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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.
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As we come to the end of the quieter season in publishing, we’ll begin to start seeing massive release days soon. Take advantage of these next few weeks to catch up on your TBR because once mid-August hits, so, too, will the YA books be hitting in mass.
This week, thrillers, romance, a nod to Arthurian legend, and more will hit shelves. Before we take a look at those, how about a little bookish fun?
Image courtesy of HappyHailsArt on Etsy
How adorable is this bookish dinosaur sticker? I’d put this on my water bottle in a heartbeat. $3.50 and you can choose from several colors for your dinosaur.
Hardcover Releases
Something to note about this week’s YA releases: they’re very white. This week does not represent the diversity of YA more broadly but instead represents a very slow season for publishing YA books. You’ll see below we have even fewer options for paperbacks this week!
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The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington
Continuing in the tradition of book titles that tell you that the book is going to flip a common trope on its head—see: The Black Girl Survives In This One and The White Guy Dies First—Wellington’s sophomore novel sounds like one for fans of Scream.
Devon and Drew are twins, but Devon has always felt second to her sister. It’s the summer before Drew leaves for college (she’s going a year early because she’s an overachiever) and Devon is insistent they have the Best Summer Ever. But when the twins and their besties play with a haunted Ouija Board they find themselves being stalked by some kind of demonic presence. That presence is doing all of the things you’d expect of a horror monster, and as that spirit continues to haunt them, Devon, the blonde, finds herself preparing to be the first victim. Devon’s long-time crush, Yaya, appears to be the final girl.
All of them will need to use their knowledge of horror tropes to get themselves out of this mess because the Best Summer Ever becomes the Worst Summer Ever.
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
Readers who like supernatural haunted house mysteries, look no further.
Estela’s parents were attacked by something mysterious, and now alone, Estela not only wants to find out what happened, she realizes she needs to get out of where she is in order to think clearly. She’s on her way now to la Sombra, a Spanish castle that belongs to her family, to live with an estranged aunt.
Immediately, the castle’s vibes are off. There are family secrets lodged in its walls, and Estela begins to suspect those may relate to her parents’ deaths.
Then Estela meets Sebastián, a boy with silver eyes, who only she can see. He’s not a hallucination, though. At least, she doesn’t think. He claims to be trapped in the castle. Together, they’ll work to find out what happened to Estela’s parents and how to get Sebastián out of the castle.
But it won’t be easy…and it might not bring solutions either of them anticipated.
Eighteen Roses by Shannon C. F. Rogers
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.
The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford
Casey is 16 and has always dreamed of being a singer. But when she’s struck with sudden, permanent, and profound hearing loss just before her family is planning to move across country, she’s forced to reckon with a significant number of changes. Her dreams may no longer be as she hoped they would be, and now, she’s got to learn to be a new student—and a newly disabled student—in a brand new school.
Hayden is a soccer captain and three generations of men in his family have gone on to have stellar soccer careers. It’s expected of him, too, and while he’s got the skills, his passion might not quite be there. What he really wants is a career on Broadway. Hayden is not only scared of telling his family. His anxiety disorder makes it nearly debilitating to even think about telling them.
So when Casey and Hayden meet in school, it’s an instant connection. The two of them forge a bond about their disabilities, about a love of music, queer identity, and so much more. This one’s got two points of view, so you get to see the world both through Casey and Hayden. It sounds fabulous!
Want more? Check out the full slate of YA hardcover releases this week.
Paperback Releases
There are only two paperback releases today—for this time of year, that’s not surprising. As always, you might need to toggle your view to see the paperback edition.
*The Future King by Robyn Schneider
Saying too much on this one might mean bringing about spoilers since it is the second book in a duology, so let’s keep it as short and simple as possible: it’s a story of reluctant royals and wizards whose magic may be a little too powerful, wrapped in a clever remix of Arthurian legend.
The first book in the series is The Other Merlin.
Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
Brynn left Saint Ambrose School four years ago when her favorite teacher was murdered. The teacher’s body was found behind the school in the woods by three students, all of whom were saved from prosecution due to the account of the day told by one of them, Tripp Talbot.
Brynn is back now, though, and she’s got an internship with her favorite true crime podcast. Since the case was never closed, she wants the chance to try to solve it. She begins by reaching out to the students who were there.
Tripp was one of Brynn’s former best friends, and she’s hoping he can be her way into the story. But as she begins to dip her toe into the truth behind Mr. Larkin’s murder, she unravels too many secrets to count, including the truth behind the lies Tripp shared to save himself and his friends.
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Thanks as always for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Thursday.
Until then, happy reading!
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