Young Adult New Releases September 5th 2023

Welcome to the first New Release Tuesday of September! Is everyone ready for all the fall reading?! It is literally my favorite season of the year, and not just because a bunch of books are releasing! I love the cozy reading weather, the warm beverages, the leaves falling…if you live somewhere that has deciduous trees that is…anyways check out most of the YA books hitting shelves today below! With over 20 books there’s something for everyone!

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

by Andrew Joseph White
Published by: Peachtree Teen
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, Young Adult
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New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time!

A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare.

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness--a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness--and shipped away to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton's innards and expose its guts to the world--so long as the school doesn't break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White's much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

This Winter

by Alice Oseman
Published by: Scholastic Press
on November 5, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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A very special Heartstopper story set over a challenging holiday season...

Reuniting Tori Spring, her little brother Charlie, and Charlie's boyfriend Nick, this novella sees the Spring siblings brave a particularly difficult festive season.

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Straight Expectations

by Calum McSwiggan
Published by: Union Square Co.
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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The brilliant debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan!

Seventeen-year-old Max has always been out, proud and just a little spoiled. Frustrated by the lack of romantic options in his small-town high school, during an argument with his lifelong best friend Dean, Max lashes out and says he wishes he had never been born gay.

Max gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up to find his wish has come true - not only have his feelings for boys vanished, but so has Dean.

With his school life turned upside down and his relationship with his family in tatters, Max sets out on a journey of rediscovery to find a way back to the life he took for granted, and the romance he thought he'd never have.

A deliciously romantic YA debut that's What If It's Us and One Last Stop!

The Library of Shadows

by Rachel Moore
Published by: HarperTeen
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
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Funny, moving, and heart-achingly real, this romantic romp and paranormal romcom debut--through a haunted library with trapdoors, ghosts, and memories--is full of great love that triumphs over even death, perfect for fans of Ninth House and Cemetery Boys.

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.
But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe--probably--definitely--a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next.

There's No Way I'd Die First

by Lisa Springer
Published by: Delacorte Press
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Debut author Lisa Springer delivers a spine-tingling contemporary horror that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash on her family's estate but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly party game.

Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Thus, who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island? And with the guest list including the coolest kids in her senior class, her popularity is bound to spike. Hopefully, enough to warrant an expansion into podcasting. Plus, the fact that attractive, singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell is coming is honestly the candy corn on top. Nothing is going to kill her party vibes.

Except...maybe the low-budget It clown she hires to lead a classic round of tag. He's supposed to be terrifying, though in a comforting, nostalgic way. Instead, the guy is giving major creeps. But maybe Noelle's just that good at hosting? Her confidence is immediately rocked when the night's entertainment axes one of her guests. And he's not done yet. If an evil, murderous clown thinks life is a game, then Noelle is ready to play. She's been waiting a long time to prove that she's a Final Girl.

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix (Remixed Classics)

by Cherie Dimaline
Published by: Feiwel Friends
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Historical Fiction, Retellings, Young Adult
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From award-winning and acclaimed author of The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline, comes an enchanting story of family, healing, and girls reclaiming control of their own lives, part of the Remixed Classics series.

Mary Lennox didn’t think about death until the day it knocked politely on her bedroom door and invited itself in. When a terrible accident leaves her orphaned at fifteen, she is sent to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with an uncle she's never met.

At first the impassive, calculating girl believes this new manor will be just like the one she left in Toronto: cold, isolating, and anything but cheerful, where staff is treated as staff and never like family. But as she slowly allows her heart to open like the first blooms of spring, Mary comes to find that this strange place and its strange people—most of whom are Indigenous self-named "halfbreeds"—may be what she can finally call home.

Then one night Mary discovers Olive, her cousin who has been hidden away in an attic room for years due to a "nervous condition." The girls become fast friends, and Mary wonders why this big-hearted girl is being kept out of sight and fed medicine that only makes her feel sicker. When Olive's domineering stepmother returns to the manor, it soon becomes clear that something sinister is going on.

With the help of a charming, intoxicatingly vivacious Metis girl named Sophie, Mary begins digging further into family secrets both wonderful and horrifying to figure out how to free Olive. And some of the answers may lie within the walls of a hidden, overgrown and long-forgotten garden the girls stumble upon while wandering the wilds...

See You on Venus

by Victoria Vinuesa
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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The runaway romance soon to be a major motion picture starring Virginia Gardner and Alex Aiono! Two star-crossed teens embark on a journey to Spain to discover the meaning of love, death and everything in between.

Mia has had a heart condition her whole life. She's not afraid of dying but something has always stopped her from her biggest fear: tracking down her biological mother in Spain...until now. Before her next surgery, Mia wants to meet the woman who gave her away once and for all.

Kyle has always been the life of the party...that was until the car accident that killed his best friend. Since then he's been reeling with guilt and willing to do just about anything to escape his reality.

After a twist of fate, Mia and Kyle meet and make the decision to travel to Spain together in search of answers they both desperately need to mend their broken hearts...but did the universe bind them together to change how they feel about death and love forever?

Midnight at the Houdini

by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Delacorte Press
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
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A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, she'll be trapped there forever unless she's able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

Life has gone according to plan for Anna--she stays in the background, letting her sister, Emily, shine in the spotlight. But on Emily's wedding night, Anna learns that her sister is moving away, abandoning her--and all their shared dreams. Devastated, Anna leaves the reception in the middle of a raging storm, taking shelter in a hotel she's never seen before: the Houdini.

The Houdini is a hotel unlike any other, with sumptuous velvet couches, marble tiled floors, secret restaurants, winding passageways, and an undercurrent of magic in the air. And when Anna meets Max, who has lived his entire life inside its walls, she's captivated. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But there's a terrifying secret hidden in the Houdini. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped there forever unless she can find a way to break free from its dreamlike magic. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Enchanting, mysterious, and utterly fantastic, Midnight at the Houdini will cast its spell on you.

Maybe Meant to Be

by K.L. Walther
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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EIf Charlie and Sage are meant to be, why can't Sage stop kissing Charlie's brother?

And why can't Charlie stop thinking about kissing the new boy at school?

Everyone at the Bexley School believes that Sage Morgan and Charlie Carmichael are meant to be. Even though Charlie seems to have a new girlfriend every month, and Sage has never had a real relationship, their friends and family all know it's just a matter of time until they realize that they are actually in love.

When Luke Morrissey shows up on campus his presence immediately shakes things up. Charlie and Luke are drawn to each other the moment they meet, giving Sage the opportunity to spend time with Charlie's twin brother, Nick.

But Charlie is afraid of what others will think if he accepts that he has much more than a friendship with Luke. And Sage fears that if she lets things with Nick get too serious too quickly, they won't be able to last as a couple outside of high school and miss their chance at forever. The duo will need to rely on each other and their lifelong friendship to figure things out with the boys they love.

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose (Enola Holmes, #9)

by Nancy Springer
Published by: Wednesday Books
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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In May of 1890, Enola Holmes is finally fully on her own and, no longer hiding from her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, attending classes and occasionally pursuing her chosen profession as a scientific perditorian, a finder of lost things and people.

Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission - to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling - bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Convinced that evil has befallen Balestier, at the hands of rival American publishers who pirate the works of English authors, he sets the elder Holmes on the trail.

But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own - determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can book publishing truly be so ruthless and deadly or can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones?
The redoubtable Enola is determined to do just that, even if it means working with her brother Sherlock!

Storm of Olympus (Daughter of Sparta, #3)

by Claire M. Andrews
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
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In this heart-pounding conclusion to the Daughter of Sparta series, Daphne must face her past, her deepest fears, and an enemy who can defeat even the all-powerful gods of Olympus in this epic reimagining of classic Greek mythology, for fans of Circe.

After fighting in the Trojan War against her own people and finally facing the Goddess of Darkness, Nyx, Daphne finds herself stranded on the island of Aeaea, where Circe has spent her days. As Daphne struggles to regain her will to fight as well as rein in the new abilities that have been thrust upon her, she reels from the horrendous sacrifice she had to make and her own failure in the battle for Troy.

Memories plague her--of her family, of her shortcomings, of her lover, Apollo, and the secrets he and the gods keep--and as the days turn into months, she is unable to escape the island and return to the fight against the Titans. The fight that she knows continues on without her, and is ripping the world apart because of her.

As Daphne begins to uncover who she is and what her dangerous and powerful lineage truly means, the hope of entire kingdoms rests on her shoulders. But it has been prophesized that she will bring about the ruin of Olympus and the downfall of Sparta, just as she was the destruction of Troy. Now, as she watches her terrible destiny coming true, she must become a hero to rival those of legends and save the gods, her people, and the world. Or she will watch it all burn around her.

Claire M. Andrews has crafted a jaw-dropping conclusion to an epic series that gives women a powerful place among Greek mythology, flipping the world of gods and goddesses on its head. This breakneck race to the finish line will have readers devouring its pages late into the night with one mind blowing twist after another, in a finale fit for a heroine who rivals any Ancient Greek hero.

Tales of Light and Life (Star Wars: The High Republic)

by Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang, Daniel José Older, George Mann, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule
Published by: Disney Lucasfilm Press
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Anthology, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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Thrilling short stories featuring fan favorite characters from the beloved High Republic series each written by a New York Times bestselling author.
The High Republic authors share unmissable short stories that bridge Phases, resolve mysteries, and offer tantalizing hints of what is to come.

Rejoin the adventures of the Jedi and Padawans, Pathfinders and Path members, heroes and villains ahead of the launch of Phase III.Authors:
Zoraida C�rdova, Tessa Gratton, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel Jos� Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule

All That Shines

by Ellen Hagan
Published by: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Genres: Contemporary, In Verse, Young Adult
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A contemplative novel in verse that questions what it means to lose everything you once treasured and rediscover yourself, falling in love along the way.

Chloe Brooks has only ever known what it's like to have everything. Her parents' wealth and place in society meant she had all she wanted, and friends everywhere she turned. Until it all crashes down: Her father is arrested in the middle of the night, under investigation for fraud.

Bankrupt and facing foreclosure, Chloe must forgo her lavish summer plans as she and her mom are forced to move into one of the rundown apartments they still own, just outside Lexington, Kentucky. Without her riches, Chloe loses her friends, her comfort, her confidence, and her sense of self, unsure of who she is and if she is even worth anything if she nothing to offer.

To Chloe's surprise, she bonds with her neighbors, Clint, Skye, James, and Natalia, and they introduce her to the side of Kentucky she's long ignored. Her new friends are the only ones who see her for who she truly is, but will they stay by her side once they discover her family's true identity, or will Chloe lose them, too?

In her signature captivating verse, Ellen Hagan encapsulates the hesitant joy of reshaping your identity and rediscovering yourself.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass: The Graphic Novel

by Meg Medina, Mel Valentine Vargas
Published by: Candlewick Press
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Young Adult
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Newbery Medalist Meg Medina returns to her powerful YA novel about school bullying with a dynamic graphic-novel edition adapted and illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas.

It’s the beginning of sophomore year, and Piedad “Piddy” Sanchez is having a hard time adjusting to her new high school. Things don’t get any easier when Piddy learns that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Rumor has it that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latina enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first, Piddy is more concerned with learning about the father she’s never met, navigating her rocky relationship with her mom, and staying in touch with her best friend, Mitzi. But when the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang takes over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off from those who care about her—or running away? More relevant than ever a decade after its initial publication, Mel Valentine Vargas’s graphic novel adaptation of Meg Medina’s ultimately empowering story is poised to be discovered by a new generation of readers.

Every Star That Falls

by Michael Thomas Ford
Published by: HarperCollins
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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This much-anticipated sequel to the acclaimed fan-favorite novel Suicide Notes is a funny, touching look at what happens when you give up trying to be someone people want you to be and become exactly who you are.

Jeff spent forty-five days in the psych ward of a hospital after a suicide attempt. Now that he's home and has accepted that he's gay, he's ready to reenter his life feeling stronger and more comfortable being his true self than ever before.

But it's hard to come back to an old life when you have a new perspective on it. Returning to school is complicated, and his mother's anxiety isn't helping. Jeff will also have to figure out how to reconnect with his best friend, Allie, whose boyfriend he kissed before he went to the hospital. To make things even more complicated, a fellow patient from the ward suddenly appears at school, which brings up all kinds of mixed emotions for Jeff.

Luckily, he's got new friends from a local community center for queer youths to help him through it all. And some may turn out to be more than just friends...

Everyone's Thinking It

by Aleema Omotoni
Published by: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
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Mean Girls meets Dear White People in this big-hearted, sharp-witted UK boarding school story about family, friendship, and belonging—with a propulsive mystery at its heart.
Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera.

For Iyanu’s estranged cousin, Kitan, life seems perfect. She has money, beauty, and friends like queen bee Heather. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place—and the protection she gets—within the exclusive popular crowd.

Then photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school the week before the Valentine’s Day Ball—each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of being the one behind it all start to feel like déjà vu.
Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever.

Dead Man's Float

by Shawn Sarles
Published by: Scholastic Press
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult
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Whatever you do, don’t swim alone. In his next YA horror, Indie bestselling author Shawn Sarles dives into the terrifying myth behind the dead man’s float.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes it even kills.

Seven years ago, Sam watched her friend drown. The water, and the fact that Sam couldn’t save her, has haunted her ever since. But what she didn’t see that day was the hand that had reached out for her friend, wrenching her beneath the water.

Now, as Sam gets ready for varsity pre-season on the school swim team, she vows once again not to let the fear of the water bring her down into its depths. But when the upperclassmen take the girls to the abandoned neighborhood pool called the Graveyard for their yearly hazing ritual, a seemingly harmless prank will set off a catastrophic chain of events. It will unleash a spirit, a ghost that has unfinished business both in the pool and outside of it, intent on finding its killer.

On this team, they all have a secret. They all have a motive.
The truth can set them three, if it doesn't bury them first.

Suddenly a Murder

by Lauren Muñoz
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Seven friends throw a 1920s-themed party, where it's all pretend--until one of them is murdered. One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out in this killer locked-room mystery.

Someone brought a knife to the party.

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s-themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds--until Kassidy's boyfriend turns up dead.

Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There's the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The old friend, forlorn. The new friend, distressed. The brooding enigma. And then, there's Izzy--the girl who brought the knife.

To find the killer, everyone must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.

Phoebe's Diary

by Phoebe Wahl
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Young Adult
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Drawn from real life, here is a bracingly honest illustrated diary of a teenage girl that captures the explosive turmoil and joy of adolescence.

Meet Phoebe. She's cool and insecure, talented and vulnerable, sexy and awkward, driven and confused, ecstatic and tragic.

Like you.

And here is her diary, packed full of invaluable friends and heartbreaking crushes, spectacular playlists and vintage outfits, drama nerds and art kids, old wounds and new love. Based on her own teenage diary, Phoebe Wahl has melded truth with fiction and art with text, casting a spell that brings readers deep into the experience of growing up.

Have You Seen My Sister?

by Kirsty McKay
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Gaia Gill is the last person in the world anyone would expect to go missing. Beautiful, athletic, and recently accepted to a prestigious college, she has everything to look forward to—but the night of her going-away party at the Moon Mountain ski resort, she disappears.

Gaia's younger sister Esme is supposed to be flying back to England with her family after the party, but she can't leave with Gaia missing—especially because nobody remembers Gaia leaving the party. Or if they do, they're not saying. Everyone at the lodge has their own secrets: the little rich girl, the ex-boyfriend, the ski instructor, the failed reality star.

Esme's out of her depth searching the dark, dangerous forests and icy slopes of Moon Mountain, until she teams up with a local boy who promises to help her. The clock is ticking, and it's down to Esme to piece the clues together and work out who—if anybody—is telling the truth.

The Fallout (The Warning, #2)

by Kristy Acevedo
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
on September 5, 2023
Genres: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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They chose survival...but at what cost? A fast-paced, empowering YA dystopian novel for anyone who's ever felt betrayed, then came back stronger. The sequel to The Warning.

Senior year would have been stressful enough without an apocalypse. When the holograms arrived, allegedly offering safe passage to those who stepped through their vertexes, Alexandra Lucas thought going or staying would be the hardest decision of her life. She was wrong.

Because she is the one person who knows the truth, a truth that will change everything: the holograms lied.

Alex can't deny this new world is mesmerizing. Holo technology lets her customize everything from her clothes to her surroundings. But she can't let it distract her from searching for her boyfriend, best friend, and brother. They need to know what happened. Because there's a rebellion brewing, and every utopia has a breaking point.

What price must they all pay to survive?