April is a month of transition: winter finally gives way to spring, the days slowly lengthen and the idea of sitting outside with a good book becomes something that could be a reality. (or, at least, it’s much closer than it was in March). Fortunately, this month’s new young adult releases have something for everyone, and they feel even more eclectic and interesting than usual as the publishing industry prepares for the avalanche of summer releases to come in the coming months.
These are our picks for the best young adult books hitting shelves this April, ranging from twisted teen thrillers and retellings of romeo and juliet to historical fiction brimming with magical realism. there is something for everyone, is what we are saying.
You are reading: Best ya books 2022
all the best liars by amelia kahaney
release date: April 5th from flatiron books
Why You’ll Love It: A dark coming-of-age thriller about obsession, manipulation, and messy friendships forged by shared secrets, if this story’s description gives you anything important little little liars vibes, good. you’re not alone.
Editor’s description: Best friends Syd, Rain, and Brie grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the sweltering California desert, desperately wanting a way out.
Eventually, each of them will escape, but not in the way they expect. one will do it by dying, another by lying, a third by taking the fall. a deadly fire starts two weeks before the end of his senior year of high school and nothing will ever be the same.
dreams bigger than heartbreak by charlie jane anders
release date: april 5th from tor teen
Why You’ll Love It: The sequel to Greater Than Death Victories vastly improves on its solid predecessor, with more action and more complex character dynamics.
Editor’s description: Would you do anything to be the people you were meant to be? even travel to the heart of evil. Rachael Townsend is the first artist to leave Earth and travel to the galaxy? but after an encounter with an alien artifact, he can’t make art at all. Elza Monteiro is determined to be the first human to venture inside the Palace of Scented Tears and compete for the chance to become a princess. except that inside the palace, she finds the last person she ever wanted to see again. Tina Mains is studying at the Royal Space Academy with her friends, but she’s not the badass space hero everyone expected.
Soon, Rachael travels into a dark void, Elza finds herself on a deadly espionage mission, and Tina is faced with an impossible choice that could change the lives of all her friends forever.
hotel magnifique by emily j.
release date: April 5, razorbill
why you’ll love it: a dark fantasy about a belle époque-inspired hotel that can magically change locations every night, hotel magnifique follows the story of jani and zosa, two teenagers in a small port town who dream of a life full of adventures. so when the opportunity to work at the infamous magical hotel arises, they jump at the chance.
Unfortunately, things are a lot more hotel california on the inside than any of the girls expected, and as soon as they sign their contracts they realize that almost everything they’ve heard about this supposedly amazing opportunity is a lie. full of immersive worlds and some genuine surprises, even for those of us who read a lot in this genre.
Editor’s description: All her life, Jani has dreamed of another place. Barely surviving on her job at a tannery, she has resigned herself to a boring life in the port city of Durc, taking care of her younger sister Zosa de Ella. that is, until the hotel magnifique comes to town.
The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical charms, but also for its ability to travel, turning up at a different destination each morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest stay, they can interview to join the staff and soon embark on the biggest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers that her contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the wonderful glamour, the hotel hides dangerous secrets.
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With infuriatingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery of magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa, and the rest of the staff, from the ruthless maitre d’s cruelty. ‘ hotel. To succeed, she will have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a far worse fate than never coming home.
very bad people from kit frick
release date: april 5, margaret k. elderberry books
Why You’ll Love It: A dark academic teen thriller touted as perfect for book fans like people like us, the story follows a young woman determined to find discover the truth about the mysterious accident that killed her mother, a quest that will lead her to uncover a powerful secret society at her new boarding school, and a dangerous game of revenge.
Editor’s description: Six years ago, Calliope Bolan’s mother dumped the family truck into a lake with her three daughters inside. The girls escaped, but her mother drowned, and the truth behind the “accident” remains a mystery that Calliope is determined to solve. Now sixteen, she transfers to Tipton Academy, the same elite boarding school her mother attended. tipton promises a glimpse into the past and a host of new opportunities, including a coveted invitation to join haunt and rail, an exclusive secret society that hangs over campus like legend.
Calliope accepts, entering the exciting world of “ghosts”, a society of revolutionaries fighting for social justice. But when Haunt and Rail vows to expose a dangerous person on campus, it becomes clear that some ghosts define justice differently than others.
As society’s tactics escalate, Calliope discovers a possible link between the lair and the train and her mother’s deadly accident. Now, she must wonder how far society would go to see a victory, and if the secret behind her mother’s death might be buried here in Tipton.
this rebellious heart by katherine locke
release date: April 5 from knopf books for young readers
Why You’ll Love It: A truly unique blend of historical fiction and magic, this supernatural tale of the revolutionary struggle to liberate Hungary from the post-Stalin Soviet Union is nothing like you. . I read in space already lately. (curious? you can read an excerpt here.)
Editor’s description: In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. csilla knows that the river is magical. During World War II, the river kept his family safe when they needed him most, safe from the holocaust. but that was before the communists took power. before his parents were killed by the Soviet police. Before csilla knew things about his father’s legacy that he wishes he could forget.
Csilla now keeps her head down, plotting her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she does. but her carefully crafted plans fall apart when her parents are publicly and unexpectedly exonerated. As protests in other countries spark talk of a bigger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should leave. let it burn to the ground. ground.
an arrow to the moon by emily x. r. frying pan
release date: April 12 little brown books for young readers
why you’ll love it: the latest novel from the author of the amazing color of after, an arrow to the moon blends the tragedy of shakespeare with Chinese folklore to tell the story of two unlucky 1990s teenagers who are pressured to stay apart by their Taiwanese émigré parents. but the more external circumstances conspire against them, the closer these signs draw them.
Editor’s description: Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but everything else in his life goes wrong. he is sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. the only things keeping her from running away are his little brother, an unearthly wind, and the bewitching girl from his new high school.
luna chang fears the future. Graduation is coming up and her parents’ expectations of her are stifling. When she starts breaking the rules, she discovers her life is upended by the strange new kid in her class, the arrival of supernatural fireflies, and a sinister rift spreading through the town of Fairbridge.
As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ feud and secrets, everything around them begins to unravel. the only thing they can depend on is their love… but time is running out and fate will have its way.
this could end badly by samantha markum
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release date: April 12 starting with Wednesday books
Why You’ll Love It: A charming romantic comedy that mixes a delightful array of tropes including enemies for lovers and fake dates, the story follows the centuries-old rivalry between two boarding schools. , the prank war between them and a girl who plans to win it before her two institutions become one.
Editor’s description: Prank mastermind Doe and her ragtag gang of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock runs out on his last year. But when her headmistress announces that Weston’s school will be merging with her rival the following year, their longstanding feud is thrown into chaos.
To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe devises a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit on the three of them, the boy king of winfield and his nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a deal with Three’s cousin Wells: if he fakes dating her to get into Three’s shoes, she’ll help him get back Three’s rightful family heirloom.
As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe tells lie after lie to keep her end of the bargain. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior picks on a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a child. prank war legacy.
you should have seen it coming by shani mitchell
release date: April 12, swoon reads
Why You’ll Love It: A high-stakes thriller about a teenage girl who can see visions of the past and must use her gift to rescue a classmate who can see the future, You Should Have Seen This Coming is an intriguing mix of genres, incorporating magical realism, mystery tropes, and a dash of supernatural fantasy for an end result that is completely unexpected.
Editor’s description: Hayden sees the past. just touching an object occasionally will give it flashes of the previous owner’s memories. And if that memory turns out to be a deeply hidden secret, then she has no problem making you pay for your crime, in cash.
cassie sees the future and it sucks. she’ll randomly wake up from disaster-filled dreams that she feels compelled to stop, and she’d really like to stop seeing her boyfriend fall in love with someone else!
but when cassie tries to warn hayden that her latest blackmail scheme is a setup, she knows she really is in trouble. all the visions of her warn him of the upcoming kidnapping, nothing she makes of her stops him. And it’s all Hayden’s fault!
can hayden’s gift help her find cassie before it’s too late?
the genesis wars by akemi alba bowman
release date: April 19, simon pulse
why you’ll love it: akemi dawn bowman’s was a dramatic story about the afterlife of humanity in charge of a siri-style personal assistant who basically enslaved human souls before that they could happen to whatever comes. next, so one has to wonder where a sequel could go next. the answer: full of rebellion, of course.
Editor’s description: Ten months have passed since Nami narrowly escaped the four courts and Ophelia’s wrath. ten months since she was betrayed by someone she once considered a friend. someone to whom she opened her heart. and now her family here in the afterlife is gone, captured, and nami is all alone.
On the run, just a few steps ahead of the pursuing AI forces and desperate to free her friends, Nami must take whatever allies she can find, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And as she tests the limits of her own power, she must also reckon with the responsibility that comes with it.
The stakes are high as Nami faces old enemies, unexpected allies, and an ever-changing landscape filled with danger and twist at every turn. Along the way, she will learn powerful truths about who she can trust and the sacrifices that must be made to fight for a freer and better world for all.
lacy baugher milas is the book editor for paste magazine, but she loves learning about all kinds of pop culture. you can find her on twitter @lacymb.
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