It’s safe to say that 2018 was a pretty strong year for young adult literature and it looks like 2019 is more than happy to follow in its footsteps (and possibly even show its predecessor up a little?) From Les Misérable retellings to murdered DJ’s to teens taking on the patriarchy, 2019 is promising yet another incredible year for YA literature.
In alphabetical order, with release dates when available, here are over 100 already announced titles you’re going to need on your TBR asap.
A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause – A high stakes fashion competition in the realm of Project Runway, set in a reimagined nineteenth century Europe? Yeah, we’re in. (July 2019)
A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai – Simi Sangh comes from a long line of Indian vichole (matchmakers) but when she creates a match making app to help her best friend, the last thing she expected was to turn the school hierarchy upside down after connecting a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys’ soccer team. SO CUTE. (November 2019)
A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson – Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Code Name Verity in this heartbreaking and poignant thriller, following two gay teens as they decide how far they are willing to go―and who they are willing to become―in order to survive. (April 2019)
All Of Us With Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil – A mythology-inspired post-punk San Francisco fairy tale where being queer is the norm. When Seventeen-year-old Latinx governess, Xochi, and tween genius, Pallas, perform a ritual that unintentionally summons the Waterbabies, Xiochi’s new life and past traumas collide. (June 2019)
All The Invisible Things by Orlagh Collins – If, like us you were big fans of No Filter, Orlagh’s latest release is the perfect story about a young woman navigating the world today and what it’s like to find a connection above all the noise. (March 2019)
Belly Up by Eva Darrows – With one reviewer describing Belly Up as ‘Juno meets Gilmore Girls‘, we’re 100% ready to read this now, please. (April 2019)
Birthday by Meredith Russo – Two teens are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. Birthday visits them once a year on their shared birthday, as they grow up, grow apart and come back together. For those who loved Russo’s debut, If I Was Your Girl, this sounds like a must read. (May 2019)
Black Enough: Stories of Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi – Featuring work from an array of beloved YA authors including Ibi Zoboi, Jason Reynolds, Renée Watson, Brandy Colbert and Jay Coles, Black Enough delves into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across America, this sounds utterly wonderful. (January 2019)
Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao – A dark Anastasia retelling? Set in a world where the princess is the monster? We’re intrigued… (June 2019)
Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson – “I wasn’t depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and gay.” A memoir about depression, anxiety, and being queer. (May 2019)
By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery – Torrey learns on the day he moves into his college dorm that the apiary his uncle willed him is about to be seized. As he balances the beauty and the burden of his past with the promises of his future, Torrey will have to battle against the forces of gentrification while hundreds of miles from his L.A. home. (October 2019)
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer – When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care. (June 2019)
Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Brien – Only girl on a hockey team, new found fame and a forbidden romance with the bossy team captain… This is sending some major She’s The Man vibes and we’re not even slightly mad about it. (March 2019)
Color Me In by Natasha Diaz – Based on the author’s own story, Color Me In is about Nevaeh, a mixed-race Jewish girl, as she struggles with discovering who she is and where she fits within the two opposite worlds her life was torn into after her parents separation. (August 2019)
Color Outside The Lines edited by Sangu Mandanna – A YA anthology centred around interracial relationships and the complicated, rewarding and sometimes hilarious dynamics between friends, family, and first loves. Featuring work from the likes of Anna-Marie McLemore, Elsie Chapman, Karuna Riazi, Lydia Kang, L.L. McKinney, Lori M. Lee, Lauren Gibaldi, Tara Sim, Eric Smith, Caroline Tung Richmond, Kelly Zekas, Tarun Shanker, Samira Ahmed, Adam Silvera & Michelle Ruiz Keil, this couldn’t sound more perfect. (Fall 2019)
Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks – A feud between two families who’s descendants created one of the greatest comic book franchises of all time, forbidden romance and geekery loosely based on Romeo & Juliet. What more could a Marvel & literary fan want? (February 2018)
Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera – The moment it was decided that “the fiercest all-girl crew” and “violent throw downs” were to be used in the summary for this upcoming dystopia, was the moment we lost control in our need for it. (March 2019)
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite – After high school journalist Alaine gets booted from her elite private school when a prank goes awry, she accepts an invitation from her aunt to spend her suspension at the family’s estate in Haiti – where her estranged mom is recuperating from a political fiasco. It’s whilst working for aunts start up, helping native kids in need, that she finds exactly what she needs to not only save her academic standing, but also help her finally know the mother she’s never really understood. (September 2019)
Descendent of the Crane by Joan He – When a book has a cover as stunning as this ones, is described as a’ Chinese inspired Game of Thrones‘ and has a summary starting with “Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.”, you know you’re in for a ride. (April 2019)
Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno – This is being pitched as Gilmore Girls meets To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, meets Practical Magic and follows a Cuban-American teen who’s cursed by the sea. Need I say more? (May 2019)
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee – We’re always here for a kickass female journalist defying society’s ‘rules’ of gender and race and by the sounds of it, this historical fiction is going to give us exactly that. (August 2019)
Dust Boy, Ash Girl by Andy Fukuda – “The story of two unlikely teenaged pen pals: a Japanese American boy in Seattle and a French Jewish girl in Paris, at the turn of World War II.” (2019)
Enchantée by Gita Trelease – “Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians…” As Audrey Hepburn once said, “Paris is always a good idea.” (February 2019)
Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen – Fake dating, friends to lovers and enemies to lovers are equally wonderful tropes in their own right. This book seemingly combines all three. We’re 100% sold. (May 2019)
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills – “Country stars, revenge plots, and a few fake kisses (along with some excellent real ones)” aka, the recipe for an utterly adorable read. (January 2019)
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith – If you’ve read any of Jennifer’s previous novels, you’ll know she’s no stranger to a brilliantly crafted romance and we have no doubt this cross country train trip rom-com will continue her streak of making our hearts squee. (May 2019)
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett – Born HIV positive, Simone Garcia-Hampton is a black teen raised by loving queer parents. Full Disclosure follows Simone as she navigates fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love—and lust—for the first time. (September 2019)
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young – When a book is described as Handmaids Tale meets Stepford Wives, you know you’re going to have to read the book. (March 2019)
Going Off-Script by Jen Wilde – “A TV writer’s room intern must join forces with her crush to keep her boss from ruining a lesbian character.” Can May hurry up already?! (May 2019)
Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro & Emily Henry – Best friends, revenge, car theft and a road trip to escape the men controlling their lives. This may just be the Thelma & Louise YA novel of our dreams. (August 2019)
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins – After all the royal hubbub of 2018, this adorable, f/f royal rom-com is exactly what the world needs. (May 2019)
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan – When Becky Albertalli (author of Love, Simon) tells you to read a book, saying “I’m wrecked with love for this funny, joyful, bighearted book.” You read the book, especially when it’s an f/f rom-com featuring a bi main character working as a hot dog. (April 2019)
How Not to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee – Prom-posals, m/m fake dating and drawing narwhals all tie into this book and that can only mean great things. (April 2019)
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters – “Everyone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He’s the out-and-gay, super-likable guy that people admire for his confidence. The only person who may not know Remy that well is Remy himself. So when he is assigned to write an essay describing himself, he goes on a journey to reconcile the labels that people have attached to him, and get to know the real Remy Cameron.” SOLD. (September 2019)
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love edited by Elsie Chapman & Caroline Tung Richmond – The only thing better than an anthology of short stories about food and the deeper meaning it can take on beyond simply nourishment, is one featuring stories from 13 YA authors, including Sandhya Menon, Adi Alsaid, S.K. Ali and Anna-Marie McLemore. (June 2019)
I Hold Your Heart by Karen Gregory – Karen Gregory is no stranger to the YA scene after stunning us all with her heartwarming and heartbreaking, ‘Skylarks’. Now she’s back with her latest novel, ‘I Hold Your Heart‘. Showing how fast a relationship can spiral to being controlling and obsessive. (July 2019)
I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Rishi – Three very different teens wait to hear Earths fate, after it’s learned that humanity on Earth is a grand experiment, an experiment that its mother planet may decide to end in seven days. Conspiracy theory fans might want to get on this. (October 2019)
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn – Not only do the cover and the name for this book defy the realms of cuteness, the main character is a Japanese-American fashionista who travels to Japan and falls for “a med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot”. (May 2019)
I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest – Featuring a ballerina on secret road-trip, an annoying but cute next-door neighbour and his smelly dog, this is bound to be the perfect summer read. (June 2019)
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver – Following a nonbinary teen during the aftermath of being thrown out of their house due to coming out to their parents, I Wish You All the Best explores sexuality, love, loss and mental illness in what Alice Oseman, author of I Was Born For This, described as “A soft, sweet, and incredibly important story about a non-binary teen finding their voice.” (May 2019)
If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann – Diners, matchmaking, small towns and televised cooking competitions come together in Claire Kann’s novel following Winnie, a queer black fat girl in a committed queerplatonic relationship, as she finds herself falling in romantic love with someone else for the first time. If Kann’s debut, Let’s Talk About Love, is anything to go by, this book is going to be all kinds of amazing. (June 2019)
In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen – Music, parental expectations and new friendship dynamics take centre stage in Deen’s exploration of the social and cultural struggles of life as a Guyanese teen in an immigrant household. (April 2019)
Internment by Samira Ahmed – “Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp’s Director and his guards.” (March 2019)
It’s A Whole Speil edited by Katherine Locke & Laura Silverman – With Jewish authors writing stories featuring Jewish protagonists, who are diverse in sexuality, ability, race, and level of religious observance, this anthology is bound to be superb. Especially considering it features contributions from authors David Levithan, Nova Ren Suma and more YA authors. (Fall 2019)
Keep This To Yourself by Tom Ryan – An LGBTQ thriller about a teen using cryptic messages left by his murdered best friend to track down a serial killer, who may not be the random drifter authorities previously thought? Yes please. (May 2019)
Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu – I don’t know what inspired Marie Lu to write about a magical imp granting Mozarts sister her secret wish but I’m ready to find out. (2019)
Kings, Queens and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju – “Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies” This could’t sound like more fun even if it tried. (May 2019)
Last Night at the Telegraph Center by Melinda Lo – Set in 1950s San Francisco, Last Night at the Telegraph Centre explores love, duty and the complicated overlap between the city’s Chinese-American and LGBTQ communities and it sounds fantastic. (2019)
Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson – “Let Me Hear a Rhyme tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he is still alive.” Sign us up! (May 2019)
Let’s Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry – Anxiety representation, new found friendships, prepper forums and doomsday premonitions. Bring it on. (August 2019)
Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson – This modern Minotaur retelling is pitched as Keeping Up With the Kardashians meets The Hunger Games. When we say we have no idea what to expect from this, we mean we have absolutely no idea what to expect from this but we’re all for it. (October 2019)
The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah – Set in 2099, in a Great Britain submerged a thousand feet beneath the ocean’s surface, we follow a teen punk rock racer as she searches for her missing father. Call us officially hyped. (2019)
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian – The first line of the blurb says everything we need to know. “A love letter to queerness, self-expression, and individuality (also Madonna) that never shies away from the ever-present fear within the queer community of late ’80s New York.” (June 2019)
Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali – This ‘chance meeting’ muslim romance sounds like the adorable love story the world very much deserves. (May 2019)
Misaligned by Gloria Chao – “A teen outcast is simultaneously swept up in a whirlwind romance and down a rabbit hole of dark family secrets when another Taiwanese family moves to her small, predominantly white Midwestern town.” YES. (2019)
The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco – “Pitched as Frozen meets Mad Max meets Avatar the Last Airbender.” YES but also WHAT? (Summer 2019)
Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne – A romantic comedy set behind the scenes of the classical music world during one hot New York City summer. Classical music isn’t featured enough in YA and this sounds delightful. (March 2019)
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – Leigh Bardugo could rewrite the telephone directory and the world would devour it but a series following a 20-year-old high school dropout with a criminal past, who’s charged with monitoring the occult activities of Yale’s secret societies after she’s mysteriously offered a second chance as a University freshman? We’re so in. (October 2019)
On The Come Up by Angie Thomas – After the global phenomenon that was The Hate U Give, we’re eagerly awaiting this story of teen rapper, Bri, who’s only hope to keep her family out of homelessness is to turn her dream of becoming a big time rapper into reality. (February 2019)
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds – Froot Loops, movies, second chances, love and loss. Everything about this book scream heartbreak and our hearts are more than ready to be broken. (March 2019)
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnight Matinee by Jeff Zentner – “A contemporary novel about two best friends who must make tough decisions about their futures–and the TV show they host–in their senior year of high school.” (February 2019)
Reach For The Skai: How To Inspire, Empower and Clapback by Skai Jackson – Actress and activist Skai Jackson shares her lessons on life and her rise to stardom in this vibrant memoir about self-acceptance, girl empowerment, and the classy clapback.
Refraction by Naomi Hughes – “A YA science fiction novel about a teen wrestling with obsessive compulsive disorder while working as a black market mirror dealer in a world where reflections spawn deadly cracks in the fabric of reality.” Sci-fi novels rarely star characters living with mental illness, so this sounds like a breath of kickass fresh air. (November 2019)
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert – First love, long buried family secrets and “a sweet boy with a troubled past”? We’re sold. (August 2019)
Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok – “A YA murder mystery in which a young reporter must use her supernatural visions to help track down a killer targeting the young women of Paris.” Is it February yet? (February 2019)
Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein – A book with The Bold Type comparisons is always going to be a winner, let alone one about three girls taking on the male dominated world of tech. (June 2019)
Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett – Jenn Bennett is the queen of adorable, heartwarming contemporaries, so we have no doubt Serious Moonlight is going to be everything we didn’t know we needed. (April 2019)
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz – “Jewish and chronically ill advice columnist Isabel as she breaks her no-dating rule for a sick boy at the hospital, and must choose between breaking his heart or staying with him when a devastating family secret threatens their new love.” The Fault in Our Stars who? (November 2019)
Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell – A sci-fi reimagining of Les Misérables, where a revolution hinges on three unlikely heroes, including the guardian of the last surviving library on the planet? Sign us up. (March 2019)
Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale – Everything about the title, cover and synopsis screams Gilmore Girls and the protagonist lives in a lighthouse. What more could we ask for? (March 2019)
Spin by Lamar Giles – One murdered teen DJ, a deadly fandom, many suspects, a multitude of motives and a killer still at large. When can we start? (January 2019)
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim – This is literally pitched at Project Runway meets Mulan and follows a girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and sets out to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. So, yeah, we’re here for it. (July 2019)
Suggested Reading by Dave Connis – We’re always here for books about books and since Suggested Reading is about a teen girl protesting her school’s overreaching book ban by starting an underground library, this sounds pretty perfect. (September 2019)
Swipe Right for Murder by Derek Milman – Featuring the FBI, cults and a Tinder date gone wrong, with the author describing it as a ‘Hitchcockian LGBTQ YA thriller’, this sounds like a one hell of a ride. (August 2019)
Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra – A sixteen-year old medical prodigy straight out of med school finds herself falling for the cute teen cancer patient she’s caring for, risking her career to try and improve his chances. *Hearts break everywhere* (May 2019)
Take The Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance edited by Bethany C. Morrow – Featuring fictional stories in poems, prose, and art reflecting the varied and limitless ways people resist every day. With contributors including Jason Reynolds, Laura Silverman and Samira Ahmed, there’s no doubt this is going to be brilliant. (2019)
Technically, You Started It by Laura Wood Johnson – Mistaken identity, meet cutes over text and a case of ‘she doesn’t know who he is but he doesn’t know she doesn’t know’, is something we’re always down for. (June 2019)
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi – A hate to love f/f rom-com between a director who needs a star and the cheerleader she casts, who’s perfect for the part but also also happens to be the first girl who ever asked her out, in what she thought was a cruel joke and has hated ever since. How is this not a movie yet? (June 2019)
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh – A historical fantasy set in a 1872, New Orleans that’s ruled by the dead. It has romance, vampires and a serial killer. Renée Ahdieh is a master fantasy writer, if anyone can bring back vampires, it’s her. (October 2019)
The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena – “Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Malcolm doesn’t know what he wants—until he meets her.” Yes to adorable rom-coms with depth. (February 2019)
The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu – “Thelma and Louise meets Gone Girl in this twisted psychological thriller about the dark side of obsessive friendship.” Having ‘Thelma and Louise‘ and ‘psychological thriller’ in the same sentence was always going to be a winner.
The Birds, The Bees and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh – A teen takes a stand against her schools abstinence-only sed-ex curriculum by handing out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls’ restroom. e.g. the sex-positive contemporary YA deserves. (January 2019)
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad – If its stunning cover doesn’t already have you sold, maybe this will. “Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences.” (May 2019)
The F Word edited by Angie Manfredi – An anthology of personal essays, prose, poetry, fashion tips, and art, featuring contributors who identify as fat, and will counter the stereotypical narrative of what it means to be fat in the world. e.g. the fat positive anthology YA deserves. (2019)
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – With a 1889, Paris setting, a treasure hunter protagonist, heists and secrets, The Gilded Wolves sounds like an adventure you’ll want to be a part of. (January 2019)
The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis – Pitched as “The Handmaid’s Tale meets Thelma and Louise in an alternate Wild West setting”, nothing has ever captured our bookish want so perfectly. (October 2019)
The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante – “The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.” So… we’re all going to cry. (June 2019)
The Last Witchdoctor by Rena Barron – “Set in a West African-inspired fantasy kingdom, a girl descended from a long line of powerful witchdoctors, fails at magic, fails to call upon the ancestors, and can’t even cast the simplest curse. But when her kingdom is threatened by the terrible Demon King, she must trade years off her life for magic to stop him from destroying the world—that is if it doesn’t kill her first.” (September 2019)
The Last Word by Samantha Hastings – In 1861, a girl sets out to find the former whereabouts of her favourite author, after she learns they’ve died and left their serialised novel unfinished. *heart eyes emoji* (July 2019)
The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta – “The spellbinding tale of six queer witches forging their own paths, shrouded in the mist, magic, and secrets of the ancient California redwoods.” (May 2019)
The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan – When her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend, all of Rukhsana’s plans fall apart. Her parents are devastated; being gay may as well be a death sentence in the Bengali community. They immediately send Rukhsana to Bangladesh, where she’s thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Only through reading her grandmother’s old diary is Rukhsana able to gain some much needed perspective. (January 2019)
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg – Romance, secrets, consent, self acceptance, family, friendship and food trucks. This m/m romance seemingly has it all and we can’t wait. (February 2019)
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay – “A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin’s murder.” (2019)
The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston – A fangirl desperate to save her favourite character from being killed off from her favourite franchise, an actress who wants to leave the fandom behind, a script leak, a case of mistaken identity and a place switch all lead to a possible princess romance. (April 2019)
The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring – “Inspired by the author’s Argentine family history and lore, the novel follows a young woman fleeing the country’s 1970s Dirty War who joins the staff of a notorious haunted boarding school on a remote icy cliff in Patagonia.” Erm, yes please? (September 2019)
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf – “A music-loving teen with OCD does everything she can to find her way back to her mother during the historic race riots in 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.” This sounds wonderful in ever way possible. (February 2019)
The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos – The women in Ruby Chernyavsky’s family have a gift, although their fate is inevitable, they can see who they will be when they die. But when her great aunt’s death doesn’t match her prophecy, Ruby starts to question whether it’s possible to change her fate after all. If this is anything as fantastic as Podo’s debut, Like Water, it will be magical. (May 2019)
There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon – Sandhya Menon is something of a rom-com genius in the YA world. It’s impossible not to grin from ear to ear when reading her books but a story of a headstrong, fat, Indian-American runner falling in love and showing the world (and herself) what she’s made of, has the potential to be her best yet. (May 2019)
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling – An elemental witch living in Salem has to join forces with her witch ex girlfriend to stop a deadly Blood Witch. This kind of sounds like a YA version of W.I.T.C.H (that early 2000’s tv show, anyone?) and I’m very much here for it. (May 2019)
This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura – “The tale of a Japanese-American teen whose family identity and community begin to unravel when her mother decides to sell the family’s flower shop to the family who swindled CJ’s grandparents when thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII.” (June 2019)
This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Amiel Williams – Isabelle meets Dominican-American Alex on the downtown 1 train. Over the next three years and multiple subway encounters, downtown 1 train throws them together when Isabelle needs Alex most. Again, why is this not a movie yet?! (April 2019)
Toffee by Sarah Crossan – Sarah Crossan is back with the poetic, beautiful and captivating ‘Toffee’. Written in Sarah’s signature verse ‘Toffee’ follows the story of Allison and Marla. We laughed, cried, smiled then cried some more at this. (May 2019)
Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud – I mean… “16-year-old Zora meets a boy named Owen, who turns out to be a prince and invites Zora to be his guest at his big brother’s royal wedding.” (July 2019)
Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash – A virtual reality dating service creates a problem for a NYU freshman when it matches her with two boys she already knows, one being her ex boyfriend and other her new best friend. !!!! (June 2019)
War Storm by Victoria Aveyard – The Red Queen series comes to a stunning conclusion in War Storm. Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart-and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her-Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head. (March 2019)
Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan – Two best friends decide to start a Women’s Rights Club after they become sick of the way women are treated, even at their progressive NYC high school. We’re ALWAYS here for kickass teen feminists taking down the patriarchy. (February 2019)
We Are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo – In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic. (April 2019)
We Are The Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian – Told from seven perspectives, spanning 24 hours, We Are The Wildcats follows the ultra-competitive Archibald High School’s girls’ field hockey team. There aren’t enough women in sport starring in YA, so this sounds like the perfect book to fill that gap. *Resists urge to make a HSM reference* (2019)
We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal – An ancient Arabian inspired fantasy about a hunter who embarks on a quest to find a lost artefact to restore magic to her suffering world and the assassin prince who’s sent to kill her. (May 2019)
We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia – If forbidden romance, political intrigue, secrets, lies, f/f romance, rebellion, latinx protagonists, polarised societies and high stakes are what your heart desires, We Set The Dark on Fire is definitely the book for you. (February 2019)
When the Stars Lead to You by Ronni Davis – One summer Devon fell in love with Ashton. Then summer left and so did he. For the next year, Devon slowly pieces her heart back together. Then Ashton shows up on the first day of school (and hopefully begins something super cute.) (November 2019)
When the Ground Is Hard by Malla Nunn – Friendship, religion, heroism, standing against injustice and a brave search for a missing child, all set to the back drop of a boarding school for mixed race children in Swaziland, makes When the Ground Is Hard shine in the best way. (June 2019)
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho – Set in modern-day Seoul, Wicked Fox follows a young girl who eats the souls of men who committed crimes but evaded justice. HOW GREAT DOES THIS SOUND?! (June 2019)
Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas – “The book stars Kalyn, a killer’s daughter, and Gus, a victim’s son, small-town teens who develop a powerful friendship despite a brutal murder that has long since divided their families.” Y E S P L E A S E. (June 2019)
Wilder Girls by Rory Power – “A feminist Lord of the Flies about three best friends living in quarantine at their island boarding school, and the lengths they go to uncover the truth of their confinement when one disappears.” That cover?! I’ll say it again, Y E S P L E A S E. (July 2019)
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – After the magic that is The Poet X, we’re convinced Elizabeth Acevedo could make the terms and conditions for a dishwasher sound beautiful, so there’s no doubt whatsoever that this will be equally as stunning. Plus, any book heavily featuring both food and women pursuing their passion is a book after many a heart. (May 2019)
You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman – Academic pressure can hugely negatively affect our mental & physical health, so it’s incredibly refreshing to see that being represented in YA, especially alongside a cast of characters who are diverse in sexuality, religion and race. (March 2019)
You’re Crushing It: Positivity for Living Your REAL Life by Lex Croucher – Sometimes life can be pretty amazing. But other times it feels like: A. Your heart and stomach have been steamrolled into a grisly organ pancake B. You are being put through an emotional spiralizer that creates human courgetti C. Both of the above. You’re a courgetti pancake. No, Instagram filters won’t make it look any better. And, yes, we all feel this way. An honest, thoughtful and hilarious survival guide for young people by social media sensation, Lex Croucher. (June 2019)