When the Stars Come Out: YA Books About What Happens at Night

The varsity field hockey squad is ready for their new season, and to commemorate the night before their first game, they’re ready to bond at a team sleepover. Everyone knows their fate relies on the traditional midnight initiation ceremony, but when their coach upends their plans, the girls must stick together to figure out how far they’re willing to go and what they will do to make things right.

Reggie is still reeling from the death of his father, and he’s recently found the woods near his house comforting. That is, until one day, a bleeding man stumbles from the shadows. Reggie leads the man to his tree house, helping the stranger recover. But as he heals, Reggie learns there’s more to this man than he initially thought, and soon lives may be in danger. 

Cameron and Nate meet in a Los Angeles club late one night, bonding over their love of a super obscure indie band. But soon Nate learns that Cameron is the heir to a record label—the record label that destroyed Nate’s father’s life. Nate runs as fast as he can, but Cameron can’t understand and tries desperately to find Nate, relying on the only photo he has of him from that night: a blurry photo of Nate’s Chucks. This is a fun fairytale retelling in the LA music scene.

By day, Kiera Johnson is a normal high schooler, trying to keep up her honors grades and her tutoring schedule organized. But by night, Kiera is a programmer, the master behind SLAY, an online role-playing game for Black gamers. No one knows she’s the creator of this game, and her plan is going perfectly until a teen is murdered over a dispute in the game and suddenly Kiera is on the front lines of trying to diffuse gamers, the media, and her own friends and family.

Rufus is having the actual worst night ever—his ex-boyfriend shows up out of the blue demanding they “talk,” which seems bad enough by itself. But then Rufus’s sister April calls, begging for help. When he finds her, she’s covered in blood and holding a knife next to the dead body of her boyfriend. Everything spins rapidly out of control as Rufus tries to manage who is telling the truth and what he is going to do next to protect the ones he loves. 

Ryann wants to explore space, but as a girl from a trailer park, she isn’t expected to make it very far, so why should she show up to school and make an effort when no one expects her to? But when she meets Alexandria, another recluse looking for a friend, the two become closer than ever. And Alexandria has a connection to space, everything Ryann dreams of. Every night, Alexandria waits up to listen for radio signals, and Ryann is pulled into her routine as the two dream of something more.

Ashley would rather be in the wilds than in the comfort of a home. She can’t get enough of the outdoors. So when her friends head out hiking into the Smokies for a fun night of camping and partying, she’s in her element. But when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, she angrily races off on her own, quickly falling into a ravine and off the path. Now she’s alone in the woods with only herself to rely on to survive.

Silla and Nori have recently arrived at their aunt’s manor house, and they know immediately something isn’t right. At night, the house makes noises and the woods are quiet, the opposite of what they should be. And when Nori begins seeing and playing with a man no one else can see who only comes out at night, things go from bad to worse.