It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Although many would say that technically doesn’t start for a few more weeks—the official arrival of colder weather, darker nights, and the anticipatory possibility of snow that all kick off the holiday season—in the world of publishing these first two weeks of November feel like the presents have already started arriving. And book lovers—whether they enjoy fantasy, historical fiction, YA books, or something else—-are about to be fairly spectacularly spoiled in terms of choice.
In the young adult space, readers can look forward to the YA debut of popular romance author Ali Hazelwood, a queer retelling of a Jane Austen classic, a rom-com involving rival cheesesteak trucks, an almost indescribable story of teens who are secretly reincarnated gods, and a whole lot more.
Here are the best new YA books hitting shelves this November
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Release Date: November 7 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Why You’ll Love It: The YA debut from Ali Hazelwood, Check & Mate trades in her popular STEM settings for the world of competitive chess. One part charming rivals to lovers story and one part heartfelt coming of age tale, the end result is a gambit that will delight readers of all ages.
Publisher’s Description: Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.
Nolan’s loss to an unknown rookie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist…
As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)
Vengeance of the Pirate Queen by Tricia Levenseller
Release Date: November 7 from Fiewel and Friends
Why You’ll Love It: A companion novel to Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King duology, Vengeance of the Pirate Queen follows the story of Sorinda, sent by Queen Alosa to lead search efforts for a missing ship in an uncharted sea. Swashbuckling adventure follows, in a story with serious Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and a strong feminist sensibility.
Publisher’s Description: As an assassin working for the pirate queen, eighteen-year-old Sorinda is surprised when Alosa’s next task for her is not to kill a new target, but to captain a handpicked crew on a rescue mission. Unfortunately, her sailing master is twenty-year-old Kearan. He may be the best helmsman the pirate queen has, but Sorinda finds him a real pain in the arse. Sadly, there are few places on a ship to hide from an attentive man.
As the crew of the Vengeance faces dangerous waters and deadly sea creatures, they accidentally awaken the King of the Undersea, a being who can control the dead. Their rescue mission quickly turns into a fight to save the world, but first, Sorinda must save herself from becoming an undead queen.
Emmet by L.C. Rosen
Release Date: November 7 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Why You’ll Love It: A queer, gender bent retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, Emmett puts a fresh modern spin on the classic novel, transferring its setting to a Los Angeles private school, populating its pages with a variety of colorful characters, and a flawed hero with a huge heart who doesn’t know quite as much as he thinks he does about love.
Publisher’s Description: Emmett Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence and had lived nearly eighteen years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.
Emmett knows he’s blessed. And because of that, he tries to give from charity work to letting the often irritating Georgia sit at his table at lunch, he knows it’s important to be nice. And recently, he’s found a new way of giving matchmaking. He set up his best friend Taylor with her new boyfriend and it’s gone perfectly. So when his occasional friend-with-benefits Harrison starts saying he wants a boyfriend (something Emmett definitely does NOT want to be), he decides to try and find Harrison the perfect man at Highbury Academy, the candy-colored private school they attend just outside Los Angeles.
Emmett’s childhood friend, Miles, thinks finding a boyfriend for a guy you sleep with is a bad idea. But Miles is straight, and Emmett says this is gay life – your friends, your lovers, your boyfriends – they all come from the same very small pool. That’s why Emmett doesn’t date – to keep things clean. He knows the human brain isn’t done developing until twenty-five, so any relationship he enters into before then would inevitably end in a breakup, in loss. And he’s seen what loss can do. His mother died four years ago and his Dad hasn’t been the same since.
But the lines Emmett tries to draw are more porous than he thinks, and as he tries to find Harrison the perfect match, he learns that gifted as he may be, maybe he has no idea what he’s doing when it comes to love.
The Revenge Game by Jordyn Taylor
Release Date: November 7 from Delacorte
Why You’ll Love It: An entertaining feminist mystery in which a group of young women at a New York prep school band together to bring down a secret contest in which boys earn points for different sexual encounters on campus, The Revenge Game is both timely and strangely cathartic.
Publisher’s Description: Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she thought her co-worker was into her, when in reality he found her flirting pathetic.
Then she meets Brenton Riggs Jr., and right away she knows that their connection isn’t just in her head. When he swoops in to save her one night from a less-than-savory party encounter, she falls head-over-heels. Finally, someone Alyson likes who likes her back!
But when she finds out about the King’s Cup—a competition the guys at their boarding school started to see who has the most sexual prowess—she’s put on edge. Does Brenton really want to be with her, or is he just trying to win? Then Alyson and the other girls at the school start a competition of their own: The Queen’s Cup. It’s all about reclaiming their power. But as the competition heats up, Alyson’s relationship begins to fall apart—and it isn’t long before the cracks in her perfect love story start to show through.
With or Without You by Eric Smith
Release Date: November 7 from Inkyard Press
Why You’ll Love It: A rom-com about two teens drawn into the fake feud between their families competing Philadelphia cheesecake food trucks is always gonna be a yes from me, especially when their rivalry just might make them reality TV stars. (If they can hide their romance from the cameras, of course.)
a rom-com about two teens whose families have orchestrated a feud between their South Philadelphia cheesesteak food trucks in order to drive up business. But when the fake rivalry lands them a gig on reality TV, the teens have to hide their very real romance from the world.
Publisher’s Description: Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trapped between pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
Release Date: November 7 from Roaring Book Press
Why You’ll Love It: A psychological horror story about the mysterious circumstances behind a pop star’s death, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces mixes behind-the-scenes K-pop drama with monsters both real and imagined. Addictive, genuinely frightening, and hard to put down.
Publisher’s Description: After a shocking scandal that abruptly ended her teen popstar career, eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee spends her days longing for her former life and cyberstalking her ex-BFF and groupmate, Candie. The two were once inseparable, but that was then—before the tragedy and heartache they left in their wake.
In the here and now, Sunny is surprised to discover that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop in her hometown. Candie might be there chasing stardom, but Sunny can’t resist the chance to join her and finally confront their traumatic history. Because she still can’t figure out what happened that horrible night when Mina, the third in their tight-knit trio, jumped to her death. Or if the dark and otherworldly secrets she and Candie were keeping had something to do with it . . .
But the workshop doesn’t bring the answers Sunny had hoped for, nor a happy reunion with Candie. Instead, Sunny finds herself haunted by ghostly visions while strange injuries start happening to her competitors—followed by even stranger mutilations to their bodies. In her race to survive, Sunny will have to expose just who is behind the carnage—and if Candie is out for blood once more.
Only She Came Back by Margot Harrison
Release Date: November 14 from Little, Brown & Company
Why You’ll Love It: Any story that is initially described to me as perfect for Yellowjackets fans automatically gets my attention, and Margot Harrison’s Only She Came Back is the sort of twisty, deeply weird thriller that makes for an easy, obsessive binge read. The story of a true crime obsessive on the hunt for her big break who reconnects with a high school classmate who is suspected of her boyfriend’s murder, the narrative has more than a few timely similarities to the 2021 murder of Gabby Petito and wrestles with complex topics that range from grooming and emotional abuse to social media and mental illness.
Publisher’s Description: On July 28 at 6:30 p.m., Kiri Dunmore walks out of the desert wearing her boyfriend’s sweatshirt, covered in his blood. Dazed and on the verge of unconsciousness, she tells a cashier that he’s still out there and most likely dead. The disappearance of Callum Massey, a “survival guru” with hundreds of thousands of YouTube followers, rocks the nation. And Kiri is a prime suspect.
Back in Kiri’s hometown, true-crime fanatic Sam is completely hooked on the case—especially now that she recognizes the suspect as shy Katie from high school. Although they didn’t know each other well, that doesn’t stop Sam from reaching out to befriend her old classmate.
But when Kiri starts to confide in her, Sam realizes there’s more to the story than she had imagined. Can she keep Kiri’s secrets even though revealing them could put her where she’s always longed to be—at the center of the story?
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
Release Date: November 28 from Wednesday Books
Why You’ll Love It: An enjoyable Arthurian-adjacent story with a charming cast of diverse queer characters, Gwen & Art Are Not In Love applies a modern sensibility to its historical roots. The story of a young lord and a frustrated princess who make a pact to cover for one another as they each pursue their own heart’s desires elsewhere. (Gwen with the kingdom’s only female knight, and Arthur with the princess’ handsome brother.) A sweet, lighthearted story about friendship and found family, with a dash of popular romance tropes on top.
Publisher’s Description: It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother.
Betting On You by Lynn Painter
Release Date: November 28 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Why You’ll Love It: An adorable YA romance about two teens whose initial friction blossoms into genuine friendship—and maybe something more—as they busy themselves placing bets on other people’s love lives. A premise that’s trope-filled and delightful.
Publisher’s Description: When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.
Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.
Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?
Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon
Release Date: November 28 from Wednesday Books
Why You’ll Love It: Godly Heathens is the story of a transgender Southern teen who discovers they’re not only secretly a reincarnated god, but that they’ve been living countless lifetimes on Earth in an attempt to avoid the wrath of the pantheon of immortals they’ve betrayed. The premise is incredibly bonkers and the story features an action packed plot and a diverse cast of characters that run the gamut in terms of queer identity and cultural heritage. This isn’t a book that will necessarily be for everyone, but there’s certainly nothing else like it on shelves right now.
Publisher’s Description: Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers’ queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who’s a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn.
But even Enzo doesn’t know about Gem’s dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how the hell does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they’ve never told anyone else.
When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be – hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon—enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming.
It’s a good thing they’ve still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.
Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB