Young Adult New Releases May 28th 2024
How is May almost over already? June is coming in hotttt. I like to call the last release in May, get ready for Pride day, because so many of today’s releases are LGBTQIA+ titles! I know I am good and ready for Pride Month! Well back to May, you can find most of today’s YA releases are below and if you want to see last week’s releases or previous 2024 release months check out our bookshop page!
Flawless Girls
by Anna-Marie McLemorePublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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The Soler sisters are infamous in polite society—brazen, rebellious, and raised by their fashionable grandmother who couldn’t care less about which fork goes where. But their grandmother also knows the standards that two Latina young ladies will be held to, so she secures them two coveted places at the Alarie House, a prominent finishing school that turns out first ladies, princesses, and socialites.
Younger sister Isla is back home within a day. She refuses to become one of the eerily sweet Alarie girls in their prim white dresses. Older sister Renata stays. When she returns months later, she’s unfailingly pleasant, unnervingly polite, and, Isla discovers, possibly murderous. And the same night she returns home, she vanishes.
As their grandmother uses every connection she has to find Renata, Isla re-enrolls, intent on finding out what happened to her sister. But the Alarie House is as exacting as it is opulent. It won’t give up its secrets easily, and neither will a mysterious, conniving girl who’s either controlling the house, or carrying out its deadly orders.
Tautly written, tense, and evocative, this is a stunning YA novel by award-winning and critically acclaimed author Anna-Marie McLemore.
Another First Chance
by Robbie CouchPublished by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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They Both Die at the End meets You’ve Reached Sam, in this heart-stopping speculative young adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Robbie Couch that explores all the different ways love can live on after tragedy.
It’s been a year since eighteen-year-old River Lang’s best friend died in a car accident. And every day since, he’s had to pass by the depressing billboard that appeared as a result: a texting and driving PSA that reduces Dylan to a cautionary tale and River to the best friend of the dead kid at school. Dylan was so much more than a statistic, though, and River hates that everyone in town seems to have forgotten.
When he’s caught improving (a.k.a. vandalizing) Dylan’s billboard, River is blackmailed into joining the Affinity Trials — a research study that’s observing teens who are “struggling socially.” But as soon as he arrives, River’s social struggles only worsen as he’s thrown together with the last person he wants to spend an entire week with: his ex-best friend and Dylan’s former girlfriend, Mavis, who’s the only one who knows the truth about the night Dylan died.
During the Trials, River finds comfort in talking to Nash, a hot jock from a neighboring camp. Despite never having met Dylan, Nash’s charm, internal battles, and fascination with the universe remind River of his late best friend in the best possible way. As River starts to fall for the all-star athlete, feelings he never let himself explore begin to bubble to the surface. But so do bizarre developments within the Trials that make him wonder what researchers are actually studying while monitoring his every move. And when suspicions lead him to a bombshell discovery, River will have to decide just how far he’s willing to go for another chance at first love.
Twelfth Knight
by Alexene Farol FollmuthPublished by: Tor Teen
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake) comes Twelfth Knight, a grumpy/sunshine YA romantic comedy and coming of age story about taking up space in the world and learning what it means to let others in.
Viola Reyes is annoyed.
Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself.
But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched.
As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realise they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline…
Everything We Never Said
by Sloan HarlowPublished by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
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Dark romance, high stakes, and plot twists abound in this paperback original YA thriller that's perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover.
What you don't know can hurt you....
It’s been months since the accident that killed Ella’s best friend, Hayley, and Ella can’t stop blaming herself. Now Ella is back at school, and everywhere she looks are reminders of her best friend—including Sawyer, Hayley’s boyfriend. Little by little, they grow closer, until Ella realizes something horrifying . . .
She’s in love with her dead best friend’s boyfriend.
Racked with guilt, Ella turns to Hayley’s journal, hoping she’ll find something in the pages that will make her feel better about what’s happening. Instead, she discovers that Sawyer has secrets of his own and that his relationship with Hayley wasn’t as picture-perfect as it seemed.
Ella knows she should stay away but finds herself inextricably drawn to him—and scared of everything she never knew about him. Perhaps it’s his grief. Or maybe his desires, cut short by tragedy. Or could it be something twisted only Hayley knew about?
A dark, romantic thriller perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover and Laura Nowlin, Everything We Never Said explores the secrets in even the best of friendships and asks how well you ever know the ones you love.
Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil
by Lorian MerrimanPublished by: Henry Holt & Company
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Young Adult
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In this action-packed, hilarious fantasy graphic novel perfect for fans of Nimona and The Adventure Zone, Maelstrom, the demon son of an evil tyrant improbably teams up with the Hero of Virtue to take his mother down--that is, unless, Maelstrom decides to betray the Hero first.
Maelstrom is a half-demon prince pining for a place in history. (Honestly, he's just bored and searching for a way to pass the time.) Twigs is the young, prophesized Hero of Virtue fated to face him--or so we've been told . . .
But Maelstrom's mother, regent to the throne and a powerful necromancer, is determined to keep an iron grip on her domain. Bemoaning his lost destiny, Maelstrom teams up with the Hero to stop his mother and forge a new destiny for himself. What Twigs doesn't know is that Maelstrom has a cunning plan to build his own epic legend and double-cross Twigs at the perfect moment. . .
"Memorable characters drew me right into this gorgeous coming-of-age adventure that's as hilarious as it is heartfelt." --Carey Pietsch, bestselling artist of The Adventure Zone
"Maelstrom instantly hooked me. It's story that's at turns funny, exciting and always heartfelt, about wresting with destiny and identity and finding your own way forward." --Peter Wartman, artist of the Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels
Hurdles in the Dark: My Story of Survival, Resilience, and Triumph
by Elvira K. GonzalezGenres: Non-Fiction, Young Adult
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A Mexican-American teen girl dreams of winning an athletic scholarship against all odds in a Texas border town. This true story of survival, strength, and triumph is perfect for fans of Educated and Athlete A.
Twenty-four hours: that's how long fourteen-year-old Elvira Gonzalez is given to come up with the $40,000 she needs to save her kidnapped mother from a drug cartel. It's 2006 and Elvira's hometown of Laredo, Texas, has become engulfed by the Mexican Drug War. Elvira's life is unraveling around her--setting her on a harrowing path that leads her to being locked up in one of South Texas's worst juvenile detention centers.
After Elvira's released from juvie, she's resolved to never go back. That's when her unexpected salvation arrives in the form of 33-inch-high plastic hurdles. Determined to win a track scholarship out of Laredo, Elvira begins breaking into the school, alone, at 5:30 in the morning to practice hurdling. Soon, she catches the attention of a renowned high school coach, an adult man in his 30s. As they train, their coach-student relationship begins to change, becoming sexual. At just seventeen years old, Elvira experiences the dangers many young athletes face, especially those who are marginalized. In spite of these towering obstacles, Elvira eventually propels herself to become one of the top ranked hurdlers in the USA and the first in her family to go to college.
This inspiring true story of grit, tenacity, and hope traces Elvira's path as she overcomes impossible hurdles in her race to freedom.
Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
by Jennifer L. ArmentroutPublished by: Bloom Books
on October 18, 2011
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology/Folklore, Young Adult
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**Pre-order now and receive the stunning LIMITED EDITION while supplies last, featuring gorgeous purple sprayed edges. This is a reissue - the whole series is getting a new issue with a new publisher.**
You will kill the ones you love. It is in your blood, in your fate.
Seventeen-year-old Alex and her mother have spent years on the run from the Covenant, a school where the pure descendants of gods hone their powers and half-mortal teens like Alex train to kill daimons for them. But when her mom is murdered by daimons and she has nobody else to turn to, Alex finds herself back at the Covenant, where she has two options: become a servant for the pures or work twice as hard as everyone else to catch up in her training.
The second option seems like an easy choice, but everything gets complicated when pure-blood Aiden volunteers to be her personal trainer. Because not only is Aiden gorgeous, but he also understands Alex in a way she's never experienced before. Unfortunately, relationships between pures and half-bloods are strictly forbidden.
But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem. As she learns the true reason her mother whisked her away from the Covenant and daimons close in on the school, she must fight to stay alive...even if it's her fault those around her are dropping dead.
The Only Light Left Burning
by Erik J. BrownPublished by: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Dystopian, LGBTQIA+, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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What If It's Us meets They Both Die at the End in this sequel to the beloved postapocalyptic queer YA adventure romance All That's Left in the World by USA Today bestselling author Erik J. Brown.
Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Alex London, and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.
After a long and treacherous journey south, Andrew and Jamie have finally found safety in the Florida Keys. But they soon learn that safety doesn't always mean happily ever after.
Settling into life in the Islamorada colony with other survivors of the bug, Andrew believes they've finally found themselves a home, even a family. But anxious Jamie is less comfortable in their new community and is eager to return north to keep the promise they made to their friend Henri--to bring her to the colony and reunite her with her daughter. Besides, would it really be so bad to find someplace just for the two of them?
When a hurricane and a shocking betrayal force them to leave the colony in search of new shelter, it brings their tensions to a head--and puts them in the path of some old enemies. Andrew and Jamie must set aside their differences to survive once more and find a new home. But what if "home" means different things to each of them?
Stay Dead
by April HenryPublished by: Christy Ottaviano Books
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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New York Times bestselling author April Henry delivers a thrilling murder mystery featuring a teen with an assassin on her trail fighting to uncover the truth behind a government cover up, perfect for fans of Karen McManus.
Sometimes, the only way to live is to make sure the world thinks you’re dead . . .
In the aftermath of a car accident that claimed the life of her senator father, sixteen-year-old Milan finds herself adrift, expelled from her third boarding school. Milan’s mother, who has assumed the senate seat, diverts her private plane to pick up her daughter. But on their way home, a bomb rips off a wing and the plane crashes in the mountains. In her final moments, Milan’s mother entrusts her with a key. She reveals it will unlock the evidence that so many people have already died for—including Milan’s father. The only way Milan can survive, her mom tells her, is to let everyone believe she died with the other passengers.
Milan is forced to navigate a perilous descent in freezing conditions while outwitting everything from a drone to wild animals. With relentless assassins on her trail, she must untangle the web of deceit and save herself and countless others. Will she piece together the truth in time?
Don't Be a Drag
by Skye QuinlanPublished by: Page Street YA
on May 28, 2024
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Two rival drag kings competing for a crown might just win each other's hearts.
When eighteen-year-old Briar Vincent's mental health takes a turn for the worst, her parents send her to spend the summer in New York City with her older brother, Beau, also known as the drag queen Bow Regard.
Backstage at the gay bar where Beau performs, Briar just wants to be a fly on the wall, but she can't stand by when the cute but conceited drag king Spencer Read tries to put down another up-and-coming performer. To prove to him that even a brand-new performer could knock him off his pedestal, Briar signs up for the annual drag king competition.
There's just one flaw in her plan: Briar has never done drag before.
With the help of her brother and a few new friends, Briar becomes Edgar Allan Foe, a drag king hellbent on taking Spencer down. But unless she can learn how to shake her anxiety and perform, she doesn't stand a chance of winning Drag King of the Year, overcoming her depression and inner demons, or avoiding falling for her enemy, who might not be so bad after all.
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