Young Adult New Releases July 23rd 2024
July is a long month, but that helps make the summer feelings linger! Today we have a bunch of new YA books hitting the shelves, check them out below. To see all of July’s releases in one place, or the rest of the year, check out our Bookshop!
Time and Time Again
by Chatham GreenfieldPublished by: Bloomsbury YA
on July 23, 2024
Genres: LGBTQIA+, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
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In this debut YA speculative romance perfect for fans of Rachael Lippincott, two queer, disabled, Jewish teens find themselves stuck in a time loop--and falling love.
Phoebe Mendel's day is never ending--literally.
On August 6th, she woke up to find herself stuck in a time loop. And for nearly a month of August 6ths since, Phoebe has relived the same day: pancakes with Mom in the morning, Scrabble with Dad in the afternoon, and constant research into how to reach tomorrow and make it to her appointment with a doctor who may actually take her IBS seriously. Everything is exactly, agonizingly the same.
That is, until the most mundane car crash ever sends Phoebe's childhood crush Jess crashing into the time loop.
Now also stuck, Jess convinces Phoebe to break out of her routine and take advantage of their consequence-free days to have fun. From splurging on concert tickets, to enacting (mostly) harmless revenge, to all-night road trips, Jess pulls Phoebe further and further out of her comfort zone--and deeper in love with them. But the more Phoebe falls for Jess, the more she worries about what's on the other side of the time loop. What if Jess is only giving her the time of day because they're trapped with no other options? What if Phoebe's new doctor dismisses her chronic pain? And perhaps worst of all: What if she never gets the chance to find out?
Exes & Foes
by Amanda WoodyPublished by: Penguin Young Readers Group
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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When two ex-best friends decide to hold a competition for the new girl's heart, they don't expect to fall for each other instead.
Emma has been a thorn in Caleb’s side since middle school. Having tarnished their friendship in eighth grade, she’s now little more to him than an unkempt, unruly, disastrous bisexual mess. Over the years, she’s gotten in the way of every romantic relationship he’s attempted to settle into, using little more than mischievous charisma to lure them into her clutches.
To Emma, Caleb sets the record for World’s Largest Stick in the Mud. Uptight, unbearably tidy, and a rule-follower, he’s exactly the kind of boring person her mother wishes she was. When she discovers they’re both after Juliet, the new girl, Emma proposes a competition to nudge him out of the way. Whoever can get Juliet to kiss them first wins, and the opposition must bow out with the promise of never talking to her again.
But plans go awry when Juliet seems mostly interested in hanging out with both of them together. Emma and Caleb just have to figure out whether winning Juliet’s heart is worth the torment of constantly dealing with each other, and the risk of reopening wounds from a past they thought they had left behind.
Asking for a Friend
by Kara H.L. ChenPublished by: Quill Tree Books
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.
Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:
1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.
2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.
Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.
With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.
So Witches We Became
by Jill Baguchinskyon July 23, 2024
Genres: Horror, Young Adult
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If boys will be boys, girls will fight back.
For high school senior Nell and her friends, a vacation house on a private Florida island sounds like the makings of a dream spring break. But Nell brings secrets with her—secrets that fuse with the island's tragic history, trapping them all with a curse that surrounds the island in a toxic, vengeful mist and the surrounding waters with an unseen, devouring beast.
Getting out alive means risking her friendships, her sanity, and even her own life. In order to save herself and her friends, Nell will have to face memories she'd rather leave behind, reveal the horrific truth behind the encounter that changed her life one year ago, and face the shadow that's haunted her since childhood.
Easier said than done.But when Nell's friends reveal that they each brought secrets of their own, a solution even more dangerous than the curse begins to take shape.
Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Rory Power and reading like a YA feminist spin on Stephen King’s The Mist, So Witches We Became is a diverse, queer horror about female friendship, the emotional aftermath of surviving assault, and how to find power in the shadows of your past.
Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses
by Katrina EmmelPublished by: Random House Children's Books
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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A swoon-worthy YA rivals-to-lovers romance between a Nebraskan cowboy and California girl, thrust together on the Oregon Trail.
Anything's possible under a prairie sky...Riley Thomas is feeling stuck--she's moved from California to Nebraska, she's on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There's no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can't wait for this misery to end--even though going "home" isn't even possible anymore.
Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family's tourism business that helps protect them. He's a stand-up guy--not a love 'em and leave 'em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley.
But Riley's got more sense than Colton thinks--and he's not nearly as inflexible as he seems. And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus--including a cowboy's heart.
Katrina Emmel's Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses will take you on a sweeping journey across the American prairie . . . once you love a boy in a Stetson, you'll never be the same.
The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky
by Josh GalarzaPublished by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Perfect for fans of Mark Oshiro and Adam Silvera comes a fiercely funny and hopeful story of one boy's attempts to keep everything under control while life has other plans.
Ever since cancer invaded his adoptive mother's life, Brett feels like he's losing everything, most of all control. To cope, Brett fuels all of his anxieties into epic fantasies, including his intergalactic Kid Condor comic book series, which features food constellations and characters not unlike those in his own life.
But lately Brett's grip on reality has started to lose its hold. The fictions he's been telling himself - about his unattractive body, the feeling that he's a burden to his best friend, that he's too messed up to be loved - have consumed him completely, and Brett will do anything to forget about the cosmic-sized hole in his chest, even if it's unhealthy.
But when Brett's journal and deepest insecurities are posted online for the whole school to see, Brett realizes he can no longer avoid the painful truths of his real-life narrative. As his eating disorder escalates, Brett must be honest with the people closest to him, including his new and fierce friend Mallory who seems to know more about Brett's issues than he does. With their support, he just might find the courage to face the toughest reality of all.
The Ghostkeeper
by Johanna TaylorPublished by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Graphic Novel, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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Perfect for fans of everything from Lockwood & Co to The Haunting of Hill House, this gothic graphic novel follows a young medium with the gift—or curse, as some might say—to communicate with the dead.
Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.
Then one day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.
As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own….
I Will Never Leave You
by Kara A. KennedyPublished by: Delacorte Press
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, Young Adult
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This emotional debut thriller follows a teen girl being haunted by the ghost of her toxic ex-girlfriend, who gives her a chilling ultimatum—help her possess another girl or go down for her murder.
"A blistering exploration of the ugliest and tenderest parts of love, Kennedy turns the classic ghost story on its head."—Courtney Gould, author of The Dead and the Dark
Maya has always belonged to Alana. After four years of dating, and on the precipice of graduating high school, Maya has been too terrified to consider the idea of life outside of their volatile relationship. Until she finds the courage to break up with Alana while they’re hiking in Southern California.Then Alana goes missing. As the police get involved and the media run wild with the story, everyone seems to think that Maya is lying about Alana’s disappearance. Secretly, Maya knows they’re if Alana’s dead, she’s the one to blame.
But that’s not Maya’s only secret. Alana isn’t gone, not really—and she isn’t going to let Maya go so easily…
Stefi and the Spanish Prince
by Donna FreitasPublished by: HarperTeen
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and Loveboat, Taipei will swoon for this steamy, outrageously fun royal romance set against the backdrop of beautiful Barcelona.
In Barcelona, the beach is beautiful, the tapas are delicious, and the boys are plentiful. Good thing, too, because Stefi’s nursing a broken heart after a disastrous breakup and is excited to reinvent herself, practice her Catalan language skills, and take baking classes at the legendary culinary institute, all in a magical city where no one knows her.
Another thing Barcelona has? A secret prince. Xavi Borges is spending his final summer of anonymity helping his mother run a popular tapas spot in El Mercado. But after Stefi stops at their counter, Xavi can’t get the beautiful American girl off his mind, even though his life is way too complicated for romance.
Part bodyguard, part confidante, Santiago is tasked with keeping Xavi out of trouble. Santiago knows Xavi and Stefi’s budding relationship can’t last once Xavi’s real identity becomes public. But soon Santiago is crushing on Xavi’s best friend, Diego, and his focus shifts from royal protection duties to the possibility of enjoying a romance of his own.
With so many sparks flying, a threat to expose Xavi’s royal secret goes unheeded, and when the news blows up, it threatens to burn down all of their lives.
The Lost Souls of Benzaiten
by Kelly MurashigePublished by: Soho Teen
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Young Adult
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A fantastical and heartfelt debut, quirky and transportive, that follows a young outcast on a journey of transformation . . . into a robot vacuum cleaner.
A fresh twist on Japanese mythology that doubles as a deep, honest dive into mental health.
"I wish to become one of those round vacuum cleaner robots." That's what Machi writes while praying at the altar of Japanese goddess Benzaiten. She writes it because ever since her two best friends Angel and Sunny decided they want nothing to do with her, Machi hasn't been able to speak. After months and months of online school and seeing different therapists, Machi still hasn't uttered a word, and she can no longer see the point of being human. But she doesn't expect Benzaiten to actually hear her prayer, much less offer a to show Machi all the beauty of humanity, ultimately restoring her voice.
Benzaiten is enamored with the human world—possibly a little too enamored—and, as she's the goddess of love, humanity is enamored right back. Being second-best to another friend isn't helping Machi move past her trauma, and with each adventure they share, Machi is reminded of everything she's lost. It isn't until Machi starts interacting with the souls of the dead—a phenomena of spending so much time around a goddess—that she starts to understand pain can serve a purpose. And when she really stops to take a look around her, she realizes the potential for happiness, and for closure, has been there all along.
From an author to watch, The Lost Souls of Benzaiten is a highly original debut about the nature of happiness and the potential for healing.
A Thousand Broken Pieces (A Thousand Boy Kisses, #2)
by Tillie ColePublished by: Bloom Books
on July 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Three years.
Twelve months.
A timeless grief.
After losing her beloved sister three years ago, Savannah Litchfield has been living half a life. Now seventeen--the age Poppy died--the pain of losing her is worse than ever. When Savannah's therapist suggests a trip around the world to help teens stricken by loss, she reluctantly agrees to it, clutching the unread journal Poppy left her as she goes.
Cael Woods is angry. One year after losing his older brother--the person who meant the world to him--his life has spiraled into a heady void of nothing. Once the most promising hockey player in the junior league, Cael can no longer step onto the ice without being paralyzed by memories of his brother. When his parents sign him up for a trip abroad for grieving teens, no part of him wants to go--but he does.
As Cael and Savannah embark on a journey of healing, they learn to find solace together, discovering a glimmer of light only the other can bring. And the harder they fall, the more they heal the fractured fragments of their hearts, piece by broken piece.
