Booksology One thing about slow release weeks like this, though, is that there’s a real chance to spotlight books that are often overlooked in the year-end shuffle. One of my most anticipated books and collaborations is out this week, and you better believe I’ll be able to get my hands on it ASAP. Lots of new books are hitting stores in paperback this week. There is definitely a gap in diverse representation this week (and the rest of 2025), but it is not zero. This is a result of fewer book releases and is not representative of YA more broadly.
Grab your TBR and enjoy one or more of the YA books released this week.
This week’s new hardcover YA releases
Romina Gerber “The Last Vampire”
If you love Jane Austen and you love vampires, this book brings the two together in an unexpected way.
Lorena Navarro is very excited to enroll in a brand new boarding school that has just opened in a once-deprecated Victorian mansion in the woods of New Hampshire. Lorena is a huge fan of Jane Austen and she sees it as an opportunity to meet her own Mr. Darcy.
However, rather than finding love right away, Lorena ends up tripping over a coffin. She has now accidentally awakened the world’s last vampire. Oops.
William Pride is happy to have woken up after three centuries, but is confused to say the least. He wants to find a family and understand the world around him. He relies heavily on Lorena. It seems logical that he would enroll in this new school, as it could be his way back into the world.
Seems okay? However, William realizes that he is the last of his kind able to keep them alive. Now he must choose between protecting and integrating the school’s humans, or working to protect his heritage. The fact that he is madly in love only makes the choice even more difficult.
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Persephone’s Curse Katrina Reno
From an early age, the Farthing sisters were told that they were descendants of Persephone, the goddess of the dead. That also seems plausible. They are the only ones who can see a ghost named Henry who lives in the attic.
So when one of the sisters begins to fall in love with Henry and the other banishes him to the underworld, they must test the truth of their heritage. Will they try to save Henry? Will they instead try to save each other and the relationship that is cracking under this spell (or curse)?
This was thrown during Laini Taylor’s game hazel wood.
There’s Always Next Year by Leah Johnson and George M. Johnson
This is an absolute dream for a powerhouse writing duo. The fact that they’re teaming up to write a holiday rom-com brightens my dark heart.
Andy tries to shed his overly serious personality on New Year’s Eve, but all his plans fall apart when his car is stolen, his crush throws up on him, and his cell phone falls into a fish tank. Now is the time for her to hurry and do everything she can to save the family business from local gentrification, resolve everything that happened the night before, and figure out how she feels about the new girl next door.
And Dominique is also trying to land a contract with a major brand through his influential work. It’s the kind of deal that will help secure his and his family’s future. But then unresolved feelings for his former best friend arise and he can no longer hide them from anyone. It’s hard living in a small town and being close to people like Dominic’s cousin Andy, who has always seen Dominic for who he is. Can Dominic get this deal without selling himself or someone else out?
This is a novel in which two different love stories emerge from two perspectives. This is also a story about living as your authentic self and honoring what you truly want, not what others expect of you.
New hardcover series released:
This week’s new paperback YA releases
Death of the Morning House by Maureen Johnson
After several miserable months, Marlowe decides to take a summer job at Morning House. Morning House is a mansion built on the island in the 1920s and then abruptly abandoned. Marlowe plans to do that tour.
The problem is that the Morning House has many secrets, and the person who brought Marlowe to the job is missing. Now Marlowe must solve the mystery of House’s secrets and find the missing person.
The story is set in the Thousand Islands area of New York.
“Finding Her Edge” by Jennifer Iacopelli
This YA fake date romance was published a few years ago and made into paperback in hopes of becoming a Netflix series. This will be fun for readers who like sports romance.
Adriana comes from a family of figure skaters. Her parents are gold medalists and her sister also has top talent. Adriana aspires to continue that tradition and win the Junior World Championship.
There are some pitfalls, but they are big ones. The biggest problem is that her parents’ skating rink is struggling financially. That means everything she and her family have worked so hard to build could be completely destroyed. While training with her new partner, Braden, Adriana realizes that one thing they can do besides show off their moves on the ice is pretend they’re dating. This will keep their fan base really interested and excited.
But then Adriana begins to fall seriously in love with Brayden, and her feelings are complicated by the return of her first love, a boy who happens to be her former skating partner. How will Adriana be able to overcome her old and new emotions, keep her skating career in tip-top shape, and work to save her family’s rink?
New paperback series released:
Other paperback YA releases this week:
If you haven’t yet, check out the Best YA Books of 2025. This is a wide-ranging title that focuses on what made 2025 special in the YA world.
