If you read My Lady Jane last year, chances are you will enjoy the newest book from the trio of writers including Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s all good because they are standalone books with this one focusing on Jane Eyre, while the previous focused on King Edward’s cousin Jane.

There’s also plenty of contemporaries for you to read with Morgan Matson’s Save The Date and Tamara Island Stone’s Little Do We Know.

Plus there’s a few debut authors on our list including Australian author C.G Drews, Michael Belanger, and Adrienne Kisner.

Read on to discover our June YA picks and tell us if there’s any other ones you’re excited for in the comments below!

A Reaper At The Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

In the third instalment of the An Ember In The Ashes series, The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher.

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
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Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan
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Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone. She seeks out Miyu, the reclusive daughter of a world-renowned escape artist whose life and career were snuffed out by a tragic plane crash. With Miyu’s help, Mattie secretly transforms herself into a burgeoning escapologist and performance artist. Away from the curious eyes of her peers, she thrives in her new world of lock picking, straitjackets, and aquarium escapes. But when Will, a popular varsity athlete from her high school, discovers her act at an underground venue, she fears that her double life is about to be exposed.

Save The Date by Morgan Matson
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Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realise that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone
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Next-door neighbours and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Now, Emory is trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places. Their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.

Smoke In The Sun by Renee Ahdieh
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The highly anticipated sequel to Flame in the Mist—an addictive, sumptuous finale that will leave readers breathless from the bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn.

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews
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Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music – because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence. When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner
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Brynn Haper’s life has one steadying force–Rachel Maddow. She watches her daily, and after writing to Rachel for a school project–and actually getting a response–Brynn starts drafting e-mails to Rachel but never sending them. Then Brynn is confronted with a moral dilemma. One student representative will be allowed to have a voice among the administration in the selection of a new school superintendent. Brynn’s archnemesis, Adam, and ex-girlfriend, Sarah, believe only Honors students are worthy of the selection committee seat. Brynn feels all students deserve a voice. When she runs for the position, the knives are out. So she begins to ask herself: What Would Rachel Maddow Do?

The Bird and The Blade by Megan Bannen
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As a slave in the Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom… until she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father as they flee from their enemies across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks’ exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into a hopeless love.

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
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A magic passed down through generations… Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. Her twin sister, Mary, already shows an ability to defy gravity. But with their eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come. When tragedy strikes, what made the Fernweh women special suddenly casts them in suspicion. Over the course of her last summer on the island—a summer of storms, of love, of salt—Georgina will learn the truth about magic, in all its many forms.

The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger
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History buff Ray knows everything about the peculiar legends and lore of his rural Connecticut hometown. Burgerville’s past is riddled with green cow sightings and human groundhogs, but the most interesting thing about the present is the new girl–we’ll call her Jane Doe. Inscrutable, cool, and above all mysterious, Jane seems as determined to hide her past as Ray is to uncover it. As fascination turns to friendship and then to something more, Ray is certain he knows Jane’s darkest, most painful secrets and Jane herself–from past to present. But when the unthinkable happens, Ray is forced to acknowledge that perhaps history can only tell us so much.

Soulstruck by Natasha Sinel
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Set in a small Cape Cod beach town, seventeen-year-old Rachel Ferguson is trying to get struck by lightning. Hopefully it will lead to finding her soul mate, like it did for her mother. And then maybe her mom will be as devoted to her as she is to her lightning strike survivors group. When Rachel discovers a journal written by her mother’s soul mate – the man she thought was her father – she begins to question everything she’s always believed, including soul mates, fate, and even her mother. No longer sure of its power, she decides to quit chasing lightning.

Check out what other books are coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited to read? Tell us in the comments below!

(P.S – The Nerd Daily occasionally receives commissions for the links included in this article, but all earnings go back into us hosting giveaways!)

The post June Book Releases: Young Adult appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The month of May is known as mental health awareness month, and while fictional books featuring mental health have become increasingly popular, there are many that still feature stereotypes and the incorrect information. Naturally, these can be offensive to those who either suffer or know individuals who are currently or previously dealt with mental health.

In honour of mental health awareness month, I bring you my top five YA books that feature mental health which seem to give an authentic representation, especially with all of the positive comments they receive from the community. However, it is worth noting that one person’s experience will be different from the other. Just because it doesn’t seem like yours, doesn’t mean that the experience is not real or yours is invalid.

If you would like to find more information and details about mental health, please search for a mental health organisation within your country or visit the 13 Reasons Why Info page, which features information and contact numbers for each country.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
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Fangirl tells the story of Cath and her twin sister, Wren. They used to be huge Simon Snow fans, but as they grew older, Wren left the fandom while Cath stayed in it. This story is set during their first year of university and follows her worries and experiences. Many readers will be able to relate to Cath’s fear of living alone and away from home, but I must admit that this book is not my favourite mainly because how shy Cath is. But after reading several reviews, I see how many people with social anxiety sees themselves in Cath and that’s the first time I see how real it is, how it can affect so many parts of someone’s life. It helps give you a deeper insight and it will allow you to connect with others by being more understanding towards those with anxiety.

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
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Sam has OCD, purely-obsessional OCD, to be exact. Her minds are plagued with dark thoughts and worries that spirals out of control. What is enjoyable about this book is how supportive Sam’s parents are, as well as her amazing relationship with her therapist. This is the first time I’ve seen a positive portrayal of therapist and patients in media, without any tantrums or distrust. Sam is truly open and trusts her therapist, while the therapist herself is very helpful and you can see that she truly cares for Sam. The research is also done very well here, you can see from the way Sam’s thoughts processes are portrayed. But what’s more, her OCD is not all that there is to Sam as the author did a superb job in portraying the OCD aspect, but without making it Sam’s identity.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
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All The Bright Places is the most heartbreaking book in this list and it tells the story of Finch, who is fascinated by death. He tries to jump off the bell tower, which is when he meets Violet, who is also ready to jump. Finch talks her out of it and they became closer. It might sound like your usual boy-meets-girl or typical “love cures mental illness” but trust me, it’s not. It doesn’t feel romanticised at all as their development (or downward spiral) seems so raw and real, which will make you feel both proud and sad throughout the book.

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
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Aysel plots her death all the time, but she’s not sure she could do it alone. She looks for a suicide partner from a website and she’s paired with FrozenRobot aka Roman. As they start to chat, Aysel begins to question whether she wants to go with it or not. This book presents a realistic and relatable description of depression and you also get to know the characters deeply since the book also discusses identity with Aysel being a person of colour and how your parents can define you. But throughout the series, she manages to see small positive things in her life and eventually, she realises that she still wants to do more with her life. It is such a positive thing to see and you’ll be happy to be part of Aysel’s journey.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
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This book might seem out-of-place in this list as it is a fantasy book in a list of contemporaries. But our characters in fantasy books often undergo traumatic experiences, including assassination attempts, kidnapping, and war. However, they seem able to go on with their lives without those events affecting them. Six of Crows is the only book where I see the characters working out their past events and how they deal with the repercussions. The leader of the gang, Kaz Brekker, suffers from PTSD despite his fearsome reputation. He has touch aversion and wears gloves all the time, but he manages to turn it into a strength to add into his reputation. I love how he’s handled in this book, being part of the character instead of just being a plot point to add to the angst.

Any other books you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

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