New YA Book Releases This Week, January 15, 2025
As we find our groove in the new year, one thing we can rely on is this: there are going to be a lot of books to pop onto your TBR these first couple of weeks of 2025. It’s interesting because the first two or three weeks of the year are packed, and the number of books hitting shelves tends to drop off in the latter half of January and into February before roaring back in March. You’ll see this play out over the next month or so of this weekly new release roundup.
But this week, we’ve got a pile of new YA books to get excited about. We’ve got some historical fiction, an anthology of verse short stories, thrillers, and so much more.
As you might recall, last week’s new releases were dragon-flavored. This week’s new releases? They’re full of apothecaries to explore. Let’s dive on in.
New YA Hardcover Releases
All The Love Under the Vast Sky by Kip Wilson
This is an anthology exploring the meaning of love. What IS love anyway? This dives into the highs, lows, and everything in between when it comes to love in all of its forms. You’ll have stories here about romantic love, as well as platonic love, self-love to familial love.
The verse anthology is cross-genre, so whatever your jam is in terms of genre, you’ll find something here. Oh, and it’s all written in verse–yes, that’s 12 short stories about love all in verse. Among the stories are one about two princes who fall in love, despite being from enemy Mesoamerican nations in the 15th century; a story about losing a beloved pet in the 1800s; and a myth about a sea-bound siren falling in love with a winged forest spirit. There are characters of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and abilities throughout.
Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz
For generations, the Hernandez women have been cursed in the love department. Amelia refuses to let herself fall to the same fate as her mom, sisters, and aunt, though. She’s going to find out why she’s been unlucky in love so far and find a way to solve the problem before it becomes her destiny.
Amelia is going to track down every one of her exes and find out what made her good–and difficult–to be in a relationship with. She’ll use that to become the best version of herself possible.
When she reunites with Leon, Amelia can’t help but think a little revenge might feel good. She has the insight now to be the most unbreakupable girlfriend possible. It’s time to let Leon sweat a bit about his decision to break her.
But things get complicated and fast. What can Amelia do as she realizes her feelings are real and not part of the revenge plot?
Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough
In early 17th century Rome, Carmela Tofana is eager to go behind the scenes of her mother’s apothecary. So when she’s finally invited back when she turns 16, Carmela begins to see that for every lovely potion concocted, there are others that aren’t especially pleasant. But it’s Aqua Tofana, one of the deadliest potions imaginable, that causes worry and fear for Carmela. It could kill them all if they’re not careful. . .and keeping it a secret will be tough.
It’s always worth celebrating when there’s a new McCullough book, and this one blends both her signature verse with prose.
The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley
Raughley’s latest historical and political thriller is based on the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter.
It’s 1862, and 19-year-old Sally is ready for revenge. She wants to take down everyone working with and for the Crown for their “humanitarianism.” It was that “benevolence” that stole her from her home and made her royal property.
To succeed, Sally will need to play a lot of court politics and will have to team up with both the Queen’s inner circle and a crime lord from London’s underworld. But when the Queen gets wind of what’s going on, she’ll ensure that Sally does not succeed in her revenge by marrying her off.
Sally is determined, even as time is running out for her freedom.
Truth, Lies, and The Questions In Between by L.M. Elliott
I had the opportunity to read this book early for potential blurbing, and I enjoyed it enough to drop some official words about how great it is.
The year is 1973, and Patty Appleton is one of the first female Congressional pages. She’s spending the year living with extended family near Capitol Hill, and throughout her time interning, she’s got a front-row seat to watching a pivotal year in politics. From attempts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to Roe vs. Wade to Watergate, Patty’s beliefs about what is right and wrong will be challenged in every conceivable way–especially when she begins to wonder if someone in her own family has been caught up in political scandals.
This book is formatted in a really compelling way. It weaves into the story illustrations and actual news clippings from 1974 and frankly, this book is far more relevant today than it was even when I read it last summer.
New YA Paperback Releases
Brewed With Love by Shelly Page
If you’re looking for a cozy Sapphic romantasy, you’ll do no better than this new paperback original.
Sage Bishop is a plant witch, and her dream is to run her family’s apothecary. The challenge is that it has to survive long enough for her to take over the business from her nana–things are tough. Sage decides that what she needs to do is create some kind of magical brew that will put the shop on the map and help it survive.
The problem is Ximena Reyes. She’s the latest apothecary shop hire, and she’s also Sage’s ex. Immediately, Sage is distracted by Ximena, and she flees. The shop is then broken into, and the secret brew Sage has been working on is gone.
To keep the shop from being shut down forever–and Sage’s dreams of owning it down the road dashed–Sage has to put aside her feelings for Ximena to track down the thief. But those feelings will be hard to shove down entirely as they try to solve the mystery and save the shop.
Ever Since by Alena Bruzas
Virginia is That Kind of Girl, and the rumors about how she sleeps with a lot of people aren’t exactly untrue. But Virginia is able to ignore them with the help of her friends. At least, she is able to do that until she falls for Rumi, her friend’s boyfriend.
Their relationship is secret. It has to be. But things get very complicated when Virginia discovers that Lyra, Rumi’s little sister, is being groomed for abuse. The groomer is someone who has a great reputation in the community and what they’re doing flies in the face of how the community sees them.
Virginia’s now in an impossible place. Does she keep her mouth shut and hurt Lyra or does she speak up and harm the relationships in her own life?
Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada
This book follows Wesley “Big Mac” Mackenzie, the resident bad boy of his school. He’s failing senior year for all of the reasons you might imagine. So when his mom drags him to see The Nutcracker, he is not interested. Not in the least.
Until he sets his eyes on Mr. Nutcracker himself, Tristan Monroe.
This is a romance about the closeted bad boy and the lengths he’ll go to in order to win over the good-boy crush.
True True by Don P. Hooper
Seventeen-year-old Gil got a scholarship to attend Augustin Prep. It’s a private academy in Manhattan and worlds away from the experiences he had in his mostly-Caribbean Brooklyn community (and a lot different from his former public school). But Augustin is an opportunity for a strong future.
On day one, though, Gil is pulled into a fight with the school’s golden boy and finds that he’s the only one with punishment after the dust-up. It’s clear immediately that racism is a tradition in the preppy academy, and to survive this year, Gil will need more help than he imagined.
Sun Tzu’s The Art of War becomes his guidebook. Gil uses the lessons he learns there to fight against racist policies and administration, as well as uses them to better unite with fellow Black peers. The problem is that all of the work is exhausting and it’s taking a toll on his schooling and the budding romance with a girl he cannot stop thinking about.
Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill
Amir Trudeau has a lot of resentment for his half-brother Marcel, but it’s knowing that Chloe Danvers will be at Marcel’s birthday that gets Amir to show up. Chloe is rich and she’s hot and her signals to Amir are confusing from the moment he gets to the party.
Somehow, Chloe convinces Amir to come home with her. Her parents are out of town, so no one would ever know.
And technically, that would be true if Amir hadn’t woken up to find Chloe dead. Now, all signs point to Amir as the murderer, especially because it is suspicious a Black boy like him would be in a rich white girl’s house without a nefarious reason.
Amir has to prove his innocence, and the only way he can do that is to team up with Marcel. Their family situation is messy, but together, they’ll work to uncover the secrets Chloe held. Those will be key to saving Amir from a fate he doesn’t deserve.
