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.
It’s time for your weekly roundup of all things new YA books for the week. October is absolutely bursting with awesome new reads for whatever genre or interest you might have. Below you’ll find a handful of new hardcover and new paperback releases covering a range of genres and styles. Not included in the roundup are comics or nonfiction—those releases for this month will be shared in another piece before too long.
New YA Hardcover Releases
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne
Senior Excursion is the talk of Warner Prep. It’s a trip the seniors take and they’re so ready for the exclusive adventure.
But instead of showing up somewhere amazing, the teens are sent to an isolated ski chalet in Colorado. It’s a digital detox program and is going to be SO BORING.
Then one by one, students are dropping dead. What’s going on? Now the teens are bound and determined to figure out what’s going on before they’re taken down—and it’s a surprise blizzard keeping them further trapped that will unravel dangerous secrets and more.
I Was Told There Would Be Romance by Marie Arnold
Fancy Augustine, a 15-year-old Haitian American, is desperate for an invite to THE party of the year: Imani Park’s birthday. Fancy’s bestie has gotten an invite and not only that, it turns out that Tilly has had a secret boyfriend all along, too.
Then Fanny strikes a deal with Imani for an invite, but it’ll require that Fanny find a date for the party. Now Fanny promises to make a voodoo potion for her crush Rahim if he plays the role of her boyfriend. But as these promises build up, Fanny finds herself not only falling behind in school but straining her friendship with Tilly and more.
Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee
Fans of global retellings will love this romantic take on Chinese folktale.
Prince Xian’s mother was bit by a white snake when he was a young boy and the bite meant a slow and painful death for her. The only way to reverse the curse is a spirit pearl, which was created by the white snake. Now old enough to travel and try to find a spirit pearl, Xian travels to Changle, where an oracle said such a pearl awaits.
Zhen, a white snake, consumed one of those pearls seven years ago, and with it came the ability to transform into a human shape.
When Xian arrives in Changle and meets Zhen, the chemistry between them is strong and immediate. But Zhen realizes that he’s what Xian is looking for not as a partner, but as an antidote to the curse. What will happen when they realize romance may not be in the cards?
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Rest in Peaches by Alex Brown
This sounds like the kind of campy mystery that we simply do not have enough of in YA. An immediate comparable that comes to mind is the short-lived—way too short lived—Deadly Cool series by Gemma Halliday.
The story follows Quinn Marcelo, who is pretty much your average teen in high school except that she plays the secret role of Peaches the Parrot, the beloved school mascot.
But the Peaches costume is ruined at the Homecoming Game, and now, Olivia’s secret identity is known and she feels humiliated. Making the exposure even worse is that Little Peaches, a real parrot that was used as part of the Peaches’ performances, was stolen when the costume was ruined.
Now Olivia is determined to find out what happened, but she’s going to take everyone down along the way…with rumors and conspiracy theories that might only further harm her reputation.
The name of the high school in this book is Olivia Newton-John High and I cannot stop laughing.
The Shadow Road by K. D. Kirchmeier
Readers who love post-apocalyptic fantasy will want this standalone on their TBR.
Monsters arrived, taking down the power and cities in their wake. Most people fled west for safety, but the dragon-like creatures continued to follow them. But among those who didn’t leave were Thomas and Cassie. When their paths intersect, they team up, determined to not only survive but to bring hope and a bright future to those who left. The duo will travel west, too, bringing with them an optimism they know their community so desperately needs amid the ruin.
They’ll just need to defeat these little monsters first.
Tangleroot by Kalela Williams
Noni Reid has grown up with a mother who is a renowned Black literature scholar, and Dr. Castine is offered the role of president at Stonepost College in Virginia, she and Noni relocate. They’ve moved into a house on Tangleroot Plantation, and Noni has to reckon with losing her friends, her old school, and an internship she was really excited about.
Cuffee Fortune, one of Noni’s ancestors, built Tangleroot Plantation, and Dr. Castine is convinced that Cuffee is also responsible for founding Stonepost College. She is making it her mission to find proof and use it to change the name of the school in his honor.
Noni is not settling in well. She feels uncomfortable with the history of Tangleroot and specifically, the white slaveholding family who lived there. As she begins to learn even more about the history of the Plantation, she is forced at every turn to face the racist history, legacy, and contemporary realities in her new community.
When she discovers a secret that uproots everything, Noni finds herself in a position where fitting in and making a home become even more difficult.
Under The Heron’s Light by Randi Pink
In 1722, Babylou Mac killed the local preacher’s son after he murdered her mother in front of her and her siblings. To escape to safety, Babylou and her siblings head into the Great Dismal Swamp. It’s dangerous, but the swamp will provide them protection.
Fast forward 300 years and Atlas returns to North Carolina to celebrate Bornday, the day 19 years ago she and her cousins were all born. It’s a birthday the four share with their GrannyLou, but this year, as GrannyLou tells stories of the swamp, they’re not simply folklore. The Dismal seems to be coming alive before their eyes.
When the Dismal sucks GrannyLou in, Atlas and her cousins will begin to unravel the dark history of the area and their family. GrannyLou is not necessarily who they thought her to be—she’s BabyLou, and the swamp is here to showcase to her family the power it holds, thanks in big part to her.
New YA Paperback Releases
As always, you may need to toggle your view after clicking the link to see the paperback editions of the following titles.
Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
If you want a book with Lizzie Borden vibes, this one will scratch that itch. Vik Gomez is found standing over the bloody bodies of his parents holding an ax. Mariella Morse, Vik’s girlfriend, accuses him of the murder and he has no alibi because he doesn’t remember anything. People believe Mariella…except for Tessa, Vik’s sister, who knows he’d never do something like that.
Tessa will prove her brother is innocent. She’s convinced that the forest around Fall River has something to do with it, and now with Mariella, the two will face what’s been causing ax murders in the town for generations.
Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson
Set over the course of a short time frame—one week—and mostly in the Pink Mountain Pizza shop, the story follows three teens who work there and their array of concerns, especially as the shop’s owner announces the place has been sold. There’s Berlin, an overachieving Native teen; Cameron, whose cousin Kiki went missing and is among the numerous Native women and girls whose stories go untold; and there’s Jessie, a rich girl who doesn’t need the job but wants to prove she is more than what her family tells her that she is. The story begins with Berlin seeing who she believes to be Kiki and involves an array of big, meaty topics, including anti-Blackness, the challenges of progress vs. that of embracing change, the realities of missing Native girls, women, and Two-Spirit people, and so much more.
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