Archives de catégorie : Young Adult

EVERY REASON TO STAY de Lane Clarke

A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about one girl’s journey through grief and the family, first love, and shocking truths she finds on the other side—perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Every Last Word.

EVERY REASON TO STAY
by Lane Clarke
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, July 2026
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

All her life, it’s just been sixteen-year-old Skylar and her rockstar dad against the world. But this year, a horrible accident cuts the summer short and upends her life.

As Skylar grieves her dad, she discovers a huge secret: her mother is still alive. Now, Skylar is uprooted from her home and thrust into a family of strangers on the other side of the country. Furious with the mother who deserted her, she seeks comfort in her baking and decides to enter a local competition with a dazzling prize of a trip to a Parisian pastry school. As she gains her footing in the contest and her new town, she befriends a girl who seems just as lost as her, and she also finds more than friendship in the frustratingly irresistible boy next door. But as Skylar bakes her way to a brighter future, she’ll uncover truths about the past in the last place she expected.

Filled with heaps of emotion, a spoonful of hope, and an unexpected twist of fate, this is a powerful story about the true meaning of home.

Lane Clarke is a lawyer, an associate literary agent with Ultra Literary, and the author of Love Times Infinity. She lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and fur babies.

THAT GIRL WON’T DIE de Jumata Emill

At Prentiss Everton Academy, the past doesn’t stay buried. . . and survival is the ultimate status symbol. Gossip Girl meets The Count of Monte Cristo in the new YA thriller from acclaimed author Jumata Emill.

THAT GIRL WON’T DIE
by Jumata Emill
Delacorte, January 2027
(via Writers House)

When Tessa Edmond steps onto the campus of Prentiss Everton Academy—the most exclusive all-Black boarding school in South Georgia—she’s immediately singled out. Students whisper. Teachers stare. Because Tessa looks exactly like Whitney Templeton, the super popular, well-connected golden girl of the school, who died three months ago in a so-called accidental drowning.

Tessa’s gone from rags to riches overnight, dropped into a world of privilege, power, and ruthless social hierarchies. At Prentiss Everton, reputations are everything—and Whitney’s former friends, rich, connected, and dangerous, don’t know what to make of the girl who looks like a ghost.

But no one suspects that Tessa and Whitney were estranged cousins, and that Tessa came to Prentiss Everton with a mission. She’s there to find out what really happened to Whitney. Because Whitney’s death certainly wasn’t an accident—and someone at the school knows it.

As secrets unravel and tensions explode, Tessa digs deeper into Whitney’s inner circle, using their lies against them. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more bodies start turning up, and soon Tessa realizes the same people who killed her cousin may be coming for her next.

Jumata Emill is the critically acclaimed author of The Black Queen, Wander in the Dark, and I Don’t Wish You Well. He earned his B.A. in mass communications from Southern University and A&M College, and now works as a journalist covering crime and politics. He’s a Pitch Wars alum and member of Crime Writers of Color. When he’s not writing about murderous teens, he’s watching and obsessively tweeting about every franchise of the Real Housewives.

TOMMY FROM THE MOON de Daisy Garrison

A romantic coming-of-age novel set during a Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, about an unknown actress whose co-star is her longtime celebrity crush.

TOMMY FROM THE MOON
by Daisy Garrison
Flatiron, December 2026
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)

Grace Franklin was never supposed to be Juliet. When she shows up to audition for the new Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, she’s just there as a dancer. But the director, fed up with the big-name actresses auditioning, calls Grace in for a cold read, and changes her life. Then, she meets her Romeo: Miles Drake, cultural icon and the star of Grace’s childhood dreams.

As Grace and Miles are swept up in the thrilling whirlwind of rehearsals, their onstage chemistry is electric, and their immediate friendship evolves into something deeper. But Miles’ fame weighs on him in ways Grace can’t understand. And Grace is keeping a secret from him, too, about her connection to his first big break. As opening night draws closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate acting from reality, and Grace and Miles begin to spin out of control. Everyone knows how Romeo and Juliet ends, except Romeo and Juliet. Will Grace and Miles be able to write their own ending, or are they destined to be star-crossed, too?

Utterly immersive, brimming with joy, wit, and heart, Tommy from the Moon is an ode to being young in New York City, the camaraderie of backstage life, and two characters on the brink of adulthood in a tale as old as time, and fresh as first love.

Daisy Garrison graduated from Northwestern University and lives in Brooklyn with her friends. This is her first novel.

PRETTY EVIL de Rebekah et David Ian McKendry & Tim Seeley

KPop Demon Hunters meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this sparkling, darkly funny young adult graphic novel following a teen pop star who must take up her missing mother’s demon-slaying mantle and battle her way through the monster-infested world of social media influencers.

PRETTY EVIL
by Rebekah and David Ian McKendry
illustrated by Tim Seeley
Margaret K. McElderry Books, September 2026
(via JABberwocky)

To her fans, Mallori (heart over the i, thank you very much) is the ultimate teen pop star: platinum albums, a massive online following, and a glittery pink lifestyle to die for. But in her own life, Mallori Martin just wants to be her own person, free from the pressures of stardom—not to mention her mom-ager’s controlling hand.

After a particularly vicious fight with said mom, Mallori wakes to find her gone, with no clue where or why. In desperation, Mallori calls the police—whose search uncovers not her missing mother but several bodies buried in the basement of their Hollywood Hills mansion.

The bodies don’t stay secret for long, not with Mallori’s legions of fans watching her every move. With rumors flying about Mrs. Martin’s secret serial-killer lifestyle, Mallori flees the public eye, only to discover her mom was indeed living a double life: as a demon slayer.

She’s been abducted, and Mallori can’t let that fight be their last conversation. So to get her back, Mallori will have to pick up where her mom left off, hacking her way through demons and boogeymen—with all her trademark sparkle.

Rebekah & David McKendry are both award-winning writers. Their most recent horror feature, Glorious (starring JK Simmons), premiered at Fantasia Film Festival and after receiving top honors from critics was certified as “fresh” on Rotten Tomato. Rebekah is also an award-winning director and her latest film, Elevator Game, came out in September 2023. Rebekah and David began their film career working for Fangoria Entertainment. Rebekah went on to become Editor-in-Chief for Blumhouse Productions, and went on to write with David for media companies like Shudder, Universal, AMP, AMC and more. Rebekah is also an award-winning podcaster currently hosting Fangoria’s Colors of the Dark Podcast, which reaches over 250,000 listeners each month. Prior podcast guests include horror icons like Jordan Peele and Jason Blum. David has published multiple books including several volumes of the Hellraiser comic book series. David is also an award-winning podcaster having written and co-hosted the show Fear Initiative for Blumhouse Productions.

Tim Seeley is one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist. He has drawn a number of different comic book series including G.I Joe, Halloween, Wildcats and Exsanguine. His writing work includes NY Times bestselling Hack/Slash, Nightwing, Batman Eternal and the critically acclaimed Revival. He resides in Chicago, Illinois and works at Four Stars Studio where he is never far from his 80s action figure collection.

THE HOUSE OF GARDENIAS d’Isabel Cañas

A stunning YA debut from gothic master Isabel Cañas, bestselling author of The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and The Possession of Alba Díaz.

THE HOUSE OF GARDENIAS
by Isabel Cañas
Dutton Books for Young Readers, September 2026
(via KT Literary)

Despite near-constant political violence in the city and an abusive father at home, Minerva Treviño’s cowardice has kept her alive for sixteen years. But even she has a limit. Unable to take another beating or miss another meal, Minerva musters enough courage to flee to a neighborhood full of rich people loyal to the deposed fascist viceroy and take a job as lady’s maid to a wealthy widow.

Minerva is happy serving Encarnación del Valle. She has food in her belly and the safety of a warm house lit by magical chispa. Why should she care who runs the country or how her employer affords the magic?

When the viceroy sweeps back into power, Encarnación gleefully retreats to the family’s mountainside estate to wait out the inevitable slaughter of the viceroy’s enemies—and of course Minerva may join her. At la Casa de las Gardenias, Minerva is surrounded by more experienced servants and the cruel, scheming del Valles. But the living residents of the house are the least of anyone’s worries, and Minerva quickly discovers that the ancient estate is home to forces far older and more bloodthirsty than anything she could have imagined.

Isabel Cañas is a Mexican American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, among other places, she has settled in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage. Her adult novels include The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and The Possession of Alba Díaz.