July 2026 list by Angie R.
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The Chaperone
by M. Hendrix
In New America, girls must always have a chaperone, so Stella is never alone or free to explore life on her own. She feels lucky to have Sister Helen—until she suddenly dies. Assigned to the unconventional Sister Laura, Stella is exposed to freedom and forbidden experiences she’s never known. As she begins to question the rules meant to protect her, she uncovers darker truths about her world—and must decide if she’s willing to risk everything to fight back.
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Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are
by Kathryn Foxfield
On the reality show It's Behind You!, five contestants competing for prize money must survive the night in the dark and dangerous Umber Gorge caves, rumored to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. But is it the malevolent spirit they should fear, or each other? As the production crew ramps up the frights, tensions rise and the secrets of the cast member start coming to light. Each of these teenagers has hidden motives for taking part in the show. But could one of them be murder?
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The Game of Oaths
by S. C. Bandreddi
In this heart‑pounding fantasy set in 1896 Paris, a trapeze artist competes in a deadly tournament hidden within a magical circus. Behind the dazzling performances of le Cirque des Ombres lies the Game of Oaths, where twelve compete and only one survives. Seventeen‑year‑old Falan enters seeking revenge for her sister’s death, forging dangerous alliances as she fights to win. But in a game built on illusion and betrayal, survival—and vengeance—may come at a deadly cost.
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House of Dragons
by K. A. Linde
Struggling to find her place in society, seventeen-year-old Kerrigan, half-Fae and half-human, competes in the dragon tournament alongside a dark Fae prince who questions the entire order of their world.
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In Case I Go Missing
by R.N. Swann
Seventeen‑year‑old Fenny has always been sidekick to amateur detective Sarah Vincenty—until Sarah disappears and the police assume she ran away. When Fenny finds a binder titled In Case I Go Missing, she realizes Sarah was working on her biggest case yet. With their friend gone, Fenny and Sam follow the clues, uncovering a dark, decades‑old mystery—but as secrets surface, it becomes clear someone will do anything to keep them hidden.
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Kingdom of Waves
by Melissa de la Cruz
The kingdom of Ophir was one of the most powerful and beautiful places in the world. But after an invasion by the land of Lacon, it was lost to the waves. Now, the Ophir live as second-class citizens beneath Lacon's golden palaces. When two bands of Ophir thieves—one led by Eban Sadreal and the other by Gineth Strong—go after the same treasure, a priceless relic, their worlds and hearts suddenly collide. For the relic releases an ancient magic that could restore the legacy of Ophir—a magic that could change the course of Eban and Gin's lives forever.
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The Knife and the Butterfly
by Ashley Hope Pérez
After a violent clash with a rival gang, sixteen‑year‑old Azael wakes up locked behind familiar concrete walls—but this isn’t a normal detention. He can’t remember what happened, and no one will tell him anything. Instead, he’s forced to watch a girl in another cell and try to piece it together. Lexi Allen wishes she could forget the fight, but as pressure builds around her upcoming trial, she knows the truth matters—and that she and Azael are connected. What happened during the brawl could change everything.
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Lying about Last Summer
by Sue Wallman
A year after her sister’s tragic death, Skye is sent to a remote summer camp for teens dealing with loss. But when she starts receiving texts from someone claiming to be her dead sister, the truth about last summer won’t stay buried. As suspicion grows and trust fades, Skye must confront her past—and the possibility that the real danger is closer than she thinks.
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My Wonderful Disgrace
by Angourie Rice
What really happened on the night of the Senior Year Ball? This edgy, hilarious novel follows Amy Middleton, who is sure the night will be perfect—especially when Leo finally agrees to be her date. But when one unexpected text changes everything, her carefully planned dream unravels. Told through journals, texts, and interviews, it’s a dark comedy of errors about love, secrets, and a night that goes wildly wrong.
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The Pretenders
by Rebecca Hanover
In this sequel to The Similars, Emma struggles to understand who she is, choose between two boys with the same face, and stop a dangerous revenge plan. Still shaken by the truth about Oliver and Levi, Emma isolates herself as she wrestles with secrets she can’t accept. But when more of the creator’s plot comes to light, she and her friends must act before it destroys everyone she loves.
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Royal Vengeance
by Carter
The media thinks every royal scandal about the “killer princess” is exposed—but one secret remains in the final Royal Blood book. Evangeline Bright has one chance to prove she isn’t a traitor: uncover the mastermind behind the plot against her father, the King. With help from her boyfriend Kit, she races to stop a dangerous enemy—and discovers a scandal so devastating it could destroy both the monarchy and her family if it’s revealed.
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Songcoming
by Torran Anderson
Eve is miserable, treated as a servant by her father and promised to a man she despises. While washing clothes by the creek, she meets Oorin, a curious merman undergoing a rite to find his song. As they meet each morning, they form an unlikely bond. But when her father discovers them and locks her away, with her unwanted marriage looming, Eve must choose between a life beneath the sea or one on land that will suffocate her.
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Sparks Fly
by Hazel Henry
Georgia misses her boyfriend until a local boy catches her eye. Daisy’s confused after kissing her best friend but drawn to someone new. Eden’s stuck at a survival course with her ex. At Laurel Lake, under the summer sun, romance sparks, choices get messy, and through it all, sisterhood remains the one constant.
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The Stand-In
by Steve Bloom
When Brooks volunteers to stand in for a stranger’s Homecoming date, he has good intentions—but a big tip sparks an idea. Soon, he’s offering paid escort services to wealthy families, hoping to earn enough for a tutor and a shot at Columbia. Along the way, he bends the truth and his morals, wondering just how much harm it could cause.
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The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley
by Melissa Marr
Harleen Quinzel is many things—an anxious, broke gymnast—but not evil. When she joins a clinical trial with her girlfriend Pamela, she expects extra cash and a chance to manage her anxiety. Instead, she begins losing time and finding strange traces of someone named Jack. Soon, Harleen discovers she’s sharing her life with Harley—a reckless, rule‑breaking version of herself. Though Harley disrupts everything, she might not be all bad. As the lines blur, Harleen begins to learn that good and evil aren’t so simple.
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Tell Me My Future
by Eileen M. Ruvane
Kess Turner is used to starting over, but her new home—a psychic shop tied to a mysterious coma—feels different. When she finds hidden messages and cash, she pretends to be a psychic to uncover the truth, only to start having visions that come true. As she digs deeper, Kess suspects her mother and the shop owner were involved in a long-ago murder. When her visions begin predicting her own death, she must uncover the past to save her future.
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Trajectory
by Cambria Gordon
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book, this stirring story follows seventeen‑year‑old Eleanor, a timid girl unsure of her place in the world as World War II rages and her Jewish family remains in danger overseas. When her hidden gift for math is discovered, Eleanor is recruited by the U.S. Army to help refine a top‑secret weapon that could aid the Allies—and possibly save her family. As she travels from classrooms to air bases and into the skies, Eleanor must confront her fears and discover her own strength.
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What Happened on Hicks Road
by Hannah Jayne
Lennox Oliver is finally enjoying a normal life in California, with friends and no one knowing about her past. But after a party, a late‑night drive down haunted Hicks Road turns terrifying when she hits something—or someone. Though her friends insist it was nothing, Lennox can’t forget the vision of a girl in the headlights. There’s no body, no proof, and she can’t go to the police—but when a note reading FIND ME appears at her window, Lennox begins to wonder if she really hit a girl that night…or if she’s slipping into the same illness that took her mother.
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