The Best YA Books of August 2024

While many of us are already dreaming of Fall, complete with its promise of pumpkin spice lattes and spooky decor, summer technically isn’t over yet. But for those who want to wring every last bit of joy out of these last days of summer, don’t worry, there are still plenty of new titles arriving in bookstores to help you spend as long as possible by the pool, under a tree, or in an airport waiting for that last minute Labor Day trip. And YA fans, in particular, are spoiled for choice this month.

From tense contemporary thrillers and historical heist sagas to lush fantasy romances, there’s something for every kind of reader, no matter what kind of book you’re looking for.

Here are the best YA books hitting shelves this August.

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch August 2024 YA

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley

Release Date: August 6 from Disney Hyperion

Why You’ll Love It: With a title like this, no power on Earth could have stopped me from adding this book to my summer TBR pile. But Codie Crowley’s YA debut, about a teen who is raised from the dead and determined to track down her killer, is a delight to read, with a surprisingly emotional heart.

Publisher’s Description: Between her careless mom, her cheating ex-boyfriend, and her rotten reputation around town, Annie Lane is used to being left behind. But she’s never been left for dead before—until she wakes up to find her body’s been dumped on a mountain rumored to raise the dead.

The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow

Release Date: August 6 from Delacorte Press

Why You’ll Love It: The story of a girl chosen to wed a crown prince who subsequently discovers the prospect of married life isn’t the fairytale she was promised is a familiar refrain in genres from romance to fantasy. But when a young woman named Ying accidentally opens a door to a literal mirror universe full of sentient reflections—one of which is a version of her intended who has all the kindness and compassion her real-life prince lacks who quickly steals her heart—she must figure out how to break the ancient curse that impacts both the real world and its reflection.

Publisher’s Description: Princess Ying Yue believed in love … once upon a time.

Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.

Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.

This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.

But there is darkness in this new world, too.

It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.

Medici Heist by Catherine Schneiderhan

Release Date: August 6 from Fiewel & Friends

Why You’ll Love It: YA historical fiction is a rare enough beast, and Shneiderhan’s debut is an excellent example of why we need more of it. Set in sixteenth-century Florence, this entertaining adventure has all the fun of a traditional heist drama, with the bonus of appearances by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, as a teen tries to take down the powerful Medici clan.

Publisher’s Description: Welcome to Florence, 1517, a world of intrigue, opulence, secrets, and murder. The Medici family rules the city from their seat of wealth, but the people of Florence remember the few decades they spent as a Republic, free from the Medicis and their puppet Pope, Leo X.

Sharp-witted seventeen-year-old con-woman Rosa Cellini has plans for the Pope and the Medicis – and, more specifically, the mountain of indulgence money they’ve been extorting from the people of Tuscany. To pull off the Renaissance’s greatest robbery, she’ll recruit a team of capable Sarra the tinkerer, Khalid the fighter, and Giacomo, the irrepressible master of disguise. To top it all off, and to smooth their entrance into the fortress-like Palazzo Medici, Rosa even enlists the reluctant help of famed artist and local misanthrope, Michelangelo.

Old secrets resurface and tensions in the gang flare as the authorities draw closer and the Medicis’ noose pulls tighter around Tuscany itself. What began as a robbery becomes a bid to save Florence from certain destruction – if Rosa and company don’t destroy each other first.

Under the Surface by Diana Urban

Release Date: August 13 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Why You’ll Love It: A YA survival thriller about four teens who get lost in the uber-creepy Paris catacombs for days is precisely the sort of post-Olympics read I’m looking for.

Publisher’s Description: Ruby is terrified to cave to her feelings for Sean and risk him crushing her heart.

Sean is pumped to spend a week with Ruby in Paris on their senior class trip, and he’ll wait however long until she’s ready to take things further.

But when Ruby’s best friend sneaks out the first night to meet a mysterious French boy, Ruby goes after her with two classmates, but caves to another temptation: attending mystery boy’s exclusive party in the Paris catacombs, the intricate web of tunnels beneath the city, home to six million long-dead Parisians. Only they never reach the party.

Underground, as something sinister chases them, they get lost in the endless maze of bones, uncovering dark secrets about the catacombs… and each other. And if they can’t find a way out, they’ll die in the dark beneath the City of Light.

Aboveground, Sean races to find the girl he loves as a media frenzy over the four missing teens begins.

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

Release Date: August 20 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Why We’re Excited: The highly anticipated final installment of Adalyn Grace’s bestselling Belladonna trilogy, Wisteria shifts its focus to Signa Farrow’s cousin Blythe Hawthorne and her burgeoning relationship with Fate, the immortal she bound herself to at the end of Foxglove. Besides the peak enemies-to-lovers vibes, Blythe’s a fascinating character in her own right, whose POV chapters were a highlight of the previous novel.

Publisher’s Description: Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.

My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Release Date: August 20 from Harper Teen

Why We’re Excited: Following My Contrary Mary and My Imaginary Mary, this latest Mary-themed installment from the “Lady Janies” trio remixes The Little Mermaid and the real-life story of female pirate Mary Read into something fantastical and new. If you like this YA series, you already know if this particular group’s blend of fantasy meets history works for you, and this is more of the delightful same.

Publisher’s Description: Don’t call this mermaid “little”—call her “captain,” unless you want to walk the plank.

Mary is in love with the so-called prince of Charles Town, except he doesn’t love her back. Which is inconvenient. Since she’s a mermaid, being brokenhearted means she’ll—poof!—turn into sea foam.

But instead, Mary finds herself pulled out of the sea and up onto a pirate ship. To survive, she joins them. But Mary isn’t willing to just sing the yo-ho-hos. She wants the pirate life, all of it, and she’s ready to make a splash . . . by becoming captain. But when Blackbeard dies suddenly, Mary has a chance to become so much more: Pirate King . . . or Queen. She won’t let anyone stop her—not Blackbeard’s cute son, not her best friend from back under the sea who’s having a bit too much fun with his new legs, and certainly not everyone who says she can’t be a pirate just because she’s a girl.

She may not be the best man for the job, but she’ll definitely prove that she’s worth her salt.

The Lies of Alma Blackwell by Amanda Glaze

Release Date: August 27 from Union Square & Co.

Why We’re Excited: A modern Gothic tale from the author of The Second Life of Edie and Violet Bond, this creepy, atmospheric YA story follows Nev, who’s readying herself to take over her family’s business—which involves keeping the restless spirits of the seaside town of Hollow Cliff at bay.

Publisher’s Description: For over a century, the Blackwells have protected the town of Hollow Cliff from vengeful spirits. Seventeen-year-old Nev is ready to take over for her ailing grandmother as the town’s witch protector—unlike her mother, who left when Nev was a child and never looked back. When a stranger arrives at Blackwell House of Spirits to fill a tour guide opening, Nev reluctantly offers him the job. Nev doesn’t trust Cal Murphy. He knows more than he’s letting on about Blackwell House—and about Nev herself. But Nev soon learns that she has been lied to her whole life. By following the trail of clues left behind in Blackwell House by her most powerful witch ancestor, Nev uncovers an unspeakable legacy of murder and lies…and realizes that a stranger may be the one person she can trust.

Sync by Ellen Hopkins

Release Date: August 27 from Nancy Paulsen Books

Why You’ll Love It: This emotional novel in verse tells the story of a pair of twins separated by the foster system and the very different paths their lives take as they try to fight their way back to each other. Tough topics and repeated trauma means this won’t be for everyone, but the tense subject matter is deftly handled throughout.

Publisher’s Description: Seventeen-year-old twins Storm and Lake have always been in perfect sync. They faced the worst a parent could do and survived it together. In the wake of their mother’s rejection, they’ve spent the last five years moving from foster home to foster home—sometimes placed together, sometimes apart.

After being separated from his sister once again, Storm is devastated. He’s the older brother and promised to always take care of Lake. But after a stint in juvie, his newest placement has him feeling almost hopeful. His foster dad is kind, and his girlfriend, Jaidyn, is the first person other than Lake he feels he can trust. But when Jaidyn is sexually assaulted by a violent ex, it pushes Storm over the edge. He retaliates and lands back in lockup—and he fears this time it will be for good. He wishes he could talk to Lake, but he doesn’t know where she is, and he’ s now feeling more alone and out of sync than ever before.

Lake, like Storm, has found her own happiness in a relationship with someone new—her fellow foster, Parker. Life with Parker is never boring, but Parker has her own scars. She can be withdrawn and unpredictable, and that can be dangerous, especially after Parker convinces Lake to run away from their Bible-thumping fosters after they are caught in a compromising position. With no money, shelter, or ID, they’re living on the streets. Lake thinks of Storm and his promise to take care of her, and wonders where he could be now.

The Dreamers by Ryan Elizabeth Penske

Release Date: August 27 from Rare Bird Books

Why You’ll Love It: A teen is abducted and forced to participate in an unethical experiment learns that her dreams can foretell the future. Moral quandaries abound.

Publisher’s Description: Teenage Stella Grey has always felt an intense recurring sense of déjà vu…often plagued by strong dreams that feel more real than her waking moments. One ill-fated morning, her dream from the night before actually comes to life, as she awakens and finds her house ransacked and her mother unconscious near their broken-in front door. Her next moments are scary, shocking, and earth-shattering as she is kidnapped and delivered to a Gothic mansion, The Manor de Rêves.

Over the next few days Stella grapples with where she is and why she was taken. She is trapped by a cast of chilling characters forcing Stella and the other captured, unwilling “recruits”, the “Dreamers,” to endlessly sleep while The Manor staff forcibly extract their dreams. Dreams that amazingly foretell the future.

Along the way Stella befriends two other Nina, a fiery girl who often refuses orders and her smart yet sheepish companion, Caleb. Stella even comes face to face with one of her own recurring dreams in Charlie, a boy whose blue eyes she has seen before and cannot help but be drawn to.

These four must navigate the eerie experiments the Manor forces upon them while concocting an escape. Their morality and grit are challenged as each of the foursome comes face to face with bizarre dreams that are painting terrifying pictures of the future

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

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