Young Adult New Releases April 8th 2025
Last week there were over 20 new books, this week a few less, but we celebrate those YA Releases! And today is a great day for some sapphic reads – highly recommended! As always you can check out our Bookshop for more book recs!
I Love You S'more
by Auriane DesombrePublished by: Delacorte Press
on April 8, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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A sapphic rival-to-lovers story about two counselors who find an unexpected romance during a summer they will never forget! Perfect for fans of Auriane Desombre''s beloved debut I Think I Love You.
Ivy Raines needs camp for an escape like she did as a child. After going through a very public breakup with her first girlfriend and teen TV show mega star, she wants nothing more than a summer of sunshine, friends and s'mores as newest counselor.
But when she signs up to run the camp's musical production she soon finds herself in a rivalry she didn't see coming with the co-director, Rynn. She's bossy and thinks she knows everything because she's been most experienced counselor. Worse, it's a girl Ivy had a falling out with when she was younger. It's the last thing Ivy needs while going through a breakup but as tension between them builds, sparks begin to fly brighter than a campfire.
As the days get hotter, will Ivy discover she can still have the summer escape she needed after all...in the way her heart has always wanted?
Roll for Love
by M.K. EnglandPublished by: Roaring Brook Press
on April 8, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Ashley Poston meets Becky Albertalli in this Sapphic, second-chance romance about a teen returning to her grandfather's farm and how joining her childhood best friend's Dungeons & Dragons game gives her the confidence to follow her dreams and get a second-chance at love with her first crush.
Dungeons & Dragons loving Harper Reid's summer is off to a rough start. First, she and her mom moved across the country to Clintville, Virginia (population: tiny) to live on her Poppy's farm, which means saying goodbye to her friends and finding a new D&D group to play with. The only thing keeping her going is getting to polish her carpentry skills in the farm's woodshop so she can get an apprenticeship after graduation. That is if she can tell her mom that she doesn't want to go to college, which is kind of hard when mom keeps asking about applications and if she has picked out the perfect school yet. What Harper really needs is to channel the confidence and bravery of her awesome D&D character, and then maybe she could find a new D&D group and tell her mom that her passion is woodworking, not a four-year university. And, hey, maybe she could find a cool girlfriend, too.
The one encounter Harper wasn't expecting was running into Ollie Shifflet: neighbor, childhood best friend, and, oh yeah, first crush. Unlike Harper, Ollie seems to have everything figured out. She plans on spending the summer digging around in her garden and hanging out with her best friends and trying D&D with them for the first time. Then after graduation it is community college, then opening a small nature-based daycare center and living her best bisexual life . . . well, as long as that last bit stays private. But when beautiful, bold, Harper Reid comes waltzing back into her life and joins her D&D group, suddenly Ollie's plan seems to have a Harper-shaped hole in it.
So when feelings start to develop in their Dungeons & Dragons game between Harper's brash Barbarian character and Ollie's proud Paladin, Harper and Ollie begin wondering if they are falling for each in real life or if it is all just apart of the game. As the school year draws to a close and the final boss looms on the horizon, Harper and Ollie must decide if the relationship that they have been roleplaying in the game could be as real for them.
Slayers, Every One of Us: How One Girl in All the World Showed Us How to Hold On
by Kristin Russo, Jenny Owen YoungsPublished by: St. Martin's Press
on April 8, 2025
Genres: LGBTQIA+, Media Tie-In, Non-Fiction, Young Adult
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A memoir reflecting on heartbreak, perseverance, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer.
Kristin and Jenny’s marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny's favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the terms set, they began a journey that has led them through seven seasons of the beloved genre show, a podcast rewatching the series with their newly minted listenership of “Scoobies,” unexpected success, and a divorce. Through it all, their love for Buffy and their commitment to their community held them together against the odds.
Slayers, Every One of Us is the story of how two queer women navigated divorce on a very public level and managed to stay in each other’s lives through it all. While chock full of Buffy (and Buffering!) content for true fans, this is ultimately a memoir of queer love and chosen family. It's a heartwarming story for anyone who's experienced lost love, and a roadmap for staying close with your ex.
Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)
by Lauren RobertsPublished by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on April 8, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
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Paedyn and Kai are reunited but face a terrible decision in this thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.
Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya…
And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.
In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?
Boys with Sharp Teeth
by Jenni HowellPublished by: Roaring Brook Press
on April 8, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.
Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school's social elite.
Swapping her ripped jeans for a crisp prep school skirt, Marin infiltrates Huntsworth to seek justice. But her quest is quickly muddied by a confusing attraction to her new life, and to the two dysfunctional and depraved boys who somehow understand her better than anyone ever has.
When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth's ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble -- and nothing is as it seems.
Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.
Playin' Hard
by Whitney D. GrandisonPublished by: Wattpad Books
on April 8, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Readers of YA contemporary romance, sports romance, enemies-to-lovers stories, and those looking for Black love will be drawn to this title.
If there’s one thing Cree Jacobs can’t stand about Moorehead High, it’s definitely the Ballers Club—an exclusive clique of boys who dominate the school’s sports teams. The boys are arrogant, flashy, and just way too overrated for Cree’s taste.
Don’t tell that to DeAndre Parker, the unofficial leader of the group. Laidback, good looking, a prodigy on the court, and the son of a retired NBA champion, DeAndre knows his potential and that almost everyone at Moorehead would do anything to get close to him—except for Cree Jacobs.
Typically these two would never cross paths or acknowledge each other, but one heated debate with Cree in class sets DeAndre off, igniting a need within him: no one can resist the Club. Determined to get Cree under his spell, DeAndre begins trying to change her opinion of him as the two strike a friendship that sparks into something more.
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