Young Adult New Releases July 11th 2023
A much larger group of YA books hitting the shelves today compared to last Tuesday, which you can find most of those below, and if you want to see the rest of July’s upcoming releases, check out our Bookshop page!
Just a reminder, as we are still getting clicks for our Signed Books page, that old page broke, and is stuck with just early May releases, our fresh new Signed Books page goes through July & more!
Give Me a Sign
by Anna SortinoPublished by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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A girl finds a community--and love--over the course of one summer in this joyful, wholesome YA romance that celebrates Deaf pride. Think CODA meets Jenny Han!
Lilah is tired of being stuck in the middle. At least, that's what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes--when you don't feel "deaf enough" to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world's expectations.
Ready for a change, Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, where she plans to brush up on her ASL. There, she also finds a community. There are British lifeguards, who are very cute and very hard to understand; a YouTuber, who's just a bit desperate for clout; the campers Lilah's responsible for (and maybe a bit overwhelmed by)--and there's Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing.
Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah's not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love--unless Lilah's reading them wrong? One thing's for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here . . . they're definitely different than she's used to.
My Week with Him
by Joya GoffneyPublished by: HarperTeen
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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From Joya Goffney of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, comes a stirring YA coming-of-age, best friends-to-lovers romance about a girl named Nikki who plans to run away from small-town Texas, but ultimately finds that her oldest friend, Mal, just might be the one who's been there for her all along. Filled with heart and humor, this novel captures complex family drama, friendship, and love. For fans of I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest and Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan.
Nikki can't wait to leave Texas and follow her dreams of a music career . . . After a painful betrayal by her sister and a heated argument with their mother, Nikki is kicked out and finds herself homeless. She decides to go to California to pursue her singing career. When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan to flee Texas, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him. He believes that over the course of a week, he can convince her to stay in Texas, or to at least graduate high school. But their plans are interrupted when Nikki's little sister Vae goes missing.
Nikki is forced to work alongside her difficult mother as they set off in search of Vae, with Malachai's support. Will Nikki find a reason to stay in Texas, or will this spring break be the last time she sees them? Through her emotional journey, Nikki ultimately finds the love she's always been missing and discovers the power of her own voice.
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale
by Jon KlassenPublished by: Candlewick Press
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Mythology, Young Adult
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Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Jon Klassen delivers a deliciously macabre treat for folktale fans.
Jon Klassen's signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.
Stars, Hide Your Fires
by Jessica Mary BestPublished by: Quirk Books
on July 11, 2023
Genres: LGBTQIA+, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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A wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station. KNIVES OUT goes sci-fi in this gripping YA mystery set in space, perfect for fans of THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US and IRON WIDOW.
As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one. The emperor’s ball is her chance to steal a fortune for herself, her ailing father, and her scrappy crew of thieves and market vendors.
Her plan is simple:
1. Hitch a ride to the planet of Ouris, the dazzling heart of the empire.
2. Sneak onto the imperial palace station to attend the emperor’s ball.
3. Steal from the rich, the royal, and the insufferable.But on the station, things quickly go awry. When the emperor is found dead, everyone in the palace is a suspect—and someone is setting Cass up to take the fall. To clear her name, Cass must work with an unlikely ally: a gorgeous and mysterious rebel with her own reasons for being on the station. Together, they unravel a secret that could change the fate of the empire.
A Warning About Swans
by R.M. RomeroPublished by: Peachtree Teen
on July 11, 2023
Genres: In Verse, Paranormal, Young Adult
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Swan Lake meets The Last Unicorn by way of the Brothers Grimm in a dreamy, original fairytale in verse which transports readers to the Bavarian Alps.
Bavaria. 1880. Hilde was dreamed into existence by the god Odin, and along with her five sisters, granted cloaks that transform them into swans. Each sister’s cloak is imbued with a unique gift, but Hilde rejects her gift which connects her to the souls of dying creatures and forces her to shepherd them into the afterlife—the “Other Wood.”
While guiding the soul of a hawk to the Other Wood, Hilde meets the handsome Baron Maximilian von Richter, whose father was once a favorite of the king and left him no inheritance. Hilde is intrigued by Richter’s longing for a greater life and strikes a deal with him: She will manifest his dreams of riches, and in return, he will take her to the human world, where she will never have to guide souls again.
But at the court of King Ludwig II in Munich, Hilde struggles to fit in. After learning that fashionable ladies are having themselves painted, she hires non-binary Jewish artist Franz Mendelson, and is stunned when Franz renders her with swan wings. The more time she spends with Franz, the more she feels drawn to the artist’s warm, understanding nature, and the more controlling Richter becomes. When Hilde’s swan cloak suddenly goes missing, only Franz’s ability to paint souls can help Hilde escape her newfound prison.
The Prince & the Apocalypse
by Kara McDowellPublished by: Wednesday Books
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
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An American teen stranded in London is forced to team up with the British crown prince if she wants to make it back home before the end of the world in this delightfully rompy high-stakes rom-com.
Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right.
The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.
Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?
I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom
by Shannon C.F. RogersPublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Packed with voice, this is a powerful coming-of-age YA novel about a Filipina-American teen who tries to figure out who she really is in the wake of her mother's death.
Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol? She could never relate. She and her mom were forever locked in an argument with no beginning and no end.
But when her mother dies suddenly, Marisol is left with no one to fight against, haunted by all the things that she both said and didn’t say. And when Marisol sleeps with her best friend's boyfriend—and then punches said best friend in the face—she's left alone, with nothing but a burning anger.
And Marisol is determined to stay angry. After all, there’s a lot to be angry about. But as a new friendship begins to develop, Marisol reluctantly starts to open up to her, and to the possibility there’s something else on the other side of that anger—something more to who she is, and who she could be.
How (Not) to Date a Pop Star
by Jada TrainorPublished by: Wattpad Books
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Aaliyah Preston and Tyler Moore were best friends growing up. Tyler played and wrote music, and Aaliyah brought that music to life through dance. They were convinced their lives would change forever after entering a TV talent show, but when Aliyah's mom ended up in hospital, Tyler had to go alone-and won. Suddenly, he was thrust into the spotlight while she was left behind in their small, seaside town.
Several years later, Tyler is the hottest pop star on the planet, and Aaliyah has her heart set on following in her mom's footsteps and attending the Boston Conservatory to study dance. However, her future becomes hazy when Tyler suddenly comes back home, and wants to make up for all the years they lost-and even plan a future that includes the two of them together.
While Tyler may have a lavish lifestyle and fans all the world over, he isn't happy. What he really wants is a chance at a normal life, and he wants Aaliyah to be part of that life. However, family drama, including long buried secrets about both of their fathers, threaten any plans for their futures. But like the best pop songs, when the music and the lyrics come together everything works in perfect harmony. Tyler and Aaliyah will need to write a new duet without giving up on their dreams.
A Song of Salvation
by Alechia DowPublished by: Inkyard Press
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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From the author of The Sound of Stars and The Kindred comes a YA space opera about a reincarnated god and a grumpy pilot on a mission to save a beloved space DJ and stop an intergalactic war.
Zaira Citlali is supposed to die. After all, she’s the god Indigo reborn. Indigo, whose song created the universe and unified people across galaxies to banish Ozvios, the god of destruction. Although Zaira has never been able to harness Indigo’s powers, the Ilori Emperor wants to sacrifice her in Ozvios’s honor. Unless she escapes and finds Wesley, the boy prophesized to help her defeat Ozvios and the Ilori, once and for all.
Wesley Daniels didn’t ask for this. He just wants to work as a smuggler so he can save enough money to explore the stars. Once he completes his biggest job yet—bringing wanted celebrity Rubin Rima to a strange planet called Earth—he’ll be set for life. But when his path crosses with Zaira, he soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war with more responsibility than he bargained for. Together, Zaira, Wesley, and Rubin must find their way to Earth and unlock Zaira’s powers if they’re going to have any hope of saving the universe from total destruction.
Don’t miss these reads from Alechia Dow:The Sound of StarsThe Kindred
Bellegarde
by Jamie LilacPublished by: HarperTeen
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
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Ooh la la! A historical rom-com with a modern twist--perfect for fans of Bridgerton, A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, and She's All That.
Evie Clement has perfected the art of avoiding attention as she works at her family's bakery and dreams of a life where she can trade dusting flour for designing dresses. Her focus is on honing her sewing skills--she doesn't need to be fawned over by some teenage boy.
Least of all Beau Bellegarde--the playboy of Paris, the second son of the ultra-wealthy Bellegarde family, the most popular guy in their prestigious high school. Others may swoon over his rakish charm and winning smile, but not Evie.
Unfortunately for Evie, Beau needs her. His conniving step-brother has roped him into an impossible bet: turn the biggest wallflower they know into the winning Bellegarde Bloom at the annual Court of Flowers Ball, or lose his entire fortune.
Evie can't understand why Beau has taken an interest in her, but she can't help but be intrigued...
Can love bloom in the most unexpected of places?
All the Yellow Suns
by Malavika Kannanon July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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A coming-of-age story about a queer Indian American girl exploring activism and identity through art, perfect for fans of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Sixteen-year-old Maya Krishnan is fiercely protective of her friends, immigrant community, and single mother, but she knows better than to rock the boat in her conservative Florida suburb. Her classmate Juneau Zale is the polar opposite: she’s a wealthy white heartbreaker who won’t think twice before capsizing that boat.
When Juneau invites Maya to join the Pugilists—a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school—Maya descends into the world of change-making and resistance. Soon, she and Juneau forge a friendship that inspires Maya to confront the challenges in her own life.
But as their relationship grows romantic, painful, and twisted, Maya begins to suspect that there’s a whole different person beneath Juneau’s painted-on facade. Now Maya must learn to speak her truth in this mysterious, mixed-up world—even if it results in heartbreak.
