October 2022 YA Releases for Your TBR
It’s finally October, my favorite month and the most wondrous time of year! I love all things fall — the gorgeous leaves, the pumpkin spice everything, the way the weather cools down and turns moody, spooky vibes, all the fabulous knitwear, and of course, cozying up with a great book! This is also a great time of the year for some of the season’s biggest releases, and this October is going to be one for the books! (Ha, see what I did there?)
We are kicking off the month with an embarrassment of riches on the first Tuesday, including new books by Malinda Lo and Adam Silvera (both are companions to some of their best loved books!). And the bookish goodness carries through the rest of the month, so you can expect a new YA novel from Alice Oseman, and brand-new fantasy from Joan He, some great debuts, and if fall isn’t your vibe, then that’s okay, too — this month also has a great new Christmas rom-com and a Hanukkah rom-com as well! (As much as I love fall, I am pumped about these holiday releases. Finally, more and more diverse holiday offerings in YA!) So grab a cozy drink and get ready to explode your TBR with these October YA releases!
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo (October 4)
Aria had planned for a summer of fun on Martha’s Vineyard before hading off to college, but when a graduation party goes wrong, she’s sent to Northern California to live with her grandmother, an artist. While there, she meets her grandmother’s gardener, Steph, and soon finds her eyes open to a world she’s never experienced, questioning her purpose and her future. This is set in the early 2010s, and it’s a loose companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club!
AFTER DARK WITH ROXIE CLARK BY BROOKE LAUREN DAVIS (October 4)
Roxie Clark comes from a long line of ancestors cursed to meet tragic ends. While most people would buckle under such a legacy, Roxie turns her family history into an opportunity and hosts a popular ghost tour. But when she discovers the body of her sister’s boyfriend, murdered, things take a turn for the darker. In the aftermath, Roxie wants to help her sister find closure but becomes a dangerous search for a killer.
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera (October 4)
In this prequel to They Both Die at the End, Silvera takes us back to the beginning of Death Cast. It’s the eve of launch, and the world is wondering if the whole thing is a hoax. Two teen boys sign up for very different reasons, and they experience a life-changing connection. But when the first notifications are made, one receives a call and the other doesn’t, leaving them wondering what the future holds.
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park (October 4)
Chloe Kwon can’t stand Peter Li — their parents run restaurants in the food court of their local mall, and even though the Kwon serve up Korean fare and the Lis Chinese, it seems like they’re always competing for everything. But this Christmas season, Chloe and Peter are forced to put their differences aside when their families are served with eviction notices. The mall is going under, and soon both families will be forced out…unless Chloe and Peter can come up with a way to save the mall and their families’ livelihoods.
The Restless Dark by Erica Waters (October 4)
Three girls with secrets and a quest for closure — or revenge — find themselves drawn together when a popular true crime podcast hosts a contest to find a serial killer’s bones after his mysterious alleged death. Lucy was almost the killer’s final victim. Carolina has an uncontrollable rage. And Maggie has a secret. When they enter the canyon where the killer was last seen, their lives will never be the same after.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang (October 1)
Alice is a Chinese American teenager on scholarship at an elite Beijing boarding school where she feels invisible…and then she discovers she actually can turn invisible. When her parents can no longer swing her tuition, she uses this talent to learn her classmates’ secrets and blackmail them…but when she learns of actual crimes, she finds herself in over her head.
Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad (October 18)
In this charming book, the four Singh sisters have grown up on Orcas Island, helping their dad run a charming inn that has just been named the most romantic inn in the country. And their lives are about to change as a result — across four seasons, the four sisters will find love, possibility, and new adventure — and along the way, they’ll have each other.
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman (October 18)
Angel Rahimi is a Muslim girl whose whole life revolves around the fandom for The Ark, a boy band she loves but her family will never understand. Jimmy is the trans frontman for The Ark, and while he loves the band and is grateful for the opportunities given to him, he also feels uncomfortable with the intense fandom pressure to date his bandmate, who has a secret girlfriend. When Angel and Jimmy’s paths cross, their lives will never be the same. This is the American release; the first edition was published in the UK in 2018.
Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken by Nita Tyndall (October 18)
Charlotte Kraus is enamored with Angelika Haas, which is why she takes a big risk to follow her to an underground club in Berlin on the eve of World War II. American jazz and other illicit activities take center stage, but Charlotte can’t stay away…even as the rise of Nazism takes hold. She risks more and more to resist against such hatred, but how effective can these Swing Youth be when war is imminent?
We Are the Scribes by Randi Pink (October 18)
Ruth comes from a family of politicians, activists, and community leaders, but she’d much rather spend time reading or journaling than being in the public eye. But after a horrible tragedy, she stops writing and then finds herself receiving parchment letters…from Harriet Jacobs. But how can Ruth be destined to be a scribe for her time when she can hardly bring herself to write anymore?
Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds (October 25)
Shira wants a boyfriend, and the perfect person is Isaac, her great-uncle’s assistant. But Shira is a disaster when it comes to talking to boys. So when she finds herself snowed in with the most charismatic guy she knows, Tyler, she negotiates flirting lessons in exchange for career connections. Only, once the flirting starts. it’s hard for Shira to stop flirting…with Tyler.
Strike the Zither by Joan He (October 25)
In a time where a puppet empress holds the throne and three warlordesses seek to gain control of the kingdom, Zephyr knows that she must always be on her guard. As a chief strategist for a warlordess loyal to the empress, Zephyr hopes to secure her future, but when her duty has her infiltrating another warlordess’s camp, she finally meets her match in more ways than one.
Want more great new YA releases? Check out our list of September YA releases!
