15 Incredible New YA Novels to Put on Your Wish List This Spring

Molly Peskin-Suso is dying of loneliness. The solution? Bear with us: to win over her twin sister’s new girlfriend’s cute hipster-guy friend. It’s the perfect first-love story to tide you over until the movie adaptation of Albertalli’s first novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, hits theaters next year. 

It was a harmless text: “Hey, where are you guys?” But Carver had no idea sending it would lead to the death of his three best friends. Carver blames himself, there’s a looming criminal investigation, and his friends’ families are looking to him to find closure. If you’re into John Green, this one’s for you.

If you (like us) are still listening to the Hamilton cast album on repeat, check this one out. The historical romance reimagines the true love story of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler. (And of course, interjections from Eliza’s opinionated sister Angelica.)

Sixteen-year-old Starr is torn between the poor neighborhood she lives in and the upper-class prep school she goes to. But these worlds collide when she sees her childhood best friend get shot by a cop. If you read one YA book this spring, make it this one.

The best-selling author of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (which is stunning, BTW) is back with another breathtaking fantasy. When an eclectic group of people are sent to the lost city of Weep to solve a mysterious problem, there are secrets revealed and monsters to fight.

When a vlogger, a cool actress and a shy fan meet at SupaCon, the power of fandom is unleashed. Billed as a “feminist love letter to geek culture,” this is one empowering and uplifting girl-power story you don't want to miss. 

It’s the story of two sisters who grew up in poverty and could only rely on each other…until they grew apart. But when their father unexpectedly comes home for the first time in years, they have an opportunity to reunite. (Though it might not be the best thing for Gem.)

Raise your hand if you watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants every damn time it’s on TV. (Yep. Us, too.) So you’ll be psyched to hear that Brashares has released another great read, about an unconventional family vacationing at an old beach house on Long Island.

When it comes to YA, no one captures the fluttery feeling of first love like Smith. In her newest story, Alice gives her best friend (and crush) Teddy the birthday surprise of his life: a winning lottery ticket. For $140 million. Whoa.

Warning: Read this beautiful, emotional debut with a big box of tissues. When Kai discovers a suicide note in the mail from her older sister, her life is turned upside down. Heartbroken and angry, she begrudgingly attends a grief summer camp for teens and soon learns to laugh, love and find a way forward again.

Yay, the author of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is back with more quirky and witty characters. This time, Vic Navarro is throwing an epic graduation party (slash goodbye party to the local soon-to-be bankrupt diner Happies). Oh, and hooking up with her crush, Jake, wouldn’t be too bad, either. 

You’ll tear through this fast-paced YA mystery, billed as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars (ahh, we’re so in), in a weekend. Five strangers walk into detention, but only one comes out alive. Creepy, right?

In this laugh-out-loud comedy, Dimple has her whole life figured out—but so do her parents, who want to find her the perfect Indian husband. So when Dimple’s family arranges a marriage with Rishi, a boy who will be attending the same summer web development program, Dimple is totally against it. Rishi, on the other hand, is ready to tie the knot. 

This Civil War-era historical novel isn’t exactly a beach read, but it does have an extremely compelling love story. When Mariah and her brother Zeke are freed from slavery, they join Sherman’s march, traveling through Georgia. But when Mariah meets Caleb, she allows herself to dream of a new life she never even considered—one that includes love. 

Remember My So-Called Life? Now imagine it with a Muslim teen trying to find her place in the world. In this refreshing debut, Janna Yusef is unapologetically herself: an Arab Indian-American hijabi teen who is an aspiring photographer, graphic novelist and Flannery O’Connor-obsessed book nerd. (And we’re obsessed with her story.)