Author: Kelly Jensen

Hey YA Readers!

There might still be a few months left in the Longest Year Ever, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited about new books hitting shelves in 2021. Even if the new year doesn’t necessarily promise to be entirely different, rest assured new books mean something to look forward to.

Let’s take a look at 8 exciting books hitting shelves next year. Descriptions come from ‘Zon, since I haven’t yet read any of these.

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala (1/5)

Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.

Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making―for creation. He’s always chosen his art over everything―and everyone―else and is determined to make his mark at this year’s biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There’s only one small problem… Raffy’s ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store―or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca’s insecurities and Raffy’s insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can’t ruin.

But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he’ll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he’s ever wanted: choosing his art, his way.

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado (2/2)

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.

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (3/2)

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine. But the deceptions―and deaths―keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Like Home by Louisa Onomé (2/23)

Fans of Netflix’s On My Block and readers of Elizabeth Acevedo and Angie Thomas will love this debut novel about a girl whose life is turned upside down after one local act of vandalism throws both her relationships and 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 the memories she has growing up there with her friends. Ginger East isn’t what it used to be though. After a deadly incident at the local arcade, most of her friends’ families moved away. Kate, whose family owns the local corner store, is still there and as long as that stays constant, Nelo’s good.

When Kate’s parent’s store is vandalized and the vandal still at large, Nelo is shaken to her core. And then the police and the media get involved and more of the outside world descends upon Ginger East with promises to “fix the neighborhood.” 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. Now 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.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken (1/5)

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Mazie by Melanie Crowder (2/23)

An eighteen-year-old aspiring actress trades in starry Nebraska skies for the bright lights of 1950s Broadway in this show-stopping novel from award-winning author Melanie Crowder.

Mazie has always longed to be on Broadway. But growing up in her small Nebraska town, that always seemed like an impossible dream. So when an opportunity presents itself to spend six weeks auditioning, Mazie jumps at the chance, leaving behind everything–and everyone–she’s ever known.

New York City is a shock to the senses: thrilling, but lonely. Auditions are brutal. Mazie’s homesick and she misses the boyfriend whose heart she broke when she left. Nothing is as she expected.

With money running out, and faced with too many rejections to count, Mazie is more determined than ever to land a role. But when she discovers that booking a job might mean losing sight of herself, everything Mazie always thought she wanted is called into question.

Mazie is the story of a girl caught between two lives–and two loves–as she navigates who she is, what matters most, and the cost of following her dream.

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira (3/2)

Jenny Han meets “Jane the Virgin” in this flashy and fun Own Voices romcom from debut author Monica Gomez-Hira.

Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” for Carmen involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship! All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami.

Fine. Except that Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin Ariana’s over the top quinceañera.

And of course, her new dance partner at work is none other than Mauro Reyes, Carmen’s most deeply regrettable ex.

If Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. And if she can manage dancing in the blistering heat, fending off Mauro’s texts, and stopping Ariana from ruining her own quinceañera Carmen might just get that happily ever after after all.

Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein (4/27)

Acidly funny and compulsively readable, Mercedes Helnwein’s debut novel Slingshot is a story about two people finding each other and then screwing it all up. See also: soulmate, friendship, stupidity, sex, bad poetry, and all the indignities of being in love for the first time.

Grace Welles had resigned herself to the particular loneliness of being fifteen and stuck at a third-tier boarding school in the swamps of Florida, when she accidentally saves the new kid in her class from being beat up. With a single aim of a slingshot, the monotonous mathematics of her life are obliterated forever…because now there is this boy she never asked for. Wade Scholfield.

With Wade, Grace discovers a new way to exist. School rules are optional, life is bizarrely perfect, and conversations about wormholes can lead to make-out sessions that disrupt any logical stream of thoughts.

So why does Grace crush Wade’s heart into a million tiny pieces? And what are her options when she finally realizes that 1. The universe doesn’t revolve around her, and 2. Wade has been hiding a dark secret. Is Grace the only person unhinged enough to save him?

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again soon!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

You’re reading this from the future. Well, not really. But kind of. I’m on a two week break — no fancy vacation for me, unless you count the trips from my couch to the hammock fancy — and writing a few newsletters in advance, including this one.

YA book titles are something I always think about. They fascinate me, especially when it comes to trends. We’ve seen the single-word titles come and go. We’ve seen so many thorns and thrones over the last half decade, and there’s been so many things Of one thing And another. We’ve seen a surge in YA book titles featuring full names over the last few years. I could add so many more to this list I made!

But I wonder: what YA books have very long titles? Has anyone ever looked what what the longest YA book titles might be?

This highly unscientific exploration looks at long titles, which, as one researcher as pointed out, is a thing we’re seeing more often now in fiction. Let’s see how long we can go — note that I’m choosing not to include those titles which include a colon, since that can be too-easy a way to create length.

None of these YA book titles will come close to the lengthy title of Fiona Apple’s sophomore album “When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right.”

For librarians and teachers doing physical or virtual displays, this would be a really neat one to play with.

I’ve stuck to YA books, meaning that some of the titles you might think of are not included because they’re not YA. If you know of other YA titles, sans colon, over 9 words long, I’d love to hear about ’em! Note, too, since this list looks at book title length, it is no where near as inclusive as it should be.

Long YA Book Titles

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb (15)

After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates(13)

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (13)

On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison (12)

Me Being Me Is Exactly As insane As You Being You by Todd Hasak-Lowry (11)

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynn Rae Perkins (10)

Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe by Sarah Mlynowski   (10)

The Lost Marble Notebook of Forgotten Girl and Random Boy by Marie Jaskulka (10)

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan (10)

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor (9)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (9)

How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff (9)

The Last Confessions of Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin (9)

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson(9)

Any surprises? What I found surprising in compiling this was some of the books I thought had long titles actually didn’t. Instead, the words each had numerous syllables, making them sound much longer than they actually are.

Thanks for hanging!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

What is time, anyway? September is flying by, perhaps the first month this year I’ve been able to say that about.

This week’s YA news is light on content, but there are so many great YA books that hit shelves. So the time you don’t spend catching up on news, you can spend reading the books.

YA Book News

• Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith has been optioned for adaptation.
• The book Devastation Class, which just came out earlier this month, is also slated for adaptation. I’ve never heard of this one!
• This is some awesome news: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin rights have been picked up for TV adaptation.
• Gotta love reviewers who write about adaptations of middle grade novels like Enola Holmes and say that unless you’re 16, you’ve seen it all before. Why am I linking it? To remind you that Enola Holmes — a middle grade novel, not YA, but one that so many YA readers love — has hit Netflix.

New YA Books This Week

Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Heather T. Smith

The Bro Code by Elizabeth A. Seibert

Chicken Girl by Heather T. Smith (paperback)

Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh

Far From Normal by Becky Wallace

Forward Me Back To You by Mitali Perkins (paperback)

The Gifted, The Talented, and Me by William Sutcliffe

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (paperback, series)

Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon (paperback)

Historically Inaccurate by Shay Bravo

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana (paperback)

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi (series)

Smash It by Francina Simone

Steel Tide by Natalie C. Parker (paperback, series)

The Survival List by Courtney Sheinmel (paperback)

The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring (paperback)

Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker

Walk Toward The Rising Sun by Ger Duany and Garen Thomas

When They Call You a Terrorist: Young Readers Edition by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, asha bandele, and Benee Knauer

White Fox by Sara Faring

This Week at Book Riot

• One of my favorite pieces to write in a while, I talked with a book cover designer about current trends in YA book cover design.
• A California school district is debating banning some classics (what even?).
• Add some great gay YA to your TBR. While you’re at it, explore some fo the classics of queer YA.
• These YA books explore what happens at night.
• School librarian or classroom teaching looking for a short, quick guide to must-have fall YA? We’ve got you!
• Last, but not least, excellent Orpheus and Eurydice YA retellings.

Thanks for hanging out, and I’ll see you again Monday. Next Thursday, you’ll see a new voice here covering for me while I visit the opposite side of my couch for a much-needed reading staycation.

Happy reading!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

Are you itching for some time buried under warm blankets with a cuppa your favorite beverage and a great adaptation to watch? Let me help you with that last part and highlight some of the newer, recent, or potentially overlooked YA film adaptations you can stream right now.

Last month I highlighted YA series adaptations you could stream. This month, it’s stand alone film adaptations. These are all available on Netflix unless otherwise noted — because Netflix is the largest and most popular streaming service so far, it’s easiest to search as well. 

Descriptions come from the film, and as is too often the case with adaptations, this list is very dominated by white narratives. I suspect as more authors of color see their stories adapted, though, these lists will grow more inclusive and reflective of our world. 

I’ve included the name of the book from which the film was adapted in cases where the title changed. 

All The Bright Places (from the book All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven)

The story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.

All Together Now (from the book Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick)

Chemical Hearts (Amazon Prime only, from the book Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland)

A high school transfer student finds a new passion when she begins to work on the school’s newspaper.

iBoy (from the book iBoy by Kevin Brooks)

Saving Zoë (based on the book Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël)

She’s Dating The Gangster (based on the book She’s Dating The Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino)

It’s also worth keeping your eyes peeled for when the recently-released adaptation of Words on Bathroom Walls hits small screens, too! It’s based on the book of the same name by Julie Walton.

Happy watching!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

If your weekend plans look anything like mine do from here on out, you’re itching to find your next great read. Let me help you with this roundup of excellent YA Ebook deals.

All of these deals are current as of Friday, September 18. Snap ’em up before they’re gone.

A fantasy read about magic? A book that’s been optioned for adaptation? Grab Caster by Elsie Chapman for $2.

Jennifer Donnelly’s Stepsister is a twist on Cinderella for fans of retellings. $2.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone is a YA essential read and you can pick it up for $2 — read it for the first time or revisit it before the companion Dear Justyce comes out later this month.

One of my favorite YA books, We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, which is about loneliness and grief, is on sale for $3. Everything Leads To You and Hold Still, two of Nina’s other books, are also $3 each.

Itching to begin a fantasy series full of politics and which has been named a favorite by so many readers? The first few books in “The Queen’s Thief” series by Megan Whalen Turner are all on sale for $3. Begin with The Thief, then The Queen of Attolia, then The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings, and then Thick As Thieves. The final book in the series hits shelves soon, and for $15, you can read the first five books in preparation.

Sarah Dessen’s The Rest of the Story is $3.

Love a good ballet story? Grab Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra before it hits Netflix for $3.

Speaking of Sona Charaipotra, her most recent book Symptoms of a Heartbreak, is $3.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine, the first book in a series about a magical library, is $3.

A humorous book about basketball and Islamophobia, Sara Farizan’s Here To Stay is a must-read. $2.

The entire three-book Skinjacker trilogy (Everlost, Everwild, and Everfound) by Neal Shusterman is on sale for $5.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Monday!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

I hope you’re hanging in there as we prepare for the shifting of seasons, whether or not your weather shifts in accordance.

As usual, there are far more new books this week than there is book news. But nothing bad in that, right? It means so much great reading is coming.

A short programming note: I’m taking the next two weeks off, so another Rioter will be handling these Thursday roundups in my absence. They’ll do awesome and you’ll get to enjoy another fabulous voice for a couple of newsletters.

YA Book News

• This year’s slate of titles for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature is awesome.
• Reese Witherspoon announced her latest YA book club pick (I’m so excited to read this on my staycation!).
• Add some Canadian YA to your fall TBR.
• Speaking of Canadian YA, here’s a piece about Algonquin and Métis filmmaker Michelle Latime and the two adaptations she’s brought to the Toronto International Film Festival — one of which is a YA adaptation.
• Tiffany D. Jackson writes about why young Black girls need to stop being called “grown.”
• New covers for the “Graceling” series, as well as the reveal of the cover for the next novel in the series. Kinda like the redesign of the “Cinder” series, this feels very anime/manga inspired to me!
• Halsey signed on to play a role in the forthcoming adaptation The Players Table, which just hit shelves at the end of August (the book it’s based off is titled They Wish They Were Us).
• A nice slate of YA titles are up for this year’s Kirkus prize.
• Don’t miss these SFF YA books hitting shelves this month.

New YA Books

The Art of Saving The World by Corinne Duyvis

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp

For Better or Cursed by Kate M. Williams (series)

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass

Horrid by Katrina Leno

In The Hall With The Knife by Diana Peterfreund (paperback)

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu (paperback — don’t miss this one, as it got so lost last year when it came out and it’s great!)

Making Friends with Alice Dyson by Poppy Nwosu

#NoEscape by Gretchen McNeil

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Sisters of War: Two Remarkable Stories of Survival and Hope in Syria by Rania Abouzeid

Unpresidented by Martha Brockenbrough (paperback nonfiction you should be reading ASAP)

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit

Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall

This Week at Book Riot

• Transgender YA books by transgender and nonbinary authors.
• Must-read YA retellings by authors of color.
• 60 fall YA books hitting shelves in paperback.
• Great YA comics for new comics readers.

I’d rather be at a school book fair, too, and I’m obsessed with this fun, retro keychain. $8.50 and up.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday for YA ebook deals.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

I’m really excited to share today’s guest newsletter with you.

A few years back, I met Anica Mrose Rissi at a YA book conference, and I quickly fell in love with her first YA book, Always Forever Maybe. I’d known Anica’s work before, but through a different avenue: she’s been the editor of a number of YA books I’ve also loved. After leaving her role as an editor, she took on writing full time and has released several books for young readers.

Her second YA book hit shelves last week, and I was eager to find out how it feels to transition from editing books to writing them. How different is the mindset?

Readers, this is a fun peek behind the curtains of learning to let go of control in storytelling, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

(Confession: Nobody Knows But You, Anica’s new book, is sitting right here for me to read next, but I know because it focuses on friendship, like her first YA, I’m going to love it. It’s a slender read and has had so many rave reviews — I bet by the time this newsletter hits your inbox, I’ll be screaming about how everyone needs to pick this up ASAP).

Without further ado, though, Anica!

**

Confession: I am a control freak. 

I hate doing things I’m not good at. I’m most comfortable when I am in charge. I am obsessive about, well, everything. I often go to great lengths to avoid being vulnerable. I dislike messes and problems I can’t fix. 

In short, I am a terrible first drafter. 

Yet time and again, I return to the messiest, most vulnerable task that I know. I keep writing books, despite that they never go as planned. Despite feeling like I’m awful at it every time I start one. Maybe even, I’m realizing, because of it.  

It didn’t always used to be this way. Before I was a writer, I worked for more than thirteen years as book editor, and editing suited me well. If being an author is one continuous lesson in letting go, being an editor is the opposite. It is an editor’s job to have a clear vision for, and unwavering confidence in, her projects. To believe in each book and its author, even—or perhaps, especially—when the author doesn’t fully believe in it herself.

When I read manuscripts on submission, deciding what books to acquire—projects such as Brittany Cavallaro’s A Study in Charlotte, Tiffany D. Jackson’s Allegedly, and Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious—I looked not only for a feeling of, “Yes! I love this so much I want to read it multiple times and spend my nights and weekends with it” (an editor’s reality) but also, “and I know exactly how to pitch this book to the world and help make it the best it can be.” 

As a writer, I chase the opposite feeling—a sense of, “I don’t know what this is yet, but there’s something in it I need to explore.” The magic of writing comes from not knowing, and not yet understanding. A draft is an exploration—a treasure hunt with no map. If I could already see how things would look when I got there, it wouldn’t be worth the long journey. 

But gosh is it uncomfortable along the way. Uncomfortable, yet once you give in to it, exhilarating. 

When I started the draft of my new YA thriller, Nobody Knows But You, I knew only a few things about it. I knew the book would involve a brief but life-changing friendship—a deep, essential bond formed across a single summer. I knew the story of that friendship, and the secrets held within it, would be told in the form of letters typed from one friend to the other after their summer was over. I knew the other friend would not write back. I knew the letters would be interspersed with news clips, text messages, a court transcript, and social media posts to reveal other secrets and perspectives.

Other than that, I knew nothing—not what the secrets would be, or why the letters would go unanswered. Not who these friends were, or what had come between them. Those things I had to learn as I wrote, letting the characters—and my questions—lead the way. Questions of how our friendships shape who we are. Of how well you can really know someone else, or even know yourself. Of how the lies a person tells might reveal their deepest truths.

I dove in without know what I would find beneath the surface, and let the current of the story take control. 

Once the draft was out, my control-freak side got to come back in and obsess over every beat. I got to use the revision skills I’d honed as an editor, and let my editor’s vision and confidence buoy me through moments of doubt. We shaped it into something I’m proud of, and now, I’m letting go again. 

My book is going out into the world to seek its fortune, and there’s nothing I can do besides wish it well and hope for the best. I hope it finds readers, and that some of them will love it. But I can’t control that. 

All I can do is open a new draft, lean into the uncertainty, and learn how the story will go.

Whether you’re a writer or not, I suspect that something here will resonate, especially as we live through times where certainty is anything but certain.

Thanks for hanging out, y’all, and thanks, Anica, for sharing.

We’ll see you again later this week!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

If you had a long weekend, I hope you enjoyed it. I was able to read a pile of books on my TBR, which was exactly what I’d hoped to do.

Let’s catch up on the latest in YA book news — something that’s light this week — and in new YA book releases — there are many!

YA Book News

• Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes some of my favorite in-depth, psychologically-based essays and research and her latest about how fictional characters can and do really become real friends to us is so good.
• Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé just got a massive deal for a forthcoming YA book series and it sounds awesome. YA author Leah Johnson hinted about this in an episode of Hey YA Extra Credit early this summer.
• There might be a reboot of Pretty Little Liars in the works.
• Meg Cabot’s The Mediator might see an adaptation.
• On my personal blog, I pulled together a massive list of 2020 YA horror for those of you needing your spooky reading fix.

New YA Books This Week

Prepare yourself for a flood of incredible new reads this week! Note: as we’re seeing the realities of printer backups, some of the books that were scheduled to release today may have had their publication dates change. I’ve done the best I can to update where appropriate.

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant (paperback)

The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif (paperback, series)

Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford

The Cat I Never Named by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan

Displaced by Dean Hughes

Iron Heart by Nina Varela (series)

A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai (paperback)

Meme by Aaron Starmer

Night Shine by Tessa Gratton

Nobody Knows But You by Anica Mrose Rissi

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer (paperback, series)

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf

Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur

Sources Say by Lori Goldstein

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer (paperback)

These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi (paperback)

When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer (series)

This Week On Book Riot

• Don’t miss these September YA releases for your TBR.
• Awesome diverse horror YA books.
• A look at the best Jane Yolen books, including some of her YA titles.
• Great books for 12th graders to read. 
• These YA books about the creative struggle are #relatable.
• YA books about the realities of poverty.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you next week with a special guest-penned (typed?) newsletter.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

Find your biweekly roundup of excellent YA ebook deals below. It’s a long holiday weekend here in the US, so you won’t be getting your regular Monday newsletter. Instead, I encourage you to grab a book or two here and spend the time you’d read the newsletter dipping into a great book.

Deals are current as of Friday, September 4. As always, a new month means many new deals, so this is going to be pretty epic!

Frankly In Love by David Yoon is $2.

Echo Brown’s incredible and moving Black Girl Unlimited is $3.

Have you read Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith? For $1, you have no reason not to.

My own anthology (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health is still on sale for $2.

Light It Up by Kekla Magoon is $3, and it’s going to be on my ereader very soon.

Still looking to upgrade your anti-racism? This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell is $3.

Cult books your jam? The Liar’s Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson is $2.

Thought it’s not technically YA, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Signal to Noise has incredible crossover appeal and it’s on sale for $!.

Need fantasy in your life? East by Edith Pattou is $3.

Haven’t read Dear Martin or need a refresher before the sequel comes out? Grab it for $2!

One of my all-time favorite books is also $2. Grab We Are Okay by Nina LaCour!

Love a good sports book? Here To Stay by Sara Farizan is $2.

Get even more of your fantasy fix with The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg for $3.

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer — becoming a Netflix adaptation soon — is on sale for $3.

Last, but not least, stock up on some Jacqueline Woodson books, including brown girl dreaming, If You Come Softly, and Harbor Me are all $3.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you again on Thursday.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Hey YA Readers!

Welcome to September, which means you’ve made it through August. I don’t know about you, but this summer — a season that is my favorite — has felt twelve years long. We’ve still got a couple solid weeks of it, of course, but I’m welcoming cooler mornings and evenings, as well as more time to curl up in the evening dark with a book.

Let’s catch up on the latest in YA news and new books this week, shall we?

YA Book News

Again, as tends to be the case this time of year, there’s not a whole lot of news to share. . . but it’s all great news.

• Felix Ever After has been optioned for a TV adaptation (!!).
• I’m also super excited to see Bonnie Pipkin’s Aftercare Instructions has been tapped for a TV adaptation.
• This fall we have so many awesome queer and feminist books hitting shelves. Check out both YA and adult titles in this roundup.
• Here’s the trailer for the adaptation of Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer.
• I’m hoping next week to highlight the recently-added YA film adaptations to streaming services in the newsletter, but in the mean time, here’s a great list of YA-friendly films to enjoy on Netflix — most of them are not adaptations but rather scratch that itch for something YA-esque.
• Becky Albertalli’s piece on coming out, on assumptions about sexuality, and about #OwnVoices queer stories is such a vital read.

This Week’s New YA Books

So! Many! New! Books! Do note: because of printer capacity issues, there are a few more delays in book releases. Those have been so challenging to keep on top of, so it’s possible a title or two below might not be hitting shelves today but later on in the month or season. If it sounds good, preorder it and enjoy the surprise when it arrives.

1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change edited by Marc Aronson

American Royals II: Majesty by Katharine McGee (series)

As The Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool (series)

Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin (series)

Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

Caster by Elsie Chapman (series, paperback)

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford (paperback)

Dark Blade by Steve Feasey (series)

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (paperback)

Eclipse The Skies by Maura Milan (paperback, series)

Fable by Adrienne Young (series)

Flamer by Mike Curato

Frankly In Love by David Yoon (paperback)

Fright Night by Maren Stoffels (paperback)

The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (paperback)

Greythorne by Crystal Smith (series)

Gold Wings Rising by Alex London (series)

The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg

Keep This To Yourself by Tom Ryan (paperback)

Flyy Girls: Lux, The New Girl by Ashley Woodfolk (paperback, series)

My Secret To Tell by Natalie D. Richards (paperback)

Flyy Girls: Mica, The Good Girl by Ashley Woodfolk (paperback, series)

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

Not Your #LoveStory by Sonia Hartl

October Mourning by Leslea Newman (paperback)

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst (paperback, series)

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao (paperback)

The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg (paperback)

Pretend She’s Here by Luanne Rice (paperback)

Punching The Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody (series)

Recommended For You by Laura Silverman

Red Skies Falling by Alex London (series, paperback)

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

Save Steve by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool (paperback, series)

Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos

Unbirthday by Liz Braswell

Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova (series)

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

Where We Are by Alison McGhee

This Week on Book Riot…

• How the Hunger Games prequel showed me I’ve changed.
• A handy glossary of manga terms.
• How young adult librarians helped create the YA category of books.
• Add these British YA authors of color to your TBR.
• YA books that explore schizophrenia.
• These YA books got new looks in paperback. Which version do you prefer?
• Excellent #OwnVoices books about disability.

Check out this gorgeous print featuring a stack of incredible YA books by Black authors! $7.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Saturday for some YA ebook deals.

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.

Psst: if you’re free tonight at 7 pm Eastern, you can catch Eric Smith, Kati Gardner, Junauda Petrus-Nasah, and I for a virtual event with Oblong Books. It’ll be a blast. Sign up for the link to the free event here.