Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
This year, rather than offering up giant roundups of new YA book releases on a quarterly basis, I’ve put together a weekly list. This makes it easier to look at and make reading plans, as much as it makes it easier to write about a wider array of titles with a little bit more depth. But as we round into the final weeks of the year, the number of new releases drops off significantly. Between that and holidays which will change up when you receive this newsletter, this week’s new release newsletter will cover all of the rest of the books hitting shelves in 2025.
The same caveats that have applied in recent quieter weeks apply here as well. There’s not a lot of diversity in titles and content, but that’s a consequence of fewer releases and not a change in YA diversity more broadly. You’ll find here, too, the two YA comics which released this month–there are no more, and there are no YA nonfiction releases, so there will be no separate coverage of those for December. For titles not released last week or this week, I’ve included the publication date.
Take this as your chance to get to know some of the new books that can often get overlooked this time of year. Take it also as your opportunity to catch up with some of the releases you’ve already squirreled away on your TBR but haven’t yet had a chance to crack open. I know that I am!
New Hardcover YA Releases This Week
Bone Broth by Alex Taylor
For teen readers ready for books about starting life out as a young adult comes this queer thriller. Ash, who is transmasculine, is beginning his first job in a London ramen shop. His work? Creating bone broth.
But financial challenges are making everything in Ash’s world–and the world around him–shift. He’s had some difficulty with the job, primarily relating to getting to know and enjoy the company of his coworkers.
So when Ash’s boss turns up dead at a staff party, and suddenly, everyone wants a selfie with the corpse, Ash begins to deeply worry about the consequences. Who caused this and what are the implications?
The art in this graphic novel looks fantastic.
All access members continue below for more of the best YA releases for the rest of the year.
Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate by Marisa Churchill
Attending Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic has been Sylvie’s dream forever. But there’s one big problem: rumors have swirled for years that Sylvie’s mother cheated her way to a win on The Golden Whisk, the most prestigious magical cooking competition. So when Sylvie gets the chance to compete herself, she knows what she needs to do. She’s got to uncover what happened all of those years ago to clear her family’s name.
Many stand in Sylvie’s way, eager to have her place at Brindille and eager to prove her family is a line of cheaters. With the help of her frenemy and a rising star student, can Sylvie get to the bottom of what happened and earn her way into her dream school?
Twin Tides by Hien Nguyen
Caliste Ha lives a glamorous life in a Los Angeles high rise and she’s an influencer who has done everything she can to curate an online life that looks perfect. Aria Nguyen is a Georgetown student and barely holding it together.
The two girls have never met and have no idea who one another are. That is, until each of them receives a phone call saying their long-lost mom has been found dead in Les Eaux, Minnesota. Both girls travel to Les Eaux and discover they’re twins.
They’re itching for answers to the story of their life and the secrets that their mother held. But Les Eaux is haunted by a vengeful ghost and other enemies that are eager to stand in the way of the girls uncovering the truth. Can they figure out the mysteries of their lives–and the town–or will the town get to them first?
New Hardcover Series Releases:
- An Archive of Romance by Ava Reid
More Hardcover YA Releases This Week:
- The Uninvited by Nancy Banks (16th)
New Paperback YA Releases This Week
As always, to find the paperback edition, you may need to toggle your view once you click the title link.
Eighteen Roses by Shannon C. F. Rogers (16th)
Lucia Cruz does not want the traditional Filipino debut tradition for her 18th birthday this year. She’s not the type to want a debutant event and more, she doesn’t have the traditional 18 friends to celebrate with her. She’s got one bestie in Esmé Mares, and they’re thick as thieves.
Or they were until senior year. Now Esmé Mares has left Lucia’s side.
Worse, despite not wanting a debut, Lucia’s mom is planning one behind her back. Now Lucia has to find 18 friends to stand by her before her lola arrives from the Philippines to celebrate.
This is a story about friendship, being on the cusp of adulthood, and learning how to gently push yourself out of your comfort zone.
We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis (16th)
Set in the French countryside in a small town called Mende, this book is inspired by the true unsolved historical mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan.
Mende has seen a series of brutal murders taking place, and many in the community whisper that a beast from the mountains has arrived—it’s a curse and punishment for the sins of everyone living there.
Joséphine and Clara, though, know it’s no curse. It’s an opportunity for them to escape the oppressive town and escape the fathers, brothers, and townspeople who have been abused and kept prisoner. The girls begin to use the beast’s attacks as cover.
One by one, Joséphine and Clara begin to fake the death of their friends, claiming it was the beast who got them. What’s really happening, though, is the friends are being hidden until it is safe for them to run.
Things aren’t going to plan, though, and now, Joséphine, Clara, and all of the girls they’re trying to save are facing a dwindling food supply, the fear of being caught by Mende residents, and the reality that they may become victims of the beast themselves.
Trail Rides and Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel
Cassidy, 16, lives in rural Wyoming, and her days are filled with taking care of the horses, farm work, and an online class in astronomy. It’s a good life, if a quiet one.
Wilder, 17, cannot wait to get his break in Hollywood. But to get the dream role he wants as a cowboy on a television miniseries, he has to convince casting that he knows what he’s doing. . . and he doesn’t. So Wilder does what anyone would do: he heads to the ranch where Cassidy lives to spend a month getting to know the ropes.
As you might imagine if you’ve read a romance or two, sparks begin to fly between Wilder and Cassidy. Wilder’s kind of loving the quieter life and realizing there’s more to life than fame, while Cassidy is beginning to dream bigger and seeing herself outside of the ranch life. Now they have some tough choices to make.
New Paperback Series Releases:
- The Glass Scientists: Volume 3 by S. H. Cotugno (comic)
More Paperback YA Releases This Week:
- The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer (30th)
- The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright (30th)
- Red by Annie Cardi (30th)
Curious about the best of the best in YA for 2025? Then you’ll want to check out this look at the Best YA Books of the Year, including picks from Book Riot, trade publications, and other book websites.
Get access to exclusive content and features with an All Access subscription on Book Riot.Join All Access to read this article
English (US) · 