Sponsored by DC
LAMBDA Award-winning author Alex Sanchez and New York Times bestselling illustrator Julie Maroh break new ground in LGBTQ Young Adult literature with this coming-out romance set within the DC Universe.
Jake Hyde lives in the middle of the desert, yet he yearns for life by the ocean. When he’s near water, strange blue markings on his skin start to glow and his search for identity begins. Jake’s life is enveloped in more secrets as he realizes he’s attracted to the swim team captain Kenny Liu. What power will Jake find within and will he dive headfirst into the waves?
Hey YA Readers!
Welcome to another Monday. I hope this week finds you safe, healthy, and continuing to work toward making the world a better place.
I’ve noticed a curious — and enjoyable! — trend in YA books this year that I can’t help but highlight here. This isn’t new, per se, as you’ll see in one of the books I’m including, but there seems to be a wave of them in 2020.
What’s the trend?
Teens working in their local indie bookstore or comics shop.
As someone who was lucky enough to work in my local library as a teenager, first as a page then as a technical services assistant (I got to do the plastic covering of books, among other tasks like creating date due stamps because Back In My Day that was the norm), this trend is especially appealing to me. I love the idea of teens who read getting the chance to work in the place where they’re surrounded by the thing they love, and that they get to help others find great books and comics to read.
I’m using descriptions here because, sadly, I haven’t gotten to everything yet. I’m working my way through, though, and I suspect all of these will be a real treat.
The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood (aforementioned backlist title!)
As the oldest, Des shoulders a lot of responsibility for her family and their independent bookstore. Except it’s hard to dream big when she’s so busy taking care of everyone else.
Vi has a crush on the girl next door. It makes her happy and nervous, but Cece has a boyfriend…so it’s not like her feelings could ever be reciprocated, right?
Kat lands the lead in the community theater’s summer play, but the drama spills offstage when her ex and his new girlfriend are cast too. Can she get revenge by staging a new romance of her own?
Bea and her boyfriend are heading off to college together in the fall, just like they planned when they started dating. But Bea isn’t sure she wants the same things as when she was thirteen…
Told through four alternating points of view, readers will laugh, cry, and fall in love alongside the Garrett girls.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (late 2019)
A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any townhome. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.
Recommended For You by Laura Silverman (September 1)
Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, her favorite local bookstore. And with her moms fighting at home and her beloved car teetering on the brink of death, the store has become a welcome escape.
When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan.
Jake is an affront to everything Shoshanna stands for. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.
But as the competition intensifies, Jake and Shoshanna grow closer and realize they might be more on the same page than either expects…
The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters (September 8)
An avid comic book geek, Wes excels at two things: slacking off and pining after his best friend, Nico. Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren’t helping much with his secret crush. And his dream job at Once Upon a Page, the local indie bookstore, is threatened when a coffeeshop franchise wants to buy the property. To top it off, his family won’t stop pestering him about picking a college major.
When all three problems converge, Wes must face with the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.
This Is All your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi (October 8)
Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.
Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.
Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.
When Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author, and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.
And it will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.
Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan (available now)
Jubilee has it all together. She’s an elite cellist, and when she’s not working in her stepmom’s indie comic shop, she’s prepping for the biggest audition of her life.
Ridley is barely holding it together. His parents own the biggest comic-store chain in the country, and Ridley can’t stop disappointing them–that is, when they’re even paying attention.
They meet one fateful night at a comic convention prom, and the two can’t help falling for each other. Too bad their parents are at each other’s throats every chance they get, making a relationship between them nearly impossible . . . unless they manage to keep it a secret.
Then again, the feud between their families may be the least of their problems. As Ridley’s anxiety spirals, Jubilee tries to help but finds her focus torn between her fast-approaching audition and their intensifying relationship. What if love can’t conquer all? What if each of them needs more than the other can give?
Psst….before you click out: Tell us more about yourself and potentially win an ereader! We’re doing a Reader Survey, it’ll only take a few minutes. You can see the questions and giveaway details at bookriot.com/2020survey.
Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you on Thursday!
— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.