It’s a cheeky subject, of course, but it’s worth starting this fun booklist out with a big, highlighted, underlined, oversized note: no, YA authors choosing to write adult fiction is not proof they’re finally adults. Storytelling for all age groups and categories is legitimate, so an author who once wrote for teens choosing to write for adults in their next book does not mean they’ve finally “graduated” or are writing “real” books now. Creative writers tell the story that comes to them, and who that story is best for depends on a whole host of elements.
That said, it is a lot of fun to see where and what authors whose careers have primarily been in one category do when they try something new. That’s precisely why I love to dig into the YA authors who are making their debut as adult authors.
It takes tremendous skill to navigate thinking about audience during the writing process, and while some decisions about who a book is for happen in the marketing department, seeing authors skillfully try their hands at books for young readers and those for adults is straight-up fun. It’s a nice way to not only admire the craft but, for readers, a nice way to dip your toes into the types of books you might not always be drawn to. If you loved an author’s YA novel, it might be your perfect entry point into adult fiction when you pick up their adult debut (and vice versa!). Not all of these books will be appropriate for all teen readers.
This list is limited to authors who began their careers as YA writers and will publish their first work of adult fiction in 2026. Some will be trying their hands at genre, while others will be writing in the lit fic/contemporary category. I have not included YA authors who’ve previously published adult novels, nor adult novelists trying out YA—those are two potentially worthwhile lists for the future.
Although this list is diverse, it’s not as inclusive as YA itself is. That’s not because there aren’t authors of color publishing YA and adult books. It’s because this particular list is a little more niche, and because authors who write across age groups do so at different paces. Some authors who started with careers in YA are no longer publishing their debut adult novel but have moved on to sophomore efforts or more (one example is Kylie Lee Baker, whose first adult novel, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, hit shelves last year, and her sophomore effort, Japanese Gothic, is on deck for April of this year). We also don’t yet know all the books that will hit shelves in the fall, so this list isn’t comprehensive. It can’t be.
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Enough introduction. Get excited to meet some of your favorite YA authors in their upcoming adult books.
Bloom by Robbie Couch (March 3)
Couch’s adult debut promises a “precocious houseplant,” and that alone should sell the book.
Morris has just lost his husband, Fred, and in his grief, he’s basically shut himself off from the world. He’s not going out or having fun, preferring to be alone with his pain and sadness.
Sloan, who is Morris’s stepdaughter, is about to get married. But her overbearing mother is making it difficult for her to plan her dream wedding. She just lost her father, of course, but that doesn’t mean her life has to be stopped completely.
Enter Jade. That’s the houseplant. Jade and her fellow plants have been neglected since Fred’s death. Morris hasn’t been taking care of them, either, and now, it’s time for Jade to do something about it.
A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon (May 12)
Salomé has always dealt with visions of spirits and powers beyond her control. She and her sister Rochelle are being raised in a dark and dreary convent, following the burning of their foster mother. Her crime? Being a witch.
When Rochelle disappears, Salomé runs away to find her. In that desperate search, she runs into Lord Death. But he doesn’t kill her. Instead, he takes Salomé into his home, which is a mishmash of crumbling walls and astonishing corridors. Lord Death will teach Salomé how to harness her power.
Salomé is entranced, and she’s also wary. Should she trust this stranger? Will he truly be out to help her, or does he want something darker?
This one’s for fans of Bluebeard retellings.
Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim (July 28)
In 1940s Hong Kong, Ha Yut Ying’s hometown is being invaded by Japanese soldiers. She does something miraculous to survive, though: she turns invisible.
Once the war ends, she’s sent to live with her dad and stepmother. They crush her dreams of becoming a singer and instead make her their servant. It is a challenging life.
In 1960s San Francisco, Marigold could not prepare herself for the possibility that her mother could vanish. It creates a major rift in their relationship and, as her mother’s condition worsens, requires that Marigold uncover some of her family’s darkest secrets.
Readers who love multigenerational sagas will dig this one, and the magic element adds a unique element.
A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys (June 2)
Marjorie Lennox is the youngest child in a family with power and prestige in 1927 Detroit’s automotive industry. She’s always been a little different, drawn more to art than to industry. This is why she’s always been written off by her dad and her siblings.
So when Marjorie is accepted into an exclusive arts program funded by a mysterious benefactor, she sees her ticket out.
Even if the academy looks fantastic and her peers are great, there’s something completely off about the program. Little by little, despite not being present there, the benefactor’s fingerprints and plans are all over everything. The program is restrictive, and girls are beginning to disappear from it.
Marjorie’s always stood out. But now, she fears that by being herself and standing out, she, too, may become one of the disappeared.
The Johnson Four by Christina Hammonds Reed (February 3)
Odysseus Johnson wants his three sons to pursue musical careers. But when the family drives home from another failed audition, this time in Detroit, the boys encounter something completely unexpected. It’s the ghost of Christmas Jones, a Black boy who comes with a horrible past. Christmas desperately wants to go with the Johnson family and find a home, but Odysseus says no. So Christmas does what he has to and stows away in their car.
Everyone is horrified, at least at first. Slowly, Christmas becomes part of the Johnson family, even if he’s but a ghost.
Then Odysseus sees an opportunity for his boys to achieve stardom in California. He moves the family out there, and the dream seems about to come true. The boys will finally have their break.
But then Christmas turns the family–and their musical future–upside down when he commits a violent act. The family is broken apart. Can they ever come back together? This is a story of trauma, Vietnam, Black performance and exploitation, and family (plus ghosts).
Mothers and Other Strangers by Corey Ann Haydu (March 31)
Sydney and Mae met on the playground as tots, and they–as well as their very different mothers, the type-A Beth Ann and more free flowing Joni–become quick friends. Both the girls and their moms are inseparable.
But when there’s a falling out between the moms, the girls are separated. Their friendship ends prematurely and without their input.
The end of that friendship follows both girls through their adulthood. Sydney is pregnant and pulled into a pyramid scheme, while across the city, Mae is pregnant, single, and grieving the mysterious death of her mother. The two women find their way back to one another and fend off all the outside influences trying to keep them apart. They’ve got so much in common now, as they did then.
It won’t be long, though, before the women realize there’s an even deeper connection between them, and it might both open an explanation of what happened decades ago and be the thing that tears them apart again.
One & Only by Maurene Goo (February 3)
One & Only Matchmaking is Cassia’s family business. They have a 100% success rate of finding their clients’ one true love. It’s only had one struggle: finding Cassia’s own soulmate, a person named Daniel Nam, whom she has never found.
So Cassia decides to break from tradition. It’s her 40th birthday, and she decides to begin a fling with 28-year-old Ellis. She knows he’s not her fated, but she can have some fun.
Things actually feel like they could be more than a fling. That is, until Ellis introduces Cassia to his boss, Daniel Nam.
Not only is Cassia now struck by a choice she never envisioned–following fate or following her heart. But then she uncovers a family secret that could upend everything even more.
Pool House by Mary HK Choi (June 9)
It’s interesting how many of these adult novels being written by YA authors explore mothers and daughters or intergenerational relationships. Choi’s is another for that micro-set within this list.
Stevie wants to escape her mom. She’s tired of dead-end jobs, tired of not making ends meet, tired of living in Los Angeles, tired of her mother not leaving her alone.
Moon, her mother, is an actress out of work, and she’s dealing with a lot. She’s recovering from addiction, and she’s just lost her lover (and former TV husband). Processing her grief and her life as it is now is challenging, and it’s made worse when she realizes Stevie wants to leave, too.
Stevie and Moon need each other, even if it’s not the best for them. They’ve moved into their pool house and rented out the main house to make ends meet. But things become much more intense when Moon’s former TV son, Adam, shows up at the funeral for his TV dad/her lover. Adam happens to be Stevie’s former crush, and now the three of them are making new, convoluted plans. They’re going to move back into the main house and play family.
Things are tense, even if they look okay on the outside.
Save The Date by Mallory Kass (April 14)
If you’re a YA reader scratching your head about the author, that’s because you likely know Kass by her pen name: Kass Morgan. This is her first foray into adult fiction, and for readers who love a paperback romance, this one will be up your alley. It’s also the second book on this list to star a main character named Marigold.
Marigold seems like a carefree, shallow “it” girl. She’s looking forward to her wedding being done, in part because she knows marrying the successful doctor Jonathan will help her shed her reputation. But there’s a secret lingering that might ruin her wedding, and Marigold might need to track down someone she never wanted to see again to save her wedding.
Add to the mix Natalie. She’s Marigold’s maid of honor, who wants nothing more than a smooth wedding. Too bad Natalie has had a long-standing crush on Jonathan. So when Marigold disappears, Natalie is not only worried about her friend. She’s also concerned about the feelings she has for Jonathan and whether or not she can keep them under wraps any longer.
Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel (January 20)
Rush’s Recovery, located in the Hamptons, is a luxury recovery center for those who can afford it. It’s billed as a place celebrities can get help without the paparazzi banging down the door.
While the latest patients have arrived, they’re not following the behavioral agreements they signed. This is leading to some dangerous situations–the kind no amount of cold plunges can handle.
But what the celebrities themselves are doing may be the lesser of the scandals plaguing Rush’s Recovery. The center itself has a dark history, and not all of the guests may make it out in one piece.
The Take by Kelly Yang (April 14)
Compared to Yellowjackets and Such a Fun Age, this story follows two women, Maggie and Ingrid. Maggie is a broke Asian American writer looking for a way to survive. Ingrid is a white Hollywood producer, and she’s ready to strike a deal with Maggie. For three million dollars, Maggie will undergo 10 experimental medical sessions to reverse her aging. Maggie makes money, and Ingrid can revive her career.
But this business exchange quickly becomes something much more. It’s twisty and entangled, and both Maggie and Ingrid may come out with much more than either of them bargained for. It’s a book about finding oneself, about aging, race, and so much more.
Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee (July 7)
When Julia meets Harry, he’s everything she could hope for in a partner. One thing that Harry has failed to tell her, though, is that he’s not really Adam. He’s Ares, the ancient god of war. He’s the son of Hera and Zeus.
Now Julia’s attending their lavish family reunion, and the wealth and privilege truly strike her. What she hadn’t bargained for was that being involved with the gods means being thrown into wars over power. That’s exactly where she’s landed.
Every one of Harry’s relatives has something at stake when it comes to his relationship with Julia. She’s smack dab in the middle of it all, a mortal amongst the wealthiest and stealthiest of gods. It’s a modern twist on ancient mythology.
You Did Nothing Wrong by CG Drews (March 17)
Elodie was a single mother making it work. So when she met Bren, and they fell in love, everything seemed to be turning into a fairy tale. Elodie and her autistic son Jude are invited to live in Bren’s family home, which he’s been renovating; she also discovers she’s pregnant.
Then Jude starts to hear voices in the walls, and Elodie cannot ignore what he’s telling her. Especially when Jude tells her those voices are telling him that the renovations Bren is undertaking are actually hurting the house.
There’s something odd going on, but Elodie can’t tell if it’s her, if it’s Jude, or if there’s something more sinister going on in this house and with Bren.
Want to check out some of the previous installments of YA authors publishing their adult novels from past years? Here are the book lists from 2024 and 2025–several of these authors have gone on to publish more adult novels, as well as more YA novels.
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