Best YA Fiction of Winter 2021-2022
By Susan the Librarian
By Susan the Librarian
This winter, get cozy with one of these newly released (or soon-to-be released) YA Fiction titles.
Vinyl Moon
Mahogany L. Browne
$18.99 $17.66Exquisite poetry and prose intertwine in this uplifting novel about a Black trauma survivor finding herself through the powerful voices of BIPOC artists. Writers like Cisneros, Morrison, and Angelou influence both the character on her journey to becoming a musical artist and the style of narration, a combination of vignettes, poems, and conversations. Browne also surrounds her protagonist with a community of Black women and girls, each with her own developed identity and arc, who flesh out not only the world of the story but the message about the strength, resilience, ingenuity, and above all value of Black girls, despite how society teaches them that they don’t matter or can’t achieve. An emotional, uplifting literary read for teens and adults.
The Big Reveal
Jen Larsen
$17.99This unapologetically feminist and body positive YA contemporary novel will resonate with all young women who have ever been shamed and objectified for having bodies (so, all young women…). Debates over the validity and empowerment of sex work take center stage, but complex friendships, budding relationships, and amazingly witty banter keep the feminist message from feeling overly preachy. The high stakes plot makes it difficult to put this one down. I highly recommend this novel to fans of YA contemporary fiction.
How Not to Fall in Love
Jacqueline Firkins
$17.99 $16.73I was swept away by this earnest, emotional rom-com. Harper’s voice is funny, and her experiences of love are raw and realistic. There were points in the novel when I genuinely wasn’t sure how things would turn out because of the believable complications that Firkins built into her love life. It is refreshing to have a love triangle where all three people are good humans trying to figure out what they want in the world and whether they can fit together in a relationship, and the sex-positive mom was an added bonus. I highly recommend this novel to teen and college-age romance readers! It would be an excellent addition to any YA collection.
Gilded
Marissa Meyer
$19.99 $18.59No praise I can write here will do this book justice. Masterfully told and spun from many threads of rich German folklore, this novel is far more than a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. The world-building is immersive, luxurious, and chilling; the characters nuanced; the heroine delightful and surprising; and the dialogue modern without feeling out-of-place. Not only is this one of my favorite books of the year, but it is one of my favorite fantasies I’ve read in a long time. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
The Reckless Kind
Carly Heath
$18.99 $17.66A rare treat: a queer, feminist historical featuring horse racing!
The Midnight Girls
Alicia Jasinska
$18.99 $17.66An F/F enemies-to-lovers romance that sits on the border of fantasy and horror.
African Town
Charles Waters and Irene Latham
$19.99 $18.59A powerful novel-in-verse about enslaved Africans smuggled into the U.S. after the start of the Civil War and the community they build by poet-authors Charles Waters and Irene Latham.
Huda F Are You?
Huda Fahmy
$16.99 $15.80In the reverse of a fish-out-of-water story, this graphic novel follows a Muslim-American girl who must come to terms with her identity once the thing that used to make her stand out suddenly makes her blend in.
The Red Palace
June Hur
$18.99 $17.66Another gorgeous, thrilling historical mystery from one of my all-time favorite authors!
Hopepunk
Preston Norton
$17.99 $16.73This novel about finding hope through music and a healthy dose of rebellion tackles the evil of homophobia in a conservative Christian household.
Nightrender
Jodi Meadows
$19.99 $18.59A prince summons an avenging angel in this dark high fantasy.
Loveboat Reunion
Abigail Hing Wen
$18.99 $17.66Although it features characters from LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI, this RomCom stands on its own as a heart-stopping romance.
The Ivory Key
Akshaya Raman
$18.99 $17.66A classic-feeling high fantasy in a lush, Indian-inspired world, this novel has political drama, sibling rivalry, and of course, a dangerous quest for a magical object.
One True Loves
Elise Bryant
$17.99 $16.73Although it is a companion novel to HAPPILY EVER AFTERS, you don't have to have read HEA in order to fall in love with this perfect, swoony RomCom starring another indomitable Black heroine.
Here's to Us
Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli
$19.99 $18.59I avoided putting sequels on this list, but... I couldn't resist including this follow-up to the exquisite queer love story WHAT IF IT'S US.
Contest of Queens: Volume 1
Jordan H. Bartlett
$24.99 $23.24For high fantasy fans, this one has all the political intrigue, impossible tasks, and friendship drama you crave.
Icebreaker
A. L. Graziadei
$18.99 $17.66Queer Enemies-to-Lovers romance and a sports novel on top of that!
Lawless Spaces
Corey Ann Haydu
$18.99 $17.66This feminist novel-in-verse is exquisite in its poetry, family connection, and message for a more hopeful future.
Medusa
Jessie Burton and Olivia Lomenech Gill
$19.99 $18.59Feminist revision of a classic? Yes, please! The gorgeous illustrations are icing on the cake.
Magical Boy Volume 1: A Graphic Novel
The Kao
$15.99 $14.87This critically acclaimed coming-of-age Graphic Novel featuring a transgender boy with magical powers is now released in the U.S.
The Greatest Thing
Sarah Winifred Searle
$25.99 $24.17This YA graphic novel is sweet and moving, a story about friendship and being true to yourself. It reads a little young and will most likely appeal to 7th-10th graders.
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
Kristen R. Lee
$18.99 $17.66It's hard to get a book about college freshman published, but so, so important, especially when tackling a topic so raw, disturbing, and frequently swept under the rug as racism in the Ivy League's past (and present). It may be set in college, but the tension of Savannah's desire to take a dramatic stand against injustice and the (unjust) reality that it might cost her the future she's worked so hard for will absolutely resonate with high schoolers.
Best of YA Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, RomComs, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Poetry, Novel-in-Verse, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Latinx, BIPOC, Queer, Muslim, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, 2021-2022