimple Met Rishi.
The streaming service has adapted Menon’s novel as a series starring Prajakta Koli as Dimple Shah and Rohit Saraf as Rishi Patel.
Mismatched will follow two teens who are set-up by their families, but along the way strike up a friendship. Dimple dreams of creating apps and Rishi is a hopeless romantic who believes in the love from 60’s romance films. During a summer program teams of two will create an app, with the winners receiving an internship.
For readers, one particular scene involving iced coffee is lifted directly from the novel. The trailer also revealed other characters as well: Anmol, Zeenat, Celina, Namrata, Simran and Harsh.
Series screenwriter is Gazal Dhaliwal, with directors including Nipun Dharmadhikari and Akarsh Khurana. RSVP Movies is the production company behind the adaptation.
Mismatched is set to be released by Netflix India on November 20.
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
Today on The Booked Shelf, we’re wrapping up some the fantastic covers revealed throughout September, featuring over 20+ covers for YA reads releasing in 2021!
1.The Sea Is Salt And So Am I by Cassandra Hartt
Revealed through the author’s Twitter on September 2, this contemporary debut is pitched as “I’ll Give You the Sun meets Normal People.” Its a multi-POV story set in Maine, following Harlow whose determined to save her hometown of West Finch. Harlow also navigates the secrets and friendship she shares with her best friend Ellis and his twin brother Tommy.
Cover designer is Aurora Parlagreco and artist is Jess Cruickshank. The Sea Is Salt And So Am I is set to be released June 8, 2021!
West Finch is one hurricane away from falling into the sea.
Yet sixteen-year-old Harlow Prout is determined to save her small Maine hometown. If only she could stop getting in her own way and find someone, anyone, willing to help. But her best friend Ellis MacQueen “fixes” problems by running away from them―including his broken relationship with his twin brother, Tommy. And Tommy’s depression has hit a new low, so he’s not up for fixing anything.
In the wake of the town’s latest devastating storm, Tommy goes out for a swim that he doesn’t intend to survive. It’s his unexpected return that sets into motion a sea change between these three teens. One that tests old loyalties, sparks new romance, and uncovers painful secrets. And nothing stays secret in West Finch for long.
2. Love Is A Revolution by Renée Watson
On September 2 through Bookpage, Watson’s upcoming Black contemporary is “a love story—about loving another person, loving your community and, above all, loving yourself.” Nala finds herself falling for emcee, Tye Brown. In order to impress Tye, whose also a community activist, Nala begins to tell a few lies and before she knows it, she’s fallen deeper into both her lies and love.
The cover illustrator is Alex Cabal, designer is Jeanette Levy and art director is Donna Mark. Love Is A Revolution by Renée Watson is set to be released February 2, 2021!
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Rene Watson comes a new YA–a love story about not only a romantic relationship but how a girl finds herself and falls in love with who she really is.
When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He’s perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when Nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. In order to impress Tye, Nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. As they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. As Nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies and into love, she’ll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self-love is revolutionary.
In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys, the popular girl clique is not shallow but has strong convictions and substance, and the ultimate love story is not only about romance but about how to show radical love to the people in your life, including to yourself.
3. In The Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
As of September 7 through Twitter, Strickland revealed the cover to a new fantasy featuring “blood magic, eerie underworld, pansexual disaster MC…” and much more. The novel is pitched as “a bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead…”
The cover designer is Natalie C. Sousa. In The Ravenous Dark is set to be released May 18, 2021!
In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.
Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.
Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.
4. Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova
Through The NOVL blog on September 8, the sequel cover to Córdova’s Hollow Crown duology was revealed. Set in a world inspired by 15th Century Spain, readers follow Renata, a memory thief, but when her commander and love get captured she decides to complete his mission.
The cover designer is Billelis. Illusionary is set to be released May 11, 2021!
Reeling from betrayal at the hands of the Whispers, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she’s reluctantly joined forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy. They’re united by lofty goals: find the fabled Knife of Memory, kill the ruthless King Fernando, and bring peace to the nation. Together, Ren and Castian have a chance to save everything, if only they can set aside their complex and intense feelings for each other.
With the king’s forces on their heels at every turn, their quest across Puerto Leones and beyond leaves little room for mistakes. But the greatest danger is within Ren. The Gray, her fortress of stolen memories, has begun to crumble, threatening her grip on reality. She’ll have to control her magics–and her mind–to unlock her power and protect the Moria people once and for all.
For years, she was wielded as weapon. Now it’s her time to fight back.
5. The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
On September 9, We Need Diverse Books blog unveiled the cover McLemore’s newest magical realism tale titled, The Mirror Season. Alongside the cover reveal was a Q&A with McLemore who explains that major topics of the book navigate being sexual assault survivor, trauma, and the healing process. Graciela and Lock are both survivors and develop a friendship over the course of the story. As McLemore is also known for their Queer Latinx fairytale retellings, Mirror Season draws inspiration from The Snow Queen.
Cover artist and designers are Marly Gallardo and Liz Dresner. The Mirror Season is set to be released March 16, 2021!
When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party, they develop a cautious friendship through her family’s possibly-magical pastelería, his secret forest of otherworldly trees, and the swallows returning to their hometown, in Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Mirror Season…
Graciela Cristales’ whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party. She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce. Neighborhood trees vanish overnight, while mirrored glass appears, bringing reckless magic with it. And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her, and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned.
But when the boy, Lock, shows up at Ciela’s school, he has no memory of that night, and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart. Ciela decides to help him, which means hiding the truth about that night. Because Ciela knows who assaulted her, and him. And she knows that her survival, and his, depend on no one finding out what really happened.
6. The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
As of September 14, Penguin Teen revealed the cover alongside an excerpt to this “slick, twisty” page-turning Queer thriller about “the daughter of a con artist who is taken hostage in a bank heist.”
It was also announced in late July through Deadline that Sharpe’s upcoming novel is already in the works for an adaptation with Millie Bobby Brown attached! The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe is set to be released January 6, 2021!
Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.
For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:
#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.
#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:
#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.
The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…
7. Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park
On September 14 via Park’s Twitter, she revealed the cover to her 2021 Contemporary / coming-of-age story about a Korean-American social media influencer whose shipped off to a “digital detox summer camp” in Iowa. Its pitched as being perfect for fans of Jenny Han’s Summer I Turned Pretty and Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch.
The cover designer is Nicole Hower and artist is Carolina Melis. Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park is set to be released June 1, 2021!
Sunny Song’s Big Summer Goals: 1) Make Rafael Kim my boyfriend (finally!) 2) Hit 100K followers (almost there…) 3) Have the best last summer of high school ever
Not on Sunny’s list: accidentally filming a PG-13 cooking video that goes viral (#browniegate). Extremely not on her list: being shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa (IOWA??) for a whole month. She’s traded in her WiFi connection for a butter churn, and if she wants any shot at growing her social media platform this summer, she’ll need to find a way back online.
But between some unexpected friendships and an alarmingly cute farm boy, Sunny might be surprised by the connections she makes when she’s forced to disconnect.
8. Simone Breaks All The Rules by Debbie Rigaud
Through IReadYA’s Twitter on there were a series of cover reveals for 2021 releases starting with Rigaud’s upcoming contemporary which follows Simon Thibodeaux, daughter of strict Haitian immigrant parents, who decides to create a senior-year bucket list with her “fellow late-bloomer friends.”
Cover designer is Erick Davila. Simone Breaks All The Rules by Debbie Riguad is set to be released June 1, 2021!
Simone Thibodeaux’s life is sealed in a boy-proof container.
Her strict Haitian immigrant parents enforce no-dating rules and curfews, and send Simone to an all-girls school. As for prom? Simone is allowed to go on one condition: her parents will select her date (a boy from a nice Haitian immigrant family, obviously).
Simone is desperate to avoid the humiliation of the set up — especially since she’s crushing on a boy she knows her parents wouldn’t approve of. With senior year coming to a close, Simone makes a decision. She and her fellow late-bloomer friends will create a Senior Year Bucket List of all the things they haven’t had a chance to do. On the list: kissing a boy, sneaking out of the house, skipping class (gasp!), and, oh yeah — choosing your own prom date.
But as the list takes on a life of its own, things get more complicated than Simone expected. She’ll have to discover which rules are worth breaking, and which will save her from heartbreak.
9. Indivisible by Daniel Aleman
Through Frolic on September 16, the cover to Aleman’s debut was revealed. This contemporary follows “a Mexican-American teenager who is left to care for his young sister after their parents are detained by ICE,” according to the author. Aleman stated that his “favorite things” about the cover are “the symbolism and the figure of Mateo silhouetted against the background, which feels both powerful and intimate.” Alongside the cover, was also an author’s note.
Indivisible by Daniel Aleman is set to be released May 4, 2021!
There is a word Mateo Garcia and his younger sister Sophie have been taught to fear for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade to the back of their minds. And why wouldn’t it, when their Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long, they have American-born children, and they’re hard workers and good neighbors?
When two ICE agents come asking for Pa, the Garcia family realizes that the lives they’ve built are about to come crumbling down. And when Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken, he must come to terms with the fact that his family’s worst nightmare has become a reality. With his parents’ fate and his own future hanging in the balance, Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of, even as he’s forced to question what it means to be an American teenager in a country that rejects his own mom and dad.
10. The One’s We’re Meant To Find by Joan He
Revealed through He’s Twitter on September 17, was the cover to her upcoming sci-fi thriller that’s pitched as Black Mirror x We We’re Liars. This novel is about “two sisters and the sea between them,” one is abandoned on an island, while the other resides on the last unpolluted place on earth.
Cover designers and artists include Aykut Aydoğdu and Aurora Parlagreco. The One’s We’re Meant To Find is set to be released May 4, 2021!
One of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turner YAs you’ll read this year—We Were Liars with sci-fi scope, Lost with a satisfying resolution.
Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.
STEM prodigy Kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. The Metropolis—Earth’s last unpolluted place—is meant to be sanctuary for those commited to planetary protection, but it’s populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.
11. Angel Of Greenwood by Randi Pink
On September 18, Pink revealed the cover to her upcoming historical fiction via Twitter. The novel is set during the Greenwood Massacre on Black Wall Street in 1921. In a subsequent tweet Pink mentioned, “On May 31st, 1921 in Tulsa, a white woman screamed on an elevator. The events that followed led to The Greenwood Massacre where nearly forty blocks of prosperous, Black owned Greenwood…”
Cover artist/designer is Rich Deas. Angel Of Greenwood by Randi Pink is set to be released January 12, 2021!
Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Wilson is, on the surface, a town troublemaker, but is hiding that he is an avid reader and secret poet, never leaving home without his journal. A passionate follower of WEB. Du Bois, he believes that black people should rise up to claim their place as equals.
Sixteen-year-old Angel Hill is a loner, mostly disregarded by her peers as a goody-goody. Her father is dying, and her family’s financial situation is in turmoil. Also, as a loyal follower of Booker T. Washington, she believes, through education and tolerance, that black people should rise slowly and without forced conflict.
Though they’ve attended the same schools, Isaiah never noticed Angel as anything but a dorky, Bible toting church girl. Then their English teacher offers them a job on her mobile library, a three-wheel, two-seater bike. Angel can’t turn down the money and Isaiah is soon eager to be in such close quarters with Angel every afternoon.
But life changes on May 31, 1921 when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced. Only then, Isaiah, Angel, and their peers realize who their real enemies are.
12. Daughter Of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews
On September 23, Andrews revealed the cover to her debut fantasy novel set during ancient Sparta, featuring Greek gods. When Daphne’s brother is taken by Artemis, she must find and return items stolen from Olympus.
Cover designer is Amanda Hudson. Daughter Of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews is set to be released June 8, 2021!
Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body into a weapon and her heart and mind into stone, in order to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But unrest throughout ancient Greece, and the goddess Artemis holding Daphne’s brother for ransom, upends her carefully laid plans.
In return for her brother’s life, Daphne must find and return nine mysterious items stolen from Mount Olympus before the gods’ power wanes and the mortal world is thrown into chaos. Her journey leads her into battle with foes from ancient Greek myths, a growing (and dangerous) attraction to the enigmatic and flirtatious god Apollo, who has a secret agenda of his own, and into the devious games of the gods themselves.
13. The Other Side Of Magic by Ester Manzini
As of September 24 Parliament House Press revealed the cover to an upcoming debut fantasy set in a magical world inspired by 16th Century Italy. Princess Gaiane has been harnessing her powerful magic since she was young, but she’s kept in a tower. Then there’s a commoner girl named Leo who uses her wits to confront any obstacle. The author stated that “if you’re into queer heroines and fireworks, mark this down on your calendar.”
Everyone within the realms of Epidalio and Zafiria is born with magic. However, it is also true that for every spell each and every magic-user casts, their innate abilities begin to slowly wane until their power is feeble and depleted.
True, that is, for almost everyone.
Princess Gaiane Asares of Zafiria is the result of a nearly perfect genetic union. Harnessing royal and magical lineage in her conception, the princess was born infinitely powerful and with no limits upon her magic. Sequestered in a lonesome tower as her strength is used against her will to conquer the land of Epidalio, she must find a way to fight against her captors.
Elsewhere within the realms, Leo—a commoner—was born with no magic at all. Except for her brain, wits, and her own anger, she must confront the circumstances thrown at her without the magical gifts that so many take for granted.
14. A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow
On Tor Teen’s Twitter the cover to the second novel in Morrow’s A Song Below Water world was revealed. It introduces readers to teen influencer Naema Bradshaw whose an Eloko. She “uncovers the true power of her magical voice when faced with the threat of online radicalism against sirens.”
A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow is set to be released June 1, 2021!
The Hate U Give meets Shadowshaper in Bethany C. Morrow’s A Chorus Rises, a brilliant contemporary fantasy set in the world of A Song Below Water.
Teen influencer Naema Bradshaw has it all: she’s Portland famous, privileged, gorgeous — and she’s an Eloko, a charismatic person with a unique melody adored by all. Everyone loves her — well, until she’s cast as the awful person who exposed Tavia’s secret siren powers.
Now, she’s being dragged by the media. No one understands her side: not her boyfriend, not her friends, nor her Eloko community. But Naema knows the truth and is determined to build herself back up — no matter what.
When a new, flourishing segment of Naema’s online supporters start targeting black girls, however, Naema must discover the true purpose of her magic.
15. Broken Web by Lori M. Lee
Revealed through Fairy Loot’s Instagram on September 30 was the sequel cover to Lee’s Shamanborn series, starting with Forest Of Souls. Sirscha Ashwyn is training as a royal spy and when its revealed she’s a soulguide, she’s summoned to the Spider King’s realm.
Cover artist is Charlie Bowater. Broken Web by Lori M. Lee is set to be released June 15, 2021!
The Soulless has woken from his hundred-year imprisonment. Now, he lurks in the Dead Wood recovering his power, while Sirscha and her allies journey west to the shaman empire of Nuvalyn. The whole world believes Sirscha is a soulguide–a savior–but Sirscha knows the truth. She’s a monster, a soulrender, just like the Soulless, and if anyone discovers the truth, she’ll be executed.
There’s nothing Sirscha won’t risk to stop the Soulless, since his magic created the rot that’s killing her best friend. While the Soulless is formidable, he’s still a shaman, which means his power must be channeled through a familiar. If Sirscha can discover what–or who–that is, she might be able to cut him off from his power.
But that’s easier said than done with Queen Meilyr pursuing her imperialistic agenda. Sirscha finds herself caught between a war brewing in the north and the Soulless in the south. She should be uniting who she can to face their common enemies, but instead, Sirscha’s hunt for clues about the Soulless leads to a grim discovery, forcing her to question who her enemies really are.
Additional cover reveals ↷
➣Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan revealed by CW exclusively over at The Quiet Pond! (Sept. 21, 2020)
➣ What’s Not To Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley cover revealed exclusively by Penguin Teen! (Sept. 21, 2020)
➣A Sky Beyond The Storm by Sabaa Tahir (UK limited signed and sprayed edges edition) revealed through Waterstones (September 22, 2020)
➣ Cool For The Summerby Dahlia Adler cover revealed at Frolic (September 23, 2020)
➣Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth revealed through LGBTQ Reads (September 24, 2020)
➣ Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee revealed through the We Need Diverse Books Blog (Diverse Books) (September 28, 2020)
On September 4, Romina Garber revealed through her Twitter the sequel cover to Lobizona which is titled, Cazadora!
Lobizona follows Manuela Azul (or Manu) is undocumented and when her mother is arrested by ICE, she finds herself stepping into a magical world out of Argentine folklore where she learns more about herself and her family’s past.
Garber, when delving into more what draws the eyes, mentioned this about the cover, “I love how our eye is first drawn to the wolf that hybridizes Manu, creating a symmetrical first impression—then as our gaze rises to the asymmetrical title treatment & falls to the enigmatically patterned foliage, we’re broken out of that illusion of symmetry & order & borders…”
The cover artist is Daria Hlazatova and designer is Kerri Resnick.
As she praised Hlazatova’s art, Garber stated “I especially love how the illustration shows us that this is a sequel by splitting Manu & exposing her dualities . . .”
Cazadora will wrap up Garber’s Wolves Of No World duology.
Some people ARE illegal.
Lobizonas do NOT exist.
Both of these statements are false.
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who’s on the run from her father’s Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.
Until Manu’s protective bubble is shattered.
Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past–a mysterious “Z” emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.
As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal. . . .it’s her entire existence.
Pitched as Moulin Rogue meets Phantom Of The Opera, this fantasy debut follows Kallia, a determined showgirl who gets thrust into a magical competition to find the next headliner for The Conquering Circus.
Kirkus Starred Review states that this novel is “a lush, captivating blend of The Phantom of the Opera and fresh, new magic…”
The cover designer is Kerri Resnick and the artist is Micaela Alcaino.
Angeles will wrap up The Kingdom Of Cards duology with When The Night Breaks.
In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide.
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles is out now!
The Booked Shelf 