Read on to discover new books from Brigid Kemmerer, Megan Lally, Gayle Forman, Ann Liang, and many more!

Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella

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An Into the Woods-inspired fairy tale retelling where Cinderella never went to the ball and must lie to get her prince.

Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee

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A young warrior dreams of proving his worth in the elite Guardian Tournament, fighting not only for himself but the fate of everything he loves.

All the Love Under the Vast Sky by Kip Wilson

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Twelve short stories in verse by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the highs and lows of love – romantic, platonic, familial, and self-love.

Bingsu For Two by Sujin Witherspoon

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This outrageously charming and infuriatingly adorable enemies-to-lovers coffee shop romance is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Better Than the Movies.

Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer

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Dangerous magic. Fateful choices. Broken promises. The spellbinding series by New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer continues.

Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue by Kate Pearsall

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In this haunting companion to Bittersweet in the Hollow, a girl who can smell the lies of others uncovers the incendiary mysteries of her small Appalachian town.

The Rival by Emma Lord

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Rivals-to-lovers gets an academic send-up in this charming and irresistible romantic comedy from Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of Tweet Cute and Begin Again.

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

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Some secrets just won’t stay hidden in this twisty new thriller from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Lally!

Brewed With Love by Shelly Page

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A cozy sapphic romantasy about a teen witch trying to keep her family’s apothecary up and running, with a little help from her ex-best friend—and first crush.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn

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Heartstopper meets Derry Girls in this wonderfully hilarious rom-com about finding your first love when your personality might be too big for the world around you.

After Life by Gayle Forman

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This magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death, examines the impact that one person can have on the world, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity.

The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley

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In this riveting historical thriller inspired by true-life events, Belladonna meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

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From the bestselling, and award-winning author of If You Could See The Sun comes a new page-turning speculative YA about a girl who wishes she could be as perfect and successful as her cousin… then wakes up the next morning in her cousin’s body.

Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao

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A swoony rivals-to-lovers romance . . . Family secrets that can’t stay buried . . . A globe-spanning treasure hunt with puzzles to solve . . . This latest YA novel by acclaimed writer Gloria Chao takes readers on a soaring adventure through love, loss, and the lively streets of Taiwan.

Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia

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In this opposites-attract YA rom-com inspired by Emma, a failed romantic gesture puts a damper on a queer teen bookseller’s summer of book matching and matchmaking until a handsome lifeguard and romance skeptic waltzes into his bookstore. Sometimes you get a second chance at happily ever after when you least expect it . . .

Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough

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This historical novel in prose and verse tells the story of a deadly secret hiding in plain sight and of the women who risk everything to provide care for those with nowhere else to turn, perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.

First Love Language by Stefany Valentine

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For fans of Frankly in Love and Tokyo Ever After comes a romantic dramedy about finding love and reconnecting with your culture in the most surprising ways.

Build A Girlfriend by Elba Luz

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A teen deep-dives into her dating history to uncover her mistakes, become the perfect girlfriend, and get revenge on the wrong guy so she can ride into the sunset with the right one in this debut rom-com.

The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

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Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials.

Royal Heirs Academy by Lindsey Duga

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In this story filled with “romantic tension, royal drama, and family secrets” (Kristy Boyce), four teens living in a glamorous boarding school must compete in order to inherit a European kingdom.

What January YA releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 20 New YA Books To Read In January appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Kate! Welcome back! How has the past year been since we last spoke?

Hi! Thanks for having me. It’s been an absolutely wild and wonderful year since the release of my debut novel, Bittersweet in the Hollow. I wrote it mostly tucked away in a room alone, and I knew how much I loved it, but definitely questioned if maybe it was too strange a concept, or a mix of too many genres, and if it would find its audience. And then it went out into the world and received some lovely starred reviews, and was selected as an Indie Next Pick, a 2024 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick, and a Kirkus Best YA Book of 2023, which was all beyond my wildest dreams. But my favorite part has been hearing from readers who really connected with it about how much it meant to them and how excited they are for the next book.

With it being the new year, have you set any goals for the year?

I’d really love to meet more readers this year, especially in places I haven’t been before, so that’s a big a goal for the new year.

Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue is the sequel to Bittersweet in the Hollow and it’s out January 7^th 2025! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

One of my favorite things about having each book told from the viewpoint of a different sister is that they can be read completely independently, so Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue can function as a sequel or a standalone!

Five words is so tough, maybe: haunting, uncanny, incendiary, treacherous, and spellbinding

What can readers expect?

My editor and I jokingly refer to Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue as 2 Bitter 2 Sweet because we wanted to take all the things we loved about Bittersweet in the Hollow and dial them up. There are more twists and turns, more eerie folklore legends, more sisterhood, more mystery, and more romance.

Where did the inspiration for Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue come from?

Truly, the inspiration began with Rowan herself. She burst onto the page in Bittersweet in the Hollow with her brazen attitude and fiery temper and that was where I started when I was dreaming up Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue. I knew I wanted to explore another Appalachian folk legend and also that this story would pick up a few weeks after the ending of the first book, which put us into ginseng season in West Virginia and opened up a lot of fun plotlines to explore.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?

One of the elements I really wanted to explore in Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue was what it meant to see the world through Rowan’s eyes instead of Linden’s and how her perspective would change things. To that end, one of my favorite scenes to write was a flashback to a situation that happened in the previous book, but this time we see it from Rowan’s perspective and it adds so much nuance and detail to her motivations that we didn’t get before when we were observing what happened from Linden’s perspective.

Did you face any challenges? How did you overcome them?

Second books are notoriously difficult and Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue was no exception. Part of it, and likely what I struggled with the most, is that suddenly there were these expectations. I was no longer writing just for myself, and didn’t want to let down anyone who had loved my first book and was looking forward to the second. But writing Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue was a huge growth experience for me as an author. One thing that really helped was focusing, not on what would happen when the book was finished—which was mostly out of my control—but on the joy I found in exploring Rowan’s character and the story I needed to tell.

Were there any key lessons learned between working on the two books?

Yes, I learned so much! A big one was about how the publication process itself works. And also writing an entire novel from start to finish on deadline, unlike Bittersweet in the Hollow, which I wrote before I was agented or under contract. My background is in copywriting, so I thought I was very used to writing to a deadline, but this was a whole different thing. Especially because the publication schedule meant that I was working on Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue while we were launching Bittersweet in the Hollow and my first ever reviews were coming in. But my editor at Putnam is wonderful and kindly guided me through the process with supernatural levels of patience and understanding.

What’s next for you?

Nothing I’m allowed to talk about yet! But I will say watch for more twisty stories about deep, dark woods, mysterious circumstances, and magical sisterhoods coming soon.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?

My TBR list for 2025 is packed with so many amazing books! I was lucky enough to ready early copies of The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith and The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah and both were incredible! I’m also really looking forward to All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schreiber, Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell, and When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur.

Will you be picking up Lies On The Serpent’s Tongue? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Kate Pearsall, Author of ‘Lies On The Serpent’s Tongue’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Kate! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Kate Pearsall, author of Bittersweet in the Hollow, which is my debut novel. First and foremost, I’m an avid reader. One of my favorite parts of becoming an author is getting to read early copies of incredible books. I’ve always loved to write and spent many years working as a copywriter, as well as freelancing for regional magazines and newspapers.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

Very early. My mother likes to tell about how, as a toddler, I’d ask her to re-read the same books over and over until I’d memorized them and could then “read” them to my collection of stuffed animals. When I was a bit older, my sisters and I used to write little stories for each other, or we’d gather around the computer and write together. Books have always felt like magic to me. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love storytelling.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Mail by Janet and Allan Ahlberg – I was obsessed with this book as a child and borrowed it from the library over and over again. It is also likely why I now collect vintage letters and other ephemera (or other people’s mail).

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – When I was about eight or nine, I was playing school with a friend and picked up a copy of Jane Eyre. I devoured the entire book in one day, staying up late to finish it. Never before had I read anything that came to life through ink on a page in such a real and vivid way. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver – This is one I return to over and over again, with its lush prose, vivid characters, and Appalachian setting.

Your debut novel, Bittersweet in the Hollow, is out October 10^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Hmm, maybe: Magic, moonshine, murder, myths, and monsters.

What can readers expect?

Bittersweet in the Hollow is the story of Linden, a girl who can taste the emotions of others and lives in a rural Appalachian town under the shadow of the forest where she disappeared the previous summer. She has no memory of what happened, but when another girl goes missing exactly one year later Linden enlists the help of her sisters, each with their own unique ability, to find out who –or what – is responsible. It’s ultimately a story of family and self-discovery that entwines elements of mystery, thriller, and magic with a thread of romantic tension.

Where did the inspiration for Bittersweet in the Hollow come from?

The very first seeds were likely planted long before I even realized when I would beg my mother for bedtime stories about her childhood growing up in West Virginia. Many years later, I discovered that the Scottish Highlands and the Appalachian Mountains were once part of the same ancient range and I knew I wanted to write something that explored the intersection of the folklore and folk magic traditions between those two places. As I researched, I began to wonder if, when the first Scots-Irish immigrants arrived in Appalachia, to mountains that looked like home, the lore they brought with them could have been more than just stories.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

One of the very best parts of writing this novel was how vivid the characters felt to me from the very beginning. Even the minor characters who only appear in a few scenes seemed to burst onto the page with their own personalities, desires, and voices. But my favorite characters to write were definitely the women of the James family. Each has a different view of their strange history, their position in the community, and even each other. Linden, in particular, struggles to balance her pride in her family with her discomfort about her unusual ability, all while she also tries to figure out who she is outside of the family circle.

This is your debut novel! Can you tell us what the road to becoming a published author was like for you?

I’ve always written stories, but I didn’t seriously consider pursuing publishing until relatively recently. I was extremely lucky that Bittersweet in the Hollow was accepted into the Pitch Wars mentoring program in 2019. My amazing mentor, Isabel Ibañez, worked with me to strengthen the story and increase the tension in the romantic subplot in the weeks leading up to the agent showcase in early 2020. I was thrilled when the pitch was well received and I signed with my agent in March 2020 – just as the pandemic shut everything down.

But I was able to use that time to really sit with the story and make it even stronger. Bittersweet in the Hollow is a genre-bending book with both a thrilling mystery and a sweeping family narrative at its heart, so pacing and character development were equally important to get right. When we went on submission in 2021, I knew it was with the best version of the story I could tell. And it sold at auction in just a couple short weeks.

What’s next for you?

I’m now hard at work on my second novel, Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue, which takes place after the events of Bittersweet in the Hollow and is told by a different sister.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Absolutely! I’m so excited for What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez and The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, which both launch later this month. I’m also looking forward to Beasts of War, the exciting conclusion to Ayana Gray’s epic series, and Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley in early 2024.

Will you be picking up Bittersweet in the Hollow? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Kate Pearsall, Author of ‘Bittersweet in the Hollow’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.