This summer is full of buzzy new blockbusters, from the highly anticipated Barbie movie to touching romances, spine-chilling horrors, and girl power buddy comedies. Looking for a new knockout YA to read? Pick the movies you’re dying to see, and we’ll recommend something for you to pair with it. Read on to check out our book recommendations based on movies!
If you’re excited for the movie Talk to Me, read The Black Queen by Jumata Emill.
Talk to Me is the terrifying tale of friends who accidentally unleash horrific supernatural forces while conjuring spirits using . . . an embalmed hand. Shudder. If this sounds up your alley, read The Black Queen. Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, was found the murdered on the night of her coronation, her body discovered the next morning in the old slave cemetery she’d spent her weekends fixing up. Duchess Simmons is convinced the killer is right in front of them all: Tinsley McArthur, the wealthy, beautiful white girl who also vied for the crown. Determined to prove Tinsley’s guilt, Duchess decides to get close to her, unaware that Tinsley has her own agenda.
If you loved the movie Asteroid City, read The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson.
Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is a film all about chaos and the many ways we handle it, focusing on a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention that is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events. If you like your stories to be thought-provoking, well-paced, and full of quirky characters, check out The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson, in which two teens find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery at Levy Castle, the site of one of Castle Cove’s most infamous deaths. Fans of Agatha Christie will devour every twist in turn in this much-awaited sequel to The Agathas.
If you’re excited for Barbie, read House Party edited by justin a. reynolds.
The Barbie movie has taken over the summer with its high-energy pop soundtrack, star-studded cast, and intriguing premise. In the exciting new anthology House Party, ten bestselling, critically acclaimed YA authors deliver interconnected stories about a group of teens who come together during one epic, transformative night before the end of high school. There are kisses, secrets, and drama, and relationships are put to the test, making this one impossible to put down.
If you loved The Little Mermaid, read The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa.
This year’s The Little Mermaid gave us a treasure trove of underwater visuals featuring one of the most memorable heroines of all time. If you love a good novel-at-sea with magical elements, The Wicked Bargain is sure to pull you in. After transmasculine nonbinary teen Mar is miraculously rescued by the Caribbean’s last pirate, el Diablo gives them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. Mar embarks on an unforgettable mission fueled by revenge, redemption, and revolution in this Latinx high seas adventure.
If you loved the movie Past Lives, read Chaos Theory by Nic Stone.
Past Lives is one of the year’s most striking, thoughtful, and unexpected romances, and is sure to leave you in tears by the final scene. In Chaos Theory, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone delivers an utter gut punch of a romance between a certified genius living with bipolar disorder and a politician’s son running from addiction and grief. It’s the kind of love story that will burrow itself deep inside your heart and stay with for you a long, long time.
If you loved the movie Joy Ride, read Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim by Patricia Park.
In Joy Ride, four unlikely friends embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure with absolutely side-splitting results. If you’re all about funny stories with awesome female protagonists, check out the hilarious, poignant Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim that follows a multicultural teen struggling to fit in at her elite prep school, in her diverse Queens neighborhood, and even at home in this dazzling story about a misfit juggling multiple worlds that’ll have you laughing out loud all the way through.
