Today’s post is sponsored by Candlewick Press and Piper At The Gates of Dusk!
Title Piper At The Gates of Dusk
Author Patrick Ness
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Publication Date April 7th 2026 by Candlewick Press
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● Blackwell’s ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
Two-time Carnegie Medalist Patrick Ness makes a thrilling return to the world of Chaos Walking with this launch of the extraordinary New World trilogy, in a deluxe package with sprayed edges and endpapers illustrated by Jim Kay.
It’s been twenty years since the monstrous war that almost tore New World apart, and there’s a new generation on the planet. Todd and Viola’s sons Ben and Max have known only peace growing up on the family farm outside a bustling human settlement. They dream of the usual things, like school and adventure, until the nightmares begin…
A sudden sickness has infected the young people of New World with Noise in the form of their worst thoughts about themselves. Some suspect the Spackle, the indigenous people with whom humans have a very uneasy truce. Others wonder about a connection to a mysterious object looming in the sky. And then, one by one, the children of New World begin to disappear.
Ben, with his mother’s logical mind, and Max, with his father’s courageous heart, become caught up in separate quests for answers, journeys that will test their beliefs in their parents, each other, and in their very existence on the planet.
Patrick Ness makes a masterful return to New World in this timely work of science fiction, one that looks at the interplay of fear, power, and propaganda, and at the stories we tell ourselves.
I look forward to making Pop! Goes The Reader’s most-anticipated lists every single year! While being a mood reader means I’m not always able to strictly stick to a to-be-read list, it’s exciting to explore what’s being published in the months ahead. Posts like this help me better organize my thoughts and decide what I ideally want to prioritize and read first, not to mention give me lots to look forward to!
Please Note: If you’re a young adult author with a novel being published in 2026 and don’t see your book on one of Pop! Goes The Reader’s Most-Anticipated lists, please don’t be hurt or upset! These lists are entirely subjective and based on my own personal reading taste. My favourite genres are contemporary and realistic fiction, horror and historical fiction, which is why you won’t see many books outside of those genres on this list. While I try my best to remain up-to-date about upcoming releases, it’s also entirely possible that I simply haven’t learned about your book yet! If you’re the author of a 2026 young adult novel that you think might make a good fit for me and Pop! Goes The Reader, please don’t hesitate to reach out – I would love to hear from you!
For even more wonderful young adult novels being published in 2026, please check out this Goodreads list, which currently features more than 300 young adult books being published this year for you to choose from. Hopefully you’ll be able to find the perfect book for you. Happy reading!
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The publication dates listed below might be subject to change.
Publication Date April 7th 2026 by Yellow Jacket
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An inspiring, hilarious YA debut packed full of fun, forever friendships, and fighting back, perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston.
Imogen Quinn is pissed off. She’s having a sensory-overload panic attack at her first Pride parade, and her friends ditched her. Fabulous.
But Imogen isn’t the kind of girl to stay knocked down, so she ditches her bad friends and decides to start an activist club to fight for a school where everyone can feel welcome – and that includes putting on a Pride celebration that’s accessible for autistic people like her. The problem? She has no friends, no support, and no money, and her small-minded principal hates her guts.
Enter Ollie Armstrong. The openly gay, unexpectedly kind captain of the football team is everything Imogen is not. He’s popular, he’s respected…but he’s also completely miserable. His parents’ divorce is secretly eating him alive, and he has no real friends to talk to. So when Imogen ambushes him with a plan to fight against everyone who is pissing her off and a plea for his help, Ollie is too in his own head to think of an excuse.
With Ollie on board, it doesn’t take long before they are joined by the infuriatingly perfect head girl and a delightful crew of classmates who have their own axes to grind. But it’s Ollie and Imogen leading the charge and opening up to each other in ways they never imagined possible.
Inspired by this unlikely friendship, Ollie is on the hunt for answers about his parents’ divorce and his own feelings about gender. And Imogen is empowered to stand up for herself and stop taking anyone’s shit.
Between protests at city hall, confrontations at an open mic, a suspension, and the best drag football charity game ever played, it’s clear Imogen and Ollie aren’t ones to back away from a fight. Especially not when it’s for the people they love or the world they want to live in.
Fierce and funny, Anna Zoe Quirke’s Something To Be Proud Of is about advocating for yourself and finding the people who care about you.
Published in partnership with media advocacy organization GLAAD, this empowering book positively represents LGBTQ teens.
Publication Date April 7th 2026 by Union Square & Co.
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Two teens compete to win a reality show in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, but the producers frame them as rivals-to-lovers, in this hilarious YA romance perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord.
Winning is Seyoon Shin’s middle name. Okay, it’s not, but she is a winner — despite what her critical dad says. Dean Parker, on the other hand, isn’t beating anyone to the finish line. His strengths are more brain, less brawn.
When a wilderness game show with an eccentric host and a cult following announces a reboot, they both jump at the chance to win the prize. Seyoon’s competitiveness fuels a fire in Dean he’s never felt before, and his hunger to prove himself rivals hers.
To get to the finals, they realize they need each other. Seyoon and Dean form an alliance, which the opportunistic producers are quick to frame as romantic. The rivals-to-lovers angle is good for views and intimidating the competition, but their chemistry is just for show…right?
As the lines blur between friendship and romance, reality and reality TV, Seyoon and Dean can’t ignore that the finale is fast approaching — and that only one of them can win.
Publication Date April 7th 2026 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Mr. Darcy got his happily ever after in Pride and Prejudice, and now it’s his sister’s turn in this swoony queer romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.
Georgiana Darcy has only ever kissed one girl before, and the resulting blackmail almost ruined her reputation. Since then, she’s carefully calibrated her life to be as quiet as possible, focusing on books and music. She certainly isn’t planning on falling in love with another girl. But then she meets Kitty Bennet, and everything is thrown off kilter.
After a moonlit kiss shifts their newfound friendship into something more, Georgiana follows Kitty to the Bennets’ home. The visit proves ill-timed when she encounters the one man who knows her secret and threatened her with it before. Terrified of testing the limits of her family’s love and of putting Kitty in danger, Georgiana doesn’t know if there’s any chance of a happy ending.
Every etiquette guide she’s ever read makes it clear that if she wants to protect her family name, Georgiana must pretend her heart follows society’s accepted rhythm. Unless, with a little help from those who understand how it feels, she can compose the future she and Kitty both deserve.
Publication Date April 14th 2026 by HarperCollins
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New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang returns to the world of her acclaimed debut, If You Could See The Sun, as a picture-perfect influencer teams up with the bad boy after they share a vision of future.
Everyone loves Chanel Cao — except Ares Yin.
While Chanel has spent her entire life curating a picture-perfect social media personality — from her body to her hair to her camera-ready smile — Ares has spent his trying to hide in the shadows. But Ares’s brother is missing, and Chanel’s parents have secretly separated, and their only hope is each other.
Ares is willing to do whatever it takes to find his brother, and Chanel will do anything to keep her parents’ secret. When the two meet and share a vision of the future — where Ares’s brother appears, as Chanel’s house burns to the ground — they are determined to use each other. Ares believes Chanel is the key to finding his brother, but Chanel is convinced if she gets Ares to fall in love with her, she’ll save her family house — and her parents’ crumbling marriage.
But Ares isn’t interested in the fake personality that Chanel has used her entire life to get affection and adoration. If she’s going to save her reputation, she’s going to have to let Ares get to know the real her — and risk real feelings.
Publication Date April 14th 2026 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
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Opposites attract in this sweet, sapphic romance about two girls who reluctantly join forces to escape the effects of going viral.
Saylor Ford and Heaven Goo-Campbell could not be more different. Saylor is bubbly, popular, athletic, and always coupled up. Meanwhile, Heaven is grumpy and artistic, prefers her skateboard to people, and is perpetually single. So obviously, sparks fly when they must spend the entire summer together.
When Saylor, distracted by her mom’s viral video about Saylor’s coming out, breaks her arm at basketball camp, she becomes determined not to spend the summer stuck at home with the social media star. Her best escape is the girl she’s pretty sure can’t stand her but whom she finds absolutely irresistible, Heaven. Thankfully, Heaven is willing to let Saylor in on her summer plans, but for a price. Saylor has to help Heaven establish her social media presence, showcasing her art for her future career as a tattoo artist.
They didn’t anticipate the intimacy of spending each day together and the deepening feelings that followed. And their bingo scavenger hunt is now less a shared project and more a skate ramp to romance. But do the girls have a future together if Saylor is wary of bringing a relationship out into the open — too afraid that her mom’s influencer status will attract more attention than Saylor and timid Heaven can handle?
Publication Date April 21st 2026 by Wednesday Books
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The Agathas meets Thursday Murder Club in Amanda Sellet’s next YA novel, a cozy mystery with a splash of romance.
Some people visit Florida for theme parks and beaches. High school junior Virginia Tillis is there for murder. Accidents, electrocution, tainted hand lotion: every victim meets a different end at her grandmother Lainey’s rococo pink condo. Such is life (and death) when you roll with a crew of theater retirees who roleplay murder mysteries from the comfort of their own home in a game they fondly call Killing Me Softly.
But this summer, fictional murder has given way to the very real death of the building’s beloved owner and his dramatic last testament has the vultures circling, from estranged relatives to sleazy property developers, dead set on getting the most from his will.
Adding to the tension for Virginia is the appearance of Felix, the cute guy she met at the airport who turns out to be the grandson of one of the condo’s residents. With his charm and musical theater chops, he’s the person Virginia most wants to beat at Killing Me Softly. That is, until the day they discover an actual dead body while playing the game, forcing them to work together to figure out whodunit.
In this comedic mystery about finding the Watson to your Holmes, Virginia and Felix must banter their way from rivals to co-detectives in time to save their eccentric grandparents from a shocking disruption to the community they’ve always loved.
Publication Date April 28th 2026 by Storytide
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A charming and emotional standalone grumpy/sunshine romance set during a Nantucket summer, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenna Evans Welch!
Lili Gardner hasn’t been back to Nantucket, her dad’s favorite place, since her parents divorced six years ago. But Dad passed away recently, leaving her a house on the island and an unsolved mystery about a maligned Gardner ancestor. Lili is determined to finish his life’s work, and convinces her mom and sister to spend the summer in Nantucket with her while she looks for answers, and for a connection to her dad.
Wren McCleave has a passion for history, but his father refuses to showcase anything real in their tourist trap of a “museum.” So when Lili asks Wren for help with her research, Wren can’t resist the opportunity to throw himself into something real, even if he dislikes tourists on principle.
Lili and Wren only have a summer to find out the truth about Lili’s ancestor. But the most surprising truths they uncover aren’t about the distant past, but about themselves right here in the present, and about what they want out of the future.
Publication Date April 28th 2026 by Crown Books for Young Readers
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A Korean American former child actress decides to branch out and stand out in order to pursue her newfound love — stand-up comedy. Another hilarious novel from the author of Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim and What’s Eating Jackie Oh?
They say Hollywood is like high school, and has-been child actor Ambrosia Lee feels like she’s at the bottom of the social ladder. Her acting career peaked at the age of eleven — then she was unceremoniously fired from her big break due to her weight.
Now after years of rejections and backstabbing auditions, teenage Ambrosia turns to stand-up to speak her truth. It’s the perfect way to rant about everything that’s been bothering her: divorced parents dynamics, Asian stereotypes, and Hollywood drama. It also doesn’t hurt that a cute boy is helping her learn the ropes of a comedy routine.
It’s all laughs…but comedy clubs can be just as toxic as the Hollywood complex she always mocks.
Can Ambrosia be her true self both on and off the mic?
Patricia Park’s humorous new novel explores the complicated worlds of Hollywood and comedy clubs, body image standards, and what it takes to succeed.
Publication Date April 28th 2026 by Wednesday Books
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In this new mystery from CL Montblanc, the author of Pride or Die, two internet enemies are forced to work together after a true crime meetup turns into a deadly case of its own.
Seventeen-year-old Sam Tombs hopes to get more eyes on the videos they make to raise awareness of crimes against LGBTQ+ teens. A true crime content creator event seems like the perfect opportunity to grow their channel ― until the group becomes stranded at an eerie Victorian mansion, and one of them is killed in the night.
Sam’s alibi, and the only person they can trust, happens to be their mean, dorky internet nemesis Dylan. But the two must now put aside their rivalry and use their investigative skills to figure out who among the remaining teens is the killer, before their own deaths become tomorrow’s trending content.
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Simon Pulse
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A girl pledges revenge on her school’s playboy — only to start falling for him — in this hilarious teen rom-com perfect for fans of classics like John Tucker Must Die and Clueless.
There’s no one Wren hates more than Beckett Lane.
Girls love Beckett because of his famous dad, and Beckett revels in the unearned attention. It seems like everyone except Wren is susceptible to the Beckett Effect — the phenomenon that makes people, most of all teen girls, fall for him despite his glaring red flags. Unfortunately for Wren, her sister, Kennedy, is vulnerable to Beckett’s charms, and she has a huge, misguided crush on him.
When Beckett humiliates Kennedy at a party in front of the entire school, Wren swears to bring him down once and for all. And what better way to expose him than by using her passion for filmmaking to create a documentary showing just how terrible he really is?
But as Wren cozies up to Beckett to get (hopefully damning) inside information, she starts to wonder if the line between love and hate is as clear as she thought…
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Scholastic Press
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Heartstopper meets Before Sunrise in this irresistible, swoony YA rom-com about two boys unexpectedly falling in love over the course of one night in Paris.
Ben Lim is so excited for his French Club’s trip to the most romantic city in the world: Paris. Ben’s even made a to-do list of all the things he wants to accomplish, like see the Mona Lisa IRL and read a book in a sophisticated cafe. Also, Ben’s parents honeymooned in Paris, and being there will help Ben connect more to the memory of his late dad.
But things go wrong the first night when Ben misses curfew and finds himself locked out of the youth hostel…until morning.
Also locked out? Tyler Travers, the most popular and handsome boy in school. Who, oh yeah, happens to be Ben’s former friend and current nemesis.
Ben cannot deal with Tyler’s entitled-jock attitude. But now that they’re thrown together, the two of them end up roaming around Paris and stumbling upon some cool sights – like the glittering Eiffel Tower, a drag show in the Marais, and even a chance to “borrow” a moped.
As their misadventures take them all across the city, Ben fights his growing attraction to Tyler, which was NEVER part of the plan. The two of them couldn’t be more different. Besides, Tyler doesn’t even remember that they were once friends. Right?
Acclaimed author Stephan Lee (K-Pop Confidential) brings the City of Light to dazzling life in this enchanting, funny, and adorable rom-com about croissants, crushes, and kisses that’s perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Jenny Han.
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Disney Hyperion
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Three wishes. One prom queen celebrating at the Jersey Shore. And one monster who will keep killing until her wishes are paid for.
From the virally popular author of Here Lies A Vengeful Bitch, a queer feminist YA horror/slasher novel perfect for fans of You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight.
Seven years ago, Sundae Valentine made a deal with a monster she met at the bottom of a motel pool. She didn’t know the wishes he offered had a price — or that the third wish, the one she still hasn’t made, will cost her life.
Back then, she barely escaped Wildwood alive. Now, the cheerleaders and football players are headed to the Jersey Shore for prom weekend — leaving Sundae no choice but to return to the scene of her sun-bleached nightmares.
Sundae tries to forget, throwing herself into the rides on the pier, the tequila-fueled dance parties, and the guitar-strumming girl she can’t quite look away from. She hopes the beast has forgotten, too.
But there are eyes like silver coins watching from the shadows, and teeth like a rusty saw glinting in the light of the boardwalk. Because Sundae still owes a debt. And whatever it takes, whoever he has to kill, this time the monster’s determined to collect.
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Delacorte Romance
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Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp, from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!
Questing for love…
Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max — her former best friend and longtime crush — returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.
Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned…
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a “sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about an unassuming girl who learns to stand on her own while falling in love during a life-changing summer.
Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.
Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins. There’s also the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own — including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.
Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away — and why she’s brought Finley here now.
And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same — for this community or for Finley herself.
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Random House Books for Young Readers
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A native Hawaiian teen travels to a luxury island resort in search of her missing twin and uncovers the dark side of paradise, in this YA supernatural thriller that’s Mexican Gothic meets She Is A Haunting.
For the world’s wealthiest, Kōpaʻa Island Resort is more than a destination. It’s the ultimate escape. With no cell service or Wi-Fi, the Hawaiian island is a coveted wellness retreat renowned for its persimmon orchard and promises of rejuvenation.
But their dream vacation is Lehua’s nightmare. When her twin sister, Ohia, goes missing, Lehua follows her trail to Kōpaʻa to find her. Instead, Lehua is cut off from civilization — and help — after the island’s boat leaves without her, stranding her with the resort’s lavish guests and enigmatic staff.
As Lehua investigates Ohia’s disappearance, she discovers her missing sister isn’t the island’s only mystery. Kōpaʻa’s rich exterior and sweet persimmons hide its dark plantation past. And Lehua can’t ignore the dreams haunting her each night—nor the warning telling her to leave the island at once. To uncover what happened to Ohia, Lehua will have to unearth the island’s bloody history and face the horrors that lurk within its sugarcane fields — or risk being consumed by them.
Sharply observed and gorgeously written, That Which Feeds Us explores the true cost of paradise as Lehua must fight to reclaim the land, the stories, and the very souls of her people.
Publication Date May 5th 2026 by Annick Press
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A hilarious YA novel about coming of age in the shadow of climate change, overcoming cynicism, and the power of collaboration from the award-winning author of Dragging Mason County.
Ever since the best story of his career became the worst humiliation of his life, teen reporter John O’Neil has gone rogue. He has turned his nose for news toward blackmailing those responsible, namely Lance McPhee, diabolical heir to the local country club. When John learns that the club plans to expand into a bird conservation area founded by his late grandfather, he begrudgingly joins forces with the school birdwatching club to expose the scandal. And if John ruins Lance’s life along the way? He’s only killing two birds with one stone.
John races against the clock in a desperate bid at environmental espionage involving forgeries, a car chase, and a high-stakes heist. But it’s a race John won’t win without former best friend/co-reporter Rachel Miller, who just so happens to want him dead. Can this motley crew flock together long enough for their mission to take flight?
Publication Date May 12th 2026 by Delacorte Romance
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A swoony, patriotic romance with Gilmore Girls charm. Follow First Daughter Abby as she dives into a summer of surprises, small-town magic, and sparks with the boy who shakes up her world.
What if the person who turns your world upside down is exactly who you’re meant to find?
All First Daughter Abby Alzona wanted was one normal night. But one impulsive pizza order later, she’s front-page news — and officially exiled to a Wi-Fi-free country inn for the summer, along with her little sister Elle.
The inn belongs to Gabriel Calabrese’s family: he’s sarcastic, camera-obsessed, and definitely not dazzled by presidential perks (also, kind of the reason for the whole pizza fiasco). But Abby’s determined to make the most of her time away from the White House — with a summer bucket list full of things real teens get to do. Pool parties. Picnics. Maybe even a first kiss.
As she and Elle dive into small-town life, Abby starts to see what makes Gabriel tick. And maybe, just maybe, she’s falling for him…
Publication Date May 12th 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
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A swoonworthy YA supernatural romcom where two academic rivals are trapped as ghosts to haunt the same house.
They’d kill each other…if they weren’t already dead.
Tessa Sinclair is a winner. Winner of spelling bees, science fairs, and scholarships. So when she finds herself unexpectedly dead after a graduation party in an abandoned mansion, she’s none too pleased. What’s worse, her Harvard-bound, Mr. Perfect academic rival, Reed Walker, is there too ― deceased, smug, and annoying as hell.
Being a ghost is hard enough, but it’s a thousand times worse having to haunt the same house as your nemesis. But as Tessa and Reed retreat to RIP in their respective corners of the mansion, a mystery unfurls about the exact cause of their deaths.
Though they’d rather die (again) than work together, they’ll need to overcome their differences to hunt down a murderer on the loose. And should they happen to fall for each other along the way…Who ever said you can’t find love after death?
Publication Date May 12th 2026 by Disney Hyperion
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When her mother refuses entry to a stranger named Richard at her father’s funeral, 17-year-old Mira Howard doesn’t understand why. But snooping through her father’s things reveals that Richard was her father’s boyfriend — a boyfriend she never knew about. In fact, Mira never even knew for sure that her dad was gay. Hoping to feel more connected to her late father, Mira reaches out to Richard without telling her mom, who is still angry from the divorce. As Mira and Richard become closer, Mira gains more and more insight into the side of her father that she never got to see.
Grieving that she never got to connect with her dad about their shared queerness, Mira asks that Richard teach her “how to be queer” while she navigates a new crush on her co-worker, which brings her out of her diary and into the real world.
But as Mira grows more confident in herself, she finds it hard to keep her relationship with Richard a secret, questioning why her family never talked about her father’s sexuality in the first place. Soon Mira has to decide if she wants to keep the peace or honor her father’s memory by being her truest self.
An epistolary novel told through diary entries, text messages, and book reviews, In Between Days is a story about queerness, grief, and families — both ones we are born into and ones we create.
Publication Date May 12th 2026 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
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For sixteen-year-old Ellie, beach volleyball camp is a disaster until she’s paired with Sierra, an athletic prodigy who teaches her that volleyball…and love are about taking the right shot in this sporty sapphic romance.
Ellie dates the Right Guy, says all the Right Things, and acts the Right Way to avoid being ridiculed for her autism. When that Right Guy unceremoniously dumps her right before they’re supposed to go to beach volleyball camp together, Ellie’s perfectly curated world comes crashing down and she’s labeled the boring, weird girl.
Desperate to regain her good reputation (and yeah, sure, the boy…), Ellie goes to Camp SMASH, which is nothing like she expected. There, she’s paired with Sierra, a mysterious, standoffish volleyball legacy who makes Ellie’s quest to get her boyfriend back even more complicated…
Dive into this sporty summer romance full of the classics: a ragtag group of friends, a tense game of capture the flag, and a swoon-worthy sapphic love story.
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
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A sunny YA romance about a road trip and life’s unexpected turns from the author of Give Me A Sign.
Iris doesn’t trust the odds. Not when she has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the same vision diagnosis as her sister, Amelia.
When Iris travels to the east coast to help Amelia drive her things back from college, the last person she expects to run into on campus is Declan, her board game club rival, but he’s also there to drive his brother home for summer break. The unlikely occurrence results in the four of them caravaning together to Nebraska.
Iris and Declan are used to competing with dice and cards across a table, but the romantic feelings unfolding as they drive across the map are a total surprise. The odds of falling in love on the road seem low, especially amid car troubles and sister drama. Can Iris look past probability and embrace the unexpected?
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by Bloom Books
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“This might just be my favorite summer yet at Willow Creek. Lottie doesn’t know it, but I’m determined to make it her favorite too.”
Seventeen-year-old Lottie Turner was born to ride bulls.
Rodeos, big dreams, dusty boots ― bull-riding was her whole life. Until the accident. Until the diagnosis that changed everything: epilepsy. Now her doctor and her family have grounded her for good. No bulls. No danger. No freedom.
Then Walker―her former best friend, first crush, and the boy who once knew every piece of her ― returns to town for the summer. Walker’s supposed to be chasing stars with NASA, not mucking stalls, even if he really does want dirt, sweat, and saddles. He wants Lottie Turner and all of her wildness.
When Lottie makes a summer bucket list to find herself again, Walker’s the first to volunteer to do it with her. One item at a time, they tumble back into laughter, heat, and everything they left unsaid.
But as the sparks between them reignite, Lottie has to face the hardest truth of all: some risks can break you, but others are worth taking anyway.
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by Wednesday Books
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Loveless meets This Time It’s Real in this aroace story about challenging the idea that romance is the ultimate life goal and finding where you fit in when you don’t follow society’s script.
When nineteen-year-old Sasha’s first album throws her into stardom, her fans become obsessed with discovering who inspired her love songs. Except, Sasha is aroace-spec (aromantic, asexual), and she’s not interested in romance (unless it comes in the shape of a slowburn enemies-to-lovers book or a star-crossed-lovers manga). Her music is all about her favorite love stories, not her own.
After running into Kai, her estranged best friend who she hasn’t seen in two years, pictures of them together leak, and everyone assumes he’s Sasha’s muse, the “boyfriend” who broke her heart. Pressured by her label and fearing fan backlash, Sasha agrees to a PR relationship with Kai for six months – but her sense of self is put to the ultimate test. Where does she fit in a society that equates happiness with romantic love? One where even her closest friends prioritize their partners over her?
Under the guise of their faux romance, Sasha and Kai get a chance to rebuild their platonic bond and heal the wounds of their past. But when actor Asher Grish enters the scene, threatening to shake the foundation of Sasha’s PR relationship, she finds herself at a crossroads. Either she loses herself, or her career.
L.V. Peñalba’s Shapes of Love is an unforgettable story of finding the people that feel like home – even if that home isn’t what the rest of the world expects. It’s not a romance, but it’s most definitely a love story.
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Two cheerleaders find themselves inconveniently tumbling head over heels for each other in this satirical, sapphic teen rom-com that’s Bring It On meets She Drives Me Crazy.
Oak Haven High doesn’t have cheerleaders — it has queerleaders.
It’s a fun coincidence that every new varsity cheerleader since Davie Cathee took the squad by storm three years ago is — or soon comes out as — queer.
But when a rumor sparks that this season, newly minted captain Davie has been specifically recruiting queer members only, Davie is accused of “discrimination” against straight students. She’s given an ultimatum: recruit a straight athlete for the team or the funding for their competitive cheer season will take a major tumble.
Enter Kendall Hayes, the edgy, mysterious new girl. When Davie sees that Kendall has a boyfriend, she quickly convinces her to join the squad. Problem solved.
Until she finds out that Kendall’s actually bisexual…and newly single.
Now Kendall and Davie are faced with having to keep those details under wraps until nationals, which only gets more complicated when they start falling hard and fast for each other. Can Kendall go back in the closet long enough to save the squad? Or will Davie find the courage to love her new crush out loud, even if it might mean the end of the queerleaders?
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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Small-town scandals, explosive secrets, and friendship fallouts threaten to tear Clara and Reid apart ― all over again… For fans of Tillie Cole, Laura Nowlin, and Gossip Girl.
Reid Rousseau has always been a winner. Now, he’s a former state champion runner with an injury no one can know about and a college scholarship on the line. When he’s invited as the guest of honor for Legacy Weekend, a competitive tradition that welcomes high school alumni back to their small mountain town, Reid would rather run away than face his crumbling future ― and the girl who broke his heart.
Clara Suarez’s legacy can’t be failure. A year out of high school and aimless, she has one last shot at getting into her dream film school: creating a Legacy Weekend video interviewing her former classmates ― including Reid, her ex ― about their explosive senior year and the scandal that capped it off. But any time people return to the mountain, drama follows…especially when an anonymous social media account starts airing everyone’s dirty laundry.
Reid isn’t the only one hiding something, and Clara isn’t the only one with regrets. Their spark is still strong enough to set off a wildfire, but their secrets might just tear them apart for good.
Publication Date May 19th 2026 by Wednesday Books
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Rani’s summer checklist didn’t include falling in love in this sparkling romance for fans of The Summer of Broken Rules and Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.
Nineteen-year-old Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her hometown best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation – even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.
Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community – a Jane Austen style cast of ridiculous, meddlesome families – Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. Kush is pre-med; Rani plans to teach elementary school. Kush is cool and collected, bordering on reticent; Rani couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.
In Arushi Avachat’s Rani Deshpande Takes The Wheel, Rani must learn to course-correct, no matter how bumpy or windy the road – and even if it includes a detour right into love.
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by Quill Tree Books
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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?
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by HarperCollins
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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?
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
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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 Gold Standard Selection
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by Page Street YA
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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.
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by Feiwel & Friends
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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?
Publication Date May 26th 2026 by Viking Books for Young Readers
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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.
Publication Date June 2nd 2026 by Blink
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A fun and flirty contemporary YA novel between a cat café barista and a boy band pop star that hits all the right notes! The Music of Us is a laugh-out-loud friends-to-more romance perfect for fans of Kasie West, Beth Reekles, and Lynn Painter.
If life came with a playlist, Lucy’s current era would be “stressed girl summer.” While her friends are out enjoying the last summer before college, Lucy has her hands full managing her mom’s quirky cat café. But with the fancy new coffee shop across the street, how will she attract enough customers to adopt the cats — or even pay the rent?
In a desperate moment, Lucy emails her ex-best friend (and first crush) Jake Moody, who’s now the resident bad boy in the massively popular boy band the Usual Suspects. Lucy hasn’t spoken to him in years — not since he kissed her and left for auditions without a backward glance. Which she’s totally not holding a grudge about, thanks for asking.
To her surprise, Jake is all in on hosting a livestream performance to raise support for the café — and salvage his image after his most recent scandal. As Jake and Lucy work together to corral his bandmates and plan the livestream, she finds her old feelings resurfacing despite her firm intentions to keep her distance. Is it possible the old Jake she knew is still hiding under his new rebellious image?
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Publication Date June 2nd 2026 by Peachtree Teen
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A whimsical adventure full of magic, fantastical road trips, and a sapphic slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
All magic begins in stories. That’s what Fae princess Hyacinth has always been told. As the unmagical daughter of Queen Mab, Hyacinth has never fit in at her mother’s court. She hopes that if she learns about her father, who disappeared fifteen years ago, she can finally learn more about herself.
When Hyacinth and her friend Chloe — a human stablehand trapped in Fae — sneak off to a riverside night market, Hyacinth learns that her father was last seen heading to a library at the heart of a treacherous labyrinth. The problem: The labyrinth was built long ago by three goddesses, and no one has ever returned from it.
Still, Hyacinth has to try.
With the help of Chloe and a tiny dragon named Coffee, she defies Queen Mab and sets off into the wilds of the Moonshadow Kingdom. Along the way they face bandits, magical creatures, a centuries-old human who hosts an Endless Ball, and Hyacinth and Chloe’s growing feelings for each other. Meanwhile, an ancient power lies in wait at the center of the labyrinth, and it is eager to write the girls’ ending.
A lush, fairycore, sapphic YA fantasy that returns readers to the Fae world introduced in Jamie Pacton’s bestselling novel The Absinthe Underground!
Publication Date June 2nd 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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The Witch Haven meets Divine Rivals in this magical tale of a young clairvoyant who gets dragged into a dangerous game of revenge alongside a mysterious thief in early 1900s New York City.
Stella Bohdan is never alone — never — and yet she is the loneliest person she knows, dead or alive. A gifted psychic who can hear the voices of spirits, all Stella wants is to con enough people to survive on the brutal New York City streets and find a way to deal with the tragic death of her sister.
Performing seances in parlor rooms and tarot readings by candlelight, Stella is barely holding on. Until she meets Pax, a mysterious young man who offers Stella an invitation and a promise: Join a secret group of talented mystics who explore the darker realms of spiritualism, and together they will get revenge on her sister’s killer.
But how can Stella admit she is the reason her sister is dead?
In the hope of righting past wrongs, Stella joins Pax and his team of mystics. It’s soon clear there is more behind their partnership than just vengeance.
They must tread carefully though, because in the world of spiritualism, not everything is what it seems — especially when communing with the unknown.
Publication Date June 2nd 2026 by Feiwel & Friends
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From the award-winning New York Times and Indie bestselling author of Ace of Spades comes a mystery about five teen geniuses, their billionaire father, and the aftermath of his murder perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games, Umbrella Academy, and Knives Out!
Five prodigies, one dead father, a mansion full of suspects…
Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies ― child geniuses ― the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father’s impossibly high standards.
Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.
Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them ― each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren’t the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies…
Publication Date June 9th 2026 by Random House Books for Young Readers
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Being a teenager bites — literally. When a classmate develops a thirst for blood, one girl must confront her secret supernatural past before things turn deadly. Fans counting down the days to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot will sink their teeth into this dark and hilarious YA debut.
Her past is back for blood.
My goals for senior year were simple:
● Find a prom dress I don’t hate
● Spend as much time as possible with my amazing boyfriend Max (and my even more amazing best friend Sarita)
● Maybe try not to flunk history classMy plans did NOT include:
● Babysitting a newborn vampire — who also happens to be Max’s annoying (and annoyingly cute) buddy Ezra
● Fighting off my ex-boyfriend — who did I mention is immortal?
● And generally worrying about death and blood and mayhemTurning human was supposed to mean finally getting a second chance at a normal life. But ever since moving to Sunrise Harbor, Florida, nothing has been normal. What’s worse is I actually made friends here. And when my dark past threatens to take it all away, well, being mortal totally sucks.
Award-winning author Darcy Miller makes her YA debut in this wise-cracking and witty entry that brings new blood to your favorite vampire tropes.
Publication Date June 9th 2026 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Perfect for fans of Promise Boys, this gripping historical mystery follows a teenager who finds a murdered girl on her family’s California beach—a discovery that will reveal the racism rampant in her world.
Fifteen-year-old Blue Collins’s parents own the only Black beach in Santa Monica in 1929. She loves spending time there with her handsome friend Ben Clark. It’s a quiet spot where they can be alone and where Ben’s darker skin won’t be judged by onlookers — or Blue’s own family.
During a sunset rendezvous after a summer parade, the pair discovers the body of Dottie Whitehouse, a white debutante. Blue Beach is already threatened by local white property owners. Now their whole community could be at risk. In their panic, Blue and Ben move Dottie’s body into the waters of a nearby white beach.
Dottie’s body washes ashore, and it isn’t long before all eyes are on Ben. Everyone saw how Dottie teased him and how they shared smiles. And their history goes deeper than Blue ever realized. But to save Ben from the outraged white townspeople, she’ll need to do whatever she can to dig up the truth and prove his innocence. Ben isn’t the only one whose life depends on it.
Publication Date June 16th 2026 by HarperCollins
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Never Have I Ever meets Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in this hilarious and moving YA coming-of-age about a girl juggling way too many lies, one very off-limits crush, and a secret summer internship — all while steering clear of the dreaded f-word: her future.
Ezzie Ramosis a champion secret keeper. Her brilliant-professor mami and nosy abuelita don’t know about her daily ritual (wandering the art museum), her college applications (hopelessly blank), or her summer plans (avoiding the dreaded f-word, a.k.a. her future, at all costs).
Ezzie’s biggest secret? She’s interning at Sprout, the urban garden she’s stunned to discover her father founded weeks before his death. All she knows about Papi begins and ends with his dazzling scientific research legacy — but what if he dreamed of a different path too?
With seven weeks to uncover who Papi really was, Ezzie must chase down every lead, even if it means tangling with Sprout’s star volunteer, Gabe McCalister, who couldn’t be more off-limits — or distractingly cute. But as Ezzie begins to put down roots at Sprout, she learns that secrets, like seeds, have a way of growing toward the light…
Publication Date June 16th 2026 by Christy Ottaviano Books
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Perfect for fans of Rory Power and Tiffany D. Jackson, this twisty horror novel follows a magnetic young influencer who gets ensnared in a web of dark, jealousy-fueled magic.
Three years ago, Bella dumped her best friend Kerry to follow her dreams of becoming an influencer. It worked; she is Such a Lucky Girl, famous for her epic manifesting glow-up and dedicated to helping other girls be “lucky,” too. She’s living the dream — success, sponsorships, and fame. She burned her old life to the ground and never looked back.
Leaving Kerry behind. Alone. Angry.
When Kerry picks up a vintage self-help book on shadow work, she’s fascinated by the suggested rituals. Get back at those who have wronged her? Yes, please. She has one person in mind, and that girl is smiling at her millions of followers, having forgotten Kerry long ago. But there’s something attached to the book, something dark and ancient, and Kerry and Bella may not be ready for what is about to be unleashed.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Wednesday Books
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XO, Kitty meets Dash & Lily in this rom com about two teens falling in love via letters left in their favorite library books – even if in real life they think they have nothing in common.
Lizzie Wei is a huge book nerd, and proud of it. And when she realizes there is a mysterious reader who has been checking out all of her favorite books from the library, she can’t help but get a crush on someone she’s never even met. Her friends make it their mission to find Lizzie’s long lost book soulmate and convince her to leave notes for her crush. But what if the person Lizzie is looking for, isn’t at all what she expects?
Dylan Lin loves reading, secretly anyway. Ever since a bullying incident at his last school, he’s hidden his love of fantasy novels, instead leaning into his jock persona. Now he’s the tennis team captain, runs every day, and actively avoids reading. So, when he decides to start volunteering at a kitten nursery, and his super cute co-volunteer Lizzie asks if he likes reading, he says no. He never expects the look of complete and utter disappointment on Lizzie’s face.
Lizzie is certain her secret crush isn’t Dylan. It can’t be! But when he accidentally makes an obscure reference to her favorite book during their volunteer shift, she’s not so sure anymore. Can Lizzie forgive Dylan for lying? And can Dylan be brave enough to be himself?
Jennifer Chen’s Checking You Out is a contemporary romance about being true to yourself and celebrating what you love, because you just might find the perfect person to share it with.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Viking Books for Young Readers
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Fake dating isn’t just complicated – it’s competitive.
Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hip — until the summer after junior year. One ill-fated night (and one awkward kiss) ended their friendship, and after a year of no contact, fate throws the girls back together when they’re offered a last-minute spot on their favorite show — an Amazing Race analog called The Adventureverse.
It’s a chance to put their superfan status to the test, a dream come true. Except for a few snags: It’s an all-couples season, filming starts in two days, and Noelle hasn’t spoken to her “girlfriend” in a year. But Noelle already has plans to use the prize money on her ailing father’s medical expenses. She would do anything for him — including fake date her ex-bestie on national television.
Can Noelle walk a tightrope between reality and TV while juggling a pretend relationship and true feelings? Or will she get sent home empty-handed and brokenhearted?
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Delacorte Romance
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Three years since they last saw each other. Two months to untangle their complicated past. One unforgettable Italian summer.
Childhood best friends Cammie Lovett and West Jacobs haven’t spoken since their first kiss ended in disaster. Now, after getting rejected from her dream field school, Cammie is joining her renowned archaeologist mom in Italy for the summer — while secretly planning to find her biological father. Meanwhile, West is avoiding a major life decision by — what else? — crashing his dad’s work trip abroad.
When the two find themselves at the same Italian villa, their plan to avoid each other crumbles like a Roman ruin. Armed with her mom’s old journal, Cammie is determined to stay focused — until West discovers her mission and insists on tagging along. As their second-chance adventure takes them down the Southern Italian coast and through the messy details of their past, Cammie and West begin to realize that maybe — just maybe — their own history isn’t quite as ancient as they thought.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Norton Young Readers
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Reeling from the death of their best friend, two girls hike the Pacific Crest Trail in her honor in this fierce young adult debut.
Seventeen-year-old Lottie Mitchell is a liar. She might also be a horrible person ― because someone good wouldn’t have caused the death of her best friend, Val. Messina, Lottie’s other best friend, has her own secrets to worry about ― she’s running from her terrifying, abusive stepfather. When the friends learn that Val had planned to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, they set off into the desert with Val’s ashes and her beloved copy of Wild to fulfill her dream. The only problem, aside from being woefully underprepared for the treacherous terrain and the fast-approaching fire season, is that without Val playing peacekeeper, Lottie and Messina are at each other’s throats. The secrets they carry are heavier than their packs, and they’re going to have to find their trust in each other ― and themselves ― if they’re going to survive.
We Became Wild is a gripping, feral story about grief, friendship, and what it means to be a woman alone in the world.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
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A teen travels to Jamaica hoping to answer questions about her absent mother, only to discover more about her identity than she could have ever expected — and find herself caught up in an unexpected love triangle — in this dazzling young adult coming-of-age novel by award-winning author DeAndra Davis.
Jaliya Powell has never had a real adventure, a real boyfriend, or spoken up for herself. She’s never even been kissed. Despite being valedictorian of her high school class, Jaliya is used to fading into the background.
But this summer will be different.
This summer, Jaliya is visiting her uncle and his family in Jamaica. Under the guise of one last vacation before college, she plans to find out more about her estranged mother, whose absence has remained an unspoken mystery. But things have changed in the seven years since Jaliya last visited. Her cousin has his own life and is reluctant to let Jaliya in, her childhood crush has only gotten hotter and more unavailable, and her aunt and uncle aren’t everything she remembered, either. Then she meets India, who’s vibrant, gorgeous, and free-spirited. And who makes Jaliya feel something she’s never felt before.
While searching for traces of her mother across the island, Jaliya finds herself entangled in complicated relationships, tricky secrets, and a passionate new love. As she navigates this perfectly complicated summer, Jaliya must choose between who she has always been or who she hopes to become.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Norton Young Readers
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Two friends must uncover the truth about the bloody reappearance of a cryptid in this queer, X-Files-inspired thriller from the author of Bad Creek.
To save her family’s struggling ranch, 18-year-old Claire fabricates a video of her hometown’s legendary alien cryptid, Old Lucky, that grabs the attention of paranormal vloggers Lenny and Evan. Lenny is plagued with doubts about their channel’s future, so catching Old Lucky might just be her chance at finding something real.
After Evan deserts Lenny, believing the investigation to be a hoax, Claire agrees to “help” Lenny uncover the history of Old Lucky ― and preserve her deceit. But the more the girls are drawn together and the more clues they unearth, the more secrets rise to the surface. The cows are being mutilated, the ranch hand has disappeared, and the strange lights in the sky are back. Something inhuman lurks in Scarberry, where danger lives close to home. The Monsters We Made is an eerie and suspenseful exploration of one town’s dark history and the people who brought it back to life.
Publication Date June 23rd 2026 by Quill Tree Books
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Gilmore Girls meets a reverse Parent Trap in this swoony and hilarious YA rom-com from popular adult romance author Lily Chu, following a teen who, while on a group tour to Japan, teams up with a fellow traveler to keep their parents from falling in love with each other.
Ivy Yu is cursed. Her parents separated six months ago, and she’s fallen into a fog. To help, her mother books an impulsive trip to Japan (cool) on a bus tour (very uncool). Ivy should be grateful, but this summer is her last chance to get her situationship, Connor, to fall in love with her.
When they arrive in Tokyo, it’s even worse than she imagined. Ivy and her Mom are the youngest of a group of seniors. Make that two of the youngest: there’s brooding Matteo, with his single dad, Keith.
Then Ivy discovers her mother and Keith are getting close, and her crush back home is hooking up with someone else. Desperate for some semblance of control and a distraction from the heaviness she can’t seem to shake off, she makes a deal with Matteo to keep their parents apart. Luckily, he agrees — and their devious plans begin.
Dodging nosy old ladies on the bus ride through Japan, their strange partnership begins to blossom into something unexpected and exciting — but can their romantic spark survive the journey?
Publication Date June 30th 2026 by HarperCollins
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Knives Out meets Death At Morning House in this thrilling standalone mystery layered with family secrets, the whitewashing of history, and a high-stakes literary competition for the keys to a Victorian-era English estate, from Aleema Omotoni, the NAACP Image Award-winning author of Everyone’s Thinking It.
Derin’s acceptance into Cambridge University is the end of an era — just not the one she expected.
When she and her ultra-competitive Uni prep group, the Kenfield Set, were first invited to Professor Darnley’s summer ball, they planned on celebrating the group’s success, surrounded by the riches of his historical Kenfield estate — not kicking off the festivities with the professor’s will reading.
But when the Darnleys’ aristocratic children are disinherited, the students are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: compete in a Victorian, literary-inspired inheritance competition to be named the new heir — winner takes all!
For Derin, it’s a chance to help her working-class family. But the remaining Darnleys won’t take losing their stately home and its multimillion-pound inheritance lying down. And added to the mix, a mysterious note is slipped under Derin’s door alluding to a dark family secret lying in wait.
Now Derin must balance the cutthroat games; scheming relatives; and a cute Kenfield intern amid her dawning realization that the history of this inheritance might be soaked in lies…and blood.
Publication Date June 30th 2026 by Simon Pulse
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Better Than The Movies meets Beach Read in this young adult rom-com about a girl whose heartbreak pact with her crush’s brother turns into something she never expected.
Andie has had a hard year. With her parents now divorced, it’s just her and her mom at their lake house for the summer. But Andie is trying to forget about that and focus on reuniting with Patrick, her long-time, will-they-won’t-they crush. Did Andie and Patrick have a disastrous attempt at a first kiss last August? Well, yes. That’s behind them, though. This summer will be all sunshine and fireworks — literal and otherwise.
Tommy is supposed to have the perfect summer with his girlfriend, Chloe, who’s staying with his family at Big Bear Lake. He’ll finally feel like he fits in with the lake crew — something his brother, Patrick, always seems to do with ease. This summer will be all about working on his writing and being blissfully coupled up with the girl who has the most gorgeous eyes he’s ever seen.
Then Patrick shows up to the lake with a girlfriend of his own in tow and Tommy gets spectacularly dumped via text. Suddenly, Andie and Tommy are weighed down by heartbreak instead of buoyed up by romance. But who can better help you weather a broken heart than someone in the same boat?
