Best New Young Adult Book Releases 2023

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There are so many fun young adult books coming out in the first half of 2023! Today, I have a list of new releases for teens that caught my attention. I can't wait to read these books.

Note: The release dates may change or be different in your part of the world. Publishing is notorious for delays.

👀  Best 2023 Young Adult Book Releases  👫

This Is Not A Personal Statement by Tracy Badua

Contemporary

January 17, 2023

As the youngest graduating senior at her hypercompetitive high school, Perla Perez is certain all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Perla’s plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed, and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.

Why it caught my attention: I've read plenty of young adult books about teens attempting to get into college, but the teens always succeed. This book sounds like it puts a unique spin on the traditional "college panic" novel.

Buy it on Amazon

Live Your Best Lie by Jessie Weaver

Mystery / Thriller

January 24, 2023

Social media influencer Summer Cartwright leads a charmed life: millions of followers, the trendiest designer and vintage clothing in her closet, a newly minted book deal, the coolest friends, and until recently, the hottest boyfriend at her über elite prep school. Every moment of her life has been carefully planned and cultivated to complement her “perfectly imperfect” online persona. She is truly #LivingHerBestLife.

But when Summer goes missing during her annual Halloween party and an unscheduled post appears on her feed claiming she’ll be dead in the next five minutes, those closest to Summer—her bestie, her ex-boyfriend, her frenemy, and her wannabe—know it isn’t a media stunt for attention. It’s not Summer’s brand. Something is wrong. When their investigation leads to Summer’s lifeless body, they’re forced to accept that she was murdered. And no filter is strong enough to mask the lies they tell themselves.

Why it caught my attention: I am chronically online! I spend more time than I'd like to admit on social media, so I'm very familiar with influencers and their perfectly imperfect lives. A missing social media celebrity is my kind of mystery.

Buy it on Amazon

She is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Horror

February 28, 2023

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 her 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 her family has 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.

Why it caught my attention: Well, that cover is disgustingly attention grabbing. Why does she have mouth flowers? Gross. I can't resist a haunted house story, and I've never read one set in Vietnam. I'm looking forward to it.

Buy it on Amazon

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

Horror

February 28, 2023

Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls.

A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?

As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.

Why it caught my attention: I can't resist a haunted house story or a dual timeline family secrets story. This one is being compared to The Haunting of Hill House and Sadie. I liked both those books.

Buy it on Amazon

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

Historical Fantasy

March 7, 2023

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 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 . . .

Why it caught my attention: There's a man with a fancy hat on the cover. You know I love a fancy hat. Usually I say "Absolutely not" to retellings, but I think I can get behind a Jekyll and Hyde remix. There's a lot of potential for twists and creepiness.

Buy it on Amazon

There Goes The Neighborhood by Jade Adia

Contemporary

March 7, 2023

Fifteen-year-old Rhea and her best friends, Zeke and Malachi, are South L.A. born and raised, but a recent wave of gentrification has been transforming the place that they call home. When an eviction notice from a greedy landlord threatens to split up the crew, Rhea and her friends manipulate social media to form a fake gang in hopes of scaring off developers. Their scheme appears to work at first . . . until a murder is pegged on the nonexistent gang. Yikes.

Why it caught my attention: According to early reviewers, it's a joyful book that will make you laugh. Also, does the cover remind anybody else of books that were published in the 80s and 90s? For some reason, it's bringing back memories of my elementary school library. I vaguely remember a "giant head and photo collage" era of publishing.

Buy it on Amazon

The Jump by Brittney Morris

Contemporary

March 7, 2023

Influence is power. Power creates change. And change is exactly what Team Jericho needs.

Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han are the four cornerstones of Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Each has their own specialty: Jax, the puzzler; Yas, the parkourist; Spider, the hacker; and Han, the cartographer. But now with an oil refinery being built right in their backyard, each also has their own problems. Their families are at risk of losing their jobs, their communities, and their homes.

So when The Order, a mysterious vigilante organization, hijacks the scavenger hunting forum and concocts a puzzle of its own, promising a reward of influence, Team Jericho sees it as the chance of a lifetime. If they win this game, they could change their families’ fates and save the city they love so much. But with an opposing team hot on their heels, it’s going to take more than street smarts to outwit their rivals.

Why it caught my attention: It's been a while since I read a book about a high-stakes game. I'm still searching for one that I love as much as The Hunger Games. Maybe this'll be it. I need a book that's fast paced but still has a lot of character development.

Buy it on Amazon

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

Fantasy

March 28, 2023

Two roads lead into a dark forest. They meet at Greymist Fair, the village hidden in the trees, a place kept alive by the families that never leave. The people of Greymist Fair know the woods are a dangerous and magical place, and to set foot off the road is to invite trouble.

When Heike, the village’s young tailor, discovers a body on the road, she goes looking for who is responsible. But her quest only leads to more strange happenings around Greymist Fair.

Why it caught my attention: Goodreads calls it "a suspenseful and inventive murder-mystery." I've read two of Francesca Zappia's other books and liked her writing style and loveable characters. I'm hoping for more of the same.

Buy it on Amazon

Bianca Torre Is Afraid Of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

Mystery / Thriller

April 11, 2023

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Torre is an avid birder undergoing a gender identity crisis and grappling with an ever-growing list of fears. Some, like Fear #6: Initiating Conversation, keep them constrained, forcing them to watch birds from the telescope in their bedroom. And, occasionally, their neighbors. When their gaze wanders from the birds to one particular window across the street, Bianca witnesses a creepy plague-masked murderer take their neighbor’s life. Worse, the death is ruled a suicide, forcing Bianca to make a choice—succumb to their long list of fears (including #3: Murder and #55: Breaking into a Dead Guy’s Apartment) or investigate what happened.

Bianca enlists the help of their friend Anderson Coleman, but the two have more knowledge of anime than true crime. As Bianca and Anderson dig deeper into the murder with a little help from Bianca’s crush and fellow birding aficionado, Elaine Yee (#13: Beautiful People, #11: Parents Discovering They’re A Raging Lesbian), the trio uncovers a conspiracy much larger—and weirder—than imagined. But when the killer catches wind of the investigation, Bianca’s #1 fear of public speaking doesn’t sound so bad compared to the threat of being silenced for good.

Why it caught my attention: I need more joy in my life, and Goodreads calls this book "absurdist" and "bizarrely comical." A funny story about murder? Sounds awesome to me.

Buy it on Amazon

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst

Thriller

April 25, 2023

Claire’s grown up triple-checking locks. Counting her steps. Second-guessing every decision. It’s just how she’s wired. Her worst-case scenarios never actually come true.

Until she arrives at an off-the-grid summer camp to find a blackened, burned husk instead of a lodge—and no survivors, except her and two other late arrivals: Reyva and Mariana.

When the three girls find a dead body in the woods, they realize none of this is an accident. Someone, something, is hunting them. Something that hides in the shadows. Something that refuses to let them leave.

Why it caught my attention: Summer camp murder mystery! With a possibly paranormal twist? And characters who have to survive in the wilderness? Sign me up.

Buy it on Amazon

Which 2023 books are you looking forward to reading?