The Best YA Books of 2025
by Dena McMurdie
The year 2025 brought some incredible young adult books to readers’ shelves. From graphic novels to epic fantasy, this year has been one for the books. In this list, we’re rounding up the best, boldest, and most exciting books from 2025 that YA readers everywhere should know about. Whether you love feel-good romance novels, captivating nonfiction, or breathtaking adventures, take note of these show-stopping titles and add them to your “to-read” list!
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The Otherwhere Post (A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick)
Buy from:Dark academia, enchanted letters, and a girl searching for the truth about her father — yes, please! This gorgeous fantasy novel whisks readers away on a romantic and perilous adventure through a world filled with secrets and mystery. If you haven’t already devoured this instant New York Times bestseller, add it to your reading list!
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Death in the Jungle
Buy from:If you love history, true crime, and documentaries, this nonfiction book about one of the most notorious cults in American history needs to be on your radar. Readers won’t be able to put down this captivating account, which follows Jim Jones as he grows up during the Depression, creates Peoples Temple, relocates his followers to Guyana, and coerces them to drink cyanide-laced punch.
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I Am the Swarm
Buy from:For poetry lovers, this fantasy novel in verse hits all the right notes. All the women of Nell’s family have a magical ability, and when Nell turns 15 years old, she discovers that her feelings manifest as insects. While most of the insects are harmless, Nell’s anger brings swarms of wasps. This raw yet hopeful book is a moving portrait of self-discovery and growth.
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Unhallowed Halls
Buy from:Send your YA reader to the moors of Scotland with this dark academia fantasy novel about secret societies, demons, and secrets. Page is thrilled to attend Agathion College, but her excitement turns to horror when she discovers deception and dark magic lurking in every corner of the school.
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And the River Drags Her Down
Buy from:Sisterhood takes a sinister turn in this slow-burning horror novel about a teenage girl who brings her sister back from the dead. Soojin ignores the ancient rules that govern her magic abilities when she resurrects her sister. But when people in her small town start dying, Soojin realizes that her act of sisterly love unleashed a monster.
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This Thing of Ours
Buy from:A torn ACL sends a teenage boy on a journey of self-discovery in this YA debut from New York Times bestselling author Frederick Joseph. With basketball out of the picture, Ossie turns his attention to writing, reading, and learning to advocate for himself and others.
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The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel
Buy from:Whether or not you read the bestselling series, The Raven Boys, the graphic novel adaptation needs to be on your 2025 reading list. It’s about a girl named Blue Sargent who befriends four boys from a nearby private school and gets pulled into their magical and dangerous world as they search for the grave of a forgotten king.
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Last Chance Live!
Buy from:If you love reality TV and competition shows, this book will be right up your alley. On America’s most high-stakes game show, death row inmates compete for the audience’s favor and clemency for their crimes. However, contestants who get voted off the show are escorted directly to their executions. Join 18-year-old Eternity Price as she faces cut-throat competition, moral dilemmas, and the most difficult decision of her life.
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The Secret Astronomers
Buy from:Two girls strike up an unlikely friendship in the margins of an old astronomy textbook in this unique epistolary novel. As the girls pass messages back and forth, they also dig into a cold case mystery that has haunted their Appalachian town for years. Readers who love visual storytelling will enjoy reading this book!
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A Catalog of Burnt Objects
Buy from:When you need a young adult novel that will give you all the feels, reach for this heart-wrenching and thoughtful book. As Caprice tries to piece her family back together after her estranged brother returns home, a wildfire destroys her small California town. This poignant story explores first loves, losses, and climate change, while celebrating the human will to survive.
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The Lost Queen
Buy from:When outcast teenager Jolie rescues the most popular girl at school from a horrific vision, the two develop a bond that unlocks ancient Vietnamese magic. Now, Jolie and Huong must utilize their past lives, dreams, and magic portals to reclaim their immortality and their rightful place among Vietnamese goddesses.
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Immortal Consequences: A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick
Buy from:If you can’t get enough dark academia fantasy, make sure this one makes it into your reading stack! It’s about six teenagers who attend a magical academy on the edge of the afterlife. The only way to “graduate” is to win a perilous competition. This year, six students must compete against each other and the game itself if they want to survive.
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The Story of My Anger
Buy from:Racism, book bans, and anger collide in this YA novel from a Pura Belpré Honor Award-winning author. While Yuli knows how to play the good girl, a fire simmers inside her. As her anger builds with each injustice, so does the movement she starts to combat them.
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Dan in Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
Buy from:Anne of Green Gables fans will adore this modern adaptation of the beloved classic. When Dan’s mother leaves him with his grandparents in Green Gables, Tennessee, he has no choice but to adjust to rural life. As a queer boy from nowhere in particular, that’s easier said than done. This charming graphic novel features wistful, pastel-colored artwork and a heartwarming story that will appeal to YA readers.
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While We're Young
Buy from:Grace and her two best friends enjoy a spontaneous senior skip day in Philadelphia in this New York Times bestseller. With her suspicious brother hot on their heels, the teens head into the city to enjoy the sights and have the time of their lives. When you’re in the mood for a feel-good story about young love and living in the moment, you can’t go wrong with this book.
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The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
Buy from:Desperate to save her dying mother, Àn’yīng enters the Immortality Trials, which grant a pill of eternal life to anyone who completes them. To do so, she must survive a journey through the immortal realm and guard her heart against her growing attraction to another contestant. Demons, trials, and pulse-pounding romance await readers inside this book!
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Wonderful Wildflowers
Buy from:Bust out your pens, colored pencils, and markers because the queen of coloring books released a gorgeous new volume! Spend some time unwinding and relaxing as you color your way through floral scenes filled with wildflowers, insects, and birds. As you color, keep an eye out for twelve magical flowers Johanna hid in the pages.
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The Book of Dust: The Rose Field (Book of Dust, Volume 3)
Buy from:Readers who had high expectations for this conclusion to the Book of Dust trilogy will not be disappointed. Lyra and Malcolm’s destinies converge in the desert, where allies and enemies await. This epic finale is a must-read for anyone who has fallen in love with these characters and followed their journeys.
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A Queen's Match
Buy from:If you loved A Queen’s Game, you’ll want to read this sequel. Follow three princesses — Hélène d’Orléans, Alix of Hesse, and May of Teck — as they follow their hearts, have them broken, and fall in love. It’s a delectable historical romance that YA readers won’t want to miss!
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Bones at the Crossroads
Buy from:Malik returns to Caiman University just in time for Homecoming in this sequel to the bestselling Blood in the Root. As the fall festivities progress, Malik becomes increasingly drawn into a secret society and the mystery surrounding his heritage. This fast-paced, thrilling novel perfectly blends a magic boarding school setting with romance and history.
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