Are We There Yet? 5 June Releases I'm Ready For

It's a good year to be a young adult fan!

There are SO many good YA books coming out in the Summer of 2015, y'all!

For the next few Saturdays, I'll be sharing my top 5 list for upcoming book releases for each month of summer. Get ready to pile more books on those TBR lists!

5. Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s
Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

This book sounds so good. I usually ignore whenever a synopsis mentions other authors and/or books, but Judy Blume and Stephanie Perkins?! Sign me up. Plus, just look at that cover!

4. Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott

Charlie, a senior, isn't looking forward to her last year of high school. Another year of living in the shadow of her best friend, Lila. Another year of hiding behind the covers of her favorite novels. Another year of navigating her tense relationship with her perfectionist mom.

But everything changes when she meets her new English teacher. Mr. Drummond is smart. Irreverent. Funny. Hot. Everyone loves him. And Charlie thinks he's the only one who gets her.

She also thinks she might not be the only one with a crush.

In this stunning debut, Jessica Alcott explores relationships-and their boundaries-in a way that is both searingly honest and sympathetic.

It's no secret that I'm a Pretty Little Liars fanatic (hello, look at my blog name?!), and this totally makes me think of Aria and Ezra's relationship. YES. I need this in my life, y'all.

3. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

As someone who has OCD, I'm really curious about this book. Too often OCD is used as a joke or simplified because someone went overboard organizing something. I've yet to read a book about someone who suffers from OCD, so I'm really interested in seeing where the author takes this story.

2. Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her homeschool education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

YOU GUYS. This book is already one of my favorites of 2015. I cannot gush and rave and shout about it enough. Jennifer Mathieu is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine, and I have NO REGRETS! Need more convincing? Check out my Review Preview of Devoted from last week, or check back towards the end of May for my full review!

1. Joyride by Anna Banks

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.

I have several friends who are going through immigration issues of their own, so I was instantly intrigued by Joyride. I have such high hopes for this book, and I have faith in Anna Banks delivering with this one! 

Are you guys excited for June's YA releases?
Who's ready to spend the summer reading with me?!