11 Books to Expect to See at YALLWEST This Year
Holy cow, we leave for Santa Monica in a week! Honestly, it didn’t really click that it was right around the corner until we shipped all our books and swag earlier this week. We’re so excited to meet you all—look for the pink and blue tent, and you’ll know it’s us. If you’re still planning when you want to stop by each booth, here’s a list of all the ARCs we’re giving away at the booth this year so you know what each book is about! See you next week, NOVLers—and hey, if you’re around before and after the festival, check out some of Katrina Leno’s favorite places in Santa Monica.
After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will.
As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.
Fifteen-year-old Simran "Simi" Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole -- matchmakers -- with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the "gift."
But Simi is an artist, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah's social status. Armed with her family's ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service -- via an app.
But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys' soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.
Max Einstein: Rebels with a Cause
by James Patterson
by Chris Grabenstein
Illustrated by Beverly Johnson
From Stonewall Award winner Brandy Colbert comes a novel about first love, family, and hidden secrets that will stay with you long after turning the last page.
Dove "Birdie" Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she's on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past . . . whom she knows her parents will never approve of.
When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family's apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded -- she's also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she's known to be true is turned upside down.
Tensions are rising between the Quatrans and the Specters, and the Quatra Fleet is gearing up for an epic fight. With a galaxy on the brink of war and loyalties divided, the friendship of four cadets will be tested.
Orelia has been arrested for espionage, and her future is looking bleak . . . until the Quatrans make her a surprising offer that could save her life--and the lives of everyone in the galaxy.
Reeling from his breakup, Arran finds comfort in a sympathetic boy from Loos, someone who understands how hard it can be to fit in. But is it enough for Arran to forget his heartbreak?
Cormak's position at the Academy is finally secure. But when someone discovers his treasonous secret, it jeopardizes everything he's fought for, including his relationship with the person he cares about most.
And Vesper is ready to become a superstar officer . . . until she uncovers a conspiracy that shakes her faith in the Quatra Fleet to its core.
As secret machinations come to light, these cadets will be forced to overcome their differences and band together to restore peace to their worlds.
Swipe Right for Murder
by Derek Milman
Foreword by James Patterson
An epic case of mistaken identity puts a teen looking for a hookup on the run from both the FBI and a murderous cult in this compulsively readable thriller.
Finding himself alone in a posh New York City hotel room for the night, Aidan does what any red-blooded seventeen-year-old would do—tries to hook up with someone new. But that lapse in judgement leads him to a room with a dead guy and a mysterious flash drive . . . two things that spark an epic case of mistaken identity that puts Aidan on the run—from the authorities, his friends, his family, the people who are out to kill him—and especially from his own troubled past.Inspired by a Hitchcock classic, this whirlwind mistaken-identity caper has razor-sharp humor, devastating emotional stakes, and a thrilling storyline with an explosive conclusion to make this the most compelling YA novel of the year.
- Entertainment Weekly's Best YA Books of the Summer
- Seventeen Magazine's Best YA Books of the Year
- Goodreads Most Anticipated YA Books of the Year
- Buzzfeed's Best YA Summer Reads
- Most Anticipated Queer Books of 2019 (Hypable)
- Barnes & Noble's Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YAs of the year
- 11 New YA Books to Get Excited About (Pure Wow)
- 29 New LGBTQ+ YA Books To Add To Your Reading List (Pride.com)
When We Were Lost
by Kevin Wignall
Foreword by James Patterson