Tag Archives: YA

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Under All the Lights by Maya Ameyaw

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Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Under All the Lights by Maya Ameyaw, releasing October 8, 2024 from Annick Press! Here’s the story:

A songwriter wrestles with instant stardom and his bisexuality in this raw and propulsive novel for fans of If This Gets Out and Alice Oseman’s I Was Born for This.

After one of his songs goes viral, Ollie Cheriet gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a cross-country tour, an album deal, and a chance to help his family with their financial struggles. The only problem? Ollie has major stage fright, a symptom of his anxiety disorder. As pressure from performing, social media rumors, and his romantic life rises, his mental health starts to spiral. So he’s surprised at how grounded he feels when he collaborates with his wildly talented—and distractingly cute—touring partner, Jesse. Music has always helped Ollie through hard times, but he’s going to have to be more vulnerable than he ever thought possible to find self-acceptance in the glow of the spotlight.

Featuring characters from Maya Ameyaw’s acclaimed debut When It All Syncs Up, this story takes readers into the green room, immersing them in the vivid behind-the-scenes world of touring musicians.

And here’s the striking cover of Under all the Lights, designed by designed by Sam Tse with art by Otesanya! (Series design is by Zainub’s Echo.)

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Doesn’t that sound and look fantastic?? While I definitely encourage using the above preorder links, you can also shoot your shot at winning a copy in the Goodreads giveaway that just went live!

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MAYA AMEYAW is a former bookseller and currently works as a community arts writing instructor. She has edited several mental health–themed anthologies for youth and adults, and her writing was included in the anthology Brilliance Is the Clothing I Wear (Dundurn Press). Maya also runs a YouTube series and blog where she interviews YA authors about their writing journeys. She lives in Toronto and can be found on Twitter @MayaAmeyaw.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Mighty Millie Novak by Elizabeth Holden

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Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Mighty Millie Novak by Elizabeth Holden, a Sapphic YA contemporary releasing August 20, 2024 from Flux Books! Here’s the story:

Social anxiety, her parents’ divorce, and messy friendships won’t stop Millie’s pursuit of what she wants—in roller derby or in love. But her own lies might . . .

Sixteen-year-old Millie Novak is stuck in an “if only” rut. If only she were stronger and faster, maybe her roller derby teammates would take her seriously. If only she had the guts to go back to in-person learning, maybe she’d have a social life. If only she weren’t such an awkward mess, maybe she could get the attention of that cute girl on the all-star derby team. And don’t get her started on her family!

After the one-two punch of her beloved older brother’s departure for college and her parents’ overdue split, Millie decides it’s time to reinvent herself. With the help of her new friend Pumpkin and a little bit of deceit, Millie crafts a plan to cement her status on the team and get her crush to fall for her.

 But reinvention isn’t easy. Millie’s constantly shown up by show-off teammate Stork, and the only way she can get her crush’s attention is through increasingly elaborate lies. Worse, she begins to suspect Pumpkin is not the supportive friend she’d imagined. Toughest to handle? Realizing the person she’s in love with might not be her longtime crush, after all.

And here’s the kickass cover, illustrated by Chloe Friedlein and designed by Karli Kruse!

Buy it: Flux | B&N | Amazon

(Note: it’s 30% off to preorder through Flux using code FALL2024!)

Like Millie, Elizabeth Holden is an avid roller derby player, a blocker with Madison Roller Derby since 2015. Liz’s league-mates know her as Auntie Matter; her derby name is a reference to her job teaching college physics. (And, yes, she is also an aunt. Hi, William and Hugo!) When not busy writing, playing derby, or teaching, Liz is most likely leading international trips with her company, Leaping Hound Travel. Liz also co-hosts an X-Files podcast, We Want to Believe, with her sister. Liz’s tattoos are vibrant and numerous, her laugh is loud, and her heart belongs to her pet greyhounds. Learn more about her at elizabeth-holden.com.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Rabbit & Juliet by Rebecca Stafford

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Today on the site, I’m delighted to host the cover reveal for Rabbit & Juliet by Rebecca Stafford, a queer YA Thelma & Louis-esque contemporary releasing September 24, 2024 from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins! Here’s the story:

Seventeen-year-old Rabbit has been struggling to stay above water since her mom died. In the span of a year and a half, her small Georgia town has become unbearably hellish: her ex-boyfriend, resident golden boy Richard, turned into an unrelenting stalker; her friends are nonexistent; and her dad is campaigning hard for Functioning Alcoholic of the Year.

But all that changes when the sarcastic, gorgeous, and frustratingly impenetrable Juliet Bergman walks into Rabbit’s weekly support group. All hard angles and James Dean bravado, Juliet throws Rabbit a life preserver just as depression threatens to sink her.

Then one morning, Rabbit’s ex–best friend, Sarah—Richard’s current girlfriend—shares a horrific discovery about Richard and his crew that pitches Rabbit back into darkness. The three girls vow to enact revenge on the boys for what they’ve been doing to unsuspecting girls at parties. With Juliet leading the charge and demanding blind loyalty from the girls, Rabbit falls harder for her than she thought possible. It isn’t until Rabbit is faced with a startling act of violence that she must decide how far she’s willing to go—for herself, for Juliet, and for justice—when love and grief threaten to topple everything.

And here’s the striking cover, illustrated by Mariia Menshikova and designed by Kathy Lam!

Buy it: B&N | Amazon

Rebecca Stafford is a Pushcart Prize award–winning poet, writer, critic, and editor whose work has been published in the New Yorker and reviewed in the New York Times. Rabbit and Juliet is her debut young adult novel. To learn more about Rebecca’s distinguished body of work, visit her online at rebeccastaffordauthor.com.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Haunting Melody by Chloe Spencer

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Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Haunting Melody by Chloe Spencer, an f/f YA fantasy/horror/mystery releasing October 1, 2024 from Tiny Ghost Press! Here’s the story:

Failure is a sinister song. One that Melody Myere is all too familiar with.

The only child of an acclaimed ghost hunter couple, Melody’s First Sacred Hunt should have been a walk in the park. All she needed to do was catch a ghost, like she’s done all her life. But when an unexpected wraith showed up causing havoc, Melody was left scarred and embarrassed.

Suffering from depression and PTSD post-hunt, Melody relocates to the sleepy island town of Murkmore, where her parents have been tasked with capturing the ghost responsible for a series of grisly deaths. Determined to prove herself, and despite her parents’ protests, Melody sets out to capture the specter on her own.

When a haunting song lures Melody to an abandoned theater, she encounters a recently deceased musical prodigy by the name of Cyrus. All signs point to Cyrus being the killer, but Melody isn’t so sure, suspecting something more discordant is afoot.

Haunted by more than just a sinister song, Melody must learn to trust her instincts to catch the killer and prove herself before it’s time to face the music.

And here’s the appropriately haunting cover, illustrated by Alex Moore!

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Minnesota native Chloe Spencer is an award winning writer, indie gamedev, and filmmaker. She is the author of Monstersona, Duality, and the upcoming 2024 paranormal mystery-romance Haunting Melody. In her spare time she enjoys playing video games, trying her best at Pilates, and cuddling with her cats. She holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Film and Television from SCAD Atlanta. You can find more about her on www.chloespenceronline.com.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Together in a Broken World by Paul Michael Winters

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Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Together in a Broken World by Paul Michael Winters, a YA post-apocalyptic adventure romance releasing May 21, 2024 by NineStar Press that looks to be perfect for fans of All That’s Left in the World. Here’s the story:

Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them.

Seventeen-year-old Zach was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single scratch. Now, a year later, civilization lies in ruins, and Zach is the town’s sole survivor. Desperately lonely, he longs to return to his family in Seattle, but his fears hold him captive.

Eighteen-year-old Aiden is on a critical mission for the covert Scientific Collective, delivering vials whose contents could cure the Infection. Tortured by his boyfriend’s death, he welcomes the risks of the perilous journey. When a militia attacks Aiden, he flees to Zach’s town.

The boys escape together and soon form a bond as they comfort each other in this desolate and broken world. The farther they travel, the more their affection grows, as do the forces pulling them apart. But their greatest threats are the secrets they keep. Zach hides details of his uncle’s death, and Aiden conceals the vials’ sinister origins. In order to survive, they’ll have to confront the truths that could tear their love apart.

And here’s the epic cover, illustrated by Micah Epstein!

Buy it: Amazon | Ninestar Press

Paul Michael Winters is a lifelong creative writer whose life is filled with queer joy. His passion is to spread that joy through storytelling and writing books where you might not typically see queer characters. His books feature queer people living their best lives where their queerness is an aspect of their personality but doesn’t dominate the story. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his husband and two tuxedo kitties and might have a slight addiction to reading gay romance. But it’s not a problem. He could stop any time he wanted. Honestly.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich

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I’ve been a fan of this author’s since way back when, so I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Cale Dietrich’s upcoming YA romance,  “a gay YA spin on The Princess Diaries” entitled The Rules of Royalty, releasing December 10, 2024 from Wednesday Books! Here’s the story:

Two princes from neighboring countries fall into a whirlwind romance in this sparkling spin on The Princess Diaries by Cale Dietrich.

Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he’s perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth emerges: he’s the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country. When an invitation to spend the summer in his father’s palace arrives, Jamie gets a chance to learn more about the man he never thought he’d meet – and what it means to be royalty.

Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Lindström, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country’s spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation.

At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them—one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a choice: follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost.

And here’s the gorgeous cover, illustrated by Petra Braun and designed by Olga Grlic!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

New Release Spotlight

New Release Spotlight: Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia

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Kanakia is the queen of blunt, honest writing, and perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in her first novel starring a trans girl, Just Happy to Be Here, which released on January 2nd from HarperTeen and stars Tara, who grapples with all sorts of issues at her fancy school. (Spoiler: one is a crush, and it is adorable.) I happen to have blurbed this one officially, so I’ll just share that here: “Kanakia’s razor-sharp candor, insight, and nuance make her one of YA’s most fascinating and relevant authors. Just Happy to Be Here is an absolute and necessary game-changer.”

Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.

That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.

Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.

Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Trailer Park Prince by Andre L. Bradley

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Today on the site, I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Trailer Park Prince by Andre L. Bradley, a YA fantasy adventure releasing June 11, 2024 from Tiny Ghost Press! Here’s the story:

A decade ago, a rift tore open the Kaydan sky, pulling twin princes, Noan and Jormon, plus thousands of their people, from their home world and dumping them in the American South. In the years since, they’ve grown used to the drones policing their every move and to hiding the magic-like abilities that set them apart. But they’ll never get used to the crosses burning outside their trailer—an occasional reminder that Kaydans don’t belong.

Forced to attend a human high school in the name of integration, a band-aid on an increasingly fraught diplomatic situation, the brothers are hesitant but hopeful. Jormon is excited about pursuing the feelings he has for Dirk, a human-raised Kaydan, away from his traditional father’s watchful eye. And Noan, blamed for the Kaydans’ displacement, is looking for somewhere—anywhere—to fit in.

But the halls of Toombs County High are as inhospitable as the rest of the country, and Jormon and Noan quickly find they’re as unwanted in class as they are on this planet. When tragedy strikes and violence breaks out, Jormon and Noan find themselves at the forefront of a battle for the existence of their people. Their bonds tested, the twins face gut-wrenching choices, forcing them to confront who they really are, what they truly want, and what it takes to survive.

When asked to lead in the face of oppression, will they walk away or fight fire with fire?

And here’s the magical cover, illustrated by Scott Dewey!

Buy it: B&N | Amazon

Andre Bradley is the author of adult and young adult fantasy fiction. He began his writing journey in 2006 as a young soldier serving in Iraq, and he has been creating people, places, and things ever since. Andre is from Vidalia, Georgia—home of the sweet onion—and though he has lived all over the world, he currently resides in Rockville, Maryland with his husband, son, and two dire wolves (ahem, regular dogs), where he works as a U.S. Diplomat.

Learn more at andrelbradley.com or by following @drebrad Twitter (or whatever it’s called now), or @billysgoatgruff on Instagram.

Cover Reveal

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Merciless King of Moore High by Lily Sparks

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Today on the site, we’re revealing the cover of The Merciless King of Moore High by Lily Sparks, a contemporary YA fantasy releasing April 23, 2024 from Flux Books! Here’s the story:

When the adults of Brockton, Connecticut, morphed into gigantic, bloodthirsty monsters nine months ago, the students at Jefferson High barricaded themselves inside their school. Now eighteen-year-old Kay Kim is one of the Student Council members trying to keep her classmates from starving.

Kay has no poker face and can’t keep her mouth shut when she knows she’s right, so when she accidentally learns a secret that threatens the delicate power balance at Jefferson, she’s dragged out of the school in the dead of night and dumped in the middle of town in a secret assassination attempt.

But when a raiding party of cheerleaders from crosstown rival Moore High comes to her rescue, Kay finds herself among ruthless, hard-partying road warriors who have adopted the feudal trappings of a once-popular video game. Life at Moore is violent and cliquish, but everyone is thriving—everyone, that is, who survives the kingdom’s periodic monster hunts. For Moore’s beloved King Max demands only two things: absolute fealty and that everyone at Moore help kill the “dragons.”

If Kay wants to survive, she must be granted asylum at Moore—which means slaying dragons, not asking the wrong questions, and navigating the rival factions, love triangles, and political intrigues at court. But when Kay discovers a deadly secret that reaches all the way to Jefferson, her inability to hide the truth might spark the revolution that burns both schools to the ground.

And here’s the epic cover, designed by Cynthia Della-Rovere and illustrated by Jensine Eckwell, and a note from the author!

THE MERCILESS KING OF MOORE HIGH seemed like an impossible cover assignment, because the book straddles genre: contemporary teens at two rival high schools, navigating a feudal monarchy and fighting fantastic monsters. Illustrator Jensine Eckwall’s style, which has rich undertones of medieval woodcutting and a contemporary edge, is the perfect entry point for a world in which passing a note to the wrong person can mean fighting for your life in a Trial by Combat.

Eckwell has captured a shield emblazoned with the Three of Swords, a tarot symbol, surrounded by the bones and the black, iridescent blood of the monsters in this story, which are seen as magical dragons by Moore High, and zombified corpse-piles by Jefferson High. MKMH is all about clashing narratives, and tarot exemplifies how we can construct stories to empower or terrify each other. The heart pierced by three swords is a striking symbol of grief and loss. And in this story three characters will, with all the best intentions, break each other’s hearts.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Lily Sparks is the author of Teen Killers Club (Crooked Lane, 2020), a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, Thriller Award nominee, and YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers. It received a starred Kirkus review and blurbs from several bestselling authors and launched a series including Teen Killers in Love and Teen Killers at Large. She’s developed TV projects for MTV, FX, and Amazon, written for the CW’s Reign and Paramount’s Heathers, and currently leads character design for Adult Swim’s Royal Crackers.

Cover Reveal, Excerpt

Exclusive Cover + Excerpt Reveal: A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman

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Today on the site I’m thrilled to be revealing the cover for Derek Milman’s upcoming dark academia YA thriller, A Darker Mischief, which releases from Scholastic on July 2, 2024! Here’s the story:

The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other — a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

Continue reading Exclusive Cover + Excerpt Reveal: A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman →