Looking for your next YA read? With so many books to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. From highly anticipated sequels to romance and the supernatural, 2025 delivered plenty of standout YA titles found on multiple “best of” lists. Here are just a few you’ll find in our catalog:
Appearing on multiple major lists and topping popularity charts, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins quickly became the most widely recognized YA book of 2025. This prequel revisits the world of The Hunger Games, offering longtime fans deeper insight into Panem’s history while introducing new readers to the series’ high-stakes storytelling and unforgettable characters.
Another book topping a variety of lists is Fake Skating by Lynn Painter, which can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and Indigo’s “best of” lists.
- Excited to return to Minnesota and reconnect with her childhood sweetheart Alec, Dani discovers her nerdy best friend is now a hunky hockey star, and only a fake-dating situation may truly reunite them.
And the River Drags Her Down by Jihun Yun and Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen both appear on Amazon, Publishers Weekly and others.
- In And the River Drags Her Down, a grieving teen uses ancestral magic to bring her older sister back to life following a tragic accident.
- Angelica and the Bear is the story of a high schooler’s journey to recover from burnout which leads to a surprising source of comfort. A bear.
Both Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray and Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi are named on both Amazon and Indigo lists.
- In Bitten, a teenage girl must survive ruthless werewolves, a glittering court and deadly politics to exact revenge on the monsters who destroyed her.
- Watch Me is the first book in a new series, The New Republic, set in the Shatter Me universe. It’s set 10 years after the original series' conclusion.
Brownstone by Samuel Teer, If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin and Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier were all YA top picks of the year with the Americal Library Association.
There are many other highly recommended YA titles (from 2025) that are part of the BCLS collection, including This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph, Trans History by Alex L. Combs, Loudmouth by Deborah Heiligman, Under a Fire-red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean, Self Portrait by Ludwig Volbeda and The Secret Astronomers by Jessixa Walker. (Click on the links to find out more about these titles!)
Need more suggestions? Don’t miss BCLS staff picks all year long. Happy reading!
