9 Great August 2020 YA Releases to TBR
In Lobizona, bestselling author Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to be illegal “in a timely tale of identity and adventure that every teenager should read” (Tomi Adeyemi, bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone).
The end of summer is always a little sad, even though I tend to get excited about cooler temps and the arrival of all things fall (I am so ready for pumpkin spice everything, you don’t even know!). Another perk to fall is that it’s the start of one of the biggest seasons in new book releases, and I feel like that begins picking up steam in August, which tends to make end of summer less sad. This month, we have so many incredible new books to look forward to—some highly anticipated sequels, new books from YA faves, and some awesome-sounding debuts! Here are ten August 2020 YA books to TBR!
Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner
I’m a big fan of Kisner’s previous YA novels Dear Rachel Maddow and The Confusion of Laurel Graham, so you better believe I’m pumped for this book! It’s about a teen girl who is booted from her school’s all-male mock trial team, so she decides to form her own all-female team to show them up. It features feminism, a diverse cast of characters, and political knitting—some of my very favorite things!
Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho
This is the sequel to Wicked Fox, which I only just recently started and I’m already obsessed with. Without giving too much away, this book takes place immediately after the events of Wicked Fox, with the characters trying to put their lives back together and dealing with the fallout—which involves ghosts flooding the streets of Seoul!
Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale
I’m really excited for this new release from Shannon Hale, whose YA fantasy I adore! This book follows Josie Pie, who dropped out of high school to hit it big on Broadway, only for things to not go exactly as planned. Now she’s nannying in Montana and trying to figure out her next move. Then she discovers that she has the ability to fall into the plots of her favorite books—which is a great escape from her current reality, but can she figure out how to be the heroine of her own story?
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
I loved meeting Darius in Darius the Great Is Not Okay, and I’m so excited we get to hang out with him some more. In this sequel, Darius feels like his life is steadily improving, and he even has his first boyfriend…but when his internship doesn’t go as planned, his grandmothers come to visit, and his dad heads away for business, he feels like he’s starting to lose his grip on okay—and maybe he deserves better.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
Sheetal is the daughter of a mortal and a star, and she lives with her father after her mother disappeared into the sky years earlier. When her father is injured by starfire, she knows that only a full star can heal him. She goes on an epic quest to entreat help from the stars, but instead is drawn into a battle to decide who will be the stars’ next ruler.
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
Set in L.A. in 1992, this book follows Ashley, who is a high school senior looking forward to the freedom of summer when four police officers are acquitted for the beating of Rodney King. Suddenly, Ashley is seen as one of the Black kids, and the realities of police brutality and the ensuing riots begin encroaching on her “normal” life, revealing cracks in the facade.
Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud
In this sequel to Mirage, Amani finds herself isolated and adrift, a precarious position to be in when the planet is on the brink of revolution. She gets a chance to redeem herself when Maram asks her to switch places with her for a day—but doing so thrusts her at the center of court intrigue that could very well get her killed!
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinka
Set on a fantasy island where the Witch Queen sweeps away an innocent boy each year in exchange for sparing the island, this book is about Lina, who goes to great lengths to protect her brother—but when another boy is taken in his stead, she goes to the Witch Queen to bargain for his life, and takes his place instead. Soon, Lina finds herself falling for the Witch Queen, even as her island is in danger once more.
Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest
Evie is determined to salvage her fledgling career after an unfortunate misstep, but she desperately needs the help of her grandmother Gigi, a reclusive actress who rarely is seen in public. But when Gigi goes missing, Evie’s hopes are imperiled, and she turns to the last person who saw her: the delivery guy who brings Gigi her groceries. As they search high and low for Gigi, Evie learns a thing or two about life and why her grandmother has been so reclusive.
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