Happy end of May, but more importantly, happy end of the school year to many! In lieu of another “Anticipated Releases” post this month since the semester (and for me, all of college) was finishing up, we’re coming back to you with another round-up of 8 YA releases from May 2021 that we sadly missed but can’t wait to get our hands on soon!
Missed our previous picks? Check them out below!
January | February | March | April
So many incredible books were released this month and I was so lucky to have been able to get my hands on almost all of my most anticipated releases early. To make some space in this post to celebrate what we haven’t already read and loved (or hated), here’s what we’ve read from May 2021’s releases so far! (Reviews are linked, and this page will be updated with upcoming reviews!)
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan | Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee | The Ivies by Alexa Donne | Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey | Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
I bought just one book that came out this month—and it’s The Ones We’re Meant to Find. Thanks to the glorious power of Twitter, I stumbled across He’s novel when she somewhat reclaimed the novel as a return to the “Dystopian” YA of a now-bygone era. Ever since Rory Powers’ Wilder Girls, I’ve been itching for a return to that type of dystopia, one that utilizes the genre’s inherent climate foundations. And I can’t wait to see what Joan He delivers.
16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara and her sister Celia live in an eco-city, one built to protect the people who protected the planet…until the ecosystem turned against them. While Kasey relishes her isolated lifestyle and dedication to environmental protections, Celia misses the outside world. But no one could have anticipated Celia taking a boat out one day, never to return.
In another world, a girl named Cee has been trapped on an island for three years with no memory except the knowledge that somewhere out there lies a sister named Kay. And she’ll need to cross an ocean to find her.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
If you’ve been missing the epistolary underpinnings of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Joya Goffney has your next best read.
Quinn makes a list for basically everything in her life, from boys she wants to kiss to things she’ll never do or say, and writing them all out keeps her sane. And from having to face all her biggest fears and greatest desires. But when someone steals her journal and publicly threatens to reveal all its content unless she faces seven of her fears, Quinn will have to team up with the last known person to beat the blackmailer. And maybe, just maybe, along the way she’ll find the courage to live up to the life she wrote down in all those lists.
Mister Impossible (The Dreamer Trilogy #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
Maggie Stiefvater’s Call Down the Hawk, the first book of The Dreamer Trilogy and a return to the bold, brilliant, magical world of The Raven Cycle, took die-hard fans by storm. And the stakes have never been higher than they are in Mister Impossible.
The Moderators are closing in, and the Dreamers must find a way to make themselves stronger and more powerful, even if it means risking the end of the world. But do the dreamers need the ley lines to save the world . . . or will their actions end up dooming the world?
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
When track superstar Morgan is forced to transfer high schools in her senior year after her Catholic school declares that being openly gay is against their code of conduct, Morgan is determined to make her new life at a new school one she can be out and proud about. But it’ll be a bumpy ride—especially when she almost gets run over by part-time-mechanic, full-time-beauty-queen Ruby upon arrival.
Despite their rough start, the two cannot deny that they are drawn to each other. As they begin a tentative relationship, Morgan is ready to be public and open together, but Ruby isn’t ready to come out as bisexual yet. With the two on different paths towards living their truth, will they be able to meet in the middle?
Off the Record by Camryn Garrett
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
As society continues to reckon with the #MeToo movement, its ramifications, and its possibilities, Camryn Garrett is bringing that groundbreaking work to you in YA form.
Josie Wright has always structured her life around her identity as a writer. So when her big break comes with the chance to write a celebrity feature for Deep Focus magazine, she is both excited and scared to see what her future now undoubtedly holds.
But as Josie begins to brush hands with the elites and even fall for the shiny, bright, hot young newcomer she’s writing on, she’s clued in to a terrible secret when a young actress discloses an abuse allegation. As more and more women begin to step forward and share their own stories, Josie begins to wonder if she may be in over her head. But this is a story that needs to be told, and she knows she must be the one to tell it.
Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
I was obsessed with the Titanic as a kid. Honestly, I am still a little bit obsessed with the Titanic now. I’ll take Titanic stories in any form they come to me in because I am just so fascinated by all the moving parts, so when Luck of the Titanic came across my radar, I knew it was a must-read-immediately. And it’s based on newly uncovered accounts of real survivors! What more could you need!
In this richly imagined historical fiction, a broad-scale tragedy is made startlingly intimate and familial. Set on the Titanic during its disastrous maiden voyage, British-Chinese twins Valora and Jamie Luck will find themselves in a race against time and the elements to survive.
When Val smuggles herself onto the Titanic, she has one goal: to reunite with Jamie, her twin brother and only remaining family member, and convince him to join her as an acrobat with the Ringling Brothers Circus. As Val struggles to navigate her broken sibling ties and the stifling, class-determined world of the luxury cruise liner, suddenly the unthinkable happens: the ship is dealt a deadly blow.
Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth
Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Aideen has a lot of problems, and not all of them seem solvable. But when she stumbles across her nemesis, Meabh, in the midst of a full-on meltdown, she finds she may actually have a solution to one problem in her universe. Meabh needs out from under the weight of her extracurriculars, and fast. The answer? Easy. Aideen pushes her down the stairs.
With a newly sprained ankle, Meabh’s schedule suddenly opens up. But when another student figures out about Aideen and Meabh’s scheme, they want in. And a semester of hijinks and an unexpected chance at love ensues.
Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
You can’t go wrong with a good Jane Austen retelling, and this take on Persuasion looks objectively delightful.
Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at her family’s seaside resort, the Plumeria, in Tobago. And she’s beginning to think she might spend the rest of it there. As Reyna’s friends and family come and go, she feels stuck in a purgatory of the Plumeria’s making.
But just as Reyna is preparing for more loss, old friend, flame, and first kiss Aidan comes back into her life. Now 1/3 of hot new music group DJ Bacchanal, Aidan is back on the island with his bandmates and two gorgeous socialites on their arms. And as luck would have it, he may or may not be dating one of them…
YA Books Daily 
2 replies on “Our 8 Can’t-Wait YA Releases of May 2021”
SO many great releases coming up!
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