Young Adult New Releases June 11th 2024
Have you all recovered from the last massive release week? I hope so because today we are celebrating more (but not as many) New Releases…check out most of today’s YA books hitting shelves now. If you missed the first week of June’s or want to see more titles, check out our Bookshop page!
Wolfpitch
by Balazs LorincziPublished by: Top Shelf Productions
Genres: Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, Young Adult
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All's fair in love and music when this supernatural all-girl rock band must beat the odds and become the best band in town!
Izzy's a bass-playing werewolf. Geraldine's the ghost of an amazing jazz pianist. Delilah's the meanest drummer in town. They'd be the perfect trio to win the Battle of Bands...except Geraldine can't play a solo since she passed away, and Izzy and Delilah are at each other's throats at every opportunity. Can they work through their problems to win the competition, or will they be defeated by Delilah's ex-band and their villainous frontman, Dylan?
Cymbals will crash, ears will ring, and hearts will melt like milkshakes in the latest delicious LGBTQ romp from graphic novelist Balazs Lorinczi (Doughnuts and Doom).
The Wilderness of Girls
by Madeline Claire FranklinPublished by: Zando Young Readers
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology/Folklore, Thriller, Young Adult
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An unflinching YA debut about a troubled teen who discovers a pack of feral girls in the woods and is swept up in the ensuing mystery: Are the Wild Girls of Happy Valley lost princesses from a faraway land, as they believe, or are they brainwashed victims of a deranged kidnapper?
In her ambitious debut perfect for fans of Sadie and The Hazel Wood, Madeline Claire Franklin crafts a gripping exploration of how the world teaches young girls to cage their wildness―and what happens when they claw themselves free.
After being placed in foster care, Rhi is hungry for a fresh start and begins working at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve. While in the woods, she stumbles upon a surreal sight: a pack of wolves guarding four feral and majestic girls. After Rhi gains their trust, they reveal that they’re princesses from another land, raised by a magical prophet they call Mother―and they're convinced Rhi is their lost fifth sister.
Unsure what to believe, Rhi ushers the girls to civilization, where they’re met with societal uproar and scrutiny, dubbed by the ravenous media and true crime junkies as “The Wild Girls of Happy Valley.”Desperate to return to their kingdom, the girls look to Rhi for help. Rhi knows the girls are deluded, but at the same time she’s drawn in by their boldness and authenticity―traits she is afraid she has lost within herself. And when Rhi witnesses strange phenomena she can’t quite explain, the line between fantasy and reality grows blurry.
As the hunt for answers intensifies, Rhi must make a decision that will change the course of her life and the lives of her Wild Girls forever.
Love, Off the Record
by Samantha MarkumPublished by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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The Hating Game meets Alex, Approximately in this smart, chemistry-filled teen rom-com about two rival journalism students competing for the same position on their university newspaper.
Wyn is going to beat Three even if it kills her—or, preferably, him. Being freshmen staffers on the university newspaper puts them at the bottom of the pecking order—until a rare reporter spot opens up. Wyn and Three are both determined to get the position, starting a game of sabotage that pushes them to do their worst, from stealing each other’s ideas to playing twisted mind games. No road is too low when it comes to winning.
As Wyn’s search for the perfect story leads her to an anonymous, campus-wide dating app, she hits it off with a mystery man she thinks might be the cute RA from her dorm. But Wyn is all too familiar with being rejected because of her weight, and she’s hesitant to reveal her identity, even as she grows closer with someone who might be the guy of her dreams.
When Three breaks a story that’s closer to home than he or Wyn expects, the two must put aside their differences to expose the truth—and face their real feelings for each other, which threaten everything Wyn has built with her anonymous match.
Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke, #2)
by Marie LuPublished by: Roaring Brook Press
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
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Spies meet romance meet popstars in this thrilling follow up to Stars and Smoke by bestselling author Marie Lu.
A year has passed since superstar Winter and secret agent Sydney Cossette went undercover - on a dangerous mission to bring down the baddest man in London.
Winter hasn't stopped thinking about Sydney since, and she's been trying not to think about him
Family secrets and nasty newspapers has Winter desperate to re-enter the secret world. And it's not long before he gets his chance.Sydney is back, and this time the mission goes right to the heart of the United States of America. A rescue gone wrong, an assassination attempt - and the return of an old flame - puts Winter right back into the action . . . and into a country on the brink of chaos.
And when a murder accusation has Sydney on the run, suddenly it's not just a life at stake, but all-out war.
There Is a Door in This Darkness
by Kristin CashorePublished by: Dutton Books for Young Readers
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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A magic-tinged contemporary YA about grief and hope from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of the Graceling Realm novels.
Wilhelmina Hart is part of the infamous class of 2020. Her high school years began with the election of Donald Trump and they ended with COVID. Now Wilhelmina, like so many of her peers, is in limbo, having deferred college because of the pandemic. Compounding the national trauma of 2016 to 2020, Wilhelmina has wrestled with the devastating loss of one of her three beloved aunts shortly after the 2016 election. This is a loss she felt so keenly that she’s spent the last years deep in her personal depression, only obscured by the seemingly endless waves of national trauma. Now on the cusp on the most consequential election in living memory, Wilhelmina may have found a door in her darkness and perhaps the courage to pass through it, if she can decipher the bizarre messages that keep appearing in her life.
Straight On Till Morning: A Twisted Tale Graphic Novel
by Liz Braswell, Noor Sofi, Stephanie Kate StrohmPublished by: Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
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Disney's Peter Pan gets a twisted, graphic novel makeover in this reimagined YA story that asks, "What if Wendy first traveled to Never Land...with Captain Hook?"
Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling's life is not what she imagined it would be. After nearly meeting her hero, Peter Pan, four years earlier, she still holds on to his shadow--and the hope that his magical home truly exists.
So when the chance to travel to Never Land arises, Wendy makes a deal with Peter's nemesis in exchange for passage. But the Never Land she discovers isn't the wondrous place she imagined: Peter is nowhere to be found, and his pixie friend Tinker Bell refuses to speak to her.
Still, when Captain Hook reveals some evil and rather permanent plans for Never Land, it's up to Wendy and Tink to save Peter Pan--and his world.
Brownstone
by Samuel Teer, Marina JuliaPublished by: Versify
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novel
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An exciting teen coming-of-age epic from author Samuel Teer and debut graphic novel artist Mar Julia, Brownstone is a vivid, sweeping, ultimately hopeful story about navigating your heritage even when you feel like you don't quite fit in.
Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.
Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish--which she doesn't speak.
As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in.
But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.
Seasick
by Kristin Cast, Pintip DunnPublished by: Delacorte Press
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult
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There's a killer on board a luxury yacht, and two former friends must team up to figure out which of their privileged classmates has a penchant for murder before they become victims themselves. Don't miss out on this gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling authors Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn!
Ex–best friends Naya Morgan and Yana Bunpraserit have always felt like outsiders in their small Oklahoma town. But this year, everything changes when they’re inducted into an exclusive society of Yatesville High’s top recent graduates. Unimaginable opportunities await them, starting with a celebratory yacht trip to Bermuda. Despite the likely onslaught of microaggressions and backhanded compliments from their peers—in addition to their own rocky past—Yana and Naya are ready for an epic voyage.
Then one of their classmates is brutally murdered, leaving them stuck at sea with a killer. Yana and Naya may have avoided each other for years, yet as the body count rises, rekindling their friendship might be the only way they’ll both survive.
Hearts of Fire and Snow
by David Bowles, Guadalupe Garcia McCallPublished by: Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury YA
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
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Award-winning authors David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall reimagine a beloved Aztec tale of star-crossed lovers with one last chance to reunite.
Blanca Montes wants to make a difference in the world, to do more than her wealthy godfather and spoiled boyfriend think her capable of. So when Greg Chan shows up as a new student at her Nevada school, she is more than intrigued by this handsome, brilliant stranger.
But Greg and Blanca are drawn to each other by something stronger--their fates entwined centuries ago. In his first life, Greg was Captain Popoca, and Blanca is the reincarnation of Princess Iztac, who took her own life after believing her beloved Popoca was sent to his death in battle. Greg has spent a thousand years searching for his lost love, and now the fates have given them one more chance to reunite. Will their hearts finally beat as one?
This swoony contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and This Poison Heart.
The Color of a Lie
by Kim JohnsonPublished by: Random House Books for Young Readers
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
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In 1955, a Black family passes for white and moves to a “Whites Only” town in the suburbs. Caught between two worlds, a teen boy puts his family at risk as he uncovers racist secrets about his suburb. A new social justice thriller from the acclaimed author of This Is My America!
Calvin knows how to pass for white. He’s done it plenty of times before. For his friends in Chicago, when they wanted food but weren’t allowed in a restaurant. For work, when he and his dad would travel for the Green Book.
This is different.
After a tragedy in Chicago forces the family to flee, they resettle in an idyllic all-white suburban town in search of a better life. Calvin’s father wants everyone to embrace their new white lifestyles, but it’s easier said than done. Hiding your true self is exhausting — which leads Calvin across town where he can make friends who know all of him…and spend more time with his new crush, Lily. But when Calvin starts unraveling dark secrets about the white town and its inhabitants, passing starts to feel even more suffocating–and dangerous–than he could have imagined.
Expertly weaving together real historical events with important reflections on being Black in America, acclaimed author Kim Johnson powerfully connects readers to the experience of being forced to live a life-threatening lie or embrace an equally deadly truth.
The Ghost of Us
by James L. SutterPublished by: Wednesday Books
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Eighteen-year-old ghost hunter Cara is determined to escape life as a high school outcast by finding proof of the supernatural. Yet when she stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden, a popular upperclassman who died the previous year, she learns that ghosts have goals of their own. In the wake of his death, Aiden’s little sister, Meredith, has become a depressed recluse, and Aiden can’t pass on into the afterlife until he knows she’ll be okay. Believing that nothing pulls someone out of a slump like romance, he makes Cara a seduce Meredith out of her shell and take her to prom, and Aiden will give Cara all the evidence she needs for fame. If not, well―no dates, no ghost.
Wooing the standoffish Meredith isn’t going to be easy, however. With Aiden’s coaching, Cara slowly manages to win Meredith over―but finds herself accidentally falling for her in the process. Worse as Meredith gets happier and Aiden’s mission nears completion, his ghost begins to fade. Can Cara continue to date Meredith under false pretenses, especially if it means Aiden will vanish forever? Or should she tell Meredith the truth, and risk both of them hating her? And either way, will she lose her only shot at proving ghosts are real?
Furious
by Jamie Pacton, Rebecca PodosPublished by: Page Street YA
on June 4, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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After years racing go-karts and looking up to her mother, a celebrity Formula 1 racer, Jojo Emerson-Boyd should be starting her own racing career. But when she loses her mom in a tragic crash, Jojo’s future comes to a screeching halt. Now her dad won’t let her get a license, much less race. Instead, she’s stuck working at her grandmother’s mechanic shop in the sleepy small town of Dell’s Hollow.
But Jojo’s heart quickens when Motorcyle Girl Eliana “El” Blum shows up at the shop. El grew up on the motocross circuit sidelines, watching her sister and idol Maxine compete. When El mysteriously loses all contact with Max, she’s determined to find her, with her first clue leading straight to the mechanic shop, and to Jojo.
United by fate, the two quickly bond over Mario Kart showdowns and the Fast & Furious films. As their friendship shifts into something more, they’ll have to confront both their growing romance and the grief woven into their complicated families if they hope to chase down their dreams and make it across the finish line.
Six More Months of June
by Daisy GarrisonPublished by: Flatiron Books
on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Young Adult
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A romantic debut about the exhilarating highs and messy lows that swirl together when high school comes to an end, perfect for fans of Carley Fortune and Jenny Han
Golden boy Caplan and bookish Mina have been unlikely soulmates since third grade. Bound by growing up in single-mother households on the same cul-de-sac in Two Docks, Michigan, their friendship exists miraculously outside their high school's social order. Mina is class valedictorian, expected by her late father's parents to attend his Ivy alma mater; Caplan is laughing off prom-king predictions and the fear that he's peaking too soon.
When Cap's skateboard-toting, detention-dodging best friend confesses his feelings for Mina, she is whisked into a social life she never imagined, bumping shoulders with the likes of Caplan's queen-bee girlfriend. Caplan is determined that things stay just as they've always been, while Mina faces the perils and privileges of opening her heart just in time to say goodbye.
As the sun sets on senior year, everything glows. What will Cap and Mina discover in the last-chance light?
