All Thrills, No Chill: New YA Books for Spooky Season, Plus an Interview With Author Candace Fleming
Erica highlights some new YA genre-bending thrillers and Kelly talks with YA author Candace Fleming about her latest book, Death in the Jungle, as well as cults and YA nonfiction.
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Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!
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Show Notes:
The Devil's in the Dancers by Catherine Yu
Roar of the Lambs by Jamison Shea
When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur
Empty Heaven by Freddie Kölsch
Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith
Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming
The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming
"What Makes for Good YA Nonfiction" from School Library Journal
Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
Cultish by Amanda Montell
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Underground by Haruki Murakami
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson
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Anywhere There's a Court, There's Mess: New YA Books For August
Kelly and Erica discuss the latest media they've been consuming and the YA books coming out in August that they're most excited about.
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Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers.
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Books Discussed:
Tin House Workshop
Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A Beautiful and Terrible Murder by Claire M. Andrews
Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai
The L.O.V.E. Club by Lio Min
White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum
The Next Generation United Daughters of the Confederacy: Book Censorship News, April 28, 2023
Tall Water by SJ Sindu, Dion MBD
Rosa By Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Nicole Goux
What Hunger by Catherine Dang
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
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Interview with Frederick Joseph (THIS THING OF OURS), Plus Queer YA Graphic Novels
Erica talks queer YA graphic novels you should read and Kelly speaks with author and activist Frederick Joseph.
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Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18!
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Books Discussed:
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
Daybreak Volume One by Moosopp
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 by Mokumokuren, Ajani Oloye (Translator)
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Brooms By Jasmine Walls, Teo Duvall (Illustrator)
This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph
The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph
Ruin Road by Lamar Giles
Hey YA interview with Lamar Giles
Dwyane Wade
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
24 Seconds From Now . . . by Jason Reynolds
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Nic Stone
Gayle Forman
Ibi Zoboi
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Tiny Dragons & Giant Cats
Danika joins Kelly this week to talk about exciting new YA books that hit shelves in June and July, as well as to talk the best YA books of 2025 so far.
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To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter!
Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18!
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News:
Best YA books of 2025 So Far
Trailer for Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All The Best has dropped
We Were Liars released to Prime, The Summer I Turned Pretty Season Three is releasing its first two episodes on Prime July 16, and the animated take on Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan is dropping on Netflix July 10.
Marissa Meyer’s “The Lunar Chronicles” is being adapted for animation in fall 2028.
Books Discussed:
On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia
Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming
Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju
Love Points to You by Alice Lin
"The Complicated World of YA Books for Younger Teens"
"Do Teens Get Pushed Out of YA Books When It’s Called A Genre?"
(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi
Hear Us Out by Nancy Garden
The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden
Wednesday
The Haunting of Hill HouseCall Your Boyfriend by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk
Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by CB Lee
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero, illustrated by Claudia Aguirre
Ana of California by Andi Teran
Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
Hit Me with Your Best Charm by Lillie Vale
The Tournament by Rebecca Barrow
This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Not So Shoujo Love Story, Volume 1 by Curryuku
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History and Politics in YA Fiction with L.M. Elliott
Kelly talks with YA author L.M. Elliott about historical fiction, Watergate, and contemporary politics for teens.
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To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter!
Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18!
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Books Discussed:
Truth, Lies, and The Questions In Between by L.M. Elliott
Walls by L.M. Elliott
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The West Wing
Hamilton
Suspect Red by L.M. Elliott
Truth, Lies, and The Questions In Between Playlist
L.M. Elliott's blog
Mrs. America
Countdown by Deborah Wiles (series)
This Promise of Change by Debbie Levy
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen
(Don't) Call Me Crazy edited by Kelly JEnsen
A Dangerous Idea by Debbie Levy
Bluebird by Sharon Cameron
The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina
The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson
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From great new books to favorite classic reads, from news to the latest in on-screen adaptations, Hey YA is here to elevate the exciting world of young adult lit.
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