My Most Anticipated YA Books For 2025 (January to June)

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
Out January 7, 2025

At A Glance: historical fantasy, dragons, alternate history, loosely inspired by the events of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park during WW2

Why It Makes The List: I’ve long been a fan of dragons in my fantasy (thanks Firelight by Sophie Jordans) and Fourth Wing definitely reignited my love for dragon-y books like Fourth Wing.

What The Book Is About: Set in an alternate London in 1923 where dragons soar in the skies, this is the story of a teen who ends up unintentionally breaks the peace between the human government and the dragons — trying to give her family a leg up — and ends up becoming a code-breaker to understand the dragon’s language. With her family’s life on the line, she works to decode their communications but her position will reveal way more about the corruption at the heart of everything.

After Life by Gayle Forman
Out January 7, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary with a speculative/paranormal twist, grief & loss, tearjerker

Why It Makes The List: I’ve actually already read this one (loved it!) as my first book of the year as Gayle Forman is one of my favorite YA authors since I read If I Stay back in 2010. This one was also picked as a GMA young adult book club pick and for good reason.

What The Book Is About: A teen girl arrives home after school, on her bike, just like any other day only things seem a bit different when she walks in the door. When her mom looks like she’s seen a ghost, she comes to find out that she actually died 7 years before. Her reappearance after these seven long years unearths many questions but also the reality of what that loss did to those closest to her and — even harder yet — for the teen to re-examine the person she was when she was alive.

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
Out January 7, 2025

At A Glance: murder mystery + magic, high stakes competition, for fans of The Inheritance Games, family drama

Why It Makes The List: Inheritance Games/Clue but MAGIC! I am a sucker for anything with a deadly, high stakes competition/trial/game element.

What The Book Is About: A teen enters a mysterious game at a shot to change life for her and her sick Gram — even if accepting the invitation goes against the warning her late mother gave her about “the strange.” When she arrives at the mansion, she finds out the game is to figure out who killed the billionaire at the center of the inheritance offer and the prize is actually inheriting his magic as well as his wealth. Up against his unhappy family members fighting to keep the magic in the family and the enchantments in the mansion, she tries to unravel complicated family webs and secrets to solve the mystery and change her life.

Brewed With Love by Shelly Page
Out January 14, 2025

At A Glance: cozy witchy romance with a mystery, sapphic, amateur sleuthing, second chance romance, quirky small town a la Stars Hollow

Why It Makes The List: I can’t get enough of cozier witchy reads lately and this one sounds absolutely cozy and delightful with a little mystery to get swept up in!

What The Book Is About: A young witch, determined to run her family’s apothecary one day, has been working hard to create the most perfect tonic that can make business boom again and take back their customers lost to their competitor.

When her ex-bff and first crush is hired at the shop, she is determined not to let it distract her. However, their first shift together a break-in happens with disastrous effects after several tonics — including the special one she was working on — are stolen.

The pair must work together to figure out who stole the tonics and save her family’s shop from being closed down.

The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley
Out January 14, 2025

At A Glance: historical thriller, revenge, loosely inspired by true events, Victorian England, court politics and intrigue, colonialism

Why It Makes The List: I won’t lie — I didn’t know the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta – a formerly enslaved African princess who was “gifted” to Queen Victoria and became her protege but after seeing this book and reading about her — this soared to the top of my must-read list of young adult books for 2025. This story takes that real-life story but twists it with a revenge arc where she is ready to take down everyone who had a hand in her being stolen from her homeland — including Queen Victoria.

What The Book Is About: A former African princess is stolen from her homeland and plopped into life as Queen Victoria’s god-daughter as a gift. Now nineteen and ready for revenge, Sally begins to plot against the very monarchy that turned her into royal property — at the top of her list the Queen herself.

In order to enact her revenge, she enters the dangerous dance of the inner circle and court politics while also getting help from an underground crime lord. When Queen Victoria starts to suspect something, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game for her freedom as the Queen plans to marry her off.

Build A Girlfriend by Elba Luz
Out January 14, 2025

At A Glance: rom-com, family drama, dating, coming of age/self discovery, Latinx

Why It Makes The List: This looks so fun — a grand tour of exes and finding out what went wrong in order to become the perfect girlfriend.

What The Book Is About: Finding herself single yet again, a teen decides to contact every ex she’s ever had and pinpoint just went wrong in order to become the perfect girlfriend and break the curse that seems to follow the women of her family. When she unwillingly reunites with the ex of all exes, she decides to take her new girlfriend persona for a test drive and get a little revenge for their breakup in the process.

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
Out January 28, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary with a speculative twist, twist on a Freaky Friday-esque plot, Asian American MC

Why It Makes The List: I love Ann Liang books so much — whether it is her rom-coms or her more fantasy laden books. I’d read anything she writes. This one has a twist on a Freaky Friday-esque plot that I am here for and an exploration of what it feels like to never feel good enough.

What The Book Is About: After constantly living in the shadow of her perfect cousin, a teen makes a wish on a shooting star after college acceptance letters prove once again she’ll never be as good as Jessica. When she wakes up to her wish coming true — to have her cousin’s life — she quite literally is in her cousin’s body.

As she navigates the life she wanted, she discovers it isn’t all that she imagined and soon realizes that, while she is in this body, the person she used to be is slowly fading from people’s memories.

Under The Same Stars by Libba Bray
Out February 4, 2025

At A Glance: historical fiction, mystery, multi-timelines, stories of resistance during war/oppression

Why It Makes The List: As a long time Libba Bray fan, I’m always awaiting new books from her! This one is a departure from her latest works (The Diviner’s series which is a fave) but I would place bets on the fact I’ll be updating my list of favorite YA historical fiction books after reading a straight up historical fiction from Libba!

What The Book Is About: The mystery disappearance of two teenage girls during WW2 weaves the lives of teens from different eras — Germany in the 40’s & 80’s & present day NYC — as the truth of what happened to the teens is unraveled.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
Out February 4, 2025

At A Glance: dystopian meets bio/medical thriller, thought-provoking pageturner

Why It Makes The List: Neal Shusterman’s Scythe series is a holy grail series for me so I will pick up anything from him and this sounds like the unique kind of dystopian type stories I’m yearning for these days. I mean a virus that, if survived, brings contentment and joy to the survivor which obviously begins to clash with powerful entities and a capitalistic system that obviously thrives off the opposite? Sounds intriguing even though it feels too soon to my brain after 2020.

What The Book Is About: A virus unfolds but those who do recover from it are changed: they are left with a complete sense of joy and contentment with all the things that burdened them before being gone. This collective state of being is something that quickly begins to threaten the powers that be and the capitalistic society everything is built upon if it continues to spread. The lives of a few young people converge and get caught up in the conspiracy of the powers that be – in favor of a discontent society – as everyone grapples for power to steer the direction of humanity.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours
Out February 4, 2025

At A Glance: mystery with a supernatural twist, missing person, racial inequities in missing persons cases

Why It Makes The List: This is giving me That’s So Raven meets Veronica Mars vibes!!

What The Book Is About: Sariyah has a premonition-like power where she can hear the unspoken needs of people. But when yet another friend – who she recently helped out using her ability- vanishes, she and her friends investigate the disappearance as she doesn’t trust the case to gain traction with the public and get the spotlight it deserves to find her friend. She’ll stop at nothing – even when life is stretching her thin – to find her friend even if it (and using her ability to make some cash) ends up putting her closer to danger.

(S)kin by Ibi Zoboi
Out February 11, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary fantasy, Caribbean folklore, novel-in-verse

Why It Makes The List: I love a well-done novel in verse and I love Ibi Zoboi’s books so much so I know this is going to be fantastic. If you haven’t tried a novel in verse, I recommend testing out the waters this year!!

What The Book Is About: This one is about two teens in Brooklyn — one a soucoyant who sheds her skin and becomes a fireball witch to feed on the souls of her enemies; the other a teen with a skin condition and feeling out of place in her family — the two young woman cross paths and unraveled secrets begin to reveal their connection.

The Forest King’s Daughter by Elly Blake
Out February 11, 2025

At A Glance: romantic fantasy, childhood friends to enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, dark fairytale vibes

Why It Makes The List: I really love a good & true enemies to lovers in fantasy and I love the idea of these childhood friends – children of enemies – accidentally incite a war between the two groups and find each other many years later. Plus everything I’ve read about this book it sounds like the world is so vivid — magic forests, ancient powers, etc.

What The Book Is About: Children of enemies – The Forest King and the Queen of the Underground- become secret friends but, when a ring is given innocently as a gift, they accidentally incite a war between the two groups. Many years later the two come face to face on the battlefield where the Forest princess is kidnapped by her former childhood friend in an attempt to reclaim the mysterious ring that proved to be important — only to realize this powerful ring has chosen her.

Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor
Out February 11, 2025

At A Glance: YA thriller, high society Manhattan, undercover journalist, sisters

Why It Makes The List: I’m always chasing the vibes of both Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars so when a book looks like it is a bit of both? I will always give it a try!

What The Book Is About: It’s about a journalist who infiltrates elite Manhattan society to get to the bottom of a some mysterious things about her sister’s death — a death she guiltily feels relieved by after living in her shadow and competing with her all her life.

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
Out February 25, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy meets Edwardian dark academia vibes, mystery, magical worlds

Why It Makes The List: The world (or should I say three worlds in this case) sounds so intriguing in this one and I love dark academia – as you know — and a hint of Divine Rivals vibes.

What The Book Is About: A young woman receives a letter from an otherwhere courier – sent 7 years before — that gives her hope that her father’s name could be cleared (and she can stop running) in the tragedy that killed many people, destroyed the Written Doors and changed her life forever.

She finds out that the only way she can find the identity of the sender and the truth about her father is to find her way into working at the Otherwhere Post where her father once worked as a revered scriptomancer working with the dangerous magic that allows its couriers to magically deliver letters between worlds.

Fable For The End of the World
Out March 4, 2025

At A Glance: dystopian, sapphic romance, standalone, deadly gauntlet/competition/game element, assassin

Why It Makes The List: This dystopian world sounds fascinating plus the Hunger Games-esque type Gauntlet and IT’S AVA REID. I’ve loved past books from Ava.

What The Book Is About: In a world controlled by a single corporation, a teen girl is thrown into a deadly livestreamed Gauntlet in order to pay off her mother’s debts. At the same time, her assassin – a living weapon – is preparing for her job of tracking down the sacrificial Lambs — a mission she’s never failed. When things take a turn, the hunter and huntee will have to rely on each other for mutual survival or choose mutual & certain death.

Nightweaver by R.M. Gray
Out March 4, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy, pirates, forbidden enemies to lovers romance, monsters, revenge

Why It Makes The List: The comp I saw for this book was “Pirates of the Carribean meets Downton Abbey” and IF that is truly a good comparison then I know I’m going to love this one. I love pirate-centered fantasy books and have been craving a new one to fall into!

What The Book Is About: Set in a world where Nightweavers – cursed beings with untamed powers — have claimed the land and the seas became a safe haven for the rest of humanity, a teen from a pirate is forced to a new life on land after a deadly battle at sea killed her brother.

She’s being offered protection by a Nightweaver — something she is suspicious of — and a place to work at the estate. Her knowledge of Nightweavers doesn’t match the Nightweaver who has offered protection and, as she works to avenge her brother, she learns that everything she thought she knew about monsters might be wrong.

I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew
Out March 4, 2025

At A Glance: supernatural/horror, dark romance, bit of body horror, female rage

Why It Makes The List: If you haven’t ready Kelly Andrew yet, oh you are missing out on some unique/twisted/weird(complimentary) goodness. I need her books to get more hype. While this book is technically a standalone and I’m sure you’ll be fine reading it as so, there are some interconnected threads with her books The Whispering Dark and Your Blood My Bones (on last year’s anticipated list!)

What The Book Is About: A teen in need of money takes a high paid position as the interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs after she stopped speaking at 4 years after she went missing and something happened out there in the dark. The only thing that is known is that when she speaks, her voice is like a deadly poison that can kill.

She’s been trying for years to reclaim her life and her voice and thinks she’s finally found an answer — if only she can slip her parent’s strict rules for her life and the new interpreter who is with her at all times and is hard to shake as there is a lot on the line for him too to keep her protected.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
Out March 4, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy romance, fated mates, reincarnation

Why It Makes The List: I hope I’m not getting suckered by this comp combo but they said The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue meets This Is How You Lose The Time War” and I came running!!

What The Book Is About: Evelyn and Arden have found and loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They have also killed each other – always before their 18th birthday – in every single one of those lives.

But this time Evelyn refuses to to leave the life she’s living now – especially not before she saves her little sister’s life — so she must find out who Arden is this time before he finds her as well as figure out why they are bound together in this way in order to put a stop to the cycle….while also trying not to fall in love with him yet again.

What Wakes The Bells by Elle Tesch
Out March 11, 2025

At A Glance: gothic fantasy, Prague-inspired setting, sentient city, ancient gods, monsters, queer romance

Why It Makes The List: The premise sounds SO unique — a sentient city that is only kept at peace by making sure the magical bells don’t ring and awaken ancient evil. I mean, there’s vengeful saints and gargoyles and statues coming to life!!

What The Book Is About: Mina, whose family has been the keeper of the bells for a millennia, knows just how important it is to prevent the bells from ringing in the sentient city (built by ancient gods) she lives in or else awaken an ancient evil.

When the worst happens, horror is unleashed on her city — including that of a vengeful saint set free who takes up hiding behind the face of one of the citizens. The only way to stop it is to destroy the host and Mina must decide just how far she is willing to go to save her city while knowing the evil could be hiding behind the face of someone who loves.

True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti
Out March 18, 2025

At A Glance: realistic fiction with a hint of mystery, family story, summer romance, AI

Why It Makes The List: This sounds so good– secretly infiltrating your secret dad’s life, complicated family stuff, a summer romance and little mystery. Deb Caletti is a mainstay in contemporary YA lit and I haven’t read a book from her in a while so I’m excited to dive back in.

What The Book Is About: A girl lies about her identity and takes a summer live-in nannying job for the child of a famous tech billionaire and AI innovator — a man she has watched from afar as she is actually his illegitimate daughter. This job gives her an inside look at her secret father and his world while also navigating a summer romance and this whirlwind world.

A Catalog of Burnt Objects by Shana Youngdahl
Out March 18, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary fiction, wildfires, family, loss of home/community, substance abuse (MC’s brother)

Why It Makes The List: Something about this one just called out to me quietly when I saw it months ago — the story of loss and re-building due to the very real threat of wildfires inspired by a wildfire that ravaged the author’s hometown in 2018. Now, all these months later in light of the current LA wildfire devastation, this book seems even more timely as so many are facing this very situation and will continue to as climate change will make them more frequent.

What The Book Is About: A teenage girl and her family — including her estranged and newly sober brother – watch as a wildfire makes it way to way toward her town and must contend with the devastating aftermath that the wildfire has left in its wake.

To Steal From Thieves by M.K. Lobb
Out March 25, 2025

At A Glance: historical fantasy, heist, 1851 Great Exhibition in London setting, enemies to lovers, underground crime ring

Why It Makes The List: A heist taking place at the first World’s Fair in a magical version of London and some morally grey goodness? Obviously!

What The Book Is About: A con man and a talented alchemologist – in need of paying off her late father’s debts – team up for a complicated heist of a famous artifact at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace.

Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell
Out April 1, 2025

At A Glance: romantic fantasy, vampire, fallen gods/mythology, sapphic

Why It Makes The List: I have been waiting for this book for FOREVER – it was supposed to be out a bit ago but got pushed back and I have just (im)patiently waiting on it.

What The Book Is About: “Set in the aftermath of a war between vampires, humans, and the gods that created them, the story follows a vampire princess who teams up with a seer, who only has visions of death, to journey to the island of the dead—a mythical place where all souls go at their end—to save her kidnapped best friend.”

Meet Me At Blue Hour by Sarah Suk
Out April 1, 2025

At A Glance: speculative fiction, memory-erasing, South Korea setting, romance

Why It Makes The List: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibes are always going to draw me in.

What The Book Is About: Four years ago Yena’s childhood best friend moved away without any word or warning and she hasn’t seen him since. When he walks into her job at her mom’s memory-erasing clinic, he has no idea who she is and its clear he erased her from his memory. Now the former childhood friends navigate the fallout of all this as they try to unravel the mystery of what happened that would have made him erase her all those years ago and decide if they can move forward.

Love in 280 Characters Or Less by Ravynn K. Stringfield
Out April 15, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary romance, coming of age, college setting, mixed media

Why It Makes The List: I love a good college set YA book and I’m a sucker for mixed media story telling (blog posts, message, etc).

What The Book Is About: Told through a variety of mediums, it follows a young Black girl as she navigates her first semester of college and all that comes with it — academically, friendships IRL and online and love.

Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi
Out April 15, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy, magical West African world setting, magical gifts, family

Why It Makes The List: I love Akwaeke Emezi!!

What The Book Is About: A teen girl, who has just come into her magical abilities that have made people fear her, must journey into unknown dangers to find her twin when he goes missing as she works to navigate these new and terrifying powers she has.

The Summer I Ate The Rich by Maika & Maritza Moulite
Out April 22, 2025

At A Glance: horror, Haitian zombie lore, socioeconomic and racial inequities, revenge

Why It Makes The List: I’m ready for a zombie book resurgence but only if it’s a fresh take on zombies and this seems to be that.

What The Book Is About: A Haitian-American teen uses her previously hidden zonbi abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who have hurt her family when she takes an opportunity dazzling them with her cooking abilities. As they rave about all her dishes, they have no idea her secret ingredient is human flesh.

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson
Out April 22, 2025

At A Glance: mystery/thriller, small town setting, friendships, multi-POV

Why It Makes The List: I love The Agathas from this author (one of my favorite YA mysteries/thrillers). Looks perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or One Of Us is Lying.

What The Book Is About: Two years ago, the murder of an English teacher tore three best friends apart when the testimony of one of them put another’s brother in jail for the murder. When a mistrial allows the brother to be released, the teen whose testimony put him away really starts to question what she thought she saw that night. With all of them now believing him to be innocent, the three students reluctantly put aside the past to work together in finding out the truth before the new trial starts.

The Floating World by Axie Oh
Out April 27, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy with romance, re-imagining of Korean folklore, floating world, “Final Fantasy meets Castle in the Sky”

Why It Makes The List: I love Axie Oh’s book so much from her fantasy to her contemporary! A great YA author to check out if you haven’t already.

What The Book Is About: Two years ago Sunho woke up, alone with only his name and sword, remembering little from his life and now takes sword-for-hire jobs. He embarks on a job for a life-changing sum if he can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

On his journey he meets a girl named Ren, a traveling acrobat, who is on a journey to save her uncle from poison after the village they were performing in was attacked by a monster.

What he doesn’t realize is that Ren is the girl with the magical power that he’s hunting down and their lives – both past and future – are more intertwined than they know.

Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary romance, summer romance, friends to lovers, opposites attract

Why It Makes The List: I loooove Tia Williams and this is the teen daughter of the MC in her (adult) novel Seven Days of Summer. Totally don’t need to read Seven Days In June in order to read this one.

What The Book Is About: A teen girl, in need of fun and juicy material for the book she hopes will get her into Stanford, enlists the school’s resident King of Fun to be her “fun consultant” and help her tackle a list of wild dares she hope will bring all the inspiration for her book. A strictly platonic, semi business arrangement is the plan but their chemistry becomes hard to fight over their summer days spent having fun.

Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: mystery/thriller, romance, systemic injustice, dual POV

Why It Makes The List:I loved Nick Brooks’ Promise Boys so I’m definitely ready to see what else he has in store for us!

What The Book Is About: Monique is determined to clear her brother’s name in a murder that took place during a local march so she starts to investigate what really happened with the help of Cooper – a friend of hers and her brother who is keeping his own secret about that night that could get him into trouble along with the Monique’s brother if the real killer isn’t caught.

His Face is The Sun by Michelle Jabes Corpora
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy, Ancient Egypt-esque setting, planned trilogy

Why It Makes The List: I am a sucker for certain comparisons and this one was “Ancient Egyptian Game of Thrones for teens” and I am begging for this to deliver that.

What The Book Is About: In the divided Kingdom of Khetara, rebellion grows and the Pharoah is afflicted with a mysterious illness while people plot against him. When an ancient evil threatens the whole kingdom, four strangers – a princess, a young priestess, a rebel and a tomb raider — find themselves brought together by a forgotten oracle in order to defeat this larger threat. As they unite together to save their kingdom, the looming question of who will reign on the throne — once this evil is defeated — is not forgotten.

The Enemy’s Daughter by Melisa Poett
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: romantasy, dystopian world, Tristan and Isolde re-imagining, enemies to lovers

Why It Makes The List: As soon as I saw Tristan and Isolde re-imagining I was sold but I am curious about this dystopian fantasy world.

What The Book Is About: Set after civilization has crumbled, the five clans are all that remains of the Republic as well as their enemy, Kingsland. A young healer and daughter of a clan leader and a young assassin-prince of Kingsland become bound together forever by a magical ceremony in order to save the young woman after being struck with a poisoned arrow. The union makes Isodora question what is the truth in this violent history between the enemies and what truth will guide her future.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: thriller, high school drama, for fans of Pretty Little Liars & Karen McManus books, rich kid clique

Why It Makes The List: Oooh Julie Soto with a YA book?? A pivot from her romances and I’m here to see what a thriller looks like from her. Also this sounds unhinged and full of drama in the best way possible.

What The Book Is About: Everyone wants to be a Thrasher and Jodi, despite being out of place in the elite wealthy friend group, is one of them thanks to her proximity to her childhood best friend who is at the core of the group.

But then a Thrashers-hopeful ends up taking her own life and the whispers about the Thrashers being responsible begin to amount as well as an investigation into the group — especially once the journal of the girl surfaces.

Jodi struggles with whether to betray her friends or protect herself all while strange messages and occurrences make it unclear as to what really happened.

It’s You Every Time by Charlene Thomas
Out May 6, 2025

At A Glance: time loop, romance, New York City setting, grief, fate

Why It Makes The List: I will never tire of a good time loop plot!!

What The Book Is About: A morning meet cute turns into a magical day spent traipsing around the city for Sydney Michaels — a teen who has had a rough go lately and decides to skip class to chase her curiosity to get to know this boy who seems equally as interested in her. A lingering goodbye –after a perfect day that neither one of them wants to end – something happens and the next thing Sydney knows is that she’s woken up on that same morning in her bed.

Eliza, From Scratch by Sophia Lee
Out May 13, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary, coming of age, romance/rom-com, culinary setting

Why It Makes The List: I feel like I’m always searching for books that remind me of the magic of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han in contemporary YA and this debut is giving me those vibes.

What The Book Is About: The class salutatorian – thanks to a scheduling oopsie –ends up in a culinary class that has her way out of her depths and definitely not the star student she is used to being — that role taken up by the talented (and annoying) Wesley. Refusing to let this class wreck her academic rank and all she’s worked for, she sets out to beat him at the midterm cooking contest all the while finding herself discovering a lot about success, love and herself.

You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh
Out May 20, 2025

At A Glance: rom-com, fake dating, opposites attract, Toronto setting Palestinian-Canadian MCs

Why It Makes The List: As with the title above, this just screams the kind of YA realistic fiction that made me fall in love with YA in the first place. My nieces are coming to that age where they’d be grabbing for Sarah Dessen type YA books and I’m happy I can introduce them to her books alongside new voices that bring that same ~actually YA~ vibe!!

What The Book Is About: Jamie is ready to make Senior Year the best year yet — complete with a bucket list for her and her long-term boyfriend to check off before graduation. What wasn’t on the list was Ben breaking up with her after spending a summer away and having a new girl right away. Determined to get him back, she ends up in a fake dating situation with a boy she has nothing in common with besides their shared Arab heritage.

The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte
Out May 27, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary fantasy, dark fairytales, amusement park setting, family secrets

Why It Makes The List: This lowkey looks creepy (I don’t know if it is or not??) but either way a theme park setting with a darker vibe and darker secrets sounds amazing nonetheless.

What The Book Is About: Frankie’s family has owned Whisperwood, a theme park in the Appalachian Mountain with thrilling rides and scenery that brings cult-classic fairytales to life, for generations — until the family matriarch decides to shutter the business. But then the matriarch goes missing, amidst a dwindling family fortune and dysfunctional family members desperate to inherit the park, and Frankie starts to suspect her family had something to do with the disappearance. As she starts to sort out what happened amidst lies and family secrets, she uncovers a reality more sinister than what she could have imagined.

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: epic fantasy with romance, deadly trials, enemies-to-lovers romance, elemental magic

Why It Makes The List: Deadly trials!! This sounds like one of the most compelling fantasy books for the year that include that element which I love so much when done right and TRULY integral to the story. I think it’s going to be the next YA fantasy obsession!

What The Book Is About: Blaze, a Rain Singer born to a family of powerful fire magicians, has been an outcast since the day she was born when a devastating storm left people dead. When the Gods announce it’s time to choose new rulers, Blaze and her twin are invited to take part as contestants in the dangerous trials that will determine the future leader of the Empire. As she works at harnessing her untapped power and competing for the Crown, she must also watch the threats of her fellow contestants, political games and forbidden romances.

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: sapphic romance, boarding school setting, royals, coming of age

Why It Makes The List: I mean — boarding school setting (which you know I still love), a sapphic romance between a royal and a “commoner”, and I’ve just really loved Sophie’s other books!!

What The Book Is About: A disgraced princess falls for a new scholarship student at their all-girl boarding school but, given her damaged reputation and knowing what her future is as heir, they must keep their forbidden romance secret at all costs.

Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: historical fantasy, comedy, medieval England, queer romance, feminist, dragon-slaying competition

Why It Makes The List: I love this duo and I am really into FUN and irreverent historicals — My Lady Jane, The Great, A Knight’s Tale, etc. – so this being a fun romp through Arthurian legend makes this a new YA book that is at the top of my list.

What The Book Is About: The daughter of a blacksmith with knightly aspirations and a Lady chosen as the grand prize for the victor of the Tourament of Dragonslayers team up to hatch a plan to give them both what they want to. Gwen will joust in the tournament disguised as Sir Gawain and hopefully reign victorious and her win will give Lady Isobelle the freedom she desires that would be taken away if someone else wins. The only thing they didn’t plan for was falling for one another.

Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: rom-com, set in China, travel, enemies/rivals to lovers, revenge

Why It Makes The List: Two new Ann Liang books in 2025?? Of course I was putting this on my list — I will read anything she writes.

What The Book Is About: After causing a scene at a wedding due to her rusty Mandarin, Leah is being sent on a travel program across China to get back to her roots. Happy for a much needed escape, Leah embarks on the trip only to find out that the boy who ruined her life with a lie is also on the trip. She decides that maybe this trip will be the perfect opportunity for a little revenge on him but, as they travel throughout China, she finds the trip morphing into something else for her and her feelings for her mortal enemy changing.

The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary fantasy, romance, family curse, magical tulips

Why It Makes The List: I really have enjoyed Shea Ernshaw’s books thus far so it’s a priority. Plus, the plot seems pretty unique to me!

What The Book Is About: Lark Goode wants nothing more than to escape her small town of Cutwater and the legacy of her family that all started when her ancestor – in 1636 – stole the last remaining Dutch tulip bulbs and brought them back to America setting off a terrible curse for the town and family every Spring.

Every Spring when the cursed tulips bloom, the people of the town cannot help from falling madly in love with the Goode family — that is until this Spring brings a new and mysterious boy who seems to be immune to the love madness of the tulips.

As she gets to know him, she can’t help but fall for him — a feeling that seems to trigger a terrible sickness upon the town tied to her and the curse. Now it’s up to her to break the curse once and for all — no matter the sacrifice.

A First Time For Everything by K.L. Walther
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: contemporary romance, wedding setting, disastrous dating shenanigans, family drama, friends to lovers

Why It Makes The List: I LOVED The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther (a perfect summer/beach read for teens!) and I’m so excited that there will be little easter eggs in this one for those who read that. You don’t HAVE to but I highly recommend that one.

What The Book Is About: Madeline and her close-knit family are shocked when her older brother gets engaged without any warning to a woman Madeline isn’t really that fond of. Wanting to keep the peace, she reluctantly agrees to be a bridesmaid. A bridesmaid Truth or Dare game leads to the revelation that Mads hasn’t been kissed or on a date which unites the bridesmaids in finding her a plus-one date for the wedding. As she pushes through the dating setups – some being absolute disasters – she finds her heart tugged into all different directions from new potentials to familiar faces already in her orbit.

Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: genre-bending fantasy, time/alternate world travel, magical trains, multi-universes

Why It Makes The List: This truly looks like THE most fresh and unique book of the year!

What The Book Is About: A seemingly ordinary train ride for Margo, a troubled teen on her way to a new boarding school after her dad’s death, finds herself on a different train in a whole different world where she meets a mysterious boy. Their fates become linked and to survive she must learn to travel with him through different worlds that are interconnected by a network of trains. As she moves between worlds, she learns a lot about her new reality and just how dangerous it is. (Go check out the full summary here because there is a lot to it!)

When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur
Out June 3, 2025

At A Glance: Southern Gothic horror, small town mystery, deals with the devil, true crime vibes

Why It Makes The List: I’m always looking for new and exciting YA horror books and I do love a good Southern gothic.

What The Book Is About: Four teens become unlikely allies in an investigation into a local teen’s disappearance and find themselves in a messy tangle of lies and secrets that leads them to the realization there is something very sinister and ancient at the heart of their community.

The Protégée by Erica Ridley
Out June 10, 2025

At A Glance: historical horror, revenge, mid-19th century Paris setting, serial killer, romance subplot, classism

Why It Makes The List: This truly looks like THE most fresh and unique book of the year!

What The Book Is About: A working-class French girl, with dreams of designing dresses for the elite, seeks vengeance for those responsible for the death of her family at the sweatshop they worked at. She takes a job as a seamstress for Paris’s top modiste and ends up in a cutthroat contest to win a coveted assistant position there. The position would change her life and give her the chance to exact her revenge — and she’d do ANYTHING to secure the job (even kill).

If We Survive This by Racquel Marie
Out June 17, 2025

At A Glance: zombie apocalypse, horror, character-driven survival story, mental health, queer, sibling love

Why It Makes The List: I love a good zombie apocalypse story and anything that is pitched as Yellowjackets meets The Walking Dead is a must for me as a lover of both shows.

What The Book Is About: Six months into rabies-fueled zombie apocalypse, Flora is honestly surprised she and her brother are still alive without their mom (deceased) and dad (missing). With nothing left in their LA suburb, they decide to make the trek to a secluded Northern California cabin they always vacationed at in hopes of a safe haven and that their dad had the same plan. As the trek brings other survivors – both familiar and strangers – along with them, they band together to survive all the dangers of the road but the siblings must also contend with painful family memories from the last trip to the cabin .

A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek
Out June 24, 2025

At A Glance: fantasy, Swan Lake retelling with a hint of Phantom of the Opera, sapphic

Why It Makes The List: A Swan Lake retelling with Phantom of the Opera vibes?? No question.

What The Book Is About: Odile, in a plan many years in the making, sets out to infiltrate the royal palace and restore the magic to her kingdom by stealing the artifact that can do just that. Stealing the identity of a friend-turned enemy – and using magic to transforming her into a swan, she takes the noblewoman’s place at court. Her plans go awry when the king is murdered – a murder now pinned on her own brother – and she is forced to beg for the help of the very girl she just cursed to figure out who – or what – actually killed the king.