10 YA Books Not to Be Missed
in 2015
by Iva-Marie Palmer
Ever since Young Adult (or YA) exploded as a genre, the anticipation for each year’s big releases is hot enough to rival even the hype for major blockbuster movies. This year, YA lovers are psyched for new titles from star authors like Gayle Forman, Rainbow Rowell, Sarah Dessen, and Lauren Oliver. And contemporary teen fiction is, across the board, the big deal. Here are some can’t-miss debut fiction titles, as well as novels from big-but-not-the-biggest names in YA.
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All the Bright Places
Available from:The X-meets-X description for this one is The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park, so pretty much every YA reader anywhere has this on their to-read list. Already being made into a film starring Elle Fanning, this tale features death-obsessed Theodore Finch and can’t-wait-to-escape-her-hometown Violet Markey, two Indiana teens who seem to be their best selves when they’re together, though the challenge for them may be in realizing it.
Out January 2015Also available from: -
Red Queen
In this fantasy tale, humans are divided by the color of their blood. Silver blood means you have the powers of a god; red means you’re a mere commoner. But when Mare finds herself in possession of a deadly power, despite her red blood, she realizes she could change the entire world. This dystopia reads like an epic fantasy tale, thanks to the author’s descriptions of lavish feasts and gorgeous gowns amidst the heart-pounding action.
Out February 2015 -
Dead to Me
Billed as “L.A. Confidential” for the teen set, this YA mystery, set against the backdrop of Golden Era Hollywood, is a glam and addictive throwback to a time before celebrity selfies and TMZ text alerts. Unfolding from the perspective of Alice, the daughter of Hollywood insiders who’s long awaited the return of her runaway sister, Annie, Dead to Me has all the stuff L.A. noir is made of: wicked crime syndicates, troubled starlets, and old-fashioned private eyes. Early reviews say McCoy’s novel keeps the reader questioning everything and everyone.
Out March 2015 -
Mosquitoland
A modern-day American odyssey, Arnold’s novel follows Mim Malone. After the collapse of her family, Mim finds herself on a journey from her new home in Mississippi (where she lives in a medicated bubble with her dad and stepmom) back to her real home in Cleveland (where her mom is ill). Aboard a Greyhound bus stocked with quirky characters, Mim starts confronting her own oddities, in a sharp, funny, totally original voice.
Out March 2015 -
Under a Painted Sky
There’s been much talk about the lack of diverse characters in YA books, but Lee’s book really puts readers in the shoes of Samantha, a Missouri-by-way-of-New-York musician who longs to get back to NYC to play professionally — a hard feat if its 1849, you’re female, and Chinese. When a tragic accident halts her plans, Samantha ends up on the Oregon Trail with Annamae, a runaway slave. Recommended for fans of Code Name Verity, this historic adventure is the kind of YA tale that will appeal to adults as well as teens.
Out March 2015 -
An Ember in the Ashes
Available from:While 2015 promises to serve up plenty of grounded-in-real-life YA novels, this epic fantasy is one that will make readers put reality on hold for a while. Set in a brutal Ancient Rome-like world, Laia and Elias are a scholar and a soldier, respectively, whose paths cross in the halls of the Martial Empire’s greatest military academy. Reviewers have used the word “riveting” to describe the action-packed debut, and demands for a sequel are already afoot.
Out April 2015Also available from: -
Con Academy
Boys will want to be him. Girls will want to date him. Will Shea can con his way into any elite prep school, but trouble starts when he meets Andrea, a fellow con artist. Shreiber’s books, which include the hit Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, are always good fun, and this one — with its schemes and scams — promises to be another addictive read.
Out August 2015 -
Not After Everything
Life for Tyler is hard. But it wasn’t always. The football stud with a hot girlfriend and a great group of friends lets it all fade away after his mom kills herself. Tyler has to fight off his dad’s moods and step up to the plate by getting a job, which puts him back in touch with Jordyn, his former childhood-friend-turned-goth-loner. As Jordyn becomes Tyler’s one escape from his 24/7 pity party, he starts to fall for her, but with a life as complicated as his, love may be out of the question. This gritty love story is already drawing comparisons to hopeful heartbreakers like The Spectacular Now and Eleanor & Park.
Out August 2015 -
Everything, Everything
Available from:Madeline is allergic to everything in the outside world. Olly is the new boy next door with whom Madeline is certain she’s going to fall in love. This against-the-odds romance will have teens and adults wishing, hoping, and praying, as they delve into a narrative that unfolds in charts, graphs, texts, diary entries, and the other communiques of a housebound teen’s life.
Out September 2015Also available from: -
For the Record
One part “Almost Famous,” one part what-happens-after-“American-Idol,” Huang’s debut is a teenage dream of a novel. After losing a TV talent show and being promptly forgotten, Chelsea figures her rock star dreams are over, until a phone call changes everything. Picked to tour with a band that hates her, Chelsea has to contend with fame — the good and the bad — while dealing with feelings for one of the very band members who can’t stand her. Romance and music will hit teens with all the feels, but Huang does a great job of showing the not-always-fun parts of fame.
Out November 2015
