Romance fiction for young adults: Recently received
This guide lists young adult fiction about romance of all sorts.
Recently received
Break to you by Neal Shusterman; Debra Young; Michelle Knowlden
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13 and up; Gr.8 and up.
Bestselling author of Scythe and Challenger Deep Neal Shusterman, here with coauthors Debra Young and Michelle Knowlden, tells an intense yet tender story of two teens, trapped in impossible circumstances and unjust systems, willing to risk everything for love--no matter the consequences.Gwen & Art are not in love by Lex Croucher
Publication Date: 2023Age 14 and up; Gr.10 and up.
It's been hundreds of years since King Arthur's reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They're forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.A curse for true love by Stephanie Garber
Publication Date: 2023Gr.7 and up; Ages 13 and up.
Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She's married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she's paid for this fairytale. She doesn't know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.If you're not the one by Farah Naz Rishi
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13-17; Gr.8-9.
This funny, electric rom-com follows a teen struggling to reclaim her perfect life and the perfectly wrong guy who sees through her facade, from the acclaimed author of It All Comes Back to You.Twenty-four seconds from now...: a love story by Jason Reynolds
Publication Date: 2024Ages 14 and up; Gr.10 and up.
Jason Reynolds tackles it--you know...it--from the guy's perspective in this unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first. Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren't for the dog's owner: Aria. Dressed in sweats, a t-shirt, hair in a ponytail. Aria. Way more than fine. Twenty-four weeks ago: Neon's dad insists on talking to him about tenderness and intimacy. Neon and Aria are definitely in love, and while they haven't taken that next big step...yet, they've starting talking about...that.Rules for camouflage by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Publication Date: 2024Ages 14 and up; Gr.9 and up.
During her senior year of high school, neurodivergent Evvie navigates school, friendships, and her first love.The ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson
Publication Date: 2024Ages 14 and up; Gr.10 and up.
Darcy believes in love at first sight. Even though it's never happened to her, she's spent her whole life waiting for that perfect, magical moment. But right now, her life is anything but perfect. In the aftermath of a music festival, she's stranded at a bus station until morning--the day before she leaves for college. Her phone is dead, she has no cash, and she's convinced nothing good can come of this night...but then she meets Russell. Russell. Cute and nice, funny and kind. She knows this is the moment--and the guy--she's been waiting for. And they have until sunrise to walk and talk and connect.One true loves by Elise Bryant
Publication Date: 2022Ages 14 an dup; Gr.9 and up.
Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she's a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she's a little less sure. She's heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for "undeclared") written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don't have the luxury of figuring it out as they go--they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it's a lot of pressure to be her ancestors' wildest dreams when Lenore's not even sure what her dreams are yet. When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore's in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn't happen to girls like her. Then she meets Alex Lee.The maid and the crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
Publication Date: 2024Ages 12-18; Gr.7-12.
In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, Small Sade needs a job--preferably as a maid, with employers who don't mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful being known only as the Crocodile, a god rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people's fates by cleaning their houses.Sleep like death by Kalynn Bayron
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13-17; Gr.7 and up.
Princess Eve was raised with one purpose: to destroy the Knight. Far too many of subjects of Queen's Bridge have been devastated by this evil sorcerer's trickery. Eve's own unique magic--the ability to conjure weapons from nature--makes her a worthy adversary. As she approaches her seventeenth birthday, Eve is ready to battle. But her mother, Queen Regina, has been acting bizarrely, talking to a strange mirror alone every night. Then a young man claiming to be the Knight's messenger appears and shares a shocking truth about Eve's past.Imogen, obviously by Becky Albertalli
Publication Date: 2023Ages 14 and up.
Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel. Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she's got the World's Greatest Ally title locked down. She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili--newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends. Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in. Even if that means bending the truth, just a little. Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero--not even Lili's best friend, Tessa.Ruthless vows: a novel by Rebecca Ross
Publication Date: 2023Gr.7 and up; Ages 13 and up.
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre's movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it's only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that's unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor's reign.Queerceañera by Alex Crespo
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13-17; Gr.8 and up;.
This irresistible and hilarious rom-com from acclaimed author Alex Crespo is a whirlwind of telenovela-level drama and hijinks when Joaquin Zoido finds himself fake-dating his childhood crush and newly minted date to his queerceañera.Just say yes by Goldy Moldavsky
Publication Date: 2024Ages 14 and up; Gr.10 and up.
Seventeen-year-old Jimena Ramos is your typical teenage New Yorker--dazzling, fearless, and determined. When she discovers she's been living her life undocumented, she decides there's only one way to keep it on track: marry an American. Maybe Jimena can find a husband on a dating app? Maybe she should try approaching this marriage thing like a business deal? Or maybe her new starry-eyed activist friend can help . . . Meanwhile, the only person she can trust with her secret is Vitaly, her overachieving and adorkable next-door neighbor and friend.Twelfth knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13 and up; Gr.9 and up.
Viola Reyes is annoyed. Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more "likable," and her school's star running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she's ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi's favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren't exactly kind to girls like her--girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself. But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos--Cesario and Duke Orsino--are surprisingly well-matched.Promchanted by Morgan Matson
Publication Date: 2024Ages 12 and up; Gr.9 and up.
Stella is obsessed with logistics and problem solving, and does not have time for fairy tales, but on a pre-prom visit to Disneyland she and Reece (a boy she accidentally got fired) get swept up in the world of Sleeping Beauty, and the girl who believes in logic, not fantasy, finds herself in a very illogical situation.ASAP by Axie Oh
Publication Date: 2024Ages 13 and up; Gr.8 and up.
"When her ex-boyfriend, a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world and forbidden from dating, is rocked by scandal, K-pop idol Sori offers him a hideaway with her until she must decide if her future is worth sacrificing for a second chance at love"A study in drowning by Ava Reid
Publication Date: 2023Gr.9-12.
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she's had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad--Emrys Myrddin's epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him--is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin's family announces a contest to redesign the late author's estate, Effy feels certain it's her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming.Where you see yourself by Claire Forrest
Publication Date: 2023Lexile measure 770; Ages 12 and up; Gr.10-12; Guided reading level Z+.
Where You See Yourself is a relatable, romantic, and necessary story about a girl who has to figure out what--and who--will bring her the happiness she deserves. By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she's already been thinking about college applications for an eternity--after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don't have to worry about.
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- Last Updated: Feb 26, 2025 9:02 AM
- URL: https://guides.library.stanford.edu/romance_fiction_for_young_adults
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