Category: What’s Up in YA

Aaliyah’s a rockstar cross country runner, and though her home life has never been outstanding, she knows that focusing on her gift for sport and her good friends will help her eke out the end of high school.

It seems to work, until an elder in her church outs her without permission.

Now, senior year, she’s bound and determined to get her life — all of it, including her romantic one — back in order. But can she? How can she learn to trust anyone?

This is a coming-of-age, realistic YA about a queer Black girl wrestling with who she is, who she wants to be, and how she can build a life wholly for herself. Pass this on to readers who love quiet YA.

Going the complete opposite direction of quiet YA is this book, pitched as being inspired by Moulin Rouge and set on an island that is inspired by Prohibition-era New York City.

Luxe is part of her family’s show on the island of Charmant. It’s one of magic and splendor, but with prohibition, the money is getting much tighter and the show’s income dwindling. But the son of on of the island’s wealthiest families makes her family an offer: pose as his girlfriend to help secure mayorhood for his father. She’s in.

Jamison is an orphan and he’s come to Charmant to unravel the secrets of his family’s past. But as he delves in, he starts to discover something which not only hurts him but puts the island itself in danger.

So when Luxe and Jamison accidentally meet…and sparks accidentally fly…things for both of them and their futures are about to get much more complicated.

Jamal Lawson is an aspiring journalist, and he decides to head to Baltimore to cover the news of a rally being held to protest the murder of a Black man by police. Once he arrives, though, the city implements the Dome — it’s a way of locking those inside the city within its limits and those outside the city cannot enter. This is Baltimore’s new safety measure. But stuck inside, alone, in a place that is not his own, Jamal does not know what to do. It’ll take teaming up with two others, Catherine and Marco, to get through the days-long lockdown measures. There is untold unrest, and the trio know they need to stand up to the police chief to help take down the Dome and work to build justice for all within the city.

Think The Hate U Give meets a thriller-like pace with a dystopian setting.

This Ethiopian-inspired debut novel is a fantasy reimagining of Jane Eyre, following Andromeda, a debtera. Debteras are exorcists who cleanse the homes of Evil Eyes, and Andromeda has been hired by Magnus Rochester for a job. But…it’s not like any job she’s done before and chances are she herself may not survive what is happening in his household. And yet, Andromeda also knows she can’t leave Magnus to deal with his curse on his own, either.

So this one is for fans of sports and fantasy that is inspired by West Africa. How do those two things come together? Easily.

Dirt used to be involved in Bowing, the Isle’s elite all-female fighting sport. She’s aged out at 16, but she’s now working to coach her younger sisters; once her birthday approaches, she’ll have to leave them behind and fulfill whatever the prophecy has for her.

Her sisters look promising for the upcoming tournament. Not only is a win important for morale, but it’ll help recruit new people for the team. But a rival attacks, and now, Dirt needs to step in and step up, despite not being in shape for competition. She knows, though, she can’t let the team down. A loss would mean the end.

Maybe….this is the prophecy ahead of her.

You want dark fantasy with a big mystery? Say no more!

In Ombrazia, rule is held by saints and their disciples. It’s not a good rule for citizens, who live under terrifying levels of power if not favored by those in charge.

Rossana Lacertosa’s father was murdered by the government’s military and she is seeking revenge. She’ll join the rebellion. She knows this means she’ll also face Damian, the boy who broke her heart…even though his loyalty to the saints in charge is waning.

Adding to the challenge is the murderer on the loose. Those in charge are ignoring it, but Rossana knows she can’t, and neither can Damian. The only answer to take down the government and save people from an unchecked killer is for them to team up.  

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, this will be right up your alley. If you’re not, you’re still going to be into this.

Readers tend to think they are Lizzie Bennet, from Pride and Prejudice. The truth is, more bookish nerds are like Mary Bennet. So when Marnie Barnes wakes up to the reality that she’s trying too hard to keep up with her older sister, Marnie realizes she needs to reinvent herself to be just that: herself.

She recruits the help of her roommate and begins an adventure in finding out exactly who she is. This book features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, a big family, and a character who realizes the best thing to be isn’t a character in a classic novel. It’s best to be herself.

This one is pitched as being for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and Emergency Contact.

Xia is lonely but is able to find solace through Wiser, an artificial intelligence app, as well as an online friend known only as ObjectPermanence. She decides to enroll in the Foundry, an incubator for app development and quickly strikes up a connection with Mast, who also happens to be doing work with AI. When Xia finds herself at the center of controversy AND runs into Mitzy Erst, the founder behind Foundry and her idol, things look less boring and lonely for her.

Things take yet another turn when ObjectPermanence tells Xia he’s at Foundry, too. Who is the mysterious person behind the name and how does Xia choose which person might be a good match for her?

If you want a frothy, delicious historical novel featuring an all-Black cast at the beginning of the 1900s in Chicago, do not look further. This book DELIVERS and then some.

Inspired by the very real Black entrepreneur CR Patterson, this book imagines what it would be like to be the daughters of a successful businessman at the time, and in addition to the two sisters’ voices, we get to know another daughter of wealth, as well as the assistant of the Davenport daughters. All of the girls have dreams and passions which fall outside of what is expected of them, and all four seem to be falling for people who are outside of their appropriate circles, too. So what happens when they seek to get what they want, rather than what’s expected of them?

This is the first in a proposed series but you can read it entirely as a stand alone…and know there might be more to come from these compelling and engaging characters.

This is the second of two powerhouse mysteries/thrillers by and about Black people hitting shelves today (the other is the one mentioned above, The Black Queen). If you want a book marrying The Hate U Give with One of Us Is Lying, dive in.

The Principal Moore Method is the standard by which the boys at Urban Promise Prep School are to subscribe. There are strict rules, meant to help turn boys into men and help boys of color to escape the fate of so many others in their communities.

J.B., Ramón, and Trey follow these rules, but when Principle Moore turns up dead, they are the prime suspects to the police. Now the three of them need to work together to clear their names and unearth the real killer.

The first book in a romantic fantasy series, this will scratch the itch of readers looking for a monster/hero romance AND an antihero lead. Joan learned recently that she and her family are monsters. It’s been a secret, but it is no longer, and their powers are dangerous.

Complicating things more is the fact Joan’s crush happens to be a legendary monster slayer. So how does she own her identity and let herself feel what she does for someone who is skilled at taking down those like her?

This is a story packed with secrets, monsters who thrive beside humans, and hidden shadow worlds.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda meets science fiction? That sounds fabulous.

Dylan is spending his boring winter at his boring job at the Dairy Queen, not expecting to have any excitement. Then he meets Jordan, whose body temperature is 110 degrees. As Dylan spends more time with Jordan he begins to pick up some of Jordan’s symptoms, too — he’s even coughing fire. Jordan begs Dylan to keep his symptoms secret, and he does, until he finds himself pulling away from friends and loved ones more and more. Dylan begs Jordan for answers, and he learns that Jordan is a one-of-a-kind, out-of-this-world crush. But will their romance survive this heat? Can it?

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.

The first in a new fantasy series, this one is pitched as being for fans of The Darkest Part of the Forest and The Hazel Wood.

Blackthorn, Massachusetts is a magical place, though Aziza El-Amin is its only hedgewitch. She engages with lighthearted fae mischief, but when a dark entity awakens the dark forest at the edge of town, suddenly the space between the human world and the fairy world becomes much thinner. The danger and threats become much darker, and she knows she can’t go at it alone.

Leo needs help breaking a curse upon him, and he makes a pact with Aziza to help protect her in exchange for her helping break the curse. But when they encounter a necromancer with whom they realize they have to work in order to preserve both of their lives — and worlds — dark secrets come spilling out.

Kekla Magoon is one of my favorite YA authors, and she’s back with another hard-hitting contemporary YA.

Kermit knows what it is to grieve. He’s 15, and he’s lost his sister to a car accident and nothing can pause those immense feelings of loss.

When he gets a mysterious invitation at school, signed with a “-1,” he decides to take a chance and show up. It turns out to be a group of students of all backgrounds who’ve lost someone close to them. It’s a supportive space, and it’s one where Kermit begins to find himself and allow himself to get close to Matt. Matt is the only openly gay student at school and his gregarious nature is magnetizing to Kermit.

But as Kermit falls harder, Matt’s truth begins to crack open more and more, potentially putting both of them in danger.

Are you into stories that reimagine the Lizzie Borden murders? Then step right into this one.

Six months ago, Charlotte’s mother died suddenly. Everyone says her heart stopped but she’s not buying it. The only person who even understands both her sadness and her suspicion about the true cause of her mother’s death is sister Maddi.

Their father has, however, moved on. So, too, has their mother’s personal assistant. They seem to have moved on…together. Charlotte and Maddi agree: this is not good, and everything that their family worked for is at stake if the assistant and their father become more employer and employee. It might mean they, too, will “die suddenly.”

How do they put an end to this?

A Heart in a Body in the World meets All the Rage in this verse novel about generations of women in the Dovewick family who’ve shoved down their experiences, thoughts, and realities into a series of journals that have then been passed down again and again. It is Mimi, our 2022 entry, who works to break the cycle.

This book dives into sexual abuse and high-profile #metoo allegations and the impact that has on the survivors and their families. Even deeper, though, is how stories like these have played out in every generation, wherein women are told to be one thing, pinned to a photo of that image, and are unable to break outside those lines for fear of what may or may not happen if they do. For Mimi, it’s one image on her well-followed social media accounts. For her mother, it was what happened while trying to break into acting and the sexy nymph photos she was cajoled into taking. For her grandmother, it was being the wife of a solider lost at war. For her great-grandmother, being whisked away to a home for pregnant teenagers, her first child taken from her to maintain the family’s reputation.

Generation after generation of female trauma, of expectations for girls and women, and the tremendous bravery that comes in dismantling (an apt word) the entire system and legacy are at the heart of this one.

Pitched as The Breakfast Club meets Can’t Hardly Wait, Winters returns with another great queer YA title.

Seventeen year old Theo thinks he’s got it all figured out for the future. But for now? He’s putting his efforts into having the best prom ever, with plans for an epic promposal to his crush at a party. When it goes devastatingly wrong, Theo hides out in a room above where the party is happening. One by one, classmates who are hoping to avoid something are entering the room, and maybe Theo learns he’s not as lonely as he fears he might be.

(You got the title stuck in your head now? Welcome to one of this year’s YA earworms! It’s also one of this year’s YA riffs on The Breakfast Club).

Though this is a fictional verse novel, it’s based on the very real person of Gerda Taro.

Daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, Gerda Pohorylle never quite felt like she fit in with her German classmates. But once she attends boarding school and is able to find out who she truly is, she gets involved in anti-Nazi and activist circles. When she’s arrested, though, her family decides they must leave the country for their own safety.

Once in Paris, Gerda meets André Friedma, a Hungarian photographer. Together, they polish their skills in photography and begin to travel to military combat zones and shoot. The duo take on pseudonyms as Robert Capa and Gerda Taro to hide their Jewish heritage, and their photos catch good sums of money. When Gerda goes off on her own, she begins to cover Spain’s Civil War and then the beginning of World War II.

This story is compelling and, it should be known, won’t end on a positive note. Gerda is killed during her work, but her legacy and photography tell so many vital stories of hope, of working to defeat fascism, and the role women played during the biggest war in history.

If you’re here for awkward interactions among ex-partners that might rekindle that romantic flame, look no further.

Kiran vows to keep her dad and sister Amira close after the death of her mother. But Amira is now dating someone new and once again, Kiran’s world is changing.

Deen is excited his brother Faisal has a new girlfriend and he’s hoping that it can help them repair their brotherly relationship.

You know where this is going, right?

When Kiran and Deen meet face to face again, all that ended their secret relationship three years ago resurfaces. The walls between them are high, despite their siblings’ new relationship, but can they break them down?

Itching for action + space + romance? Here you go!

Joy is from a lowly planet and she knows her place in society. What keeps her going, though, is being Kindred to the most infamous playboy of nobility.

Duke Felix? He’s noble, and he’s persistent enough to get his parents to agree that he can meet his Kindred and choose his own future.

So when the royal family is assassinated, Felix is not only expected to step into the role he’s been born into, but he’s also being accused of his parents’ murders. He decides it’s time to escape, and, with Joy alongside him, the two will travel space and crash land on Earth, the perfect place to hide.