One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month.

Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber
Grades 7 and up
Library Catalog

“A teen with a rare illness struggles to bridge her hospital and school relationships. Ellie Haycock insists that her high school friends—especially her boyfriend, Jack—never know how thoroughly VACTERLs affects her life. If they knew, surely they’d abandon her, just as her elementary friends did. The genetic disease has left Ellie with heart, kidney, spine, and limb issues. She’s had over 40 surgeries, and now she and Mom are staying in hospital lodging while Ellie’s doctors investigate a troubling new lung issue. Worse, Mom not only decides on Ellie’s medical treatments but publicly blogs about Ellie’s experiences and the stress of raising a disabled child.” –Kirkus Reviews

In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog

“Two teens meet again for a second chance at romance while dealing with trauma and identity crises. Sam and Nova were best friends and next-door neighbors; at age 5, they played make-believe games under an oak tree. However, Sam was growing up in dangerous conditions with abusive parents. Before he was sent away to live with his uncle, he promised Nova he’d find her again ‘when we’re big.' Years later, due to Nova’s mom’s itinerant career, they find themselves attending the same high school (Nova’s sixth) in Texas. Unfortunately, Sam is now in a relationship with Abigail, a popular cheerleader and genuinely kind person. He’s also committed to playing football thanks to his innate talent, despite not really enjoying the sport. After the two recognize one another and re-form a connection, the Crush personality quiz they take as part of a school fundraiser registers them as 99% compatible. Sam’s and Nova’s similar and compelling struggles with self and authenticity, along with meaningful discussions of dealing with the legacy of abuse, make this a perfect fit for Colleen Hoover fans.” –Kirkus Reviews

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog

“Bisexual 16-year-old Ivy Winslow adores Hot, Magical, and Deadly, a TV show about superpowered teen models. Feeling lonely and isolated with her parents out of town for a week, Ivy indulges in an angst-driven fanfic writing session, which somehow results in her favorite character, Weston, manifesting in Ivy’s bedroom. Now she must deal with the imaginary guy of her dreams—one shaped by her own writing—hanging around and acting out the plots of her fanfic. She recruits her aromantic and asexual best friend Henry and her former bestie turned mortal enemy, lesbian Mack, to help her send Weston back to his fictional realm.” –Publisher's Weekly

Not Your Average Jo by Grace K. Shim
Grades 7 and up
Library Catalog

“A hopeful young Korean American musician faces the harsh realities of the music industry. Her whole life, Riley Jo has lived in small-town, mostly white Bentonville, Arkansas, where she’s constantly dealing with discrimination and microaggressions. She dreams of leaving and pursuing her ambitions to play guitar and write music someplace where people understand her better. When she’s accepted by a prestigious arts boarding school in Los Angeles for senior year, Riley jumps at the chance. At first, everything seems great. She makes Asian American friends and feels truly seen. She also gets to play in a band—and their adviser, Blake Collins, is a famous white music producer, meaning they have a real shot at a record deal. He’s also the father of one of her bandmates. But Riley gets a rude awakening when Blake openly discriminates against her because she’s Korean. Struggling to figure out where she belongs—in the band, among her family members and peers, and in a post-pandemic world where anti-Asian hate is on the rise—Riley fights to be heard.” –Kirkus Reviews

A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic by Yi Shun Lai 
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Lai paints a brutal portrait of Antarctica’s unforgiving landscape via the detailed journal entries of a white-cued 18-year-old from Pennsylvania who longs to prove that she is as capable as any man in this insightful 1914-set historical debut. Determined not to end up married to a controlling man like her mother, Clara Ketterling-Dunbar joins the suffragist movement in London. When WWI puts their fight on the back burner, Clara lies about her age, nationality, and past to impulsively enlist in an ill-fated, all-male expedition to Antarctica. After their ship sinks, leaving the crew of 28 stranded on ice floes, Clara resolves to show that she can do more for their survival efforts than sew and cut hair—even if it means making enemies. Alongside her keen observations, Clara provides historical and scientific introspection into how to survive not just in Antarctica, but as an independent woman in the early 20th century…. As tension mounts and survival becomes uncertain, Lai neatly underscores the courage it took—and still takes—to be a woman in a male-dominated world.” –Publisher's Weekly

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang
Grades 7 and up
Library Catalog

“Tang's fast-paced magical murder mystery is sure to delight fans of fantasy and mystery. Tabatha Zeng, a Chinese American teenager and an apprentice to an infamous sorcerer, has a problem. Her mentor, Julian Solomon, prophesies his death by the hands of his “most beloved.” When Sorcerer Solomon is found dismembered and dead, Tabatha must find out who the murderer is to clear her name from a police investigation. She teams up with the youngest son of the sorcerer, Callum, to solve the murder and find unexpected romance. The investigation goes awry when Callum is accused of the murder and confesses, and Tabatha must use her wits to know who to trust.” –School Library Journal

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Wesley ‘Big Mac' Mackenzie hides his feelings and identity behind his tough reputation, until he meets Tristan Monroe, an out-and-proud ballet dancer with big dreams for the future. When the faculty and students at Stonebridge High take in Wes’ skateboard, leather jacket, and baggy clothes, they see nothing but a lowlife. The guidance counselor nags Wes about college and warns him that if his grades don’t improve, he won’t graduate on time, but as much as Wes can’t stand the idea of repeating his senior year, he also can’t imagine going to college. His single mom, whom he’d do anything to support, and his two best friends, Tony and Brad, are the only people who care about him. During a night out at the ballet, the last place Wes wants to be, his heart stops when Tristan dances onto the stage. As these two opposites attract, Wes confronts his fear of rejection, his past traumas, and his future.” –Kirkus Reviews