The Best New YA & Teen Books
Summer Young Adult Book Releases 2026
Age is just a number when it comes to reading and storytelling. This summer's YA book recommendations and new YA book releases prove that young adult fiction and nonfiction have something for everyone.
Filled with coming-of-age emotional truths, high-stakes dystopian struggles, breathless romance and an inspiring autobiography from New Zealand's youngest prime minister, this vibrant genre shines. Discover new work from incredible authors like Koumori, Darcy Miller, Angela Velez and many more.
To make sure your next YA read is an absolute standout, our in-house editorial team shifts through all the data and reviews to select the most captivating and memorable stories for the Young at Heart.
August 2026 YA New Releases
After the Towers Fell: America in the Wake of 9/11
by Matt Doeden
On September 11, 2001, hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers and changed the United States forever.
Few events in American history have impacted the nation the way these terror attacks did. And 25 years later, the United States continues to feel those impacts. But what all happened on September 11? And what followed?
From efforts to support a mourning nation and rebuild the World Trade Center to new wars facing mixed support to economic downturns and a rise in discrimination and surveillance, After the Towers Fell breaks down the day of the attacks and the effects that followed. It examines both the immediate aftershocks and the slower changes that came in the weeks, months and years after. It is difficult to perfectly quantify the role September 11 played in shaping the United States we know now. But one thing is undeniable: Social life, politics, economics, infrastructure and more have never been the same since.
An Astonishing Circle: The Discovery and Denial of the Circulatory System
by Maria Parrott-Ryan
An ingenious discovery ... dismissed as a dangerous lie.
In 1628, anatomist and physician William Harvey made a controversial claim: that blood circulated continuously through the body, pumping from the heart through the blood vessels into the tissues and then returning to the heart. His research contradicted many anatomy "experts" of the time. In the 17th century, European physicians did not go against the ancient Greek and Roman thinkers who'd created the foundations of Western medicine. But what if those foundations were wrong?
This is the story of how humans came to understand the circulatory system. And Harvey's work is only one part of that story. Discover the breakthroughs of scientists and scholars who dared to think outside the box, from Ibn al-Nafis, an Arab Muslim scholar who discovered pulmonary circulation; to Marcello Malpighi, who studied capillaries; to Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, who figured out oxygen's role; and beyond!
The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls
by Jessica Spotswood
"An immensely satisfying, shivery tale of vengeance." -- Nova Ren Suma, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
"Darkly atmospheric and impossible to put down." -- Shea Earnshaw, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep
★ "A complex and haunting tale that makes room for hope and optimism." -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review
In this gothic historical tale, two girls must uncover the secrets of their haunted home before it's too late.
THE HARROW HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS has long stood as a place of secrets. The estate has housed hundreds of young women hidden away during their pregnancies, their homesick cries echoing through the halls, providing a haunting score to Grace Harrow's childhood.
Now, in the summer of 1947, the Home has been sold to a wealthy hotelier. Grace expects the new owner's daughters to be spoiled. Yet Rose, the eldest daughter, unaware of Mr. Harrow's abusive tendencies is jealous of Grace's seemingly easy confidence. But as they're drawn into each other's lives, an unlikely friendship begins to form. Fortunately so, because not all of the wayward girls made it out. ...
One still lingers. Lurking in the shadows. Looking for vengeance.
To expose the truth buried in the walls of the Harrow Home, Grace and Rose must unravel a legacy of silence and cruelty. But Grace's father will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden, and if the truth comes to light, it could destroy both their families.
The Healers of Harlem: The Black Women Who Changed Medicine Forever
by Nina Chhita
For readers who loved the previously untold history of Hidden Figures, an amazing story of the pioneering work done by Black women at one American hospital and how it shaped medical care in America.
★ "In her powerful debut, Chhita delivers a stirring and thoroughly researched account of the Black women whose work transformed both Harlem Hospital and American medicine. ... Rich in historical detail and emotional resonance, this illuminating work gives long-overdue recognition to a remarkable group of trailblazers." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
The story of the Harlem Hospital is entwined with the history of desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement in America. In this unique interdisciplinary history, Chhita chronicles the Harlem Hospital from its beginnings as a small hospital in the late-19th century to the day it saved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life to its present form as a world class medical facility. She focuses on four Black women who were instrumental in the long struggle to demolish racist barriers in the hospital and overcome anti-Black bias against its work after integration.
Chhita spent years doing interviews and painstaking archival research, and the book features many previously unpublished primary sources which she skillfully weaves into a story of personal and collective struggle and triumph.
A talented artist known for her portraits of trailblazing women in science on Instagram, Chhita's two-color illustrations will be featured throughout.
Mirrorwoven
by Bori Cser
Del has two rules. One: Stay away from royalty. Two: Don't fall in love.
The first is because Del is secretly Adeleine Ventris, runaway princess. After the death of her sister at the hand of her lover, Del has fled her family, home and all the responsibilities that come with being the queendom's new daughter-heir but not before faking her death and magically constructing a new, mirror-woven face. No longer recognizable as Adeleine, she's now just Del, a simple musician who knows nothing of court life and can disappear to the faraway opaline lagoon-city of Salato.
The second is because the enchantment hiding Del's identity can only be unraveled by true love's kiss. But that's just fine; Del's had enough of love.
When Del breaks Rule One and becomes court bard to the new First of Salato, she is resolved to at least keep her head down and stay well out of politics, until she realizes sweet, gentle Clara, the young figurehead who trusts too easily and loves too much, may be the one person less prepared to govern than Del herself. And if Clara loses her throne, Del loses the tenuous new job and life she's found in Salato.
As Del's deceptions grow ever larger and more precarious--and as she grows closer to both Clara and Nasca, Clara's brilliant, dangerous sister--it will take only the slightest push to bring Del's house of cards tumbling down.
Like, for example, breaking Rule Two.
My Killer Family Reunion
by Dinesh Thiru
Knives Out meets Never Have I Ever in this hilarious and twisty young adult mystery-comedy about an Indian American teen whose family reunion at a lavish manor falls into chaos after her grandma is attacked.
Nothings brings family together like attempted murder.
There are three things Jayshree Devi can count on happening at her annual family reunion: 1) her cousins will forget she exists, 2) her aunts will try to set her up, and 3) her uncles will get into a fight. What she doesn't expect? An accident that lands her grandmother in a coma, throwing the family -- and their matriarch's sizeable fortune -- into chaos.
When Jay discovers Grand Mom's "accident" might not have been so accidental after all, she'll have to dig through decades of secrets to find the truth. With the help of her (annoyingly perky) cousins and one of their (annoyingly hot) friends, Jay finds herself knee-deep in a mystery that's even more tangled than her family tree.
But the closer Jay gets to answers, the closer she gets to finding her place amongst the relatives who once felt so distant. With Grand Mom's life and fortune hanging in the balance, can Jay save her family and maybe hook up with a hottie while she's at it?
Soulmates
by David Wilson
"Grabs your heart from page one and never lets go." ― David Arnold, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
"The perfect romance for readers who know that love is its own kind of magic." ― Laura Ruby, Two-Time National Book Award Finalist and author of Bone Gap
"Romantic and deadly." ― Vanessa Montalban, author of A Tall Dark Trouble and These Vengeful Wishes
For fans of As I Dream of You and Pumpkinheads, David Wilson's author-illustrator graphic novel debut explores themes of life and death, the bittersweetness of first love, and the notion that perhaps your perfect soulmate is the one who helps you discover your true self.
Kit is the golden boy of his small town. Captain of the football team, perfect grades, perfect relationship, perfect everything. But when his childhood best friend, Emma, mysteriously returns to town, Kit's life is thrown into turmoil.
She's the only one who knows what happened that day he fell at the cliffs and why he woke up alone on the shore. She's also the only one who may know the truth about the strange visions he's been having and why the people he sees in them are turning up dead.
As Kit and Emma reconnect and rekindle the past, Kit's forced to admit that things aren't as perfect as they seem. And Emma ... well, she isn't what she seems either. Her family's been hiding a secret for generations and with Death looming over all of them, the truth can't stay buried forever.
Everything Comes Back to You
by Jackie Khalilieh
Lennon has always tried to live up to her Palestinian Canadian father's exacting standards, even if her older sister hasn't, but when a crush on an older white boy develops into something more, she must find the strength to balance her own desires against her father's expectations.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this new YA novel.
Lennon is excited and apprehensive about starting high school, where her older sister is going to be a senior. Then her sister drops a bombshell: she is pregnant. Her Palestinian Canadian parents are devastated, and Lennon finds herself under even more pressure to be a “good girl,” a role autistic Lennon has always played well. But after a chance encounter with John, a white boy in the grade above, Lennon finds herself nursing a crush on someone her parents would definitely not approve of, which only seems to intrigue her more.
As Lennon and John are drawn together and pulled apart throughout her four years of high school, Lennon wrestles with feelings of shame and yearning, obedience and rebellion through the lens of her autism, trying to both please her parents and herself. When a relationship with a different boy challenges her notions of family and happiness, her way forward becomes clear, even if it might mean losing everything and everyone she loves.
July 2026 YA New Releases
Free Girls
by Kristen McCallum
"This one is for all the labeled 'bad kids' who need someone to see the good in them. Full of heartache but never short on hope." --Sonido Reyes, bestselling and award-winning author of The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
A heartfelt coming-of-age debut about a girl starting over while keeping secret that she's spent the last year in juvenile detention. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Leah Johnson.
Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Cooper is back after twelve months at Guiding Hearts Home for Troubled Girls, and nothing is the way it was. Her mom has remarried and now there's a big new house, a shiny new family and a fancy new school. Jas feels completely out of place, and things only get more complicated when her mom insists that her "fresh start" include hiding the truth of where she's been and cutting off people from her past.
As Jas settles into her new life bonding with her seemingly perfect stepsister, making a close-knit group of besties, and maybe even falling for the cute girl in class, it starts to feel like her second chance might actually be real.
But when a friend from the detention center reaches out to reconnect, Jas worries that everything she's built could fall apart. How long can she keep her past a secret? And how many times can she spin the truth before she forgets who she really is?
Ladies of the Knight
by Fiona Marchbank - Fiona Marchbank
"This colorful action-packed graphic novel about a medieval world with jousting knights, competitive rivalries, eager apprentices and corporate sponsorships is almost like a feudal and PG-13 "Heated Rivalry," starring female characters." --New York Times
In a land where glamorous knights compete in showy tournaments for fame and fortune, George wants to be the best. Being small and untrained means no knight will give her a coveted spot as their squire, but George won't give up on her dreams so easily.
Serafina is the best knight around, no question. She's so good that she's getting bored and reckless in her jousts. It doesn't help that everyone is mesmerized by Aethelberg, her sparkling rival, who is much better at playing to the crowd, while Serafina would rather keep to herself and practice her swordplay. When Serafina's wife and patroness insists on her taking plucky George as a squire, Serafina suddenly finds herself in the position she never wanted--a mentor. Their partnership is going to be even harder than it looks, considering George can barely hold a sword without giving herself a black eye and Serafina is even pricklier than the lance she wields. But if either of them are going to take the league of knights by storm, they'll have to learn that neither of them can do it alone.
In her author-illustrator debut, step into Fiona Marchbank's (Fairest Of All: A Villains Graphic Novel, Of Her Own Design) colorful, medieval world for fans of Squire and Ella Enchanted and follow George on a quest to be the greatest knight in all the land . . .
Augusta Pine Does Not Exist
by Emily Lloyd-Jones
A teen criminal hacker turned secret operative must outwit a band of cyberterrorists in this gripping novel from the acclaimed author of The Bone Houses.
I was 15 when I became a murderer. … After a hack gone tragically wrong, a teen girl is given an ultimatum: accept a harsh prison sentence or leave her old life behind, adopt a new identity and use her talents in the service of a covert government agency.
Three years later, the newly-named Augusta Pine has become a skilled wraith, one of the Identity Security Division's secret operatives. She has no home, no family. Her only friends are her coolly professional handler and a snarky sentient AI spybot. So when Augusta is sent to Portland for her next assignment, she seizes the chance to glimpse her beloved grandmother and rents the apartment next door.
But what begins as a little nostalgic stalking quickly turns into a fight for survival. With her quick wit, tech savvy--and help from an unexpected ally--Augusta must race against the clock to stay one step ahead of a band of deadly cyberterrorists.
Unfolding through a suspenseful narrative interspersed with case-file excerpts, this is a pulse-pounding novel about identity, connection and justice.
Ruinous Ends
by I V Marie
The future of Blackwood Academy--and the entire afterlife--is at stake in the must-read sequel to the viral dark fantasy sensation Immortal Consequences.
This stunning hardcover edition features gorgeous, flower-patterned sprayed edges, colored endpapers and an exclusive foil-stamped case!
The Decennial is over, but for the students of Blackwood Academy, the fight for the afterlife has just begun.
The infamous school was hiding more secrets--and lies--than any of the Decennial's participants could have imagined. And there's still so much that remains buried beneath its ancient foundations. Now the future of the academy, and all the souls within it, rests in the hands of six former pupils:
The charmer and the golden boy ...
The traitor and the girl desperate to save her ...
The Chosen One and the one who would choose her over and over again ...
Any of them could be the hero the afterlife needs ... or the villain who will destroy it for good. Because the truth is, Blackwood's biggest secret has yet to come to light--and when it does, it will shake the institution to its core.
Evie and Her Nightmares
by Francesca Zappia
After the death of her best friend, Evie Leigh seeks solace in an online role-playing game. In the game, she finds purpose, community and even romance. But online life alone can't sustain her, and the farther she pushes herself away from reality, the harder it will come back to bite. A stand-alone companion to the acclaimed Eliza and Her Monsters from award-winning author Francesca Zappia. Illustrated by the author.
Without her best friend by her side, nothing feels important to Evie Leigh. Running on the track team isn't worth the effort, none of her other friends understand her anymore, and her spotless high school career is meaningless. Everything makes Evie feel numb and empty, until she discovers the fantastical world of the online role-playing game, Children of Hypnos, which her best friend had been obsessed with, but never really drew Evie in. Until now.
Set in the world of Eliza and Her Monsters, Evie and Her Nightmares is about the depths we go to after a traumatic event and how we can find help and healing from the people we connect with online. Francesca Zappia once again proves herself a one-of-a-kind YA author with her unique literary voice, authentic portrayal of neurodiverse characters, willingness to touch on sensitive themes and innovative multimedia format. Hand this book to fans of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.
You Only Live Twice
by Autumn Allen
An unforgettable, heartwarming, hilarious coming-of-age story about faith, family, all kinds of love and a Black Muslim teen pursuing an ordinary goal in an extraordinary time.
Barely one week into senior year of high school, Boston native Zakiyyah is making her 2012-2013 Get Free Plan.
- Step one: quit high school. (PSA: There are other ways to get to college!)
- Step two: live like it's Ramadan year-round.
As she gets deeper into her Plan, she starts to wonder if there's someone out there who would be a good companion. To everyone's surprise, Zakiyyah decides she wants to get married. But there are some complications.
- Problem one: she's never met a guy she liked. Zakiyyah's family (reluctantly) and friends (eagerly) agree to support the search.
- Problem two: what's the secret to choosing a good life partner?
Enter Musa, by way of mutual friends. With marriage in mind, Zakiyyah and Musa get to know each other, progressing from email to instant messaging to phone calls. Things are going well... thrillingly well... until tragedy strikes Boston. In a moment of heightened emotion and stress, Zakiyyah and Musa have their first major disagreement.
Zakiyyah can call the whole thing off. But with or without Musa, what does it mean to live on her own terms?
Too Perfect to Die
by Juliana Goodman
"Bring It On", but with murder, this heart-pounding YA thriller follows Jonty, a star cheerleader forced to track down a killer and achieve her dream before it's too late.
With competition this fierce, bodies are bound to hit the mat … All Jonty has ever wanted is to lead her cheerleading team, The Exalted Ones, to win a NCA championship. Cheer is not just a sport, it's her legacy. Her mother cheered for T.E.O. before she died, and Jonty would do anything to snatch the crown and honor her mother's memory. This year she has a real shot, finally beating her rival Tommie and becoming the team captain.
But Jonty's perfect season is shattered when Tommie shows up dead on the first day of practice. Now the team is down a flyer and everyone is convinced that Jonty killed her. Everyone except Adam, her co-captain, who was with her the night that Tommie died.
As the season progresses, girls keep dropping like flies, and one thing becomes clear: Someone is sabotaging The Exalted Ones, and they're willing to commit murder to get their way. But with the police still convinced it's her, will Jonty be able to save herself, her team, and her perfect season?
June YA New Releases
Where You'll Find Us
by Jen St Jude
In this beautifully profound YA novel, a trans teen finds a home where queer kids from all different decades have found refuge from hatred-and from time.
Calla Quick has no future. At least, that's how it feels. Her parents disowned her via text message, and now she can't afford to go to an all-women's college with her girlfriend Ramona like they planned. But Calla wonders if maybe that's for the best, because even though Calla told Ramona her parents disowned her because they found out she's gay, the truth is, Calla has been questioning whether she's a girl at all.
Calla wishes she had more time to figure everything out, and one night, her wish is seemingly granted. When Calla and Ramona stumble upon a mysterious farmhouse the woods, they meet five teens who claim they've lived there for decades. The land, which they call Amaranth, acts as a safe haven for queer kids throughout history, a place free of hate, free of violence, free of time itself.
Here, Calla can be Cal, and they feel instantly accepted. They don't have to worry about the future because at Amaranth, it will never come, until one night when the clock strikes twelve. Now under a literal ticking clock, the housemates must find a way to stop time again or face going back to their harsh realities, but as Cal learns everyone's story, they begin to wonder what queer people lose when their history is lost to time.
Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams
by Angela Velez
Never Have I Ever meets Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in this hilarious and moving YA coming-of-age about a girl juggling way too many lies, one very off-limits crush and a secret summer internship -- all while steering clear of the dreaded F-word: her future.
Ezzie Ramos is a champion secret keeper. Her brilliant professor mami and nosy abuelita don't know about her daily ritual (wandering the art museum), her college applications (hopelessly blank) or her summer plans (avoiding the dreaded F-word, a.k.a. her future, at all costs).
Ezzie's biggest secret? She's interning at Sprout, the urban garden she's stunned to discover her father founded weeks before his death. All she knows about Papi begins and ends with his dazzling scientific research legacy, but what if he dreamed of a different path too?
With seven weeks to uncover who Papi really was, Ezzie must chase down every lead, even if it means tangling with Sprout's star volunteer, Gabe McCalister, who couldn't be more off-limits, or distractingly cute. But as Ezzie begins to put down roots at Sprout, she learns that secrets, like seeds, have a way of growing toward the light. …
Last to Leave
by Teresa Richards
A trendy, fast-paced mystery for fans of the Knives Out movies as well as Netflix's The Residence.
"Utterly original and so fun to read! I couldn't resist the fun premise, and Richards delivers with a ton of wit and depth." -- Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A For Aunties
Video game streamer Fallon joins a 1920s-themed murder mystery game, and the only thing more important than figuring out whodunit is who has the most fans. When 17-year-old up-and-coming video game streamer and content creator Fallon earns a coveted spot in the new murder-mystery reality game, SleuthIt, her objective seems pretty straightforward: play the game, solve the mystery and win the million-dollar prize. The fact that she'll do it all on livestream with seven other young content creators only makes things better. After all, increased exposure is influencer gold, and winning will catapult her gaming channel to the next level.
But unbeknownst to each other, the contestants are interconnected, and when one of them turns out to be Fallon's online gaming partner Dante, she starts to doubt the objective of the game. The intrigue runs much deeper than Fallon ever thought. The eight contestants chosen for the show are not the only players in the game, and the interlopers have hidden agendas and competing interests.
As secrets come out and the lines between ally and adversary blur, Fallon will have to figure out what game she's really playing, who might be playing her and what she's willing to sacrifice in pursuit of fame and fortune. Because, in the end, no one can have it all.
I Am Not a Vampire (Anymore)
by Darcy Miller
Being a teenager bites, literally. When a classmate develops a thirst for blood, one girl must confront her secret supernatural past before things turn deadly. Sink your teeth into this dark and hilarious YA debut from an award-winning author Darcy Miller.
Her past is back for blood.
My goals for senior year were simple:
- Find a prom dress I don't hate
- Spend as much time as possible with my amazing boyfriend Max (and my even more amazing best friend Sarita)
- Maybe try not to flunk history class
My plans did NOT include:
- Babysitting a newborn vampire, who also happens to be Max's annoying (and annoyingly cute) buddy Ezra
- Fighting off my ex-boyfriend, who did I mention is immortal?
- And generally worrying about death and blood and mayhem
Turning human was supposed to mean finally getting a second chance at a normal life. But ever since moving to Sunrise Harbor, Florida, nothing has been normal. What's worse is I actually made friends here. And when my dark past threatens to take it all away, well, being mortal totally sucks.
Award-winning author Darcy Miller makes her YA debut in this wise-cracking and witty entry that brings new blood to your favorite vampire tropes.
What if You Could
by Jacinda Ardern - Ruby Shamir
From the former prime minister of New Zealand comes a guide for young readers on chasing your dreams and embracing the unexpected qualities that truly make a person strong.
When Jacinda Ardern became prime minister of New Zealand, she was one of the youngest people and, at the time, the youngest woman leading a country. Many people thought she would never succeed, herself included. Wouldn't her insecurity, overthinking, worrying and kindness stop her from being able to achieve her goals?
As she soon learned, though, it was exactly those attributes -- as well as caring and wanting to listen to and serve others -- that made her into the empathetic, adaptable and effective leader that she was.
While sharing her own experiences and challenges as a young person, and then as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern asks readers to realize that true strength, success and power come from embracing ourselves just as we are -- imposter syndrome and all.
Our Aimless Nights, Volume 1
by Koumori
Who says love can't bloom in the dark? Two teen opposites fall for each other during quiet nights at a convenience store in this popular digital manga -- now in print for the first time in English. A sweet romance perfect for fans of Skip and Loafer.
Peppy high school girl Chika and quiet boy Waya seem like they have nothing in common. However, they share a secret. They meet every week outside the convenience store where Waya works. Slowly, the two start learning more about each other. Before either of them knows it, something begins to bloom between them in the moonlight.
Related: Craving swoon-worthy love stories tailored for adults or looking for more critically acclaimed YA reads? Dive into the world of the Modern Romantic, or explore our Spring 2026 Book Recommendations for the Young at Heart.