Young Adult New Releases September 2nd 2025
Fall book season is upon us! The post Labor Day releases are here and we are so excited for so many new books, now if we can get the autumn weather on board too, it will be the perfect season for book lovers.
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Thorn Season (Thorn Season, #1)
by Kiera AzarPublished by: Storytide
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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Shadow and Bone meets The Selection in this first book in Kiera Azar's sharp, sexy, and twisty debut YA romantasy trilogy!
This stunning deluxe limited edition features:
-A unique alternate jacket design printed on shimmery paper
-A pearly white case with rose gold stamp and embossed vine pattern
-Gorgeous printed endpapers
-Beautiful custom designed edges extending the endpaper design
-Quantities are limited for this deluxe edition, so be sure to preorder now!In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre–a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.
Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she’s escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father.
Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal—and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth—and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.
With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner—and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation—Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It’s Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she’ll need to become the most vicious of thorns. . . .
By Invitation Only
by Alexandra Brown ChangPublished by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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A hard-working teen hoping to land a college scholarship and a nepo baby looking to prove herself collide at the world’s most high-profile debutante ball in Paris in this young adult romance perfect for fans of American Royals and Better Than the Movies.
Every year, a hand-selected group of young women travel to Paris to make their debuts into high society at La Danse des Débutantes, the most exclusive debutante ball in the world. Being wealthy, royal, or famous gets you into the pool of potential debutantes, but only La Danse decides who is truly worthy of attending.
Chapin Buckingham, the daughter of two Hollywood legends, is one of the lucky few chosen to attend. Chapin’s not usually a society girl, but she has her reasons for wanting to be crowned Debutante of the Year. Her chances seem good…until a fellow debutante creates a PR nightmare that has the eat-the-rich cohort calling for La Danse’s cancellation.
Enter Piper Woo Collins. As the daughter of an EMT and winner of the International Science Fair Prize with a profile in Teen Vogue, Piper is the perfect, down-to-earth person who could restore La Danse’s reputation. But Piper isn’t interested in becoming a debutante—until they offer her a college scholarship…if she wins Debutante of the Year.
In competition for the crown, Piper and Chapin have every reason to clash. But at La Danse, everyone wants something. Piper and Chapin might just need each other to go from pawns in a game to ruling the board…
Rules for Fake Girlfriends
by Raegan RevordPublished by: Wednesday Books
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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A charming and swoony YA rom-com debut from Raegan Revord, star of the CBS hit series Young Sheldon—about a young college student as she navigates her first year abroad, first love, first loss, and finding her place in the world.
Rom-com obsessed but perpetually single Avery Blackwell abandons her plans to attend Columbia in favor of spending her freshman year at her recently deceased mother’s alma mater in a seaside town in England. On the train, Avery makes a deal straight out of one of her beloved romance books with a charming local girl named Charlie: if Avery will pretend to be her girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Charlie will help Avery solve the scavenger hunt her artistic, free-spirited mother left behind on campus decades ago.
As their quest takes them all over Brighton, Avery finally starts to connect with the mother she always loved but never really understood. Before long, pretending to be Charlie’s girlfriend starts to feel like more than just an illusion. But when long-hidden secrets come to light, Avery grapples with an uncertain future and whether or not love is worth the risk.
Sisters in the Wind
by Angeline BoulleyPublished by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.
Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home” has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state.” But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.
Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,” a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.
They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.
But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.
Grave Flowers
by Autumn Krauseon September 2, 2025
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A twisty, dark royalcore fantasy that takes the courtly intrigue of Hamlet and infuses it with the vicious ambition of the Boleyn family. For readers who love Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas.
This gorgeous hardcover edition features beautifully designed endpapers and a foil stamped case!
“A sumptuously dark tale of revenge and atonement that beautifully explores the ties both duty and family use to claim us. From the first page to the last, I was dazzled.” —Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
Marry the prince, then kill him.
Princess Madalina and her twin sister, Inessa, were born attached at the hand and separated right after. That’s the only time the sisters ever held hands. The girls’ personalities have been shaped in the Sinet family’s drive to make their kingdom more than what it is: unrespectable and loathsome, a damp place where deceit fills the palace walls like mold.
Madalina is different from her family. She’s considered the weak one and only finds peace in the garden, tending her magical flowers, which are pejoratively called grave flowers because they are ideal for torture and torment. Secretly, she dreams of escape and a new life.
Then Inessa, who was betrothed to the heir of a wealthy kingdom—Prince Aeric—gets trapped in Bide, a terrifying purgatory, and begs Madalina to set her free. Now, not only must Madalina take her sister’s place as Aeric’s bride-to-be, but she also must finish Inessa’s secret mission: Inessa wasn’t just sent to marry Prince Aeric, but to kill him, too, and solidify a profitable pact with his traitorous uncle.
On behalf of her family, Madalina will need to resist the infuriatingly clever prince—as well as her own heart—if she’s to free her sister and finish the job.
Perfect for fans of:
-Enemies to lovers-Royal rivalry-Arranged marriage-Deadly games-Dark royalcore-Reluctant ruler-Bloodstained family
How Far I'll Go
by Keala KendallPublished by: Disney Press
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Media Tie-In, Retellings, Young Adult
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What if Moana broke the heart of Te Fiti?
After a devastating battle with Te Kā, Moana’s worst fears are realized: the heart of Te Fiti is in ruins, Maui is frozen in volcanic rock, and darkness threatens to envelop her beloved home. Desperate to fix things, Moana stumbles upon an island already crumbling under the blight. All life is gone, save one sole survivor—a young woman named Noe.
Moana is relieved to find another wayfarer, even if this stranger is more than a little intimidating. Better still, Noe has an idea how to fix the heart: using the tears of Te Fiti, gems infused with the goddess’s essence. The catch? The tears are said to be scattered throughout the realm of monsters.
Banded together, Moana and Noe set a course for an impossible mission to find the powerful lost tears. Will Moana be able to restore the heart amid secrets and monsters? Or will the blight overtake everything Moana holds dear?
Let's Split Up
by Bill WoodPublished by: Scholastic Press
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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A nail-biting and perfectly formed Thriller for the YA BookTok generation. This is SCOOBY DOO meets WIN LOSE KILL DIE.
When hot "it-couple" Brad and Shelley are brutally murdered in a Victorian mansion, a group of teen friends investigate.
Set in a small town where rumour spreads as fast as the fire on the day of the killings, the theory is the old ghoul who haunts the house after his own murder hundreds of years ago has finally taken revenge. As Cam, Jonesy, Amber and new-girl Buffy investigate, the rumour feels closer to the truth than they ever dared think possible, and as they enter the mansion themselves, the idea of splitting up to find evidence will prove to be either the best ... or worst decision of all...
A guaranteed page turner full of tension and twists you won't see coming! From BookToker Bill Wood comes SCOOBY DOO meets WIN KILL LOSE DIE Perfect for the YA BookTok generation
Fearful (The Powerless Trilogy #3.5)
by Lauren RobertsPublished by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
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Set during the time of Fearless, a mysterious figure arrives in the kingdom of Ilya to witness the fight for the throne and the price it costs those sworn to defend the land in this beautiful and heart-wrenching story in the #1 New York Times bestselling Powerless trilogy.
Love too grand, it kills.
Mara never intended to set foot in Ilya again. But when the king makes a life-altering decision, her interest is piqued, and Death is determined to understand Kitt Azer’s mind if he is destined to join her in the Mors.
Spending time with the king while observing the castle’s inhabitants reminds Mara that there is more to life than just death. There is love. But even the purest of intentions spur revenge and the pursuit of power. And fate will have its way with all of them—to live, to rule, to love, and most certainly, to die…
Falling Like Leaves
by Misty WilsonPublished by: Simon & Schuster
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Gilmore Girls meets Jenny Han in this autumnal teen rom-com about a city girl stuck in a quaint small town who must confront her future and her old flame while the town prepares for an annual fall festival.
Ellis has a lot of expectations for her senior year, but moving from Manhattan to Bramble Falls, Connecticut is not one of them. Yet in the wake of her parents' separation, that's exactly where she and her mother are headed.
Bramble Falls might be charming, but it's also full of distractions. Like local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend—and first kiss—who has not only majorly glowed up but wants nothing to do with Ellis.
Then there's the Falling Leaves Festival, a month-long tourist attraction run by Ellis's aunt—celebrating everything autumn. The festival seems nice and all, but Ellis doesn't have time to be roped into her aunt's enthusiastic planning. Dragged to each event, she can't stop bumping into Cooper, the one person she's hoping to avoid.
But the longer she stays in Bramble Falls, the harder it is to pretend she's not falling for this town and the people in it. As her return to Manhattan gets pushed further and further out, Ellis is forced to confront exactly what she wants for her future—and what that means for her present.
Season of Fear
by Emily CooperPublished by: Christy Ottaviano Books
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Night of the Witch meets The Handmaid's Tale in this queer Gothic horror debut set against the monstrous Bavarian forest of Hexenwald.
★"Hauntingly poetic and monstrously romantic."--Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
★"A dark and dreadful tour de force of a debut! Exquisitely beautiful and horrific."--Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
In the Bavarian village of Heulensee, women feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear. In return, it protects them from the monsters of the Hexenwald, the haunted forest on their doorstep. Born unfearing, Ilse Odenwald has felt like an outsider all her life. When the Saint discovers Ilse's divergence, it levels a threat: she must find her fear, or the Saint will devour her sister, Dorothea--the only person who loves Ilse unconditionally.
Unwilling to lose Thea, Ilse enters the Hexenwald. She hopes that its horrors will finally unleash her fear and, in turn, save her sister. But during her quest Ilse inadvertently uncovers something more sinister than the monsters that hunt her: a darkness within herself. As the forest closes in, Ilse's hopes for a normal future begin to slip away, as well as the chance to save not just Thea, but all women in Heulensee.
Bewitching and timely, this gripping debut novel is a dark fairy tale about the fate of girls and women in a world grown accustomed to sacrificing them.
House of Hearts
by Skyla ArndtPublished by: Viking Books for Young Readers
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
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Solving her best friend's murder means infiltrating a secret society, resisting a forbidden love, and running from a vengeful ghost in this sophomore novel by the author of Together We Rot.
Violet Harper knows her best friend was murdered. Even if everyone else has labeled her death a “freak accident,” Vi is sure she’d been trying to tell her something right before she died. Cryptic messages about her friend’s elite boarding school, her whirlwind romance, and the mysterious secret society she was entangled in all point to a more sinister fate.
So, Violet does what no one else seems willing to do: She transfers to the same fancy school to dig into the society’s murky history and find out what really happened to her friend. She knows the truth might not be pretty, but what she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome boy at the center of it all—Calvin Lockwell, the brother of her prime suspect and descendant of the school’s founder. He’s obnoxious and privileged, and Violet can’t deny their haunting attraction. It soon becomes clear his family is hiding a dark secret that may not be of this world, and suddenly Violet’s following her friend’s doomed footsteps down the rabbit hole. Even as details emerge of a deadly curse plaguing the school, she can’t escape her true feelings for Calvin. But loving him may be the last thing she ever does.
For the Rest of Us
by Dahlia Adler, Sonora Reyes, Preeti Chhibber, Karuna Riazi, Laura Pohl, Katherine Locke, Abdi Nazemian, Kosoko Jackson, Aditi Khorana, Natasha Diaz, Candace Buford, Cory McCarthy, Kelly Loy GilbertPublished by: Quill Tree Books
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Anthology, Contemporary, Young Adult
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Fourteen acclaimed authors showcase the beautiful and diverse ways holidays are observed in this festive anthology. Keep the celebrations going all year long with this captivating and joyful read!
From Lunar New Year to Solstice, Día de Los Muertos to Juneteenth, and all the incredible days in between, it’s clear that Americans don’t just have one holiday. Edited by the esteemed Dahlia Adler and authored by creators who have lived these festive experiences firsthand, this joyful collection of stories shows that there isn’t one way to experience a holiday.
With stories by:
Dahlia Adler, Sydney Taylor Honor winner of Going Bicoastal
Candace Buford, author of Good as Gold
A. R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, authors of the Once & Future series
Preeti Chhibber, author of Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot
Natasha Díaz, award-winning author of Color Me In
Kelly Loy Gilbert, Stonewall Book Award winning author of Picture Us in the Light
Kosoko Jackson, USA Today bestselling author of The Forest Demands Its Due
Aditi Khorana, award-winning author of Mirror in the Sky
Katherine Locke, award-winning author of This Rebel Heart
Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Book Award–winning author of Only This Beautiful Moment
Laura Pohl, New York Times bestselling author of The Grimrose Girls
Sonora Reyes, Pura Belpré Honor winner of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Karuna Riazi, contributor to The Grimoire of Grim Fates
The Deep Well
by Laura CreedlePublished by: Quill Tree Books
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Mythology/Folklore, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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In this tense, atmospheric novel where shadows flit across each page, Laura Creedle unfolds a story about legends, paranoia, and the horror that hides just below the surface. A must-read for fans of Rory Power and Cheryl Isaacs!
When April Fischer was five, the voice from the well told her to fly.
Ever since April survived the strange and brutal massacre at the Copperton mine twelve years ago, she has been in the spotlight. At first, as the subject of internet urban legend. Then, as a horror movie inspiration. And most frighteningly, as the darling of a cult that believes that on her seventeenth birthday she will come into universe-altering power.
April has unanswered questions about what really went down at the mine—most of all, what happened to her father, the foreman on the drill site, who disappeared on that day. Until the week before her birthday, when she is given a collection of documents and the words He’s alive.
As April uncovers more about her childhood at the mine, the cultists’ beliefs don’t feel as impossible as she once thought, and she begins to hope that she truly can bring her father back. But even though she never wants to go near the edge of the open-pit mine again, there are forces in Copperton who want to see her fail . . . or watch her fly.
The Ruling Class (The Fixer, #1)
by Jennifer Lynn BarnesPublished by: Bloomsbury YA
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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This mystery thriller by the bestselling author of The Inheritance Games is a gripping story of high stakes, betrayal, and unpredictable twists.
Any problem can be fixed for a price . . .
When Tess Kendrick is sent to stay with her older sister in Washington D.C., she has no idea that Ivy is the capitol's go-to “fixer,” a person who can make powerful people's scandals disappear with a snap of her fingers. Tess never thought she and Ivy had much in common, but when she enrolls at the exclusive Hardwicke School, she soon finds herself thrust into the role of high school fixer, solving problems for the children of the D.C. elite.
But secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life, and their worlds come crashing together when a scandal from the halls of Hardwicke reaches Capitol Hill. As the stakes turn deadly, Tess must uncover who's behind the power play before she becomes a target herself.
Don't miss the sequel, Lessons in Power!
Previously published as The Fixer.
Lessons in Power (The Fixer, 2)
by Jennifer Lynn BarnesPublished by: Bloomsbury YA
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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This mystery thriller by the bestselling author of The Inheritance Games is a gripping story of high stakes, betrayal, and unpredictable twists.
Knowledge is power, but secrets can kill . . .
For Tess Kendrick, a student at the elite Hardwicke School, making problems disappear runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are the children of Washington D.C. elite, even a high school election can have life-shattering consequences.
What starts out as a friendly competition soon turns into a deadly struggle for control. Tess knows better than most that power is currency, but she's about to discover firsthand that power always comes with a price and no one can be trusted . . .
Previously published as The Long Game.
The Steps
by Wendelin Van DraanenPublished by: Holiday House
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Riverdale meets The Queen’s Gambit in this fun, twisty thriller by an Edgar Award-winning author, featuring a deliciously dysfunctional family with dark secrets and shifting alliances.
Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family’s web of deception.
But ever since Ruby’s mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby’s father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby’s cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging stepmom who has two teens of her own—The Steps.
So when strange and dangerous things begin happening on the Vossen estate, Ruby sees only one logical explanation: The Steps are scheming to inherit the Vossen fortune. And as things get more and more intense, it seems like killing is in their playbook.
Luckily, Ruby has her own playbook, and she’s not about to go down without a fight. She’ll even break her dad’s rules to get her cousin back on her side of the chessboard . . . It’s time to check-mate The Steps before they can finish the Vossens off.
Secrets, lies, and lethal threats abound in this clever, quirky thriller by the award-winning, bestselling author of Flipped and the Sammy Keyes mysteries.
White Widow: Secret Sisters
by Tess SharpePublished by: Marvel Press
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Media Tie-In, Thriller, Young Adult
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Join Marvel’s breakout super spy, Yelena Belova AKA the White Widow, in a new YA espionage adventure.
On a top secret mission, top spy Yelena Belova discovers something very familiar about her next target.
Yelena is used to the brutal, cutthroat world of the Red Room—the elite, mysterious spy-training facility that raised her. But when her handlers send her on a top secret mission to the US—what they call “the American Outpost”—she finds barely capable girls who can’t even take a punch. Yelena doesn’t make many friends, but the freedom Americans enjoy gives her a glimpse of what her life could be—if she could ever escape the Red Room.
Then her mission goes terribly wrong. Now she’s on the run with an orphaned eight-year-old. It’s a deadly road trip of self-discovery, as Yelena outruns her past and struggles to save a girl who reminds Yelena of her younger self—a girl whose shocking origin ties her fate inextricably to Yelena’s.
Bad in the Blood
by Matteo L. CerilliPublished by: Tundra Books (NY)
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+, Mystery, Young Adult
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"Cerilli’s use of Faerie Disorder as an extended metaphor for neurodivergence is rich with nuance, and the world is infused with queerness and racial diversity. A cinematic and enthralling flare of fey magic." —Kirkus STARRED Review
"A viciously clever caper steeped in noir grittiness and fey chaos. Puck's Port will devour you." —Mary Averling, author of The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.In the city of Puck's Port, where motorized vehicles fill the streets and new technological marvels abound, something rotten is lurking under the surface. A violent murder at the docks seems to point to a fey killer, igniting a powder keg of distrust between the city's humans and its fey inhabitants — folks who wield wonderful but often uncontrollable magical power.
Gristle Senan Maxim Junior finds himself caught in the middle. Forced into the reluctant role of private investigator, like his late father, he's working to solve the mystery of this fiery murder . . . mainly because his sister, Hawthorne Stregoni, is a fey herself with an unfortunate penchant for setting things ablaze.
Hawthorne is part of an experimental study to control feyism but struggles to keep her powerful magic in check in a country that hates what she is. Can she and Gristle work together to find the true instigator of the murder before it's too late?
Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide
by Pablo LeonPublished by: HarperAlley
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult
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In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil War with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.
Langley Park, Maryland, 2013
Brothers Jose and Charlie know very little about their mother’s life in Guatemala, until Jose grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt. At first his mother, Clara, shuts his questions down. But as the trial progresses, she begins to open up to her sons about a time in her life that she’s left buried for years.
Peten, Guatemala, 1982
Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the armed conflict every day, but the violence somehow seems far away from their small village. But the day the fight comes to their doorstep, the sisters are separated and are forced to flee through the mountains, leaving them to wonder…Have their paths diverged forever?
Reasons to Hate Me
by Susan MetalloPublished by: Candlewick
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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"Metallo crafts interesting and realistic teens and adults, and offers a unique and nuanced view of an autistic teen experiencing high school." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A hilarious and heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent theater nerd that tackles slut-shaming, what it means to be a friend, and the power of forgiving others—and yourself.
There are countless good reasons to hate seventeen-year-old Jess Lanza, Stone Bridge High’s premier autistic theater nerd and Champion of Questionable Life Choices. Unfortunately, the cyberbullies that hounded her all summer are stuck on last year’s life-ruining mistake, the one that earned Jess the title “Boyfriend Stealing Slutbag.” To relieve the bullies of their stale content, Jess vows to dazzle them with online posts about her own ridiculous fails and embarrassing character traits. But somehow, all of Jess’s posts circle back to her friendship with Chloe—the friendship her alleged sluttiness pulverized—and the gaping hole she left in Jess’s life. As Jess chases Chloe’s forgiveness, she must confront some of her darkest weaknesses—and darker still, the truth of what happened with Chloe’s boyfriend, a story neither of them wants to hear. Told through a series of blog posts and short scripts, this cleverly staged and structured debut novel crackles with spot-on dialogue, features a range of fully developed neurodiverse characters, and sharply evokes high school in all its hilarious and agonizing complexity.
Nettle (Faery Realms, #1)
by Bex HoganPublished by: Tundra Books (NY)
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology/Folklore, Young Adult
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Inspired by faery myth and folklore, the haunting, heart wrenching tale of a girl called Nettle in a dark, foreboding faery kingdom.
A wild misfit in the human world, Nettle is enthralled by the glamour of the faery realm, with its two moons and scarlet stars. She grows close to Conor, a human stolen centuries before, and she also falls under the spell of mysterious Ellion, a Shadow Faery. To try to help her beloved grandmother who is fading in her world, Nettle makes a pact with the faery king. He'll heal her grandmother in exchange for Nettle completing three tasks. She agrees, not realising that deception lurks in this enchanted place, and that she has been tricked…
In this dangerous fantasy kingdom Nettle discovers, too late, her part in an age-old love story and the price she will pay.
Girl, Goddess, Queen
by Bea FitzgeraldPublished by: Sourcebooks Fire
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult
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To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...
Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.
Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.
But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .
A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok superstar.
When We Were Monsters
by Jennifer NivenPublished by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
on September 2, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes “a standout dark academia thriller” (e. lockhart, author of We Were Liars) about the monsters who walk among us—even in the glittering upper echelons of society.
A dead teacher at an elite boarding school. Four students who had every reason to want her gone. Who is the monster?
At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school’s founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.
Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there—Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling—but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam’s unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .
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