New Release Tuesday: YA New Releases July 21st 2026

Young Adult New Releases July 21st 2026

We are in the thick of a summer heatwave over here on the East Coast…and I hope you are ready for all the SummerWeen books because it is clearly the right season if you check out the YA books below you are sure to find probably one or two that speaks to your type of thriller! We work with independent affiliates to bring you anti-billionaire corporate alternatives. Libro.fm for all your audiobooks and Bookshop.org for all your digital or physical editions and the great thing is that local bookshops also earn money each time you shop!

Star Wars: Eyes Like Stars

by Ashley Poston
Published by: Random House Worlds
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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A charming young adult romance featuring all-new characters (plus cameos!), a magnetic attraction, a mysterious artifact, and the fearsome First Order from New York Times bestseller, Ashley Poston.

When eighteen-year-old Ardent Quay saves the life of a fast-talking Wild Spacer on Coruscant, she doesn’t expect a thank you—and she certainly doesn’t expect him to stowaway on her father’s star tour ship. Yet here he is, taking up residence in the ship’s pantry and eating all her favorite snacks. He’s mysterious and coy and strange, with silver hair and eyes speckled with stars, and no matter how much she tries to pull away, she can’t. She should report him to her father, but the stowaway soon convinces her that there’s a nefarious plot at play on this ship, one that has the lives of everyone onboard at stake. With the galaxy on the brink of war and the First Order breathing down their necks, Ardent and her stowaway must ferry a precious artifact to its homeworld without getting caught—or worse, killed.

This is, actually, a terrible time to take a tour of the galaxy. And an even worse time to fall in love.

Alex, by Proxy

by Karen Myna Cantor
Published by: Holiday House
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
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A Munchausen by proxy victim reveals his deepest secrets on a true-crime podcast—but will his audience believe him, let alone his loved ones?

HARROWING NEW DETAILS IN ‘MONSTER MOMMY’ CASE… SHOCKING INFORMATION SURFACES AS ‘MONSTER MOMMY’ CASE HEADS TO TRIAL… HOW COULD A MOTHER POISON HER SON?

Welcome to sixteen-year-old Alex’s life, ripped straight from the headlines.
Alex is a victim of Munchausen by proxy, but he’s also a witty, sarcastic kid with unusually good crossword skills and a penchant for astronomy. At least he used to be. Now that he’s recovered from years of illness induced by his mother, he sort of has to figure out who he is all over again… And most importantly, he’ll have to decide if he can testify against the woman who gave birth to him.

As Alex awaits the trial, his friends convince him to start a podcast as a way to tell his story. Together, they create “Lethal Lullaby.” The podcast brings Alex closer to his old life—hanging out with friends, cracking jokes, having fun… At the same time, new memories surface and disturbing revelations come out, forcing Alex to acknowledge that the podcast could be making things worse. It seems like he’s got deeper issues than he’d like to admit–and this time, he can’t blame them on his mom.

Day by day, Alex’s mental health crumbles, until he can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction. Should he trust himself to testify? And if he gets up there, what version of the truth will he share?

This breathtaking YA debut is perfect for fans of Sadie and The Act. Come for the can’t-look-away take on true crime, stay for the honest portrayal of mental illness.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Tides of Fortune (Storm Weaver, #2)

by Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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"Bears all the hallmarks of addictive YA fantasy. . . This is going to be huge.” —Laura Steven, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates, on Heir of Storms

This deluxe edition features a foiled jacket, printed endpapers, and a stunning world map

Return to the spellbinding world of Heir of Storms in the explosive second installment to the Storm Weaver series, perfect for fans of Red Queen, Throne of Glass, and The Rose Bargain.

Having survived three treacherous trials to win her crown, Blaze is soon to become Queen of the Aquatori. However, before she can take the throne, she must set out to find the Eye of the Soul, one of the realm’s most powerful weapons, lest another claims it for themself.

Her journey will take her deep into the forests of Ostacre and into a temporary alliance with the infuriating yet undeniably compelling Fox. She can’t resist feeling drawn to him, even as she questions if she can truly trust him. Fortune favors the brave, but will it protect the Storm Weaver on her most dangerous mission yet?

Narrated not just by Blaze, but her brother, Flint, and the newly-discovered Shadow Mage, Elva, the epic journey that began in Heir of Storms continues in this sweeping and swoon-worthy second installment of the Storm Weaver series.

How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House

by Jenny L. Howe
Published by: Delacorte Press
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult
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In this spooky, small-town YA romance, an amateur ghost hunter and a supernatural skeptic team up for a haunted home renovation project. But is their relationship the real fixer upper?

Amity Callaway is sick of being known as the weird girl. As annoyed as she is that her recently divorced mom just moved them across the country to the tiny, quirky town of Harlow’s Rest, Massachusetts, it could be the fresh start she needs.

Until Amity discovers their absolute disaster of a new house is supposedly haunted.

Theo Hargrave, amateur ghost hunter and son of the local general contractor, is a true believer. When he shows up on their property with his EMF reader in hand, Amity is ready to debunk all his theories. She’s definitely not staring at the small scar through his eyebrow or his ridiculously soft lips.

But even Amity can admit their home renovation is doomed. Nothing is going right, from the paint that refuses to dry to the fixtures that keep coming loose. So Amity and Theo strike a deal—his family’s construction expertise for her help investigating the house’s supernatural secrets. Even scarier than ghosts, though? Amity’s growing feelings for Theo.

Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls

by Cynthia Murphy
Published by: Delacorte Press
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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An addictive killer-thriller following an aspiring crime journalist’s investigation into a case that blurs the line between art and life—perfect for fans of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

When aspiring crime journalist Fliss Keller attends an estate sale and uncovers a disturbing painting by a mysterious artist, she wants nothing to do with it. Unfortunately for her, her Art History professor dad buys it immediately. The portrait has been lost for decades and completes a set of four existing paintings of women by the same artist already hanging in the town’s gallery.

But when a series of gruesome crimes rock the community and her father's gallery becomes the epicenter of a deadly game, Fliss discovers that the paintings may hold the key to a killer's identity.

Haunted by the specter of a serial killer, Fliss races against time to solve the mystery before it claims another victim. In a world where every brushstroke hides a sinister secret, can she unravel the clues before she becomes a killer's muse?

Armor for Liars

by S.E. Grove
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Young Adult
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A brilliant girl risking it all to infiltrate a secret society of enchanters gets unexpected help from one of their victims—now a vengeful spirit—in this “cunning, high-stakes” (Publishers Weekly) historical dark academia novel by New York Times bestselling author S. E. Grove.

In a world where magic is drawn from the realm of the dead, enchanters—always men—go to great lengths to steal it. Voyaging to the spirit realm, an enchanter will claim a dead woman’s spirit as his own and make her a servant, a tool for his own magical ends. Enchanters maintain great secrecy around their practices, so only a wealthy elite have access to this power: members of a secret society shrouded within Commonwealth University, the nation’s premiere institution for the study of enchantment.

When Sam—the son of islander immigrants of modest means—dared to use magic to blend into the blueblood world of Commonwealth, it cost him his life. Now a spirit, he’s determined to avenge his murder and uncover the secrets of the Cisneros Society from beyond the grave.

When Sam encounters Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a male student at Commonwealth, he quickly sees that Clem is putting herself in grave danger at the school. But as he tries to warn her of the peril, it becomes clear that his past and her fate are inextricably entwined. To avenge his murder and prevent hers, they’ll need to help one another and thereby prove, ultimately, that friendship and love can transcend everything, even death.

Unnamed Bones

by Lora Senf
Published by: Union Square and Co
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Young Adult
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From Bram Stoker Award-winning author Lora Senf comes a fast-paced YA filled with cosmic horror and existential dread--four teens fight for survival on an impossible island against a creature who might spell the end of the world. Perfect for fans of Kate Alice Marshall and Claire Legrand.

Reckless, depressed, impulsive and sixteen, Harrow Lane is going to an island that shouldn't exist to look for answers about the death of her father--the father who accidentally cursed her shortly after she was born. Things immediately go very wrong--beginning with the sinking of the boat that brought them to the island and an ominous chuckle from something that shouldn't be there--and keep getting worse in ways they couldn't possibly imagine. Harrow and friends came without being invited and whatever lives there doesn't like visitors.

With no way to reach the outside world and no understanding of the rules of the island, Harrow and her friends are in mortal danger, and knowing who can and can't be trusted is a thing they left back on shore. Matters are only complicated by Harrow's emotions--she's given her biggest feelings human faces and personalities and does her best to keep them locked away in a seedy motel she built in her mind. But emotions are sneaky, and she's having to face them at the worst possible time. It's creating sort of an "Inside Out in hell" situation as they fight for survival against a creature that seems to be made entirely of terror and who very well might spell the end of the world.

Take It to Your Grave

by Louangie Bou-Montes
Published by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
on july 21, 2026
Genres: Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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"A pulse-pounding paranormal thriller that will have you tearing through the pages with excitement" —Andrew Joseph White, NYTimes bestselling and award-winning author of Compound Fracture

Maximiliano Rafael Guerrero Lopez “Max” has been dead for 30 years. He’s stuck as a sixteen-year-old in his childhood bedroom with no memory of how he died, and no company aside from rotting floor boards and mildew-ridden guitars.

Joaquín Felix Ladrón “Joaquín” is a high schooler who's desperate to experience something paranormal—he’d do anything to even catch a glimpse of a ghost, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with his boyfriend.

When Joaquín goes on a ghost hunt at an abandoned house that's rumored to be haunted, he and Max find their fates becoming intertwined in ways neither of them expected. But, as Max’s powers begin to grow stronger, it becomes clear that their tentative friendship may just prove to be fatal...

Funerals Are for the Living

by Sami Ellis
Published by: Amulet Books
on June 21, 2026
Genres: Horror, Young Adult
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New from the author of Dead Girls Walking comes a YA horror about a girl kidnapped by a racist cult after investigating the supernatural happenings at her sister’s gravesite

A month ago, Junie Daniels was in a car crash that left her with a dead sister, fragmented memories of the accident, and a mother too checked-out to plan a funeral. The cheapest grave plot Junie can find is in the next town over. Sure, Williamsville is still proudly named after a slave master who was rumored to dabble in dark magic—but this North Carolina, after all.

When unexplained occurrences start happening at the graveyard, though, Junie and her best friend, Omari, investigate. And it’s not long before Junie and Omari are taken...

Williamsville wants both Daniels girls. But Junie will do anything to protect her sister—even if it's only her corpse.

The Revenge Playbook

by Rimma Onoseta
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult
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In this deliciously twisty YA novel, two girls (read: enemies) at a boarding school must team up to take down the boy who hurt them--perfect for fans of Ace of Spades and Do Revenge.

Uyai and Fiyin may be roommates at Blue Waters Secondary School, but they are not friends. Uyai is popular and fierce--she dominates every room she walks into. Fiyin is nerdy and quiet--she's easy to miss. Anyone who knows them (assuming they know who Fiyin is at all) would argue that, besides that shared dorm room, the two girls have absolutely nothing in common.

But they do.

Because both girls have been hurt. Humiliated. Taken advantage of. And both girls have just one boy to blame for it.

Fiyin thinks Uyai is an irresponsible mean girl. Uyai thinks Fiyin is an uptight loser. They both think the boy that hurt them deserves to suffer. But taking down one of the most popular guys in school isn't a one-woman task. If they want to get their revenge before graduation, Uyai and Fiyin will need each other's help--regardless of how they feel about each other.

After all, you don't need to be friends to be teammates.

I Didn't Do It

by Elle Gonzalez Rose
Published by: Bloomsbury YA
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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I Killed Zoe Spanos meets The Counselors in this YA thriller about the daughter of a killer who must prove her innocence after a night of fun turns deadly.

Dina Soto is used to laying low. Ever since her father confessed to murdering two of his students, Dina's mom has kept the family on a short leash to avoid drawing any more attention. But when cute, popular, and incredibly sweet Kai Thompson invites Dina to spend the weekend with him and his friends at his cabin, Dina thinks maybe being noticed wouldn't be so bad.

But once at the cabin, Dina realizes one night won't change her reputation as the daughter of a killer-especially not when people start turning up dead. Told in part through police evidence, the truth of what happened that night unravels alongside long-held secrets. But one thing remains true: Dina is adamant she didn't do it. Now, she just has to prove it.

A Spell to Wake the Dead

by Nicole Lesperance
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
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Two teen girls must uncover the dark, occult secrets lurking in their Cape Cod town to solve a series of murders—and save themselves from the same fate—in this twisty, witchy thriller.

When Mazzy and her best friend Nora sneak down to the beach one moonlit night to cast a spell, they don’t expect to find a dead body. But as the tide rolls in, it carries the remains of a woman who is missing her hands and teeth.

The girls know they should leave the investigation to the police, but they can’t shake the weird, supernatural connection they feel with the dead woman. Using spellwork and divination, they set out to find answers of their own. But after they uncover a rash of local disappearances stretching back years—and both girls start having occult visions and hearing ghostly, whispering voices—Mazzy worries that she and Nora are in danger.

Then, Nora finds a second body. And a whispering voice is telling her where to find more. With everything spiraling, Mazzy needs to figure out who to trust and how to sever this supernatural connection—or she and Nora might be the next bodies to wash up on the beach.

Salvage: A Graphic Novel

by Renée Nault
Published by: Ten Speed Press
on July 21, 2026
Genres: Graphic Novel, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
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In this heartwarming graphic novel romance from the adaptor and illustrator of The Handmaid’s The Graphic Novel, two young artists' paths intertwine as they navigate the complexities of love in a world where sea levels have risen and society is sharply divided.

Paolo lives in the Flats, a dangerous, water-logged community where families survive by salvaging materials from skyscrapers hidden just beneath the ocean’s surface—remnants of a world before sea levels rose. Scavenging the depths comes with its risks, but when Paolo discovers a suitcase of designer clothes, he decides to fulfill his To spend one night in the Uplands, a place of privilege, excess, and freedom. There he meets Jules and her friends, and what begins as a single night of reckless adventure turns into a secret double life—and a seemingly impossible romance that forces Paolo to reckon with who he is, where he belongs, and the importance of being honest.

Rendered in vibrant watercolor illustrations that bring every scene to vivid life, Salvage is as much a visual masterpiece as it is a moving tale of love and self-discovery. Renée Nault’s atmospheric and luminous hand-painted art draws readers into Paolo and Jules’ world, promising an unforgettable coming of age story.