YA Friday: March 2021 Monthly Wrap-Up

YA book covers with a blue circle and white text that reads Monthly Wrap-Up

Spring is here!

And even though it feels like it's still March 2020, we are wrapping up March 2021 with some amazing new YA books. With some very much anticipated follow-up stories and some fantastic new debuts, magic, romance, adventure, and more, fill the pages of these new releases below.

So get your library card ready, and be sure to check out some of these titles from your closest branch!

 

March 2021 Releases

Lost in the Never Woods, book cover

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back to light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.

Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don't do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what's waiting for her in the woods.



Firekeeper's Daughter, book cover

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up, and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up, and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.



Yolk, book cover

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.

On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer.

Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.



The Mirror Season, book cover

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

Graciela Cristales's whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party. She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce. Neighborhood trees vanish overnight while mirrored glass appears, bringing reckless magic with it. And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned.

But when the boy, Lock, shows up at Ciela's school, he has no memory of that night and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart. Ciela decides to help him, which means hiding the truth about that night. Because Ciela knows who assaulted her and him, and she knows that her survival, and his, depend on no one finding out what really happened.



When We Were Infinite, book cover

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

All Beth wants is for her tight-knit circle of friends — Grace Nakamura, Brandon Lin, Sunny Chen, and Jason Tsou — to stay together. With her family splintered and her future a question mark, these friends are all she has — even if she sometimes wonders if she truly fits in with them. Besides, she’s certain she’ll never be able to tell Jason how she really feels about him, so friendship will have to be enough.

Then Beth witnesses a private act of violence in Jason’s home, and the whole group is shaken. Beth and her friends make a pact to do whatever it takes to protect Jason, no matter the sacrifice. But when even their fierce loyalty isn’t enough to stop Jason from making a life-altering choice, Beth must decide how far she’s willing to go for him—and how much of herself she’s willing to give up.



Perfect on Paper, book cover

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Darcy Phillips:

- Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee.
- Uses her power for good—most of the time.
- Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
- Has maybe not the best judgment when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
- Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service―that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach―at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she's not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?



Further Reading

The Bright & the Pale, book cover
Tell Me My Name, book cover
Follow your Arrow, book cover
Can't Take That Away, book cover
Bruised, book cover
I Think I Love You, book cover
Bones of A Saint, book cover
Sweet & Bitter Magic, book cover
Sing Me Forgotten, book cover
She's Too Pretty to Burn, book cover
The Secret Recipe for Moving On, book cover
A Better Bad Idea, book cover