New Young Adult books for July 2023
by Sophie Green
Looking for some new YA titles to read this July? Take a look at our top picks, from a life-or-death escape room horror to overcoming adversity and following your dreams.
Murder on a School Night, by Kate Weston
There's never a good time to find a dead body. But finding a dead body while you're trying to kiss your crush? Dead awkward. All Kerry wants to do is stay at home with her rom-coms and strict retainer schedule. Instead, her BFF Annie has roped her into going to their first sixth-form party to investigate who's cyberbullying Heather, the most popular girl in school.
On the cusp of kissing her dreamy crush, Scott, Kerry discovers the body of Heather's second in command - suffocated with a menstrual cup. Within days, another student turns up dead, this time with a sanitary pad across the eyes. Now Annie and Kerry are officially on the case to stop the menstrual murderer - period.
Borrow Murder on a School Night →
How to Die Famous, by Benjamin Dean
London-born Abel has landed the role of a lifetime for an upcoming blockbuster. On the face of it he's Hollywood's latest teen star, but below the surface he's an undercover journalist on a mission to expose the 'squeaky clean' entertainment industry and the part they played in his brother's 'accidental' death. As Abel steps into the spotlight alongside fellow actors Lucky, Ryan and Ella, he soon discovers that beneath the glittering surface of fame and riches lies a darker world of secrecy, scandal, and murder. Nobody is who they seem when the cameras are off, and everybody has something to hide. But who's next in line to die famous?
Getting Away with Murder, by Kathryn Foxfield
Walking disaster Saffron and her perfectionist twin sister Georgia have only one thing in common-they are both obsessed with battle royale video game Sole Survivor.
While working at a brand new, high tech escape room complex, Saffron poses a question to the resident AI: which high school stereotype would survive the longest in a real life version of Sole Survivor? She is convinced a rebel like her would beat a know-it-all like Georgia. Unbeknown to her, the AI decides to determine the answer to her question by testing it out for real. It invites Saffron and Georgia's gamer friends to a preview of the escape rooms, but then it locks the doors and turns the rooms into a life-or-death battle to be the last player standing.
The rebel, the know-it-all, the princess, the jock, the geek, the weirdo, the star, the artist and the criminal. Just like in Sole Survivor, only one can survive the night...
Borrow Getting Away with Murder →
Sing if You Can't Dance, by Alexia Casale
Ven had her life all planned out - her dance group were going places and so was she. Then she passes out right in the middle of a life-changing performance. And she's forced to admit that she hasn't been feeling right for a while now. Ven is about to discover she has an illness that threatens to ruin everything. No more dancing, even walking is proving a challenge, and standing. But don't you DARE feel sorry for her! Ven is no victim, and she is in charge here. Sure, her future is going to be different, but that doesn't mean it's over.
Borrow Sing if You Can't Dance →
Their Vicious Games, by Joelle Wellington
Edgewater Academy is a school for the very rich and very powerful. Adina Walker is neither of those things. Alone and outcast, when she gets into a fight with a fellow student (and former friend), her scholarship to a top college is revoked, and her world falls apart. Until she's invited to The Finish. Annual games for the brightest and the best, hosted by power-family the Remingtons, the winning prize for The Finish is everything Adina wants. This is her chance at the life she's dreamed of. Then the contestants start to die. Love, revenge, pride - all are on the line. This isn't a game any more.
Find more recommendations for young adults.