New Release Tuesday: YA New Releases July 21st 2020

Welcome to another new release Tuesday — let’s all wish the best to today’s newest books hitting the shelves! Remember to support your local indies, black owned bookstores and businesses, and please keep buying books!

To see all of July’s YA releases check out our bookshop!

10 Things I Hate About Pinky (Dimple and Rishi, #3)

by Sandhya Menon
Published by: Simon Pulse
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 368
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

The follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.

Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.

Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.

Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they'll never forget.

Windswept: A Fantasy Novel

by Gwen Cole
Published by: Sky Pony
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 240
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

“A poignant and heartfelt journey.” —Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series, onCold Summer

Every day, Sam endures the same subway ride on her way to school, but when she meets a boy named Reid, suddenly her daily commute isn’t so ordinary. Reid has the ability to teleport—or, drift, as he calls it—and for the first time, Sam has the opportunity to travel anywhere without a passport or plane ticket.

But as their two worlds come together, Sam discovers her family had been keeping secrets from her, and meeting Reid was just the beginning of unraveling the truth. When drifters begin to disappear, Sam has no choice but to face the threat when she finds out her family is among the missing.

As Reid and Sam start their search for the missing drifters, help comes from the most unexpected of places. After a significant breakthrough, Reid is taken, and Sam finds herself alone in a world she knows nothing about. With the enemy closing in, she soon realizes she’s the only person who can save them all.

The Shadow of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels, #2)

by F.C. Yee
Published by: Amulet Books
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 352
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

The epic, can’t-miss follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Avatar, The Last Airbender:The Rise of Kyoshi

Kyoshi’s place as the true Avatar has finally been cemented—but at a heavy cost. With her mentors gone, Kyoshi voyages across the Four Nations, struggling to keep the peace. But while her reputation grows, a mysterious threat emerges from the Spirit World. To stop it, Kyoshi, Rangi, and their reluctant allies must join forces before the Four Nations are destroyed irreparably. This thrilling follow-up continues Kyoshi’s journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice still feared and admired centuries after becoming the Avatar.

Girl from Nowhere

by Tiffany Rosenhan
Published by: Bloomsbury YA
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 400
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

Red Sparrow meets One of Us Is Lying in this action-packed, romance-filled YA debut about a girl trying to outrun her past.

Ninety-four countries. Thirty-one schools. Two bullets. Now it's over . . . or so she thinks.

Sophia Hepworth arrives in Montana with the promise of a normal American high school experience. But after a turbulent few years abroad with her diplomat parents, forgetting the past is easier said than done. After all, normal high school students aren't fluent in multiple languages or trained in several forms of combat.

Then Sophia meets a group of friends she can really trust and finds herself drawn more and more to mysterious Aksel--who she maybe shouldn't trust but can't stop thinking about. But it's not long before Sophia's past catches up with her and she learns who she really is, and all that she is capable of in the name of love and survival.

Full of heart-stopping action and breath-taking romance, this cinematic debut features a girl willing to risk everything to save the life that she built for herself.

River of Dreams

by Jan Nash
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 272
IndieBound, Amazon
Goodreads

Draped in themes of first love and family, secrets and malevolence, and swirling through an exhilarating dream world full of danger, violence, and love, this exciting debut is a high-stakes adventure full of suspense, romance, and magic.

Finn Driscoll is counting down the days until she can leave for college. With her beloved brother, Noah, in a coma and her high school social life sinking every day, she’s ready for a fresh start.
Until the night she sees Noah in a dream. He begs for her help. At first, she shakes it off as just a nightmare. Then it happens again. And again. Frightened, Finn confides in her grandmother, only to learn the shocking truth about her family. They’re Dreamwalkers--heroes who step into the River of Dreams and fight the monsters in other people’s nightmares, freeing them to face the problems in their real lives.

Awake or asleep, Finn has never thought of herself as any kind of hero, and walking through other people’s dreams seems much worse than just hiding at school. But as hard as facing this challenge might be, Finn knows she has no choice: she will do anything she can to save her brother.

Splinters of Scarlet

by Emily Bain Murphy
Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 353
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

Enchantée meets Downton Abbey in this atmospheric YA historical fantasy set in nineteenth-century Denmark, where secrets can kill and magic is a deadly gift.

For Marit Olsen, magic is all about strategy: it flows freely through her blood, but every use leaves behind a deadly, ice-like build-up within her veins called the Firn. Marit knows how dangerous it is to let too much Firn build up—after all, it killed her sister—and she has vowed never to use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan whom Marit views like a little sister, is adopted by the wealthy Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay by Eve’s side. She decides to risk the Firn and uses magic to secure a job as a seamstress in the Vestergaard household.

But Marit has a second, hidden agenda: her father died while working in the Vestergaards’ jewel mines—and it might not have been an accident. The closer Marit gets to the truth about the Vestergaard family, the more she realizes she and everyone she’s come to love are in danger. When she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous deception that goes all the way up to the king of Denmark, magic may be the only thing that can save her—if it doesn’t kill her first.

Shielded (Shielded, #1)

by KayLynn Flanders
Published by: Delacorte Press
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 352
IndieBound, Amazon
Goodreads

For fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Furyborn comes a thrilling new fantasy about a kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her.

The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.

As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's--her brother's--magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.

Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong--the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it's too late--for her and for her entire kingdom.

Salvation (Sanctuary #3)

by Caryn Lix
Published by: Simon Pulse
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Pages: 432
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

When Kenzie and her friends find themselves trapped on a strange planet, they must risk everything to save themselves and Earth in this thrilling final book in the addictive Sanctuary trilogy!

Fall down seven times, get up eight.

These are the words Kenzie has always lived by. The problem is, she’s fallen down too many times to count.

Kenzie and her friends have already escaped two vicious alien attacks—not to mention the corporate bounty hunters sent to capture them. They’re haunted by the friends they’ve lost and the hard choices they’ve had to make in this war they never asked for.

And now, thanks to superpowers she received from the very aliens she’s fighting, Kenzie has stranded everyone on a strange planet with no way off. She just wanted a safe place from the monstrous creatures terrorizing her world, but this new planet has dangers of its own, and Kenzie will have to uncover its secrets if she has any hope of ever making it home again.
Sacrifice is nothing new for Kenzie. She’ll do anything—anything—to destroy the aliens that killed both of her parents. But how can Kenzie save Earth if she can’t even save the people she loves?

More Than Maybe

by Erin Hahn
Published by: Wednesday Books
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 336
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

Like your favorite song, More Than Maybe burrows inside your heart and stays there. Vada and Luke's story of music, family, and first love will shoot to the top of your book playlist. A rich, sweet, rock and roll ride. - Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends With the Dark

Growing up under his punk rocker dad's spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn't in front of a crowd, it's on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that's not Luke's only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.

Vada's got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom's boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil's music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley's prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor's summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out of this world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?

In More Than Maybe, Erin Hahn's swooniest book yet, Luke and Vada must decide how deep their feelings run and what it would mean to give love a try.

Jennifer Strange

by Cat Scully, Scully
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Horror
Pages: 298
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

Jennifer Strange is cursed with the ability to give ghosts and demons a corporeal body with just the touch of her hand. All she wants is to learn how to control her new gift. Instead, her father drops her in the care of her older sister Liz, leaving only his journal as an explanation.

Jennifer and Liz haven’t spoken to each other since their mother died, but when the supernatural residents of Savannah, Georgia find Jennifer and her powerful gift, the sisters must learn to trust each other again and uncover the truth about their parents. If they can’t sort out their differences, they’ll not only destroy the veil between the living and the dead but fall into the hands of a rival family who wants to claim the Sparrow power for themselves.

JENNIFER STRANGE is an illustrated novel - a campy romp for fans of BUFFY, EVIL DEAD, and SUPERNATURAL. Cat's illustrations unveil the story of Jennifer's family history in the form of a journal with an art style akin to SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK.

Last Chance Summer

by Shannon Klare
Published by: Swoon Reads
on July 21, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 320
IndieBound
Goodreads

In Shannon Klare's fun and sexy YA novel Last Chance Summer, a teen is shipped off to work as a counselor at a summer camp―only to butt heads with her co-counselor.
Alex is a sheriff's daughter with a less than pristine reputation. When she's caught drinking at a party by her dad’s deputy, she’s in deep trouble. With an already incriminating incident in her past, Alex’s parents ship her off to her aunt’s summer camp to work as a counselor.
What's worse than spending your summer deep in the mosquito-infested woods of Texas?
Being paired with an obnoxious co-counselor who wants nothing to do with you.
Alex is determined to make the best of her summer, even if it means putting up with Grant, who has secrets of his own that he's determined to protect. Can Alex and Grant put their egos to the side and find the bright side of a summer that neither of them signed up for?