New Release Tuesday: YA New Releases July 28th 2026

Young Adult New Releases July 28th 2026

July simultaneously dragged by and also somehow we at the end of the month already…luckily we have new books to get us through this final week. Not a massive release week, but the whole month has been full of thrillers, and a few other genres too! 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!

We Were Never Here

by Sophia Hannan
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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The remaining members of a ghost hunting show return to the haunted manor that may have killed their friend in this atmospheric, contemporary gothic debut perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and Delicious Monsters.

In July, Georgia Perry and Jules Park—secret girlfriends, covert art thieves, and cohosts of a popular YouTube ghost hunting show—step into a haunted house to steal a priceless painting. A few short hours later, there’s a knife in Jules’s chest and Georgia is waking up in a pool of blood with no painting and no memory of how she got there.

Now it’s October, and Georgia is underwater. She hasn’t been to class in weeks, and she’s avoiding her old crew—and only friends—like the plague. But when the three remaining thieves get a call from the man who paid a hefty sum to keep them out of jail, demanding that they return to finish the job, Georgia has no choice but to return to her old life.

As the estranged friends scramble to steal the painting with no cover story and no leader, they quickly realize that something is very, very wrong, and it’s not just the suffocating memory of Jules or the prying eyes of their viewers. Between the strange shadows that begin to trail them and the nightmares plaguing Georgia’s sleep, only one thing is certain: something followed them home from De Lys manor, and it will do anything to keep them from going back.

Rootbound: A Tangled Novel

by Margaret Owen
Published by: Disney Press
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Media Tie-In, Retellings, Young Adult
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Revisit Rapunzel and Eugene from Disney's Tangled as they race to protect their kingdom, in this thrilling new fantasy adventure penned by New York Times bestselling author Margaret Owen.

Rapunzel knows nothing about her neighboring kingdom, Astera – and not just because she only left her tower a month ago. The famously reclusive island has limited its contact with outsiders for decades. So when a suspicious invitation arrives welcoming Rapunzel to the Asteran princess’s coming of age ceremony, and offering her a chance to be useful for the first time since she lost her healing powers, Rapunzel accepts – and unwittingly plunges herself and her companion, Eugene, into a tangled knot of political intrigue and magical secrets.

Eugene is just happy to get one last adventure with Rapunzel before his criminal background catches up with him and prevents their happy ending. Yet as they’re drawn further into the country’s problems, they uncover truths about Eugene’s parentage that point to deeper unrest in Astera, and suddenly the fate of their own kingdom, not just their personal dreams, is at stake.

Thrust into a power struggle between Astera’s beloved princess, Verette, its domineering king, Enver, and a mysterious secret society, Rapunzel and Eugene race to protect their home from an unsettlingly familiar threat and discover that the past can either hold them back, or help them blossom.

A cunning king. A devious princess. Best. Week. Ever.

Black Point

by Jacqueline West
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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In an insular small town steeped in Norse traditions, a local teen grapples with dark secrets from the past rising to the surface in this “spine-tingling thrill ride” (School Library Journal, starred review) by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West.

Lucia Sorenson holds on hard to the things she loves. Her tiny hometown clings to the bluffs above the Mississippi River, threatened by weather and time. Unlike most people her age, Lucia plans to stay after graduation and help her grandfather run the Viking Museum of Black Point. Maybe then she can keep everything her ancestors built from washing away.

When the Black Point Hotel, a supposedly haunted local landmark, is bought by an outsider, the town is shaken—and for Lucia, fresh changes arrive in the form of the owner’s nephew, Max. As Lucia gets to know Max, she begins to question her role in the town’s rituals and to see the place, and herself, with new eyes.

But the town is flooding, and old secrets are rising to the surface. Soon Lucia will have to choose between the home she thought she knew and the hideous truths hidden underneath.

Such a Witch

by Sarah Henning
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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Cliques clash and sparks fly in this delightfully fast-paced read that’s part fluffy rom-com, part murder mystery with a (literal) witch hunt—the perfect pick for Wednesday fans.

Pretty, popular, and a total witch, Embry Woodcross is queen bee at Raven’s Head School for the Magically Gifted. Entering senior year as head prefect, Embry is a celebrated fashionista and unrivaled solver of problems big, small, and unattractive. (She’s quite generous with her handcrafted magical beauty products.)

When she meets Oakley Riddle, clueless transfer student and ultrarare vampire, Embry’s mission is clear: take the new girl under her wing and make sure she’s not thrown to the (were)wolves. Coven mate Rye Knighton may scoff at Embry’s aggressive benevolence, but Raven’s Head students reward her with love and appreciation…

Until one good deed too many makes Embry the lead suspect in a murder investigation.

Suddenly, the same people who begged Embry for enchanted acne potions are convinced she’s a cold-blooded killer. Apparently, everyone loves a witch until something bad happens, and then it’s all pitchforks and anecdotal evidence. As everything she’s ever done is used against her, Embry teams up with Rye to find the real murderer, clear her name, and maybe fall in love along the way.

Too Perfect to Die

by Juliana Goodman
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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"Bring It On", but with murder, this heart-pounding YA thriller follows Jonty, a star cheerleader forced to track down a killer and achieve her dream—before it's too late.

With competition this fierce, bodies are bound to hit the mat...

All Jonty has ever wanted is to lead her cheerleading team, The Exalted Ones, to win a NCA championship. Cheer is not just a sport, it’s her legacy. Her mother cheered for T.E.O. before she died, and Jonty would do anything to snatch the crown and honor her mother’s memory. This year she has a real shot, finally beating her rival Tommie and becoming the team captain.

But Jonty’s perfect season is shattered when Tommie shows up dead on the first day of practice. Now the team is down a flyer and everyone is convinced that Jonty killed her. Everyone except Adam, her co-captain, who was with her the night that Tommie died.

As the season progresses, girls keep dropping like flies, and one thing becomes Someone is sabotaging The Exalted Ones, and they're willing to commit murder to get their way. But with the police still convinced it’s her, will Jonty be able to save herself, her team, and her perfect season?

Tense and full of twists, Too Perfect to Die is perfect for readers who love:
• True Crime • Competitive Cheerleading • Scream Queens • Holly Jackson Books • Karen M. McManus Books

Black Girls Don't Cry

by Alex Travis
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
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When a Black teen decides to run for prom queen at her predominantly white high school, the competition takes a deadly turn when the fight for the crown becomes a matter of life or death. A gripping YA thriller for readers of Jumata Emill's The Black Queen and Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood.

Ida and JJ could have been the ultimate power couple of Banneker High. As the VP and president of their Black Student Union, the two seemed destined to be yearbook legends. But that was before JJ learned Ida was equally attracted to girls. JJ is already deep in a new relationship, which infuriates Ida--almost as much as when a sexist "hot list' starts circulating the school. It's bad enough anyone rated the girls on their looks, but the list has only white students. Seriously?

There has never been any racial diversity among the prom queen candidates at Banneker, so the BSU decides to make their own statement on beauty and run a candidate. Now Ida and JJ's new girlfriend are both competing for the title. Ida wants to make a point more than win the crown, but having smart, savvy Amayah as her campaign manager might just help her do both. She's already winning Ida's heart.

Competition is fierce. Suddenly the prom queen candidates start getting picked off one by one...dropping out and dropping dead. Forget winning a tiara. Who will live to see prom?

The Full Scoop Collection

by Richard Ashley Hamilton
Published by: Maverick
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Graphic Novel, Mystery, Young Adult
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Breaking news! All four volumes of SCOOP in one beautiful edition that is sure to stop the presses.

Sophie Cooper is the newest intern at the WMIA 7 news station—a struggling station based in Miami, Florida—and she's determined to use access to the newsroom's resources to prove her father has been framed for embezzlement. But investigating her father's case soon uncovers some unsettling things about her hometown, like a flying saucer crashed in the Everglades, a chupacabra running wild, a digital doppelgänger intent on ruining what's left of Sophie's social life, and a bunker, hidden since the 1960s, that seems to be at odds with time itself... Sophie will have to rely on all her truth-seeking skills to solve these mysteries!

You Only Live Twice

by Autumn Allen
Published by: Kokila
on July 28, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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An unforgettable, heartwarming, hilarious coming-of-age story about faith, family, all kinds of love, and a Black Muslim teen pursuing an ordinary goal in an extraordinary time.

Barely one week into senior year of high school, Boston native Zakiyyah is making her 2012-2013 Get Free Plan.

Step one: quit high school. (PSA: There are other ways to get to college!)

Step two: live like it’s Ramadan year-round.

As she gets deeper into her Plan, she starts to wonder if there’s someone out there who would be a good companion. To everyone’s surprise, Zakiyyah decides she wants to get married. But there are some complications.

Problem one: she’s never met a guy she liked. Zakiyyah’s family (reluctantly) and friends (eagerly) agree to support the search.

Problem two: what’s the secret to choosing a good life partner?

Enter Musa, by way of mutual friends. With marriage in mind, Zakiyyah and Musa get to know each other, progressing from email to instant messaging to phone calls. Things are going well… thrillingly well… until tragedy strikes Boston. In a moment of heightened emotion and stress, Zakiyyah and Musa have their first major disagreement.

Zakiyyah can call the whole thing off. But with or without Musa, what does it mean to live on her own terms?