2026 promises a wealth of standout YA titles from dazzling debuts to established voices. Whether you’re on the hunt for an uplifting contemporary read or high-octane, intricately plotted fantasy, check out these picks that you’ll race to add to your TBR.
Say No to the Dress by Keren David
Puberty has not been kind to fourteen-year-old Miri, and the last thing she wants to do is be a bridesmaid in not one, but two weddings. Especially not when her brother is marrying her enemy’s older sister, and that very enemy is also a bridesmaid. Miri’s witty, relatable voice as she navigates family, friendship, and her self-image will validate and soothe the teen inside all of us.
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Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
In Caimor, the ultra-wealthy buy and swap bodies like clothes, but Annabelle Gage is trapped in a decaying male body after her last chance to enter the prestigious Paragon Academy and earn a new body slips from her grasp. She turns to her illusion magic and is caught by Paragon Academy’s headmaster, who imposes an unthinkable choice: become a mercenary to put down the growing revolts across Caimor or be executed. As Ana kills her way to liberation, the line between hero and villain blurs, and she is forced to choose which side to die for.
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Ungodly Chaos by Selma Soren
After Amira’s boyfriend Kaidan breaks up with her out of the blue, she follows him into town to make things right and instead stumbles through a portal into the underworld, also known as Duat. In Duat, she learns that her ex is a direct descendant of Apep, the god of chaos, and that someone is hell-bent on murdering all descendants of Egyptian deities. Together with Kaidan and Zain, descendant of the sun god and Kaidan’s rival, they unearth long-buried secrets and realize that the killer may be closer than they thought.
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Estela, Undrowning by René Peña-Govea
As one of the only Latinas in San Francisco’s most exclusive public high school, Estela just wants to survive her senior year and get into her dream college. But when she places second in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Context behind a non-Latino student, Estela becomes the center of a citywide controversy. Amidst this and her landlady’s threats to evict her family, Estela finds refuge in poetry and a whirldwind new romance. Told in a seamless blend of poetry and verse, this powerhouse debut calls on all of us to condemn injustice and advocate for the communities we love.
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Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber
After spending his high school years at the top school for Muslim teenagers, Ramin’s looking forward to college, even as his parents’ expectations of a devout life loom over him. But what he really wants is Fahad, the handsome captain of the soccer team, and when Ramin’s forced to join the team to get his last physical education credit, his devotion to his parents’ wishes is tested. In the midst of interactions with Fahad and a bully whose blackmail jeopardizes his future, Ramin meets Omar, who introduces him to a kinder, loving Allah. As graduation approaches, Ramin must decide which Allah to embrace and whether to speak his truth or crumble under a lie.
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She Drinks the Light by Yasmin Angoe
Addae and her family are Kinfolk, descendants of escaped enslaved Black people that founded a private island near South Carolina known as the Golden Isle. The Kinfolk conceal their secrets and traditions from the outside world in exchange for the Golden Isle’s protection. But when Addae’s best friend Naria disappears and one of the Kin is found drained of blood, the threat of the Adze—vampires—upends her life. Then Addae travels to the mainland in search of Naria and uncovers shocking secrets about the Golden Isle that complicate her relationship with the island—and herself.
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When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson
It’s been a year since Roslyn’s sister Adeline died, but it feels like she just died yesterday. So when the mysterious caravan Adeline traveled with comes back into town, Roslyn joins, hoping to uncover the truth about Roslyn’s death. But these girls are servants of Death who reap souls in exchange for salvation from their own untimely demise, and Roslyn must decide if the truth about Adeline is worth becoming Death’s eternal servant.
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These Shattered Spires by Cassidy Ellis Slater
In a world consumed by rot, the survivors take refuge in Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists and their familiars who are both their servants and sources of power. But when the king of Fourspires is assassinated, arcanists and familiars alike must kill their way to the throne. Then familiar Nixie discovers an illegal workaround: if arcanists and familiars from each discipline find four cursed keys and take them to the Fifth Tower, they will be spared from the bloodbath. If they can stand each other long ehough to accomplish the mission, that is.
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To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton
Mira Kyler has used her lie-powered magic to control the court from the sidelines, solidifying her half-brother Luc’s spot as Virdei’s leader. Then Kaidren Vale appears, and his ability to detect a person’s magic with a single touch—and their undeniable attraction to each other—puts Mira’s position in jeopardy. As Kaidren and Luc compete in three deadly challenges, Mira decides to seize power for herself, even as the boy who threatens her life is the same one she can’t stay away from.
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Young World by Soman Chainani
America teeters on the edge of collapse, and the people’s faith in its leaders is lower than ever. As the presidential election approaches, high school senior Benton Young posts a video daring everyone to write him in for President, and the ensuing chaos is so prevalent that the Supreme Court puts Benton in the White House as damage control. Governments around the world collapse, and eight of the most powerful nations emerge with teens at the helm. Then one of these leaders is murdered and Benton is the only suspect, forcing these teens to decipher deadly secrets and crumbling alliances while the future of the world hangs in the balance.
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