Young Adult New Releases May 26th 2026
It’s the day before my birthday and what a special way to celebrate in sharing with you all my favorite things…new books! So please as a gift to me, buy yourself a book maybe one of the new releases below or any ebooks, physical, or audiobooks, through our indie bookseller affiliates Bookshop or Libro.fm – it would make me so happy and all sales help indie bookstores!
This Must Be the Place
by Kelly QuindlenPublished by: Roaring Brook Press
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, New Adult, Young Adult
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Inheriting a gay bar from your secretive great-uncle? Awkward. Trying to save it while catching feelings for the wrong girl? Complicated. From the author of She Drives Me Crazy comes an exuberant YA novel about queer joy, found family, and standing your ground.
When eighteen-year-old Louisa Wade inherits a gay bar from her late great-uncle, she figures there’s been some kind of mistake. There’s no way Uncle George—football legend and hometown hero of Rustin, Alabama—could have secretly owned a queer bar… right?
But The Frisky Cricket is real, and so is the messy legacy Uncle George left behind—including his grumpy ex-partner, Hatch, who wants nothing more than to sell the bar. Louisa may have zero business experience, but she’s determined to keep it open for the vibrant queer community that calls it home.
As the summer heats up, Louisa’s crusade puts her on a collision course with Aubrey Calhoun: the pretty, popular, and sharp-tongued daughter of Rustin University’s newly crowned football coach. The girls start off on the wrong foot, but a tentative truce leads to late nights, shared secrets, and a growing spark.
But things threaten to sputter out when Coach Calhoun sets his sights on The Frisky Cricket, scheming to replace it with a new athletic facility—celebrating Uncle George’s football career while erasing his queerness. Now Louisa must decide if she can fight for Uncle George’s legacy without losing sight of herself in the process.
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
Being Aro: A Collection of Aromantic Fiction about Love, Connection, and Empowerment
by Madeline Dyer, Rosiee Thor, Ann ZhaoPublished by: Page Street YA
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Anthology, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Explore expansive aromantic love and connection in stories across genres
These twelve stories showcase aromantic people breaking generational curses, finding acceptance, and protecting the vulnerable while highlighting the infinite ways people find connection and love without romance.
A high school matchmaker learns a lesson about love. A rebellious spaceship pilot defies his culture’s compulsory coupling. A boy magically transforms banned romance novels into living dragons. A teen immune to romance, and the zombie virus, fights to survive the apocalypse. Being Aro is full of stories throughout real and imagined worlds that cross genres and disrupt the status quo.
Contributors include a mixture of established and emerging YA writers, such as Lammy Award-finalist Madeline Dyer, Lammy Award-nominated Rosiee Thor, USA Today bestselling Kemi Ashing-Giwa, and NYT bestselling authors Kalyn Josephson and Laura Pohl.
The Last Best Quest Ever
by F.T. LukensPublished by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Young Adult
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A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this cozy young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.
Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record of anyone in the kingdom’s history. She also has a secret: her fame is built entirely on lies. Tired of the charade, she shocks the kingdom by retiring at a royal feast. But her plans for a quiet life are disrupted when her twin brother Zig bets his life that Ellinore can retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast. To save Zig, she reluctantly sets out on one last, perilous quest.
Accompanying her are Zig, determined to help despite his recklessness; Aven, her envious rival eager to prove their superiority; an ambitious bar maiden turned adventurer; and a young, magic-wielding bard. Together, they face an arduous journey fraught with mythical challenges and shifting alliances. As they search for the Elder Beast, Ellinore grapples with her growing feelings for Aven, her fear of losing Zig, and her identity as a reluctant hero.
With time running out, Ellinore must confront not only the legendary creature but also her own truths. Can she save her brother, embrace her potential, and finally decide her path?
To the Stars and Back, Volume Two
by Pegloon May 26, 2026
Genres: Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Young Adult
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The heart-pounding conclusion to the sunshine-grumpy romance that is a WEBTOON sensation--now with 18 pages of swoony new comics.
Bo Seon and Kang Dae have been neighbors for months and best friends for nearly as long. Their bond has only deepened, but Bo Seon can no longer ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He likes Kang Dae, as more than a friend, but fears confessing could ruin what they already share.
On one starry night, the truth finally comes out, and everything changes. Their feelings align, and they begin a new chapter together as a couple. Yet love, they discover, is more than a confession ... It requires trust. Bo Seon carries secrets from his past that he has never spoken aloud, retreating further into himself with each passing day. Kang Dae, determined and patient, vows to earn his trust before it is too late.
Tender, heartfelt, and honest, this is a story about first love, the courage it takes to be completely vulnerable, and the healing that comes when two people choose each other completely.
Behind Five Willows
by June HurPublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
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From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves comes a warm and romantic homage to Jane Austen set in historical Korea, about a reader and a writer who secretly fight against government book banning and find themselves irresistibly drawn together.
As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber in order to make a little extra money. It’s dangerous work, but she loves it―especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, known as Black Lotus.
When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn’t be so terrible... if it weren’t for the young man’s uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.
As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He’s kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his father’s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated couple―along with the girl's younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly...
We Could Be Anyone
by Anna-Marie McLemorePublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Young Adult
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Two teen con-artists must execute an almost impossible scam at an exclusive mansion in this thriller that's White Lotus meets Mexican Gothic - for teens.
Lola and I grew up hearing that we could become anything, but our parents hadn’t meant it the way gringo parents did. They meant it as a warning.
Lola and Lisandro are actors during Hollywood’s Golden Age, but you won’t see them on any silver screen. Instead, these siblings use their talents to scam the rich and famous out of their ill-begotten cash. They have their act down to a science: Lola plays the tragic ghost who haunts the mansions of the wealthy, and Lisandro plays the brave spiritualist who will help her soul find peace. For a small fee, of course.
The siblings have their sights set on their next target: The Coterie, the opulent estate of newspaper tycoon Bixby Fairfax and his famous mistress Blythe Bell. A score this big will allow them to move… well, anywhere but here. But this job requires them to do something they’ve never done before: switch roles. And as strange things keep happening at The Coterie… things that even Lola and Lisandro can’t explain.
As they are drawn deeper into The Coterie’s gleaming façade and tensions rise between brother and sister, one question looms over them. Will they be able to pull off their act? Or will this be their last performance?
Brimming with Anne-Marie McLemore’s signature atmospheric writing, We Could Be Anyone is perfect for readers who love:
• Queer Romance
• Con Artists
• Old Money Glamor
• Myths and Folklore
• Ryan La Sala books
How to Love You When You're Gone
by Gabriela Gonzaleson May 26, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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For fans of Ann Liang and Lynn Painter, this humorous, relatable novel gives an honest look at what it's like to fall in love for the first time--while simultaneously healing from loss.
High school senior Mayte has never been kissed, but it hardly matters. Her abuelita has cancer, her half sister with special needs has moved in, and college is off the table--family comes first. She keeps her problems to herself; why burden everyone she loves with more?Meanwhile, fellow senior Auggie is set on attending an elite creative writing program. But as the self-proclaimed most boring person alive, he can't exactly write the next great American novel when he's struggling to write a short story for college applications.
After an awful blind date ("disaster" doesn't even begin to describe it), Mayte and Auggie never want to see each other again. When forced together by their merging social circles, the pair must at least pretend to get along...but soon they develop actual feelings. Then tragedy strikes Mayte's family. Auggie feels compelled to write her story to help her process and heal--but are his intentions truly selfless? The best story he's ever written could impact the best friendships he's ever had.
How to Love You When You're Gone is equal parts heartbreaking, soul-healing, and absolutely hilarious from the very first page.
Meet Me at the Picket Line
by Jasper SanchezPublished by: HarperCollins
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Unionizing his job wasn’t on Eli Goldstein’s summer bucket list—but neither was falling for his irritatingly self-righteous and handsome school rival. Sparks fly on the picket line in this hilarious, coming-of-age rom-com that’s perfect for fans of Jason June, Page Powars, and A.M. Woody!
All’s fair in love and solidarity...
Eli Goldstein might be the only teenager looking forward to earning minimum wage at his objectively terrible summer job. Not only will he be working at the kitschy roadside museum he loves, he’ll finally have the down payment for his top surgery with a first-class surgeon.
But the museum really is a late-stage capitalist hellscape, and Eli’s co-workers—led by his irritatingly self-righteous and annoyingly attractive school rival, Efraín—plan to unionize. With his sanity and safety at risk on the job, Eli knows he has to join their campaign.
If he and Efraín can stop bickering long enough to keep their ragtag union together, they might actually have a shot. But when management begins to grow suspicious, Eli will have to make a choice: Is he willing to stand in solidarity with his friends and the boy he’s starting to fall for, even if it means risking his job and the key to his life-changing surgery?
Lake Life
by Tanya BotejuPublished by: Quill Tree Books
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, this charming, chaotic romance follows two teens who agree to fake-date when stuck together one summer in a quirky, scenic lake town.
This is definitely not how Maya wanted to spend the summer—depressed at her once-beloved cabin in Spruce Lake, and unable to avoid seeing her lifelong best friend, Rashida, after confessing her woefully unrequited love to her last year. Maya can’t decide if she wants to escape, or convince Rashida they’re still meant to be.
Gabe is sent to Spruce Lake by her mom in hopes she stays out of trouble. Gabe is NOT excited to be here. She does NOT like nature. She does NOT want to spend her summer in a tiny town with outdoorsy environmentalist types.
Gabe is pretty sure she’ll be spending this entire summer bored and alone…until she meets Maya. Together, they hatch a fake-dating scheme to make Rashida jealous and convince Gabe’s mom that Gabe has turned a wholesome new leaf.
But as the plan plays out, and Gabe and Maya contend with protests, a relentlessly concerned community, and romantic twists, they start to realize that their assumptions about friendship and love might have led them completely astray. Can they find their way through this mess without hurting each other in the process?
Every Exquisite Thing
by Laura StevenPublished by: Wednesday Books
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
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A YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates, with a never-before-seen bonus chapter! Featuring beautiful sprayed edges while supplies last.
Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School. When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers. But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . . A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.
In the Country I Love
by Alaa Al-BarkawiPublished by: Peachtree Teen
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Two Iraqi American best friends—a struggling teen father and the community's golden boy—confront dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime in this heartrending YA debut.
As a seventeen-year-old single dad and a soon-to-be high school drop-out, Yassir Al-Azzawi's lapsed Shia faith is just another thing convincing his parents he's a failure. One more mistake, and they'll send him back to their homeland, a war-torn Iraq.
Khaled Al-Hakim is perfect on paper: devout in his faith, a straight-A student, and captain of the debate team. But beneath the surface, Khaled is no saint either, and his worst sin yet is ignoring his parents’ command to stay away from Yassir.
When their secret friendship is exposed, the consequences set off a series of events that cause family secrets from both sides to come to light, and neither Yassir nor Khaled are prepared to learn the stains that taint their family names.
Told through multiple POVs across time, this authentic exploration of the Shia Muslim experience in the U.S. seamlessly combines classic YA themes of identity, coming-of-age, and relationships with timely social themes of racism, Islamophobia, and justice. This compelling, contemporary debut is perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir’s All My Rage and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.
In Case I Go Missing
by R.N. SwannPublished by: Viking Books for Young Readers
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets Fargo in this fast-paced YA mystery about a teen detective gone missing and her best friend who must finish her investigation.
Seventeen-year-old Fenny Allen has been Sarah Vincenty's sidekick for as long as she can remember. Over the years, Sarah has built a reputation in their small town as an amateur detective and a vigilante who has dispensed her own form of justice.
Now Sarah is missing. The police have written her off as yet another teen runaway, but Fenny is convinced there’s foul play. And when she discovers a binder Sarah left behind, entitled In Case I Go Missing, Fenny realizes that Sarah disappeared while investigating her biggest case yet.
With Sarah gone, it's up to Fenny and her other best friend, Sam, to finish her investigation. As they piece together the clues, they find themselves up against a decades-old mystery that links to the town's dark history. But is this binder a guide to finding Sarah—or are Fenny and Sam already too late?
The more the pair uncover, the clearer it becomes that those involved will go to great lengths to keep their secrets. And when everyone has something to hide, there are more than a few reasons to want Fenny and Sam out of the picture. Permanently.
Jin Young, In Between: A Colliding Worlds Book
by Ellen OhPublished by: Crown Books for Young Readers
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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In this follow-up to The Colliding Worlds Of Mine Lee, a boy discovers he can travel into parallel worlds to be with his girlfriend. But each time their paths collide, the fabric of their universes frays a little more. Is their love worth the unraveling of reality?
"Sincere, smart, and meta…."-Soman Chainani, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series
Jin’s whole world been turned upside down. Since meeting Mina inside her webcomic, Jin has discovered unbelievable things about his life:
1. He’s been living in a parallel universe.
2. His birth mother didn't abandon him.
3. He'll never be able to see Mina again.But then the impossible happens—Jin teleports to Mina’s world. But with every visit, cataclysmic weather threatens Jin’s world. And a mysterious lab seems way too interested in testing Jin’s new teleporting ability. Is Jin ready to risk it all for the girl he loves?
Ellen Oh, the award-winning author and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books delivers a grounded speculative fiction adventure that'll have readers swooning for the star-crossed romance.
Good Morning, Salwa (BUUZA!! Volume 1): An Original Graphic Novel
by Shazleen KhanPublished by: Abrams ComicArts - Surely
on May 26, 2026
Genres: Graphic Novel, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Cartoonist Shazleen Khan brings their Ignatz Award-winning young adult web series, BUUZA!!, to print in Good Morning, Salwa, the first of three volumes collecting the original webtoon
On New Year's Eve 1997, in the bustling city of Salwa, Zach, a down-on-his-luck phone operator, receives a misdialed call from a distressed man named Zhen which sparks an undeniable connection. Zach is thrown into a search for his mystery man that stretches across multiple cities and a tangled web of exes, missed connections, and frenemies.
Set in the vibrant, low-fantasy realm of Dawlat Al-Harir--an eclectic melting pot inspired by Silk Road history and rich Asian and African Islamic cultures--BUUZA!! is a queer YA romance that features a uniquely dynamic blend of magical realism and political drama, with a richly diverse cast and an intricate plot that explores themes of identity, family, and transformation.
This story takes readers on a captivating journey through a world where the divine and mundane collide in the most unexpected ways.
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