Spring is here and it’s very much past time to talk about what I’m most looking forward to reading this season. My last anticipated books post covered books coming out in January to late March, but there were a couple books I must have added to my TBR after I made that post, so I’ve included the few that I missed in this list.
Spring 2022 looks like another great season for YA books. Genre-wise, I’m looking forward to books that are kind of all over the map, from a couple historical books to RomComs to fantasy, and even a novel in verse! I’m particularly excited to read THIS REBEL HEART by Katherine Locke and YEAR ON FIRE by Julie Buxbaum as I’ve heard amazing things about both authors and have wanted to try books by them for a while.
Note: I finally went back to my Anticipated Books List from last season and updated the list with links to any of the books that I reviewed. So far I’ve read 13 of the 16 books on my list. Another is my next up to read (the publishing date got pushed back a bit, so I also pushed back my plans to read it.). A second one is on my bedside table and my blog calendar as a book to fit in the second I have a spare moment. The last book is on my library reading list, so hopefully I’ll be able to get that one read soon, too.
Also Note: This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost anything for you to use. Shopping from those links supports my blog. Thanks in advance!
What you need to know: A magic river kept a girl’s family safe in WWII Hungary. Now she must decide whether to finally take her chance to escape to safety or fight for revolution.
What you need to know: A girl returning home after surviving forced labor under the Nazis is caught in a war between Polish resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. Looks tense and hopeful.
What you need to know: Fake dating/rivals to romance set in an elite boarding school. Looks like lots of pranks and antics and romantic sparks. I’m excited for this one.
What you need to know: No electricity due to a malware attack. A girl who thought she’d put her survivalist history behind her now needs it in order to survive. Looks dark, and intense. I’m hoping for something along the lines of ALONE by Megan E. Freeman.
What you need to know: Twin sisters plus a best friend. A betrayal in the form of a kiss. Arson. New boys. Surprise romance. Sounds like lots of tension and drama. I’m so in.
What you need to know: More stories from Emberfall and Syhl Shallow! Tycho is a Lord?! Two friends who must risk everything to save their families, even if it means helping destroy their new king (Grey!). Yes, please. I’m all over this one.
What you need to know: Two girls desperate to solve a mystery in a town full of secrets armed with the complete works of Agatha Christie. I’ve read books by Glasgow and Lawson before and enjoyed them, so I’m super excited to read this one.
What you need to know: The prequel to WE WERE LIARS, which if you know me, you know was the book that made me stand up a date once because I could. Not. Put it down. Totally lost track of time, like lost two hours of time. Oopsy. (It’s okay; he forgave me. We are married now.)
What you need to know: A girl having a Groundhog day experience, but with her nemesis. Sounds like lots of antics and laughs and swoony romance. I’ve been told I’m on the ARC list, but haven’t received a copy yet, so I might have to wait until this one is in print to read it.
What you need to know: A self-professed teen love doctor with a radio show. A girl who has zero time for love. Three dates to convince her he’s worth a chance. Can you see my heart eyes from there?
15 Books I’ve Reviewed on the Krause Banned Books List
What happened: Recently a Texas congressman compiled a list of hundreds of books he feels could cause students distress based on their race or sex and has asked school libraries to alert him about how many titles they have on their shelves. The governor has been conducting similar inquiries, and it looks like at least one district has pulled over 400 books from their shelves in response to pressure from politicians and some parents.
It seems really weird to me that politicians in a state which values personal freedom over protecting the community from a potentially deadly virus through mask wearing, think they should decide what people read. Asking people to wear masks is government overreach, but restricting access to certain kinds of books is okay? Just seems weird to me is all I’m saying.
Content Notes and My Reviews
If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I write content notes on all my reviews so that readers can find books they want to read and hopefully it’s easier to find books that represent them, too. Not every kid is ready for or interested in every book. Not every book is appropriate for every kid at a certain age or experience.
Parents have the right to decide what their kids can and should read. That’s part of our job. It’s why I advocate for reading with your kids and looking up reviews online that describe whatever content young readers might encounter within a book. What parents don’t get to do, though, is decide what other people’s kids are allowed to read.
Representation matters, too. You’ll notice from this list that 14 of the 15 books I’ve reviewed here feature LGBTQ+ characters in them. (The 15th is a nonfiction book about combating racism.) Which makes this list really seem like it’s targeting LGBTQ+ readers. In fact, most of the books on the massive list include LGBTQ+ representation. There are a lot of history books and biology books on there, too. It’s a weird list, honestly.
I keep trying to make it make sense. Like okay, is this about graphic sexual content? No, it can’t be, because there are some really popular YA books that have very explicit sexual content released in the years referenced on the sheet that are not listed. Some of the fiction books listed have very little sexual content (kissing maybe?). Anyway, it’s odd.
And not that it making sense would make it okay. It wouldn’t. It would just be nice to be like ah, okay, I see where they’re coming from. The closest I can get to that is that it appears to me that some people believe that the existence of gay people is something we must hide from ALL high school children? Also the existence of racism. And history. And sex.
Discomfort and Literature
I think the idea that discomfort is something we can’t let our kids experience is, frankly, ridiculous. Life is uncomfortable. Relationships are packed with discomfort. Sometimes we make mistakes in front of other people. Or we’re wrong. Or we hurt people and have to humble ourselves and apologize. There is no life safe from discomfort.
Also, literature is supposed to make us uncomfortable. It’s supposed to challenge the boundaries of our empathy, to make us think about experiences outside our own. To put us in someone else’s shoes for a moment. To make us imagine what a moment, real or imagined, is really like.
There Really Is a Giveaway at the End of This Post
Anyway. I searched the archives of my reviews and looked for books I’ve read that are on the list circulating the internet right now. Here are 15 books and the links to my reviews. At the bottom is a giveaway with a chance to win one of ten books. Details below.
Note: This list contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything to use but which generate a small amount of financial support for this blog.
15 Books I’ve Reviewed on the Krause Banned Books List
What you need to know: A genderqueer teen stands up to discrimination from their high school administration. Lots of love to Mariah Carey. Sweet family relationships.
What you need to know: A dystopian society reenacts Cinderella’s ball, but with a twist: each man gets to choose a bride, and she cannot say no. F/F romance. Loads of girl power.
What you need to know: An undocumented immigrant on the run learns she’s a Lobizona, a shapeshifter who can transform into a werewolf. The problem? She’s not supposed to exist.
What you need to know: A great beginner’s handbook for learning to recognize racism and how to speak up if you see something out of line. Welcoming and easy to read.
What you need to know: Two boys who are opposites, a food truck, a family in crisis, and a terrible secret. M/M romance. One character is an assault survivor.
What you need to know: A girl framed for murder, a boy who has no choice but to help her prove her innocence, and a killer who may not be finished. M/M romance. Total edge-of-your-seat read.
What you need to know: A girl just returned from boarding school tries to help her brother as his bipolar disorder drives a wedge between them. F/F romance. A powerful story about sibling relationships.
What you need to know: A boarding school for the high achieving students with the deadly Peter Pan Virus. A boy in the midst of figuring out who he is and who he loves. Aching and imaginative. M/M romance.
What you need to know: A boy is blackmailed to keep the fact that he’s gay from coming out and to protect the identity of his secret pen pal. M/M romance. A charming and slightly salty story of first love.
What you need to know: A once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two boys. M/M romance. Complex characters who are opposites. Lots of laughter and heartache to be had here.
You can find the whole list of 850 books here. I’ve read 15 from the list, and tons more have been on my To Be Read list and are already on my shelves. I feel more motivated than ever to read and review some of those books so that hopefully more readers who are interested in them can find and read them. It looks like someone has also added them to the lists on Goodreads, so you can add interesting-looking titles to your reading lists on there.
Let me know if you’ve read any of the books on this list or the full list.
Giveaway Time!
I’m giving away some books. Ten books, to be precise. I’ll order them from Bookshop, which supports indie booksellers, and choose ten people from the Rafflecopter below. Each winner can choose which book they want from the list of 850 books (must be in stock at Bookshop and $25 or less) and must have a US mailing address.
There’s a free entry, just for landing on the page and reading long enough to find the giveaway, and there are some other ways to boost your chances by talking about the giveaway and finding me on social media. So think about which book you would choose!
I imagined posting this list the first or second week of January, but here we are on February first, and I’m finally getting it posted. But here it is! These are some of the books I’m most excited about reading this winter.
At the end of the year last year, someone asked if there are just not any good YA books coming out anymore, which sparked some debate on Book Twitter. While I think everyone is allowed their opinion on the books they love (or don’t), I gotta say, I’m still seeing some incredible books hitting shelves these days in the YA market. If you missed it, I recently posted a Best YA of 2021 list which includes more than 20 of my favorites from last year.
This year already looks like it’s going to be a great year for YA books, and this list is just for January to March. I’m already struggling not to overcommit (WHY are there so many great books coming out on March 8???) because I keep getting new requests or stumbling across news about even more great titles. So far, these are the books I am desperate to read and want to drop everything right now so I can curl up in a warm chair with some tea or a latte and dive right into.
Spoiler (kind of?): Because I’m SO LATE posting this list, I’ve already read a few of these books, so I already know I LOVED them. As the year progresses I’ll try to go back and add a link to my reviews for everything on the list in case anyone revisits this list later for updates.
Another note: Publication dates have been getting changed around a bit. I’ve tried to double-check all of these dates to be sure they’re still on track. My apologies for any inaccuracies.
Also: This list contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything to use but which generate a small amount of financial support for this blog.
What you need to know: An icy planet. A race run with sleds and wolves. A girl whose only chance for survival depends on the race. I couldn’t put it down. Fantastic characters. Intense, action-packed story.
What you need to know: A gender-flipped retelling of sleeping beauty where the prince waits for a kiss to wake him, and two fierce, determined treasure hunters will stop at nothing to break his curse. Features a M/F romance and a F/F romance. This might be my new favorite series???
What you need to know: A Swan Lake retelling that centers around Odette and Odile at an elite dance academy. Ballet plus a fairytale (read: actual ballet) retelling?? YES, PLEASE!
What you need to know: A deadly pandemic. A recovery center full of teenagers who’ve been abandoned and now must work together and trust one another in order to survive. Haunting, inspiring, and full of spirit.
What you need to know: A young Romanian writer forced to betray everything he believes in by informing on those he loves joins the revolution to fight for freedom. It’s Ruta Sepetys, y’all. I wasn’t able to get a review copy, but I’m definitely gonna have to fit this one into my reading life.
What you need to know: Urban’s debut, ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS is high on my TBR list. This one looks like a suspenseful, fast-paced story full of secrets and a girl desperate to rescue her little sister.
What you need to know: Three Black Muslim girls create their own space to shatter assumptions and share truth in the wake of a terrorist attack and rising anti-Muslim sentiment. This one looks really good!
What you need to know: Romance between a saxophone player and mellophone player in the midst of a marching competition. Tragic story about “finding first love and what happens when it’s over too soon.” From the author of AMELIA UNABRIDGED, which was another favorite.
What you need to know: A girl teams up with her enemy turned reluctant ally to save her grandfather from an ancient curse in a magical forest. I have heart eyes.
What you need to know: Unlikely allies. A desperate quest to hunt a magical creature. Fantasy and romance by the author of DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, another one I LOVED last year.
What you need to know: A budding animator and hopeless romantic meets a pragmatic, sheltered poet. A story about finding courage to be who you truly are and truly live. I read Salvatore’s debut last year, and I can already tell they’re going to be a must-read author for me.
What you need to know: A LITTLE WOMEN retelling set during WWII, written by four authors– each taking the point-of-view of a different sister. This is a retelling I’m nervous to read, but it looks really good!
What you need to know: An OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love. I can’t wait to check this one out!
What you need to know: A band geek with an unauthorized dating profile. Her Republican father’s presidential campaign. The girl she’s not supposed to be interested in, especially when it could ruin her dad’s campaign.
What you need to know: A young dancer on the cusp of joining an elite ballet program breaks his foot and his dreams in one fall. New friends and a new school mean new possibilities, including the possibility of real heartbreak. I’m a huge fan of ballet stories, and I think this might be the first in YA I’ve seen with a male protagonist. I’m excited!
What you need to know: From Goodreads: LOOKING FOR ALASKA meets BREAKING BAD in this piercing novel about three teens, caught in the middle of the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia, whose world literally blows up around them. This one looks so intense. I really want to read it.
What YA books coming winter 2022 are you most looking forward to reading?
Did I miss any of the books you’re most excited about reading? Are any of mine are at the tippy top of your To Be Read list? Leave a comment and let me know.
2021 was quite a year! I had lots of ups and some pretty dark downs, but one of the things I’m truly thankful for is the books. Some of the best young adult books from 2021 kept me company on long sleepless nights and provided a safe place to escape for a few hours.
I’ve been a fan of YA since before I started blogging, both as a reader and writer. I’m always excited to see new, fresh takes on familiar themes or entirely new ideas and broader representation bursting from the pages. These books are a mix of all those things. They really only have one thing in common, and that’s how much I liked them!
Here are some of the young adult books I still can’t stop talking about and thinking about that were published in 2021.
What you need to know: A deadly forest guarded by siren trees. A grieving boy. Forbidden love. A gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast in all the best ways. I couldn’t stop reading this one. So. Good.
What you need to know: A secret sister revealed by a DNA test. Summer camp and a chance to get to know her. Best friends to lovers. All the quirky, hilarious fun you want in a RomCom.
What you need to know: A girl looking for the sister who disappeared into a shadowy cult. She swore never to trust its charismatic leader, suddenly he feels like her only ally on her search for the truth. This one swallowed me whole. Content warnings in my review.
What you need to know: Searing grief. Found family. A love story to books and beautiful tale of first love. If you like books by John Green (or the idea of them), buckle up and grab a copy of this one. I just want to read it again and again.
What you need to know: A soldier/healer whose heart keeps running away with her head. A legendary enemy. An mysterious estate. Dark secrets. Forbidden love. This one blew me away. One of my favorites for the year.
What you need to know: A genderqueer teen who dreams of being a diva. A battle against discrimination. A perfect celebration of family relationships, friendship, and love for Mariah Carey. I adored this book as I read it, and so much more now as I’ve followed the author on social media. Steven Salvatore’s is a wise voice we need.
What you need to know: A dystopian world dependent on genetically engineered humans to treat diseases that ravage the population. Explores addiction and its destructive power. Features a M/M romance. The dystopian world and high stakes made this one a great read for me.
What you need to know: A summer in Paris, ballet dancing, mysterious rumors about a Degas painting, and of course a whirlwind romance. Perfect for fans of LOVE AND GELATO.
What you need to know: Sisters– one to become queen, one to become the Firebird, a powerful being who maintains the balance of magic. F/F romance. Political intrigue. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
What you need to know: A post-climate-disaster world. A girl searching for her missing sister. A sister stranded on a strange island. So. Many. Secrets. I couldn’t stop reading this one.
What you need to know: A small town girl wondering about the identity of her biological father. A new neighbor with undeniable chemistry. A best friend/unrequited love. So many feels.
What you need to know: A seventeen-year-old with a secret: she’s won the lottery. And she can’t tell anyone. Explores grief, hoarding, and best friendships. I really liked that this story didn’t center on romance.
What you need to know: A faith-positive story with Muslim rep. First love at a wedding. Speaking up about assault and finding your people. Beautiful and moving.
What you need to know: Great gamer references. A sweet friends to lovers romance. A powerful dissection of online bullying against female players. Quirky characters and loads of fun.
What you need to know: Three young women in a high-stakes reality show game. A mysterious mansion and more mysterious hostess. Unexpected and unforgettable friendships. If you like twisty, mystery-slash-riddle stories with strong characters, you have to check this one out.
What you need to know: More Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina (Plus cameos from some of your favorite Crows!). Witty banter. Desperate battles. The last book in the Grishaverse. SIX OF CROWS is still my favorite by Bardugo, but this one is a close second.
What you need to know: Twin brothers and a rivalry that began with a girl. A tiny town perched on the edge of the sea and a hurricane that could swallow it. Depression and first love. Lyrical prose. Crushing and beautiful.
What you need to know: A practical harpist with zero interest in romance. Her bestie, a hopeless romantic and amazing baker. A summer of weddings together that kindles feelings. I think I read this one in one sitting.
What you need to know: More creepy trees! Forbidden magic. Lots of twisty storytelling. Fierce characters. I loved this and can’t wait for the rest of this series.
What you need to know: I kind of thought Brigid Kemmerer would never write another book that I loved as much as I love LETTERS TO THE LOST and I was so very wrong. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page.
What you need to know: A murdered girl. A boy running from a dark past. Complex characters and loads of tension. Definitely an edge-of-your-seat read! Perfect for fans of Karen McManus.
What you need to know: I couldn’t put this one down. Juliette and Henri are the kind of characters that hit like an arrow to the heart: vulnerable, desperate to save/protect the people they love, wounded, and smart.
What you need to know: Friends to lovers. ASD rep. Explores PTSD and recovery from a sexual assault. A heartbreaking but so real look at abusive relationships and healing. This one will stay with me a long time.
What you need to know: A pinball machine arcade and fantastic love for 80s music. Friends to enemies to lovers. A blizzard that traps two people together. Grief and daddy issues. So sweet and so fun. Perfect and nostalgic. I still have heart eyes for this one.
What you need to know: A dystopian America. A lone girl taking on a powerful, wealthy man who controls her whole world. Gritty, raw prose. Aching storytelling.
What you need to know: The last in a female-centered King Arthur legend trilogy. The fiercest, most magical Guinevere you’ve ever seen. High stakes battles and unforgettable friendships plus a bit of romance. I love this whole series.
What you need to know: LGBTQ spin on Back to the Future. Time travel to the 1980s. A flashy, fun protagonist desperate to change history and save another boy’s life. Possibly the most fun book I read last year.
What were the best young adult grade books from 2021 that you read? Did you read any of the books on my list? If so, did any of them rank among your favorites?
If there are any books on my list that you’re thinking of checking out now that you’ve seen them here, please let me know! Knowing someone is going to check out one of my favorite books totally makes my whole week.
Well. 2021 was certainly a mixed year for me. It had a really rough start, not a great middle, and a painful and chaotic end. But, it also had some really great books!
Maybe it feels silly to think that the books were one of the brightest spots in the year, but to be honest, they kinda were? I mean, some other good things happened, too, and I have a lot to be grateful for, but the books… those are one of the best gifts from this past year to me.
2021 was a good year for me particularly for middle grade books. When I first started blogging, I only reviewed young adult books, but once I started reading middle grade, I couldn’t stop. I had to add them to my review list, and I’ve never been sorry I did!
With all that in mind, here’s the list of the best middle grade books I read last year. There are a couple backlist titles on there that I didn’t get to until this year that were too good to leave off the list. Other than that, all of these books came out in 2021. I hope you enjoy!
What you need to know: OMG. This book is hilarious and so sweet. I can’t say it any better than this clip from Goodreads: A dead body. A missing will. An evil relative. The good news is, Great Grammy has a plan. The bad news is, she’s the dead body.
What you need to know: One of my most-anticipated books of 2021. I adore this series from beginning to end. It’s packed with magic, friendship, courage, and a time pretzel. Last book in the series that began with THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND.
What you need to know: A brother and sister set out on a desperate attempt to escape North Korea during the Korean War. Beautiful and aching. (This technically came out in 2020, but I read it in January 2021.)
What you need to know: A reluctant reader critiques his aunt’s book, testing the stunts, discovering ghosts, and making new friends along the way. Hilarious and heartfelt. (This technically came out in 2020, but I read it in April 2021.)
What were the best middle grade books from 2021 that you read? Did you read any of the books on my list? If so, did any of them rank among your favorites?
If not, are there any books on my list that you’re thinking of checking out now that you’ve seen them here? Please let me know! There’s nothing better than knowing someone is going to check out one of my favorite books.
Summer is one of my favorite times to read. The more relaxed schedule makes me feel like I’m not so pressed for time, and I usually manage to fit in a few backlist titles I’ve been excited about reading.
This year was better and worse for me reading-wise. I have no shortage of books thanks to my early-pandemic massive orders to indie bookstores near me, as if somehow I alone could save their businesses. (Hopefully I did help, though!)
But I also had a lot of other stuff going on. Some physical. Some just the accumulated exhaustion from an overwhelming school year with my girls. In any case, it was more of a relief to hit summer than it usually is, but also not as much of a respite either.
In any case, I did get to read a number of really great titles, books that totally made my week. I also got to pass on some of my favorites to another reading friend and her daughter, so hopefully those books will be much read and loved there, and that makes me happy, too.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s the list of my favorite reads in summer 2021.
5 Awesome Middle Grade Books I Read in Summer 2021
I’ve only been reviewing middle grade books for a few years, but I can’t believe I overlooked them for so long. Often I find middle grade titles say things I didn’t know I needed to hear in a way that I never thought to put them. These are the best middle grade books I read this summer, and every one of them will stick with me a long time.
The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb
What you need to know: I feel like this book hit me straight in the center of my heart. It said so many things I needed to hear, and at exactly the right time. It centers on hope and the life-saving quality of unexpected friendships.
What you need to know: I love the way the author used senses of hearing and smell in this book. It’s packed with lyrical prose and an incredible story world. Loved it!
What you need to know: Heartbreaking in all the best ways. A sister(and oboe player!!)’s search for her missing brother written in poetry. Moving and heartfelt.
4 Fantastic Young Adult Books I Read in Summer 2021
When I first started blogging, I only reviewed young adult fiction. In the years since, I’ve branched out into middle grade and nonfiction, and I love both of those, too, but YA will always hold a special place in my heart. These books were the best in YA that I read this past summer.
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon
What you need to know: You probably know how I feel about Rachel Lynn Solomon, so there’s no surprise to her latest being in this list. This is another perfect, delightful rom-com featuring a baker and a harpist! So much to love.
What you need to know: Fun and gripping. A must-read for online gaming fans and fans of star-crossed romance. I need everything by Alexis Nedd forever.
What you need to know: Sequel to Forest of Souls. It’s still got the creepiest trees I’ve ever read! Love that. The characters strike my heart and the story keeps me guessing. I’m in to the end with this series.
What you need to know: The sequel to Lobizona. Another wild, fast-paced adventure following a group of teens determined to make a place in their world for themselves. Inspiring and action-packed.
4 Incredible Nonfiction Books I Read in Summer 2021
I guess I could have lumped these in above, but it felt more right to give these nonfiction titles their own place to shine. These were so much fun to read. I found myself searching online for more information about the topics mentioned and eagerly turning pages in every single one. Several are backlist titles, but I couldn’t leave them out because they were such great books.
What you need to know: Thirteen amazing stories of inventers and scientists who did not get the credit they deserved during their lifetimes. I could not stop reading this one.
What you need to know: All the things about Harriet Tubman that you never knew. Wowza! The writing is so accessible and the biographical information about Tubman is truly amazing.
What you need to know: This is another backlist title. This book totally breaks down options for high school graduates from internships to charitable programs to military to college and gives tips for how to apply to or prepare for all of them. So much great information.
What you need to know: This is a backlist title, but I did read it over the summer, and it’s AMAZING. Tells all kinds of incredible facts about trees, their lives, and how they interact with plants and animals around them. Beautifully illustrated. So much information on each page.
