Young Adult New Releases March 22nd 2022

Another Tuesday, however, nothing makes a Tuesday better than new releases! Today’s fresh batch of books are absolutely riveting and I can’t wait to read so many of them! Check out most of March’s YA books on our Bookshop page – or if you are a signed book fan – check out the signed books & preorder incentives!

Kiss & Tell

by Adib Khorram
Published by: Dial Books
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Kiss & Tell is a total rush! Perfectly sweet and swoon worthy. I loved every page! - Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend--leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all--and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.
But Hunter isn't really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T's shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the drummer for the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble--for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself.

Forward March

by Skye Quinlan
Published by: Page Street Kids
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?

Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:
1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn't even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she's not sure she even wants him to win.

But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel

by Ibi Zoboi, Noa Denmon, Marvel Press Artist
Published by: Marvel Press
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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Ibi Zoboi, a National Book Award Finalist and New York Times best-selling author, joins Marvel Universe storytelling with this heartfelt novel that takes Okoye to America for the very first time.

Okoye is a new recruit for T'Chaka's royal guard: the Dora Milaje. Known for their loyalty and warrior abilities, the Dora are respected and revered in Okoye's home country of Wakanda. But when Okoye is sent on her very first mission—to America—she'll learn that her status as a Dora means nothing to New Yorkers and her expectations for the world outside of her own quickly fall apart. Chosen to accompany King T'Chaka on a humanitarian mission, Okoye finds herself trying to help teens dealing with addiction and gentrification in a forgotten neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Caught between duty to her country and listening to her own heart, Okoye must find her own way and determine the type of Dora Milaje—and woman—she wants to be.

Complete your Marvel collection with these best-selling fan-favorite novels:
Black Panther: The Young Prince (Book 1)by Ronald L. Smith
Black Panther: The Young Prince: Spellbound (Book 2) by Ronald L. Smith
Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
Gamora and Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzi Lee
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
Unstoppable Wasp by Sam Maggs
Black Widow: Red Vengeance by Margaret Stohl
Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster by Liza Palmer

Remember Me

by Estelle Laure
Published by: Wednesday Books
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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A new young adult novel from the critically acclaimed author of This Raging Light and Mayhem

If you could erase all of your painful memories, would you? Blue Owens wakes up one day with the strangest feeling that something is very wrong. Everyone’s acting weird and she’s found a note in her closet telling her to get on the Little Blue Bus at 7:45, which she does, meeting up with the exact person she was supposed to avoid: Adam Mendoza. Even though she has no idea who he is, something about him is so familiar. When the two are discovered by their families, the truth is revealed—Blue has paid to have her memories removed, and Adam is one of those memories. What transpires is Blue’s journey to get her memories back, uncover the truth of why she had them removed in the first place, and ultimately decide whether they were too necessary to who she is to lose in the first place.

Wrecked

by Heather Henson
Published by: Atheneum Books
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Looking for Alaska meets Breaking Bad in this piercing novel about three teens, caught in the middle of the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia, whose world literally blows up around them.

For as long as Miri can remember it’s been her and her dad, Poe, in Paradise—what Poe calls their home, hidden away from prying eyes in rural Kentucky. It’s not like Miri doesn’t know what her dad does or why people call him “the Wizard.” It’s not like she doesn’t know why Cal, her one friend and Poe’s right-hand man, patrols the grounds with a machine gun. It’s nothing new, but lately Paradise has started to feel more like a prison.

Enter Fen. The new kid in town could prove to be exactly the distraction Miri needs…but nothing is ever simple. Poe doesn’t take kindly to strangers. Fen’s DEA agent father is a little too interested in Miri’s family. And Cal isn’t satisfied with being just friends with Miri anymore. But what’s past is prologue—it’s what will follow that will wreck everything.

Shining a klieg light on the opioid crisis coursing through this country, Wrecked will have readers on the edge of their seat right up until the explosive ending.

A Million Quiet Revolutions

by Robin Gow
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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For as long as they can remember, Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they've shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right binders--and falling for each other.

But just as their relationship has started to blossom, Aaron moves away. Feeling adrift, separated from the one person who understands them, they seek solace in digging deep into the annals of America's past. When they discover the story of two Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans man in love, they're inspired to pay tribute to these soldiers by adopting their names--Aaron and Oliver. As they learn, they delve further into unwritten queer stories, and they discover the transformative power of reclaiming one's place in history.

Wrath & Mercy (The Bright & the Pale Duology, #2)

by Jessica Rubinkowski
Published by: Quill Tree Books
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sara Raasch, this epic second book in Russian folklore–based YA fantasy duology The Bright & the Pale follows Valeria as she works to truly free her people from the Czar and the Bright God—at whatever the cost.

Surviving the ill-fated expedition to Knnot, Valeria, Alik, and the others have found refuge in Valeria’s village. With her family at long last released from the curse that trapped them in ice for a decade, Valeria should find comfort in their reunion. But everything has changed—including herself. For now, Valeria is the Pale God’s chosen champion. And she is ready for revenge on the Czar.

With the power gifted to her by the Pale God, she will do whatever it takes to liberate her people. Even if that means stealing the Czar’s son away from the safety of the Winter Palace. As Alik watches Valeria struggle to maintain control over the god she holds captive, he begs her to sever the connection. For it is clear the Pale God plans a revenge of his own.

The inevitable is coming—one final battle. And Valeria must be ready to sacrifice everything—even her love for Alik—to win.

The Wolves Are Waiting

by Natasha Friend
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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From award-winning author Natasha Friend comes a compelling investigation of sexual harassment and the toxic and complicit structures of a small college town.

Before the night of the Frat Fair, 15-year-old Nora Melchionda's life could have been a Gen-Z John Hughes movie. She had a kind-of boyfriend, a spot on the field hockey team, good grades, and a circle of close friends. Of course there were bumps in the road: she and her lifelong BFF Cam were growing apart and her mother was trying to clone her into wearing sensible khakis instead of showy short skirts. But none of that mattered, because Nora always had her dad, Rhett Melchionda, on her side. Rhett was not only Nora’s hero, but as the Athletic Director of Faber College, he was idolized by everyone she knew.

Now, Nora would give anything to go back to that life. The life before whatever happened on the golf course.

She doesn’t want to talk about it—not that she could, because she doesn’t remember anything—and insists that whatever happened was nothing. Cam, though, tries to convince Nora to look for evidence and report the incident to the police. And then there’s Adam Xu, who found Nora on the golf course and saw her at her most vulnerable. She ignores it all, hoping it will all go away. But when your silence might hurt other people, hiding is no longer an option.

The Wolves Are Waiting begins in the aftermath of an attempted assault, but reaches farther than a story about one single night or one single incident. What Nora and her friends will uncover is a story that spans generations. But it doesn’t have to anymore.

Game Changer (The Field Party #6)

by Abbi Glines
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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The sixth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Field Party series—a Southern soap opera with football, cute boys, and pick-up trucks—from USA TODAY bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Welcome to the Field Party. Where you bring the party to the field, where you dance all night, where anything goes. From #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the next book in this series about a small Southern town filled with cute boys in pickup trucks, Friday night football games, and wild parties that stir up some major drama.

Troublemaker

by John Cho
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
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Troublemaker follows the events of the LA Riots through the eyes of 12-year-old Jordan as he navigates school and family. This book will highlight the unique Korean American perspective.

12-year-old Jordan feels like he can't live up to the example his older sister set, or his parent's expectations. When he returns home from school one day hoping to hide his suspension, Los Angeles has reached a turning point. In the wake of the acquittal of the police officers filmed beating Rodney King, as well as the shooting of a young black teen, Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner, the country is at the precipice of confronting its racist past and present.

As tensions escalate, Jordan's father leaves to check on the family store, spurring Jordan and his friends to embark on a dangerous journey to come to his aide, and come to terms with the racism within and affecting their community.

Remember Me Gone

by Stacy Stokes
Published by: Viking Books for Young Readers
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult
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Lucy Miller's family has the unique ability to remove people's painful memories--but Lucy isn't prepared for truths she will uncover in this speculative YA debut thriller, perfect for fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

People come from everywhere to forget. At the Memory House, in Tumble Tree, Texas, Lucy's father can literally erase folks' heartache and tragic memories. Lucy can't wait to learn the family trade and help alleviate others' pain, and now, at sixteen, she finally can. But everything is not as it seems.

When Lucy practices memory-taking on her dad, his memory won't come loose, and in the bit that Lucy sees, there's a flash of Mama on the day she died, tinged red with guilt. Then Lucy wakes up the next morning with a bruised knee, a pocketful of desert sand, and no memory of what happened. She has no choice but to listen to Marco Warman--a local boy she's always wondered about, who seems to know more than he should.

As Lucy and Marco realize there are gaps in their own memories, they team up to fill in the missing pieces--to figure out what's really going on in their town, and to uncover their own stolen history along the way. But as the mysteries pile up one thing becomes certain: There are some secrets people will do anything to keep.

Ellen Outside the Lines

by A.J. Sass
on March 22, 2022
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Middle Grade
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Rain Reign meets Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the Worldin this heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons.

Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit neatly into her predefined categories. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday. Ellen only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, to help navigate social situations at their private Georgia middle school.
Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends, and cancelling more weekend plans with Ellen than she keeps. A school trip to Barcelona seems like the perfect place for Ellen to get their friendship back on track.

Except it doesn't.

Toss in a new nonbinary classmate whose identity has Ellen questioning her very binary way of seeing the world, homesickness, a scavenger hunt-style team project that takes the students through Barcelona to learn about Spanish culture and this trip is anything but what Ellen planned.

Making new friends and letting go of old ones is never easy, but Ellen might just find a comfortable new place for herself if she can learn to embrace the fact that life doesn't always stick to a planned itinerary.