Date Me Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye
It starts with an innocent dare. For one whole week, Bryson Keller has to date whoever asks him out on Monday. When Kai decides to ask Bryson out, maybe it isn’t just because of the dare. This sweet and funny novel also touches on growing up biracial, religious homophobia, and peer violence.
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
Pinky may not be the prim daughter her parents would like, but she cares about things! When Samir’s internship falls through, Pinky invites him to stay at her family’s lake house. The condition is simple: Samir has to play her perfect boyfriend for the summer. What could go wrong?
The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
Kit works as a “wench” in a medieval restaurant, alongside her brother Chris. It wouldn’t be so bad, but Chris isn’t a “wench.” He’s a knight! When Chris gets hurt, Kit takes his place. This snappy book has a fun cast of characters, including Kit’s best friend/major crush. It’s a sure hit for fans of A Knight’s Tale.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
The debut novel of Rioter Adiba Jaigirdar, The Henna Wars is about competition, first love, and culture. Nishat starts a henna business for a school contest, only to see that her crush, Flàvia, is also doing henna. Unfortunately, that means Flàvia is using cultural appropriation to win. Nishat discovers that staying true to yourself can also mean standing up for yourself.
Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
In order to appease her traditional Asian parents, Chloe Wang “rents” a boyfriend so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from the wealthiest bachelor. When Chloe starts to really fall for Drew, the rented boyfriend, her plans slowly crumble.
The Do-Over by Jennifer Honeybourn
If you had the chance to make a change in your life, would you? Months after she chooses the hottest guy in school over her best friend, Emilia gets the chance to switch her choice.
I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee
Skye Shin has dreams of becoming the first plus-sized K-pop star. When she enters a K-pop reality TV competition, it isn’t long before Skye (and viewers) notice flirtation between Skye and fellow competitor Henry. This delightful novel is body positive and fun.
By the Book by Amanda Sellet
Mary has read all the classics, so she knows what to avoid when it comes to romance. She prepares a guide for her friends, so they’ll avoid falling for some cad. Mary’s better at giving advice than taking it. Maybe the school bad boy isn’t that bad. This quirky novel is full of friendship, banter, and classic literature references.
Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith
Pony is attending a new school, keeping his identity as a trans boy a secret. When Pony starts to fall for the beautiful cheerleader Georgia, he wrestles with telling her about himself. Stay Gold is a classic boy-meets-girl kind of story, but it’s also about family, friendship, acceptance, and hope. Stay Gold contains descriptions of violence, sexual assault, and transphobia, and suicidal ideation.
The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park
Nate wants to be rich, but committing grade fraud isn’t worth it to him. So he teams up with Kate, his co-worker from the zombie escape room, for a competition. All they have to do is survive a weekend together in the wilderness for a huge cash prize. Easy, right?
More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood
For Danyal, the American Dream means being a chef and marrying his crush Kaval. When Danyal gets a chance to prove himself with an academic competition, he enlists his friend Bisma’s help to prepare for the competition. Bisma just might have the answer.
Short Stuff Edited by Alysia Constantine
This collection of short stories is all feel-good and LGBTQIA romance. There’s a quick and light romance for everyone in Short Stuff, with favorite tropes including sports, a coffee shop meet cute, childhood best friends, and even a fantasy romcom.
Just a Boy and Girl in a Little Canoe by Sarah Mynowski
Sam’s spending her summer at her childhood camp as a counselor while her boyfriend Eli travels Europe. The camp’s sailing instructor, Gavin, is there to make her days just a little better. He’s adventurous and has a great smile. Sam just wants to have a bit of fun this summer, but does that mean breaking it off with Eli?
I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch
In real life, Rhodes and Iliana are competing head to head for an arts scholarship. Online however, they’re anonymously collaborating on a graphic novel. As their alter egos become closer, the real-life tension starts to heat up, too.
Keep My Heart in San Francisco by Amelia Diane Combs
Chuck didn’t intend to spend her summer working at her family’s bowling alley with her ex–best friend, Beckett, but here she is. The bowling alley is failing, and Beckett has a plan. If the plan works, the Chuck’s family gets to stay in San Francisco, which might not be so bad.
My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong
Iris is spending the summer in Beijing, in hopes that it will help her reconnect with her culture and family. The whirlwind of Beijing life is hard to catch up with, but it helps when your Mandarin tutor is good-looking and the dumplings are plentiful.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
Bookish and the Beast centers Rosie, who is feeling a bit lost after her mother’s death. Meanwhile, Hollywood royalty Vance Reign is stuck in small town USA, hiding out from the paparazzi. When a rare book is destroyed, Rosie finds herself working in close proximity to Vance to repay the debt. He isn’t anything like his persona. This book is the third in the Once Upon a Con series.
More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn
Luke stays out of his rock star dad’s spotlight by hosting podcast with his brother. He’s also got a huge crush on music blogger, Vada. Vada’s got her next five years planned out, and they do not include Luke. Does it matter if his music knowledge makes her heart flutter or his sense of humor is so finely tuned? This novel is for the music lovers.
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
On Election Day, Marva shows up eager to vote. Then she sees Duke turned away from the polling station. It becomes Marva’s personal mission to make sure Duke’s vote is counted. Duke and Marva make a great team, with a shared goal, and with more in common than they thought. This timely novel is thought-provoking, funny, and sweet.
Kissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan
Hayden is saving her pennies to get out of her small Texas town, where she always feels like everyone is watching her. When Emmaline offers to pay Hayden for seduction lessons, Hayden takes her up on it. The only problem is Nolan, Emmaline’s older brother, isn’t too happy with the idea of Hayden teaching his little sister to be sexy. By interrupting their lessons, Nolan may have a few lessons of his own to teach. Spend a breezy Saturday afternoon with one of these 2020 YA romcoms. I know I already added a few to my reading list. Which do you have your eye on? Find even more great YA reads in our YA archives.
