Are you looking for more reasons to be excited about the upcoming new year? Then get ready for a list of exciting new books being released in 2023! This new year will find readers discovering exciting book debuts and titles coming from their favorite authors . So get ready TBR journal or list ready, because you want to make sure to jot down these exciting new releases!

Please note that due to ongoing supply chain issues that some of the release dates may change abruptly. Also, there was a lot of books being released in 2023 so I only focused on half of the year.

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January Releases

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

Expected Publication Dates: January 3

Welcome to the Arcadia.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States–a leftover piece of a fractured USA.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.

When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever… (Credit: Sourcebook Fire)

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone

Expected Publication Date: January 3

Robert Reid moved his family to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides in the 1990s, driven by hope, craving safety and community, and hiding a terrible secret. But despite his best efforts to fit in, Robert is always seen as an outsider. And as the legendary and violent Hebridean storms rage around him, he begins to unravel, believing his fate on the remote island of Kilmeray cannot be escaped.

For her entire life, Maggie MacKay has sensed something was wrong with her. When Maggie was five years old, she announced that a man on Kilmeray–a place she’d never visited–had been murdered. Her unfounded claim drew media attention and turned the locals against each other, creating rifts that never mended.

Nearly twenty years later, Maggie is determined to find out what really happened, and what the islanders are hiding. But when she begins to receive ominous threats, Maggie is forced to consider how much she is willing to risk to discover the horrifying truth. (Credit: Scribner Book Company)

The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy

Expected Publication Date: January 3

Rules of The Midnight Game: Do not turn on the lights. Do not go to sleep. Do not leave the building.

When a group who have met on a creepy Deddit thread decide to meet in real life, they only have one plan in mind: they are going to summon the Midnight Man. And once you start the Midnight Game, you must finish it – there’s no other way out! Six strangers. One night. But how many survivors? (Credit: Scholastic)

• Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman (Expected Release Date: January 3)
• Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh (Expected Release Date: January 3)
• Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange (Expected Release Date: January 3)
• Rebel of Fire and Flight by Aneesa Marufu (Expected Release Date: January 3)
• No Honour by Awais Khan (Expected Release Date: January 3)
• Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey (Expected Release Date: January 17)
• The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (Expected Release Date: January 24)
• Exiles by Jane Harper (Expected Release Date: January 31)

Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman

Expected Publication Date: January 17

London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes–including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear. (Credit: Harper Perennial)

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Expected Publication Date: January 19

Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system.

Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby’s trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined. And the story of the Alperton Angels is far from over..After all, the devil is in the detail…(Credit: Profile Books)

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Expected Publication Date: January 31

Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. Evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They’ll need to work together to escape–with their sanity and secrets intact.

Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She’s in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board. They are heading to a place known only as “The Retreat,” but as the temperature drops and tensions mount, Meg realizes they may not all make it there alive.

Carter is gazing out the window of an isolated ski chalet that he and his companions call home. As their generator begins to waver in the storm, something hiding in the chalet’s depths threatens to escape, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails–for good.

The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg, and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater danger–one with the power to consume all of humanity.

February Releases

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Expected Publication Date: February 2 (UK) and February 7 (US)

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change–and that thing is herself. (Credit: Pamela Dorman Books)

The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell

Expected publication date: February 2

Be careful what you wish for… it may just come true.

At The Mercury Theatre in London’s West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage.

Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature.

On stage, it’s as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high. (Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

• Like A Curse by Elle McNicoll (Expected Release Date: February 2)
• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes (Expected Release Date: February 7)
• The Deceit By Sara Foster (Expected Release Date: February 7)
• The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson (Expected Release Date: February 7)
• Post After Post-Mortem: An Oxfordshire Mystery by E.C.R. Lorac (Expected Release Date: February 7)
• Bookworm by Robin Yeatman (Expected Release Date: February 14)
• The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar (Expected Release Date: February 28)
• Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan  (Expected Release Date: February 28)

Sins of the Black Flamingo by Andrew Wheeler and illustrated by Travis Moore and Tamra Bonvillain

Expected publication: February 28

Sebastian Harlow is the Black Flamingo, a flamboyant and narcissistic thief who gets his kicks stealing mystic artifacts from the wealthy and corrupt of Miami’s occult underground. When his latest job leads him to his biggest score so far, the hedonistic outlaw discovers something he wasn’t looking for something to believe in. (Credit: Image Comics)

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

 Expected publication: February 28

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house–the home they have always wanted–will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all. (Credit: Bloomsbury YA)

March Releases

Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati

Expected Publication Date: March 7

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods’ hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron

 Expected Publication Date: March 7

London, 1885. Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London for the first time since his life– and that of his dearest friend, Henry Jekyll–was derailed by a scandal that led to his and Henry’s expulsion from the London Medical School. Whispers about the true nature of Gabriel and Henry’s relationship have followed the boys for two years, and now Gabriel has a chance to start again.

But Gabriel doesn’t want to move on, not without Henry. His friend has become distant and cold since the disastrous events of the prior spring, and now his letters have stopped altogether. Desperate to discover what’s become of him, Gabriel takes to watching the Jekyll house.

In doing so, Gabriel meets Hyde, a a strangely familiar young man with white hair and a magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, and Gabriel can’t help but begin to grow jealous at their apparent closeness, especially as Henry continues to act like Gabriel means nothing to him.

But the secret behind Henry’s apathy is only the first part of a deeper mystery that has begun to coalesce. Monsters of all kinds prowl within the London fog–and not all of them are out for blood…(Credit: Feiwel & Friends)

The Book That No One Wanted To Read by Richard Ayoade and illustrated by Tor Freeman

Expected Publication Date: March 14

The life of a book isn’t easy, especially when people judge you by your cover (not every book can be adorned with sparkly unicorns!). And this narrator should know–it’s the book itself, and it has a lot of opinions. It gets irritated when readers bend its pages back, and it finds authors quite annoying. But it does have a story to tell. Through witty direct address and charming illustrations, readers meet a book that has never been read, with a cover the boring color of a school lunch table and pages so dry they give bookworms indigestion. But what happens when this book meets you, a curious reader? Multitalented author Richard Ayoade and award-winning illustrator Tor Freeman bring to life a hilariously subversive take on the nature of books and reading, with a heartening theme of finding the courage to tell our own stories. Readers of all ages will be delighted by the myriad bookish references and laughs on every page. (Credit: Walker Books US)

• The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell (Expected Publication Date: March 7)
• Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood (Expected Publication Date: March 7)
• What Have We Done by Alex Finlay (Expected Publication Date: March 7)
• Different For Boys by Patrick Ness (Expected Publication Date: March 14)
• Stateless by Elizabeth Wein (Expected Publication Date: March 14)
• Infamous by Lex Croucher (Expected Publication Date: March 21)
• The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner (Expected Publication Date: March 21)
• Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and illustrated by Tom de Freston (Expected Publication Date: March 28)

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Expected Publication Date: March 14

Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and when hundreds of other women join her, the men running the city declare a state of emergency and hire musicians to play the Devil out of the mob. Outside the city, pregnant Lisbet lives with her husband and mother-in-law, tending the bees that are the family’s livelihood. Though Lisbet is removed from the frenzy of the dancing plague afflicting the city’s women, her own quiet life is upended by the arrival of her sister-in-law. Nethe has been away for seven years, serving a penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.

It is a secret Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet becomes caught in a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion. Like the women of Strasbourg, she too, is dancing to a dangerous tune. . . .

Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by true events, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge. (Credit: HarperVia)

Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu by Maisie Chan 

Expected publication date: March 28

Twelve-year-old Lizzie Chu has lived with her Wai Gong (grandfather) in Glasgow since her parents died when she was a baby. But Wai Gong has been acting different lately. He spends a lot of time talking to his Guan Yin statue–the Chinese goddess of compassion, kindness, and mercy–at his altar and seems to be becoming more forgetful. Even the shared passion he and Lizzie have for their favorite show, Strictly Come Dancing, seems to be tailing off.

When Lizzie’s friend Chi visits one day dressed as Princess Leia for Comic Con, Wai Gong mistakes her for Guan Yin, and is naturally delighted, and Lizzie seizes the opportunity to use Chi as Guan Yin to help her with her grandad. And then Lizzie gets an idea: she and Chi can take Wai Gong to Blackpool to the Tower Ballroom, where he’d always dreamed of going. If only she can get her grandad there, she thinks, he’ll find some peace, and perhaps things will be OK at home again. After all, one of the myths around Guan Yin is that she brings order and harmony, so it’s got to work out–right? (Credit: Amulet Books)

Welcome to Consent: How to Say No, When to Say Yes, and How to Be the Boss of Your Body by Yumi Stynes and Melissa Kang and illustrated by Jenny Latham 

Expected Publication Date: March 28

Understanding consent is important for people with all kinds of bodies, in all kinds of circumstances–from getting a haircut or letting the doctor check your blood pressure to hugging a friend, picking up a child, or kissing someone. After all, consent isn’t always communicated with a clear “Yes, you can!” or “No, you can’t!” This guide breaks down myriad situations involving consent and bodily autonomy, including navigating new or changing feelings, recognizing power imbalances, staying safe in online spaces, and keeping relationships mutually comfortable. Through relatable illustrations, clear explanations, and real-life examples, readers will learn how to actively listen and observe, set boundaries, and speak up for themselves and others. Experts Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang approach this crucial topic with passion, awareness, and empathy. (Credit: Walker Books US)

April Releases

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

Expected Publication Date: April 4

It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool–like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much–like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of…to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed. (Credit: Balzer + Bray)

Homecoming by Kate Morton

Expected Publication Date: April 4

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of the grand and mysterious house, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.

Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.

At Nora’s house, Jess discovers a book that chronicles the police investigation into a long-buried crime: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous event – a murder mystery that has never been resolved satisfactorily. (Credit: Mariner Books)

• The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore (Expected Publication Date: April 4)
• Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Expected Publication Date: April 11)
• Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen   (Expected Publication Date: April 11)
• Mummy Darlings by Emily Hourican (Expected Publication Date: April 18)
• The Retreat by Zara Raheem (Expected Publication Date: April 25)
• The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths (Expected Publication Date: April 25)
• Becoming Queen by Dan Clay (Expected Publication Date: April 25)
• Searching for Savanna: The Murder of One Native American Woman and the Violence Against the Many by Mona Gable (Expected Publication Date: April 25)

The Gifts by Liz Hyder

Expected Publication Dates: April 25

It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

In London, rumors of a “fallen angel” cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .(Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

Expected Publication Date: April 25

Roach would rather be listening to the latest episode of her favorite true crime podcast than assisting the boring and predictable customers at her local branch of the bookstore Spines, where she’s worked her entire adult life. A serious true crime junkie, Roach looks down her nose at the pumpkin-spice-latte-drinking casual fans who only became interested in the genre once it got trendy. But when Laura, a pretty and charismatic children’s bookseller, arrives to help rejuvenate the struggling bookstore branch, Roach recognizes in her an unexpected kindred spirit.

Despite their common interest in true crime, Laura keeps her distance from Roach, resisting the other woman’s overtures of friendship. Undeterred, Roach learns everything she can about her new colleague, eventually uncovering Laura’s traumatic family history. When Roach realizes that she may have come across her very own true crime story, interest swiftly blooms into a dangerous obsession. (Credit: Scarlet)

May Releases

Where The Light Goes by Sara Barnard

Expected Publication Date: May 4

“Lizzie Beck” is one quarter of British pop sensation The Jinks, who launched their career via a reality TV talent show and rose straight to fame – and in Lizzie’s case, infamy, for her tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend, stints in rehab and candid confessions about her mental health on Instagram.

To Emmy, though, she will always be her older sister, Beth, the person whose footsteps she intends to follow.
Except now she can’t. Because Beth, Emmy’s beloved sister, has died by suicide.

Forced to face a world without the guiding light of her bright, brilliant big sister, Emmy must wrestle with the impact of private grief, public scrutiny and discover who she once was and who she will become, now that Beth is gone. (Credit: Walker Books UK)

Every Gift A Curse by Caroline O’Donoghue

Expected Publication Date: May 9

Big things are happening for Maeve and her tight-knit coven in Kilbeg, Ireland. Fiona lands a role on a TV show, Roe’s band is poised to hit the big leagues, and Lily is embracing a new style and outlook. Then there’s Maeve, whose magic is growing stronger all the time. Yet she finds herself increasingly lashing out, doing and saying cruel things without knowing why. When her recurring dreams begin to involve her physically manifesting in other places, including enemy-turned-maybe-friend Aaron’s bedroom, Maeve realizes the power she wields might not be entirely under her control. She tries to keep her struggle a secret, even if it means pushing her friends away. But when she learns the religious cult the Children of Brigid is kidnapping and torturing vulnerable teenagers, Maeve realizes the only way to free their prisoners is to risk letting an older magic consume her. This enthralling story of friendship and identity is also a story of being at a crossroads between youth and adulthood and picking your path forward. (Credit: Walker Books US)

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Expected Publication Date: May 11

The one thing that can solve Stephen’s problems is dancing. Dancing at Church, with his parents and brother, the shimmer of Black hands raised in praise; he might have lost his faith, but he does believe in rhythm. Dancing with his friends, somewhere in a basement with the drums about to drop, while the DJ spins garage cuts. Dancing with his band, making music which speaks not just to the hardships of their lives, but the joys too. Dancing with his best friend Adeline, two-stepping around the living room, crooning and grooving, so close their heads might touch. Dancing alone, at home, to his father’s records, uncovering parts of a man he has never truly known.

Stephen has only ever known himself in song. But what becomes of him when the music fades? When his father begins to speak of shame and sacrifice, when his home is no longer his own? How will he find space for himself: a place where he can feel beautiful, a place he might feel free? (Credit: Penguin Books)

• We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado (Expected Publication Date: May 2)
• Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes (Expected Publication Date: May 2)
• Solitaire by Alice Oseman(Expected Publication Date: May 2)
• Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver (Expected Publication Date: May 3)
• Atalanta by Jennifer Saint (Expected Publication Date: May 9)
• Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Expected Publication Date: May 10)
• The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan (Expected Publication Date: May 25)
• The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle (Expected Publication Date: May 30)

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

Expected publication date: May 23 (US) and June 8 (UK)

Niamh Kelly is dead. Her troubled twin, Ciara, now masquerades as the benevolent witch as Her Majesty’s Royal Coven prepares to crown her High Preistess.

Suffering from amnesia, Ciara can’t remember what she’s done–but if she wants to survive, she must fool Niamh’s adopted family and friends; the coven; and the murky Shadow Cabinet–a secret group of mundane civil servants who are already suspicious of witches. While she tries to rebuild her past, she realizes none of her past has forgotten her, including her former lover, renegade warlock Dabney Hale.

On the other end of the continent, Leonie Jackman is in search of Hale, rumored to be seeking a dark object of ultimate power somehow connected to the upper echelons of the British government. If the witches can’t figure out Hale’s machinations, and fast, all of witchkind will be in grave danger–along with the fate of all (wo)mankind.

Sharp, funny, provocative, and joyous, Juno Dawson’s sequel reimagines everything you think you knew about her coven and her witches in a story that spans continents and dives deep into the roots of England and its witchcraft. Ciara, Leonie, Elle, and Theo are fierce, angry, sexy, warm–and absolutely unapologetic as they fight for what they believe in, all in the name of sisterhood. (Credit: Penguin Books)

Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tolá Okogwu

Expected Publication Date: May 30

Having exposed head teacher Dr Dòyìnbó’s hidden agenda behind the Academy of the Sun, Onyeka and her superhero friends are laying low.

But when their safe house is discovered, Onyeka must turn to the only allies they have left: a group of rebels called the rogues. Joining forces, will the groups defeat their shared nemesis, or is there a new danger on the horizon? (Credit: Margaret K. McElderry Books)

June Releases

The DOS and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Expected Publication Date: June 6

“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies, Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more– including potential sabotage–if she wants a sweet victory! (Credit: Feiwel & Friends)

Gay Club! by Simon James Green

Expected Publication Date: June 6

Barney’s a shoo-in for his school’s LGBTQ+ Society President at the club’s next election. But when the vote is opened up to the entire student body, the whole school starts paying attention. How low will the candidates go to win? Buckle up for some serious shade, scandals and sleazy shenanigans. It isn’t long before it’s National Coming Out Day – for everyone’s secrets!

But when the group faces an unexpected threat – and a big opportunity – can the club members put politics aside and stand united? (Credit: Scholastic Press)

• Death Comes To Marlow by Robert Thorogood (Expected Publication Date: June 6)
• The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller (Expected Publication Date: June 6)
• The Game She Plays by Siena Sterling (Expected Publication Date: June 6)
• The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas (Expected Publication Date: June 6)
• The Island of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood (Expected Publication Date: June 13)
• She Started It by Sian Gilbert (Expected Publication Date: June 13)
• Charlotte Illes Is Not A Detective by Katie Siegel (Expected Publication Date: June 27)
• How To Be Remembered by Michael Thompson (Expected Publication Date: June 27)

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

Expected Publication Date: June 20

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected? (Credit: Bloomsbury YA)

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meader

Expected Publication Date: June 27

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone–or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth? (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)

Highlighted Releases Later In the Year

The King Is Dead by Benjamin Dean

Expected Publication Date: July 18

Heavy is the crown James has been born to wear, especially as the first Black heir to the British throne. But with his father’s recent passing, and with a new boyfriend to hide, James is woefully unprepared for the sudden shine of public scrutiny.

When his secrets come spilling forth across tabloid pages and the man he thought he loved has suddenly disappeared, James finds himself on the precipice of ruin. As every detail of his life becomes public knowledge, his sense of safety is shattered and the people he trusts the most become the likeliest suspects.

What dangers lurk behind the palace walls–and will the new king find out before it’s too late? (Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Queen Wallis by C.J. Carey

Expected Publication Date: July 18

June, 1955. The Leader has been dead for two years. His assassination, on British soil, provoked violent retribution and intensified repression of British citizens, particularly women. Now, more than ever, the Protectorate is a place of surveillance and isolation—a land of spies.

Every evening Rose Ransom looks in the mirror and marvels that she’s even alive. A mere woman, her role in the Leader’s death has been miraculously overlooked. She still works at the Culture Ministry, where her work now focuses on the outlawed subject of poetry, a form of writing that transmits subversive meanings, emotions, and signals that cannot be controlled. Therefore all poetry is banned and Rose is appointed a Poet Hunter.

A government propaganda drive to promote positive images of women has just been announced ahead of a visit from the first American president to set foot on English soil in two decades. Queen Wallis will be spearheading the campaign, and Rose has been tasked with visiting her to explain the plan. When she arrives at the palace, she finds Wallis in a state of paranoia, desperate to return to America and enjoy the liberty of her homeland. She claims she has a secret document so explosive that it will blow the Protectorate apart—but will the last Queen of England pull the trigger on the Alliance? (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)

If My Words Had Wings by Danielle Jawando 

Expected Publication Date: August 3

After getting in with the wrong crowd and being involved in a high-profile armed robbery, a flawed and discriminatory legal system convicts fifteen-year-old Tyrell Forrester. Locked up in a juvenile prison for two years, Ty soon realises the only person he can trust is himself. Now he’s getting out, and he’s determined to turn things around. Inspired by a visiting poet while inside, Ty discovers a whole new world through spoken word and is finally finding his voice. But will escaping his old life, and friends, be that easy? Will society ever see him as anything other than a criminal? (Credit: Simon & Schuster UK)

The Last One by Will Dean

Expected Publication Date: August 8

April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends–Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily–during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder. (Credit: Gallery/Scout Press)

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

Expected Publication Date: September 26

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.T

he hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel–and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact? (Credit: Berkley Books)

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Expected Publication Date: November 23

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love. (Credit: Wednesday Books)

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