If you are looking for a thrilling new fantasy series, A Mastery of Monsters is for you! When August's brother goes missing before his sophomore year, she is willing to do anything to find him, including infiltrating a secret society full of monsters. To find information on where her brother is, August is forced to work with Virgil, who has a gene that makes him turn into a monster. A deadly competition, a secret society, and a dark academia background makes this the perfect read for fantasy lovers!

Recommended by Saleena

Swans. Sapphic. SWOONS. This standalone fantasy is a mesmerizing re-imagining of the iconic ballet Swan Lake, and if you’re looking for a dark fantasy with sapphic enemies to lovers, this one will give it to you… and THEN some. Think Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron and The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. I haven’t been to the ballet myself, but throw in the irrepressible romance here, and it’ll have you clamoring like me to see THIS version of Odile on stage!

Recommended by James

Dystopian novels are BACK, and I am so here for it! Soulmatch is set in a world where past lives are meant to determine your future; for example, if you were a criminal in your past life, you are meant to serve the punishment in your current life. This will either mean success and happiness in life, or failure and tragedy. (You ALSO find out if you have a soulmate!) When Sivon finds out she is a special soul, she is quickly thrown into a high-stakes game of danger, corruption, and heartbreak. Untangling her complicated past with the help of her bodyguard and best friends, Sivon navigates her place in society and a forbidden romance. 

Did I hear that right? Bodyguard, forbidden romance, high-takes fight for your life?? You literally won't be able to put this book down!

Recommended by Lindsey

As a huge Love Radio stan, I'm here to confirm that Ebony LaDelle’s newest rom-com This Could Be Forever should be on everyone’s summer reading list! It follows Deja and Raja who instantly crush hard on each other the summer before college and must deal with familial pressures and their cultural divide. Ebony’s writing is undeniably swoony and you just can’t help but be swept up in Deja’s and Raja’s love story.

Recommended by Antonella

Looking to get your emotions RATTLED? This book will make you cry ugly tears! Winter dreams of escaping her life with her grandmother and works odd jobs and hours to save for this dream. But when her abusive mother steals her money, she’s forced to reconsider meeting with the father that abandoned her as a child, who recently reappeared in her life. As she navigates grief, first love, and forgiveness, Winter begins to forge connections, new and old, that make her question everything: her future, her conviction to disappear, and what it really means to be family. Winter knows that broken things can never be fixed, but can they come back together in a different way?

Recommended by Maryam

What do you get when you blend magic, myth, and science together? You get The Art of Exile by Andrea Max, AKA the perfect book for all of us classics, art history, and mythology nerds. Our protagonist Ada infiltrates a secret school for the descendants of Renaissance masters to steal their long-lost knowledge - which is already more than enough to get me reading. This is one of the most inventive takes on the concept of a “magic school” I’ve read, and I’m obsessed with the different guilds at the Genesis Institute. Plus, there’s a love triangle with two love interests you won’t be able to pick between, filled with all the best tropes. I want to live in this world, but I’ll have to settle for just reading The Art of Exile again and again!

Recommended by Shannon

The Tournament is one of those books that makes you think you’re getting a classic competitive academic thriller, but in the end turns out to be SO MUCH MORE! Told in multiple narration style, you follow as Nora, Max, and Teddy navigate the competitive and highly unique Gardner-Bahnsen School for Girls, each girl more compelling and toxic than the next. When it comes time for the annual Tierney Cup, a tournament of survival, skill, and grit, with only one reigning champion per year, you can only guess the chaos that ensues. Love triangles, backstabbing, and violence litter the novel, and I, for one, could NOT put it down. Yellowjackets meets They Wish They Were Us – you won’t be disappointed!!

Recommended by Remi

This book will have you swooning, and not just from the Goode family's enchanted tulips! Shea Ernshaw is the QUEEN of atmospheric reads, and The Beautiful Maddening follows in the footsteps of her fan's faves with lush writing and fields of flowers, with romance and touch of magic thrown in for good measure! If this gorgeous read perfect for warm weather isn't on your TBR yet, it deserves a spot at the top of your list! 

Recommended by Amy

Frothy and commercial, with wedding hijinks, a fish-out-of-water main character, and a bickering romantic couple – this book has it all to be your perfect summer read! Bibi Hossain is charming, cheerful, a little irresponsible, and doesn't know how to read a room. Things get complicated quick when she spends the summer at her sister’s fiancé’s GIANT estate in Bangladesh. She soon realizes the family her sister is marrying into is uppity, judgmental, and disapproving. Will she let their energy get in the way of what is supposed to be a DHOOM DHAM wedding, or will she be able to pull some BIBI cards to persuade the adults that love is stronger and more important than their traditional behaviors? (BIBI’S BRAVERY IN THIS BOOK HAD ME GASPING!)

Recommended by Maryam

This lyrical novel-in-verse completely stole my heart. Set on a remote Cuban island, Island Creatures follows two teens—one coping with a painful past, the other raised among injured wildlife—who find comfort and connection in the animals they help heal. While also diving into some more difficult topics, Margarita Engle brings her signature poetic touch to a story that’s both tender and hopeful, reminding us that recovery—like friendship—can grow in the most unexpected places.

Recommended by Julia Ashley

An exploration of complex mother-daughter relationships with mystery, romance, and a dual POV across two moments in time? Sign me up! From the author of SLAY, This Book Might Be About Zinnia follows two vastly different girls. In 2024, after noticing similarities between herself and the protagonist in Jodelle Rae West’s latest novel, Zinnia goes on a quest to find out whether this bestselling author is her birth mother. Flashback to 2006, after experiencing a loss that had her on leave for months, Tuesday's search for answers uncovers dangerous secrets about her crush and her family. This exciting read is all-consuming as the two stories intertwine!  

Recommended by Sally