New September 2023 YA Releases
Happy September, YA readers! Even though it is not officially fall until later this month, I am choosing to embrace the impending season with all things autumn! Bring on the pumpkin everything, the cozy sweaters, crunching leaves, and gloriously moody fall weather! I also love fall because it is the start of a veritable landslide of new releases, and I absolutely love nothing more than an avalanche of great new books!
This month, there are more books releasing than I could possibly highlight in one post, so I have had to do the very difficult task of narrowing the list down to just ten. But don’t miss new books by Ally Condie (The Only Girl in Town), the latest from Chloe Gong (Foul Heart Huntsman), and Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s long-awaited sequel, The Siren, the Song, and the Spy! I’ve also got my eye on the gorgeous 40th-anniversary editions of Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness Quartet, and I have a pretty good feeling that, yes, I do need another copy of all four books.
Rest assured that no matter what you love to read, there are going to be some great YA books hitting shelves in September for you!
Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline (September 5)
In this retelling of The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox has been recently orphaned and must leave her home in Toronto for a distant estate on the Georgian Bay. There she finds that the people here are not what she expected — many of them are Indigenous and welcoming — but family secrets and surprise revelations will have Mary fighting for her new home and new found family.
Maybe Meant to Be by K.L. Walther (September 5)
Sage and Charlie have always been told they’re meant for each other despite the fact that they’ve never been together. Sage doesn’t date, Charlie dates a lot, and the timing is never right. Then, new guy, Luke, shows up and creates an interesting new dynamic between Charlie, Sage, and Charlie’s twin brother, Nick, that has all four teens questioning what “meant to be” even means.
What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (September 12)
Sadie and Logan are best friends who are always down for an adventure, which is why they ditch their class trip and soon find themselves arriving at a seemingly abandoned corn maze. They soon explore the corn maze…only to find corpses inside. Corpses that look uncannily like them. It becomes clear that this isn’t their first time in the maze, and unless they figure out a way to leave, their fate is sealed.
Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson (September 12)
Set in a small, snowy town over the course of a weekend, this book follows three very different teens and one transformative weekend spent working at a pizza parlor. Berlin is Metis, an overachiever, and focused on her future. Cameron is Cree and has dropped out of school, feeling lost ever since his cousin disappeared. And Jessie is white, a rich girl who doesn’t need a job but wants the gig at Pink Mountain Pizza anyway. Over the course of a single weekend, these three will see each other in a completely different light.
The Name Drop by Susan Lee (September 12)
Elijah Ri and Jessica Lee have both arrived in New York City for a summer internship at the prestigious Haneul Corporation. But where Jessica is a nobody, Elijah is the son of the CEO. Despite who his parents are, Elijah is shocked to discover he’s shuffled in with a bunch of other interns while Jessica is given preferential treatment. The reason for the mix-up? They share a Korean name. They decide not to speak up about the swap and enjoy their summers, but how long can they keep up the ruse?
Rez Ball by Byron Graves (September 12)
Tre lives for basketball, and right now, it’s also his escape from the pain of losing his older brother in an accident a few months earlier. When the varsity basketball team offers him a chance to take his brother’s spot, Tre leaps at the opportunity, even as the responsibility both on and off the court feels overwhelming. But he has to succeed because this might be the only chance his reservation team has to make it to the state championships, and Tre isn’t about to let the memory of his brother down.
Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake (September 19)
Reed is an orphan who has been taken in by the Aristene, an order of women who champion heroes and lead them to success. As an initiate, she must help her own hero in order to be fully inducted. If she fails, she’ll be expelled. Reed is determined to succeed, but her hero is nothing like she imagines, and soon, she is wondering if perhaps there isn’t more than one path.
Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (September 26)
Ross comes from a family of thieves and would like nothing more than to escape her life. But when her attempt to break free goes horribly awry, she’s forced to enter Thieves’ Gambit, part race and part series of daring heists. The prize will give her a chance to make things right, but the cost is steep…and her competitors are a few uncomfortably familiar faces.
A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey (September 26)
Flora needs a reset after her mother dies, and she’s not ready to apply to universities or take over her family’s tea shop. So she heads to Miami without telling a soul, and there she finds a whirlwind romance but also a new perspective on those she left back at home.
The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde (September 26)
Ife isn’t excited to be starting school at the prestigious Nithercott School. She’s a scholarship student, and her parents can barely cover the remaining tuition. She is determined not to get caught up in the drama of rich kids, but when a fellow student begins acting strangely, Ife begins to wonder if it’s not connected to a school urban legend…and a cold case. She teams up with two classmates and, despite her better instincts, begins to dig into the case of The Changing Man.
Looking for more great reads? Check out our round-up of August 2023 YA releases!
