Young Adult New Releases June 23rd 2026
Happiest of book birthdays to todays YA new releases! Check out most of them below, and if you are going to purchase we have some independent affiliates we work with to bring you anti-billionaire corporate alternatives. Libro.fm for all your audiobooks and Bookshop.org for all your digital or physical editions which free shipping for this anti-prime days, and the great thing is that local bookshops also earn money each time you shop. Libro.fm is also having a special anti-prime sale so shop small and everyone wins – you can get 35% off any audiobook or if you want to join the monthly membership – use code SWITCH and get 2 free credits to start!
The Lovers, the Liars, and Me
by DeAndra DavisPublished by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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A teen travels to Jamaica hoping to answer questions about her absent mother, only to discover more about her identity than she could have ever expected—and find herself caught up in an unexpected love triangle—in this dazzling young adult coming-of-age novel.
Jaliya Powell has never had a real adventure, a real boyfriend, or spoken up for herself. She’s never even been kissed. Despite being valedictorian of her high school class, Jaliya is used to fading into the background.
But this summer will be different.This summer, Jaliya is visiting her uncle and his family in Jamaica. Under the guise of one last vacation before college, she plans to find out more about her estranged mother, whose absence has remained an unspoken mystery. But things have changed in the seven years since Jaliya last visited. Her cousin has his own life and is reluctant to let Jaliya in, her childhood crush has only gotten hotter and more unavailable, and her aunt and uncle aren’t everything she remembered, either. Then she meets India, who’s vibrant, gorgeous, and free-spirited. And who makes Jaliya feel something she’s never felt before.
While searching for traces of her mother across the island, Jaliya finds herself entangled in complicated relationships, tricky secrets, and a passionate new love. As she navigates this perfectly complicated summer, Jaliya must choose between who she has always been or who she hopes to become.
Good Luck, Babe!
by Erin BaldwinPublished by: Viking Books for Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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In Erin Baldwin's new YA romance novel, fake dating isn't just complicated--it's competitive.
"Good Luck, Babe! is nothing short of iconic . . . this book is fun and honest and relatable in the best way." —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl
Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hip—until the summer after junior year. One ill-fated night (and one awkward kiss) ended their friendship, and after a year of no contact, fate throws the girls back together when they’re offered a last-minute spot on their favorite show—an Amazing Race analog called The Adventureverse.
It’s a chance to put their superfan status to the test, a dream come true. Except for a few snags: It’s an all-couples season, filming starts in two days, and Noelle hasn’t spoken to her “girlfriend” in a year. But Noelle already has plans to use the prize money on her ailing father’s medical expenses. She would do anything for him—including fake date her ex-bestie on national television.
Can Noelle walk a tightrope between reality and TV while juggling a pretend relationship and true feelings? Or will she get sent home empty-handed and brokenhearted?
A Great and Powerful Tyranny
by Victoria CarbolPublished by: Page Street YA
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult
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Perfect for fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, this dark, queer reimagining of the classic Wizard of Oz tale centers a slow-burn, sapphic enemies to lovers romance in an electrifying portal fantasy.
Falling into a world of magic and oppression, Kansas-born Thia joins three cursed companions in a quest to free them and send herself home.
Orphaned from a young age, Thia has spent her life trying to live up to her mother’s legacy as a doctor. She’s on track to become a promising medical student, yet she feels like she was meant for something else. The life she thought she knew comes crashing down one stormy Kansas day when Thia inadvertently uncovers clues that reveal her grandma has been lying to her: Her mother was never a doctor; she was a scholar of the supernatural, and all she left behind was a strange mirror that Thia’s grandma is convinced is dangerous.
Angry with her grandma for her deception, Thia leaves in a rage and accidentally falls through the mirror, killing a witch and crashing into a terrifying land ruled by the cruel and powerful Mage King.
Joined by a heartless girl, a cowardly academic, and a boy who cannot remember his past, Thia seeks out the Mage King, the only man powerful enough to send her home and grant her companions’ desires. In their quest, Thia discovers her mother was a part of the rebellion to overthrow the Mage King, and she must reckon with her mother’s real legacy. With each new truth revealed, it becomes harder to ignore the undeniable connection between Thia and the cursed, heartless girl, and even harder to decide where, in the end, Thia ultimately belongs.
Checking You Out
by Jennifer ChenPublished by: Wednesday Books
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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XO, Kitty meets Dash & Lily in this rom com about two teens falling in love via letters left in their favorite library books - even if in real life they think they have nothing in common.
Lizzie Wei is a huge book nerd, and proud of it. And when she realizes there is a mysterious reader who has been checking out all of her favorite books from the library, she can’t help but get a crush on someone she’s never even met. Her friends make it their mission to find Lizzie’s long lost book soulmate and convinces her to leave notes for her crush. But what if the person Lizzie is looking for, isn’t at all what she expects?
Dylan Lin loves reading, secretly anyway. Ever since a bullying incident at his last school, he’s hidden his love of fantasy novels, instead leaning into his jock persona. Now he's the tennis team captain, runs every day, and actively avoids reading. So, when he decides to start volunteering at a kitten nursery, and his super cute co-volunteer Lizzie asks if he likes reading, he says no. He never expects the look of complete and utter disappointment on Lizzie’s face.
Lizzie is certain her secret crush isn’t Dylan. It can’t be! But when he accidentally makes an obscure reference to her favorite book during their volunteer shift, she’s not so sure anymore. Can Lizzie forgive Dylan for lying? And can Dylan be brave enough to be himself?
Doe
by Rebecca BarrowPublished by: Nancy Paulsen Books
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Young Adult
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Thrilling crossover YA Horror perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and Tiffany Jackson, where the captain of a high school cheer team is caught in a bitter rivalry and turns to an ancient, supernatural creature for help, not knowing she’s just made a deal with a devil and could lose everything that matters, including her life.
Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. She’s Coach’s favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel special—powerful. When she’s leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesn’t have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t really love her. But when newcomer and Coach’s new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Maris’s life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years ago—murdered in a fire.
But Maris is somehow linked to Doe’s beloved girls—linked by blood—and so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Maris’s dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesn’t know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesn’t understand the danger she’s in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.
All We Hunger For
by Anna MercierPublished by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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A young woman sneaks her way into a magical baking contest but gets pulled into an elusive aristocrat's lavish world and his nefarious plan as rebellion brews in their city―for fans of A Magic Steeped in Poison.
In Anespérer, where magic comes alive through artistic skill, Elara Rousseau knows she'll never be selected for the Objet d’Art. The high-stakes baking competition will elect a new Souverain to join the ruling council, and someone from the slums would never be considered. But when a brooding figure from her past sneaks her into the Objet, Elara has the chance to compete for a better future... as long as no one uncovers her traitorous secret.
Nikolas Dupont will do whatever it takes to impress his powerful father, a Souverain who hasn't officially recognized his son―like handpick a contestant to win and become his father's political pawn. But Elara is more than he bargained for, and she ignites his own subdued passions.Against all odds, Elara excels and becomes a hero to the city's poor, all while Nik’s faith in his father crumbles and the sparks between them burn brighter. As the competition heats up, Elara and Nik must choose: fight to win the competition and secure a future of safety for them both, or use the power of Elara’s art to spark a revolution.
The Monsters We Made
by Peyton JunePublished by: Norton Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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To save her family's struggling ranch, 18-year-old Claire fabricates a video of her hometown's legendary alien cryptid, Old Lucky, that grabs the attention of paranormal vloggers Lenny and Evan. Lenny is plagued with doubts about their channel's future, so catching Old Lucky might just be her chance at finding something real.
After Evan deserts Lenny, believing the investigation to be a hoax, Claire agrees to "help" Lenny uncover the history of Old Lucky--and preserve her deceit. But the more the girls are drawn together and the more clues they unearth, the more secrets rise to the surface. The cows are being mutilated, the ranch hand has disappeared, and the strange lights in the sky are back. Something inhuman lurks in Scarberry, where danger lives close to home. The Monsters We Made is an eerie and suspenseful exploration of one town's dark history and the people who brought it back to life.
We Became Wild: A Novel
by H.D. CarverPublished by: Norton Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Reeling from the death of their best friend, two girls hike the Pacific Crest Trail in her honor in this fierce young adult debut.
Seventeen-year-old Lottie Mitchell is a liar. She might also be a horrible person—because someone good wouldn't have caused the death of her best friend, Val. Messina, Lottie's other best friend, has her own secrets to worry about—she's running from her terrifying, abusive stepfather. When the friends learn that Val had planned to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, they set off into the desert with Val’s ashes and her beloved copy of Wild to fulfill her dream. The only problem, aside from being woefully underprepared for the treacherous terrain and the fast-approaching fire season, is that without Val playing peacekeeper, Lottie and Messina are at each other's throats. The secrets they carry are heavier than their packs, and they’re going to have to find their trust in each other—and themselves—if they’re going to survive.
We Became Wild is a gripping, feral story about grief, friendship, and what it means to be a woman alone in the world.
Ancient History Between Us
by Kaitlyn HillPublished by: Delacorte Press
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Three years since they last saw each other. Two months to untangle their complicated past. One unforgettable Italian summer.
Childhood best friends Cammie Lovett and West Jacobs haven’t spoken since their first kiss ended in disaster. Now, after getting rejected from her dream field school, Cammie is joining her renowned archaeologist mom in Italy for the summer—while secretly planning to find her biological father. Meanwhile, West is avoiding a major life decision by—what else?—crashing his dad’s work trip abroad.
When the two find themselves at the same Italian villa, their plan to avoid each other crumbles like a Roman ruin. Armed with her mom’s old journal, Cammie is determined to stay focused—until West discovers her mission and insists on tagging along. As their second-chance adventure takes them down the Southern Italian coast and through the messy details of their past, Cammie and West begin to realize that maybe—just maybe—their own history isn’t quite as ancient as they thought.
The Romance Rewind
by Sarah EverettPublished by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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In this swoony and charming romcom with a twist, a 17-year-old goes back in time to relive her relationship and see where it went wrong.
"This one makes all my dreams come true." —Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow
Zadie expected her anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, Jason, to end with a dreamy promposal—not a breakup and a car crash!
When she wakes up in the hospital, she gets even worse news: Jason is in a coma. With nothing to do but wait by his side, Zadie is left wondering where the relationship went wrong and if anyone else knows about the breakup.
Suddenly, Zadie is catapulted back to their first date, trapped in a time loop she can't escape. To make matters worse, Jason's cousin Marcus is along for the ride, threatening to spill her secret. Can Zadie mend her relationship with Jason before he wakes up, or will Marcus shatter her hopes for a happily-ever-after?
For fans of The Do-Over and Check & Mate, get whisked away in this charming new rom-com abounding with betrayal, twists, and romance tropes.
Rainsong
by Lila RiesenPublished by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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In a small town haunted by unsolved disappearances, a teen with a secret ability must unravel a deadly mystery -- before she becomes the next victim.
Mendocino is not the quaint coastal California town Zayn Pereira imagined. It's shrouded in a fog that never lets up. Posters of a missing teen girl are plastered everywhere, and just offshore is an island called Rainsong, rumored to be haunted.
At her new school, everyone is tense and suspicious of each other. So when charismatic Ollie takes Zayn under her wing, it's a relief -- but is her charm hiding something? People assume brooding Tiago, the missing girl's ex-boyfriend, is responsible for her disappearance...but Zayn can't keep her eyes off him. Is he really who everyone says he is?
Besides, Zayn has a secret of her own. And when Tiago is struck by a car one night, she is forced to reveal it to save him. In doing so, Zayn discovers her connection to a generations-old feud that still rages today. Can she break herself from the grip of Mendocino's past tragedy? Or will she become the next girl on the missing poster?
Filled with angsty romance, supernatural powers, murder, and vengeance, this is a chilling and propulsive read.
The Vacation Shift
by Lily ChuPublished by: Quill Tree Books
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Humor, Young Adult
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Gilmore Girlsmeets a reverseParent Trapin this swoony and hilarious YA rom-com rom from popular adult romance author Lily Chu, following a teen who, while on a group tour to Japan, teams up with a fellow traveler to keep their parents from falling in love with each other.
Ivy Yu is cursed. Her parents separated six months ago, and she’s fallen into a fog. To help, her mother books an impulsive trip to Japan (cool) on a bus tour (very uncool). Ivy should be grateful, but this summer is her last chance to get her situationship, Connor, to fall in love with her.
When they arrive in Tokyo, it’s even worse than she imagined. Ivy and her Mom are the youngest of a group of seniors. Make that two of the youngest: there’s brooding Matteo, with his single dad, Keith.
Then Ivy discovers her mother and Keith are getting close, and her crush back home is hooking up with someone else. Desperate for some semblance of control and a distraction from the heaviness she can’t seem to shake off, she makes a deal with Matteo to keep their parents apart. Luckily, he agrees—and their devious plans begin.
Dodging nosy old ladies on the bus ride through Japan, their strange partnership begins to blossom into something unexpected and exciting—but can their romantic spark survive the journey?
The Cursed Fate (Arcana #2)
by Sam Prentice-JonesPublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on June 23, 2026
Genres: Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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In The Cursed Fate, a tarot-inspired young adult graphic novel from creator Sam Prentice-Jones, five friends must break a generational curse in order to free their futures.
After uncovering harrowing secrets about their pasts and enduring a devastating loss, James, Daphne, Koko, Sunny, and Eli are determined to break the bonds of the ancestral curse that holds their futures in limbo. Confronting the secretive Majors leads to a vital revelation: a group of rebel witches known as the New Moon Order was responsible for casting the curse, and the Majors are not quite as all-powerful as they seem.
With the might of the Majors now on their side, the group sets out to undo the curse, once and for all, returning to the place where everything began: the seemingly abandoned farm house where Eli first began exploring his magic. The five friends must face their ghosts, both real and imagined, in this compelling examination of generational trauma, power, and what it means to craft a family of your own making.
Arcana: The Cursed Fate is book two in the Arcana duology.
"A queer found family fights ghosts, grief, and generational trauma in this duology closer.... Fans of the first installment will be happy to see Prentice-Jones once again employing his moody, desaturated, tone-on-tone style.... Stylish and sincere." —Kirkus
