It’s time for another round-up of debut YA novels of the month. Like always, this round-up includes debut novels, where “debut” is in its purest definition. These are first-time books by first-time authors. I’m not including books by authors who are using or have used a pseudonym in the past or those who have written in other categories (adult, middle grade, etc.) in the past. Authors who have self-published are not included here either.
All descriptions are from WorldCat or Goodreads, unless otherwise noted. If I’m missing any debuts out in February from traditional publishers — and I should clarify that indie presses are okay — let me know in the comments.
As always, not all noted titles included here are necessarily endorsements for those titles. Get ready to get reading. It’s a busy month!
The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander
Since her twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, sixteen-year-old Elsie Main has tried to remember what really happened that fateful day on the beach. When cute, mysterious Tay introduces Elsie to the world of freediving, she vows to find the answers she seeks at the bottom of the sea.
Consider by Kristy Acevedo
As if 17-year-old Alexandra Lucas’ anxiety disorder isn’t enough, mysterious holograms suddenly appear, heralding the end of the world. They bring an ultimatum: heed the warning and step through a portal-like vertex to safety, or stay and be destroyed by a comet that is on a collision course with Earth. The holograms, claiming to be humans from the future, bring the promise of safety. But without the ability to verify their story, Alex is forced to consider what is best for her friends, her family, and herself. To stay or to go. A decision must be made.
Crossing The Line by Meghan Rogers
Jocelyn Steely was kidnapped as a child and trained as a North Korean spy, but the tables turn when she becomes a double agent for the very American spy organization she has been sent to destroy.
Daughters of Ruin by K. D. Castner
As a war begins, four princesses of enemy kingdoms who were raised as sisters must decide where their loyalties lie: to their kingdoms, or to each other.
Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer
When a nearby mountaintop removal mine is suspected of contaminating the water and sickening the residents of a small Kentucky town, sixteen-year-old Liberty Briscoe searches for answers.
Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan
To his great surprise, uncool eleventh-grader Max Cobb is invited to join the Chaos Club, an exclusive group of students responsible for some of the biggest pranks at his high school.
Dreamology by Lucy Keating
Experiencing dreams about her soulmate all of her life, Alice meets the real boy, Max, when she moves to a new school and finds that their real relationship is more complicated than their dream one.
The End of FUN by Sean McGinty
Seventeen-year-old Aaron is hooked on FUN, a new augmented reality experience that is as addictive as it is FUN. But when he sets off on a treasure hunt, left by his late grandfather, Aaron must navigate the real world and discover what it means to connect–after the game is over.
A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry
Spending the summer with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico, seventeen-year-old Lucas turns to a legendary cursed girl filled with poison when his girlfriend mysteriously disappears.
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
After her mother dies, Lina travels to Italy where she discovers her mothers’s journal and sets off on an adventure to unearth her mother’s secrets.
Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey
In the early 1800s, when her father sends her to London for a season, eighteen-year-old Juliana Telford, who prefers researching ladybugs to marriage, meets handsome Spencer Northam, a spy posing as a young gentleman of leisure.
My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul
Hank Kirby can’t catch a break. He doesn’t mean to screw up. It just happens. Case in point: his attempt to ask out the girl he likes literally goes up in flames when he spelled “prom”” in sparklers on Amanda Carlisle’s lawn…and nearly burns down her house, without ever asking her the big question. Hank just wants to pretend the incident never happened. And he might’ve gotten away with it–except there is awitness. Peyton Breedlove, brooding loner and budding pyromaniac, saw the whole thing, and she blackmails Hank into an unusual friendship. Sure, Hank may be headed for his biggest disaster yet, but it’s only when life falls apart that you can start piecing it back together.
One Silver Summer by Rachel Hickman
Still grieving for her mother, sixteen-year-old Saskia has come from Brooklyn to Cornwall to live with her uncle where she discovers a beautiful silver-colored horse named Bo, and a boy, Alex, who describes himself as the horse’s trainer–but as their friendship deepens into something more she discovers that Alex is hiding a secret about himself and his family that could affect their relationship.
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw
When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series — they’re the real-life kids from her high school.
South of Sunshine by Dana Elmendorf
In Sunshine, Tennessee, the main event in town is Friday night football, the biggest party of the year is held in a field filled with pickup trucks, and church attendance is mandatory. For Kaycee Jean McCoy, life in Sunshine means dating guys she has no interest in, saying only “yes, ma’am” when the local bigots gossip at her mom’s cosmetics salon, and avoiding certain girls at all costs. Girls like Bren Dawson. Unlike Kaycee, Bren doesn’t really conceal who she is. But as the cool, worldly new girl, nobody at school seems to give her any trouble. Maybe there’s no harm if Kaycee gets closer to her too, as long as she can keep that part of her life a secret, especially from her family and her best friend. But the more serious things get with Bren, the harder it is to hide from everyone else. Kaycee knows Sunshine has a darker side for people like her, and she’s risking everything for the chance to truly be herself.
Tripping Back Blue by Kara Storti
Finn is a gentle, tortured dealer and addict whose life is slipping away. When he finds an almost magical drug called Indigo, he thinks it will let him break free, but he’s dead wrong.