15 Best New Books Releasing This Week: June 08, 2021

June is here with pride and the very many queer books hitting the shelves are definitely bringing more happiness and adventure and the need to fight against imperialism. Other stories are spreading their charm too! Authors like Akwaeke Emezi and Rachel Lynn Solomon, who have already given gems like The Death of Vivek Oji and You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone respectively, are returning with shiny new novels. Debut authors like Ava Reid and Jake Maia Arlow are stepping in with a mythology inspired fantasy and a queer middle grade contemporary respectively; and some books like The Jasmine Throne has already pulled in fans of fantasy and sapphic romance. Here are fifteen of the best books releasing in the week of June 08, 2021. ✨

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Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria

Dani and Eden Rivera were both born to kill dragons. But when Dani forges a rare magical bond with one dragon, she realizes that everything she knew about dragons is wrong. Eden, as a response, turns to the mysterious sorcerers to help save her sister. Now on opposite sides, the sisters want to save each other while the magic continues to be more dangerous, more powerful than them.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

Julián has a plan: graduate, get into UCLA and have a chance to move away from the suffocating expectations of those in Texas. Then one impulsive tweet throws away his plans. But Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self. So when Mat, a cute Twitter crush from LA slides into his DMs, Jules can tell him anything in this funny, poignant, and openhearted novel about coming out and being the best, true self.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN

Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi

The bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji takes readers through a candid look into the harrowing yet resolute truths of their own life. From the transformative decisions about their gender and body to the turmoil of relationships, Emezi explores the emotional, romantic, and spiritual aspects of everything — whether tender or brutal.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Malini, the sister of her dictator brother, is imprisoned in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the sources of magical deathless waters but is now a decaying ruin. Priya is a maidservant, one of the many who make the dangerous journey to top of Hirana every night to clean the princess’ chambers. When the destinies of a vengeful princess and a priestess seeking to find her family intertwine, they will change the fate of an empire.

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Almost Flying by Jake Maia Arlow

Fan of amusement parks, Dalia has a summer bucket list: to finally ride a roller coaster and figure out how to make a new best friend. When her dad announces his engagement, Dalia’s plans have to change. She has to join Alexa, her stepsister, on an amusement park road trip, but maybe if she brings Rani, the new girl from her swim team, along, she can have a perfect summer after all — in this queer middle grade debut.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, this debut follows Évike — the only woman without power in a forest-veiled pagan village. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline so when soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, she is surrendered. But when monsters slaughter everyone on the route except Évike and a one-eyed captain, an unlikely alliance begins to thwart a tyrant.

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Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura

Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and heartbroken. So when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriends to her ex jealous, Nozomi willingly volunteers. But she wants to turn their fauxmance into something real, so Nozomi has a master plan of her own. As lies pile up, it’s not long before the schemes take a turn toward disaster, and maybe an ideal summer romance in this queer love story.

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Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews

Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the people of ancient Sparta. But when an encounter with goddess Artemis leaves her with a task to find nine stolen items from Mount Olympus in return for her brother’s life, she must commence a journey with the handsome and self-assured god Apollo in this reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN

The Marvelous by Claire Kann

After mysteriously disappearing for a year, Jewel — heiress turned actress turned social media darling who became popular through Golden Rule, an app —  makes a dramatic return with an announcement: she has chosen a few lucky app users to spend a weekend at her private estate. But when they arrive, the guests find themselves to be in the middle of an elaborate estate-wide game. With witty banter and puzzles, this thriller is charming.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN

For Vacation Only by Mila Nicks

Blake gets jilted at the altar but to break free of his predictable reputation, he goes on the honeymoon cruise anyway. Jubilee is passionate and longs to do more than croon cover songs from a cruise ship stage, even though she enjoys seeing the world. When the two meet, a simple tour guide arrangement begins and quickly grows into something more in this adult contemporary romance.

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We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Quinn and Tarek’s families have been in business, as wedding planners and a catering company respectively, together for years. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on Tarek in the form of a rambling email — then he left for college without a response. They immediately clash after a year but as they fight their way through a summer of weddings, the wedding harpist and the cater-waiter flirt in this romantic comedy.

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Every Body Shines (edited) by Cassandra Newbould

Sixteen exciting voices celebrate body diversity and fat acceptance through short stories where fat girls and boys and nonbinary teens are friends, heroes, intellects, and beautiful. Including writers like Nafiza Azad, Jennifer Yen, Claire Kann, Amanda Lovelace, Alex Gino, and more, this intersectional, feminist YA anthology is here to represent fat young people.

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop US | Amazon IN

The Champion by Taran Matharu

The final book in the Contender trilogy, this young adult fantasy is following Cade and his friends as they are sent off to a war against the humanoid race who have far surpassed humans in technology on their home planet. The fate of the Earth will be decided in the Game set by the cruel and mysterious Pantheon, and with the right artifacts scavenged from the land of Acies, Cade might have a chance to end the tyranny forever.

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Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson

In a world bound for an epic flood, only a chosen few are guaranteed safe passage into the new world once the waters recede. The principal flyer, Natasha: an aerial silk performer of the royal court is hell-bent on saving the other flyers — even if that means being courted by the prince. But when the newest recruit, Ella, shows a thirst for revenge, the plan is in peril. As the oceans rise, the spark between them helps them find a new reason to live.

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Of Princes and Promises by Sandhya Menon

This second installment in a series set in an elite boarding school that brings a contemporary spin on fairy tales, is all about Caterina who wants to still be the queen of St. Rosetta’s Academy after her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and Rahul who has felt something for Caterina for years. Through a mysterious pot of hair gel, a transformation follows and the handsome, charming Rahul is set to enjoy his new social standing, but at what price?

Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop US | Amazon IN

what book are you most excited for this week? 💛