Books
14 YA Books You Can Start Reading Now, Even Though They Officially Come Out Later This Year
Winter — finally! — appears to be coming to an end, and the spring is sure to bring with it plenty of picnicking-in-the-park afternoons, rosé-drinking-on-rooftops evenings, and of course, reading-at-an-outdoor-café mornings. Luckily, there are more than a few new young adult books coming out this year to look forward to reading during the crisp mornings to come. Below, you can start reading from 14 young adult novels that are coming out this spring, summer, and fall.
If you're a fan of contemporary YA, there's more than a few books you need to add to your TBR: The Beauty that Remains, a haunting exploration of grief through the lens of three teenagers; Blanca & Rosa, a stunning and lush story of sisterhood with fairy tales undertones; Sadie, a thriller with true crime vibes that fans of Serial or S-Town will love; and Tradition, an examination of rape culture and toxic masculinity, as written by a man.
But fans of fantasy also have plenty of titles to add to their reading list: Ash Princess, the heart-pounding first installment in a new series about a subjugated former princess who has found the fire to fight back; The Final Six, a near-future and all-too-real dystopian about what happens when the world becomes uninhabitable; and Bruja Born, a witchy tale about a teen bruja who unwisely uses her powers to bring her dead boyfriend back from the other side.
If that's a lot to process, don't worry: You can read a chapter of each of these forthcoming YA novels below and decide which ones you want to add to your pre-order list:
'The Beauty That Remains' by Ashley Woodfolk (March 6; Delacorte Press)
Autumn, Shay, and Logan were brought together by music. But they were torn apart by death. As they navigate a painful new reality, the three must find comfort from each other and from within.
'The Final Six' by Alexandra Monir (March 6; HarperTeen)
Due to erratic climate change, the Earth in The Final Six is a dangerous place to live, and the fate of mankind is in the hands of "the final six" — six people who are tasked with scouting for a new planet to call home. When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are drafted into the International Space Training Camp, they are forced to compete for one of those six spots, and their lives change in unfathomable ways.
'Stay Sweet' by Siobhan Vivian (April 24; Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers)
This sweet-as-sorbet summer YA novel follows Amelia, a 17-year-old who's spent the last three summers working at Meade Creamery, an all-women owned and operated ice cream stand. But when the owner, Molly Meade, dies unexpectedly, Amelia is tasked with taking charge of the entire operation — which would mostly be fine, if it weren't for the added complicated of Grady, Molly's grandnephew.
'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian (April 24; Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Theodosia was six years old when her country was invaded and her mother, the Queen, was murdered. Since then, Theodosia has been branded as the "Ash Princess" — a title of shame that she must wear as a prisoner of the Kaiser. But when the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable, she realizes it is not enough to silently endure his abuses — she must fight back.
'Tradition' by Brendan Kiely (May 1; Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school for the children of the most prestigious and powerful families, is a place that runs on tradition. Jules knows that she has to play by the rules of the "old boys' club" — even if she doesn't like it. And Jamie, a star hockey player, knows he benefits from the "old boys' club" — even if he doesn't like it. But can these two take down tradition together?
'The Smoke Thieves' by Sally Green (May 1; Viking)
The Smoke Thieves is the intertwined stories of five teens: a princess, a soldier, a demon smoke hunter, a lovable thief, and a faithful servant. All five are brought together by the most unlikely of objects: a stolen bottle of demon smoke.
'Furyborn' by Claire Legrand (May 22; Sourcebooks Fire)
When Rielle saves her best friend, the crown prince, from an assassin ambush, she inadvertently reveals that she possesses extraordinary powers — powers that only the queen of light and salvation or the queen of blood and destruction could possibly possess. After a series of rigorous tests, she proves herself to be Queen Rielle.
A thousand years later, Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana. But when her mother goes missing and she joins a rebel captain on a mission to find her, Eliana discovers the fairy tale isn't legend at all.
'Bruja Born' by Zoraida Cordova (June 5; Sourcebooks Fire)
In the second installment in Zoraida Córdova's Brooklyn Brujas series, teen witch Lula Moritz faces down the nature of death itself when her beloved boyfriend, Maks, is killed in a car accident and she makes the dangerous decision to bring him back from the beyond the grave.
'Sadie' by Courtney Summers (Sept. 4 2018; St. Martin's Press)
Sadie is on a road trip and on a mission to track down the man who killed her sister. When radio personality West McCray overhears someone talking about Sadie's story at a gas station, he sets out his own mission — to find the girl bent on revenge. And he's making a podcast about the entire journey.
'For A Muse Of Fire' by Heidi Heilig (Sept. 25; Greenwillow Books)
Jetta is a puppeteer with a sinister secret: She uses blood magic to bind dead spirits to the puppets and make them move without sticks or strings. But when she's offered a position aboard the royal ship Aquitan — a ship that's rumored to contain a magical spring that cures all ailments — Jetta decides that she wants to find the cure, once and for all.
'The Boneless Mercies' by April Genevieve Tucholke (Oct. 2; Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A genderbent retelling of Beowulf, the latest young adult novel from April Genevieve Tucholke centers on a group of female outcasts who use their disenfranchised status to survive a brutal world.
'Blanca & Roja' by Anna-Marie McLemore (Oct. 9; Feiwel & Friends)
Blanca and Roja have a complicated sister relationship. They're best friends — and rivals. And of course, there's the curse that will force one of them to live the remainder of their days as a swan. In order to decide who gets to live as a human and who does not, the two sisters must play a dangerous game with their destinies at stake.
'A Sorrow Fierce and Falling' by Jessica Cluess (Oct. 16; Random House Books for Young Readers)
In the final installment of Jessica Cluess's heart-pounding trilogy, Henrietta, a sorceress, is on the verge of marrying Lord Blackwood when a ritual-gone-wrong forces her to reconsider her plans. With Maria, the chosen one, and Magnus, the young man she once loved, on her side, she instead journeys straight into enemy territory in defense of the entire realm.
'Girls Of Paper And Fire' by Natasha Ngan (Oct. 23; JIMMY Patterson)
Every eight years, eight girls are chosen against their will to serve the Demon King of Ikhara. This year, however, he chooses nine — the additional girl being Lei, a girl with golden eyes and a member of the lowest caste. But Lei isn't about to be subjugated to the Demon King without a fight. In his castle, she falls in love with another girl — and plans a revolt against the king and his kingdom.
