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It’s a new year, so it’s time to build your new TBR. Or add to your ever-expanding existing TBR! The young adult category has grown in sales over the past several years, jumping up by more than 10,000 units sold in the United States from 2018 to 2023. Not only are teens looking to read stories about themselves, older adults are interested in reading stories that are recent history for them. If you’re a YA reader, it’s a good time to consider which new YA books coming out in 2025 to preorder now.
Young adult books are an unfairly politicized category, with school boards and local governments attacking them with book bans. These book bans usually attack queer authors and authors of color. To support authors and ensure people continued have free access to literature, you can get involved and fight book bans with your community.
Fortunately, there are a ton of exciting young adult novels coming out this year that you can support with a preorder. I’ve rounded up young adult graphic novels, fantasy, romance, and general fiction to peruse for your TBR.
New YA Contemporary Fiction Out in 2025
The Family I’m In by Sharon G. Flake (April 1)
In a follow-up to her groundbreaking novels The Skin I’m In and The Life I’m In, Sharon G. Flake writes about navigating the rough waters of entering adulthood as a Black man in America. Best friends John-John and Caleb are determined to make something new for themselves. Their families are still important to them, but they both need to find ways to chart their own futures.
Camila Núñez’s Year of Disasters by Miriam Zoila Pérez (March 18)
Even though she loves her family, Camila Núñez feels a little stifled by all the worrying attention. On her birthday, she gets a tarot card reading from her friend. Sadly, the reading does not help her anxiety or panic attacks, because the cards tell her that terrible things are coming. For the next year, her fears take over her life, and she has to try to turn things around.
New YA Romance Books Out in 2025
Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry (May 20)
At 19, Libby is supposed to go to college and start her life. Instead, she uses the money left by her grandmother to buy and fix up an old Victorian house that she was compelled by. While renovating, she finds a journal written by Elizabeth Post, the former Victorian resident, that details her love affair with her maid, Patricia. When Tish, another college student, moves in to help Libby, their love starts to uncannily mirror the stories of the past.
The Haunting Between Us by Paul Michael Winters
Another Victorian mansion full of ghosts! Cameron always sees a ghost, the White Lady, from his window in the Victorian house across the street. When Hugo moves into the house with his house-flipping father, Cameron is immediately infatuated. In order to sell the house as his father wants to, Hugo enlists Cameron’s help in dealing with the White Lady, and the alliance quickly leads to something deeper.
This one came out on January 7th, so you can get your hands on it now!
The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle (July 8)
This historical YA romance follows the teenage Stella Sedgwick and her inability to conform to the ideal of a demure wife. She would much prefer to write for a living. When Stella inherits an estate from her mother’s former employer, she knows that a marriage will make the paperwork easier. As she navigates the marriage mart, she starts up an advice column and argues mightily with her childhood friend, Nathaniel. No matter what, she wants to do right by herself and her dreams.
New YA Fantasy Books Out in 2025
The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang (July 1)
Stuck in a prophecy she never wanted to fulfill, Fei tries to craft her own fate. Since the prophecy that she would become an Empress, she’s lived at the palace and been expected the marry the Crown Prince. Instead, Fei goes on a quest to hunt a tiger and change her destiny. Along the way, she runs into another runaway royal and the stakes ramp up from there.
Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas (September 16)
The follow-up to their bestselling novel Cemetery Boys, this story brings us back to the world of Yadriel and Julian. With Yadriel now fulfilling brujx duties, Julian can’t get him to care as much about the dark spots he sees in other people. When another brujx named Ángel arrives and confirms that Julian is seeing dark magic, he sets out to solve the mystery.
New YA Graphic Novels Out in 2025
We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer (June 3)
When Tabitha finally gets a summer job at Sommerland, her dream of being a character performer is that much closer. However, she’s deemed to be not princess material—all of them are usually thin. Despite the setback, Tabi pursues the role she knows she’s meant for with the help of her friends and an exciting new crush.
Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell (July 22)
Knowing what you want to do with your life and facing the reality are two very different things: that’s what Hawthorn Vandercast learns when they pursue their dream of villainy. After leaving a job as a potion barista, Hawthorne joins the evil organization the Brigade of Shade. However, it’s not what Hawthorne thought it would be, and when they’re suddenly pushed into a leadership role, they have to deal with the reality of villainy.
Huda F Wants To Know? by Huda Fahmy (April 1)
In the third book following the teenage adventures of Huda Fahmy, she’s getting ready for the next phase of life. Junior year is when life starts getting serious: taking big tests, thinking about college essays, and deciding who you want to be. Unfortunately, her parents throw a big wrench into Huda’s planning when they tell her they’re getting divorced. Like all teens, Huda tries to grasp for some normalcy among life happening around her, out of her control.
While you’re waiting for your 2025 preorders, you can catch up on the best 2024 YA books (according to all the lists), the best YA books of all time, and the best YA mysteries.