10 of the Best New June YA Books to TBR

Jay is the only openly gay kid in his small town, and he can’t help but feel like his life hasn’t really started yet. He keeps a list of all the things he wants to do (his “gay agenda”), but is shocked when his family quickly and unexpectedly moves to Seattle. Now, surrounded by fellow queer teens, he has the chance to start chipping away at the items on his list. But what happens when a shot at his first real relationship puts his gay agenda on hold?

Nozomi has the biggest crush on Willow. Willow is heartbroken over her latest break up. When Willow approaches Nozomi and asks her to embark on a fake dating scheme to make her ex jealous, Nozomi sees this as the chance to win over Willow and prove she’s the perfect girlfriend material. But things don’t go as planned as their scheme gets more and more complicated and tilts toward disaster.

Set in the 1920s, this YA novel imagines a secret sisterhood of women spanning the entire country that is meant to train women to become powerful, subtle influencers in every sphere. Elsie has been training to become the wife of a powerful man, and now she and four other young women have been dropped off in New York City where they’re expected to target a young man who has been tapped to become a future president — and they must compete against one another to become his partner.

Voya is a witch, but when she fails an essential test that would grant her full powers, she must face an even bigger challenge: kill her first love. And if she fails at this, then all of the witches in her family will lose their powers. She needs to find someone to fall for, and fast. Enter Luc. By all accounts he should be the perfect person for her to fall for, but he doesn’t seem to want anything to do with her, and time is running out for Voya.

Rani is a princess who feels trapped by her life and circumstances, as elegant as they may be. Ria is on the streets thieving for survival and yearning for a better life. When a chance encounter forces the girls to realize that they’re identical, they come up with an audacious plan to swap places. But life proves dangerous for both girls, and they must work together if they’re both to survive.

Annie and her older brother Jamie are inseparable from the moment Annie is born. As they grow up, they create a fantasy world for themselves in their backyard, and it becomes their refuge and retreat. But as soon as they hit middle school and high school, Jamie begins pulling away from Annie and their fantasies…until one day he disappears and Annie is left to piece together fantasy and fact to figure out what happened.

Briseis can take plants from seed to bloom with a single touch, so when her aunt dies and leaves her an estate in upstate New York, it seems like the perfect chance for Bri to learn how to control her gift. But although the estate is surrounded by flowers, something dark lurks inside the house. As Bri learns more about her abilities and discovers an affinity for creating tinctures, she meets Marie, another young woman who is harboring dark secrets about Bri’s new estate.

Quinn’s parents, wedding planners, have been in business with Tarek’s parents, caterers, for forever — and she’s loved him for about as long. Last summer, Quinn finally confessed her love for him, and he left for college without a response. Now he’s back, and Quinn’s feelings are still there, even if she and Tarek can’t get along for a single second. Is it too late for them, or can they find a second chance?

Wendy Darling has just arrived in Chicago and is looking for some fun. So when a boy named Peter shows up at her window, she joins him for a night out, expecting a party. Instead, she finds herself heading underground where she meets a captivating cast of characters including Tinkerbelle and the lost boys. She also finds danger in the form of Detective Hook. As she gets closer to Peter’s secrets, Wendy finds that surviving the night isn’t guaranteed.

Set in a futuristic dystopian world, this novel follows Eris and Sona, two girls who find themselves caught up in the danger of Godolia, a government intent on conquering all with their giant war machines called Windups. Eris is a rebel and Sona is a Windup pilot who is secretly plotting to destroy the machines she navigates. When their paths cross, these two apparent enemies strike a bargain to take down Godolia together, and find themselves falling for each other.