New Young Adult book releases from Penguin in 2025

Reading Time: 13 minutes

Aiming to read more young adult books in 2025? Here are some tantalising titles coming from Penguin Books Australia next year.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold

Publish date: 14/01/2025

A heartbreaking and high-stakes story of queer love and survival set against the backdrop of a climate change apocalypse, this book is Station Eleven and The Last of Us meets All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown.

The world is about to end. Again.

It’s been a year since a devastating storm ripped Liz’s world apart. Haunted by the memories of those she couldn’t save, Liz is holed up in the only place she felt safe before her world fell away: the bookstore where she used to work. Now she spends her days trading books for supplies and collecting stories from the remaining survivors who pass by.

Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.

Enter Maeve, a spiky out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. When Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives and asking themselves one big question.

As the end of the world approaches, is there time for one final love story?

Pick the Lock by A.S. King

Publish date: 14/01/2025

From Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King, a weird and insightful new novel about a girl intent on picking the lock of her toxic family.

Jane Vandermaker-Cook would like her mother back. As Jane’s mother tours the world to support the family, Jane lives and goes to school in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their mendacious father who confines Jane’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. And then there’s weirdly ever-present Aunt Finch, Milorad the gardener, and his rat, Brutus. For Jane, this all seems normal until she suddenly gains access to the files for a lifetime of security-camera videos—her lifetime.

A.S. King’s latest surrealist masterpiece follows Jane’s bizarre and brilliant journey to reconnect with her mother by breaking out of her shell and composing a punk opera.

Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark

Publish date: 21/01/2025

They say love conquers all . . . But can love win in a war between demons and exorcists? Or will it just tear them all apart . . . ?

THE EPIC AND SIZZLING ROMANTASY. SOON TO BE YOUR NEXT OBSESSION A brutal war between demons and humanity has raged across Europe for over a century. At its heart are two elite soldiers: Selene Alleva, a powerful exorcists trained at the prestigious Vatican Academy, and foot soldier, Jules Lacroix, unrivalled in battle.

When their paths cross, despite initial distrust – then unwelcome attraction – Jules and Selene discover a terrible secret at the heart of the holy Vatican City

Soon Jules is forced to question everything he’s ever known – including himself. And Selene, unable to ignore her growing feelings for Jules, must make an impossible choice between love and duty.

Serpent and Dove meets Empire of the Vampire, with a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers romance at its heart. Perfect for fans of Powerless, Fourth Wing and Divine Rivals.

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Publish date: 21/01/2025

This beautifully dark and enthralling YA features a mysterious disappearance in a secluded Appalachian town.

For fans of House of Hollow and Wilder Girls!

In rural Caball Hollow, surrounded by the vast National Forest, the James women serve up more than fried green tomatoes at the Harvest Moon diner, where the family recipes are not the only secrets.

Like her sisters, Linden was born with an unusual ability. She can taste what others are feeling, but this so-called gift soured her relationship with the vexingly attractive Cole Spencer one fateful night a year ago . . . A night when Linden vanished into the depths of the Forest and returned with no memories of what happened, just a litany of questions—and a haze of nightmares that suggest there’s more to her story than simply getting lost.

Now, during the hottest summer on record, another girl in town is gone, and the similarities to last year’s events are striking. Except, this time the missing girl doesn’t make it home, and when her body is discovered, the scene unmistakably spells murder.

As tempers boil over, Linden enlists the help of her sisters to find what’s hiding in the forest . . . before it finds her. But as she starts digging for truth—about the Moth-Winged Man rumored to haunt the Hollow, about her bitter rift with Cole, and even about her family—she must question if some secrets are best left buried.

The House of Rural Realness by Curtis Campbell

Publish date: 04/02/2025

A laugh-out-loud romp that examines the realities of small-town queer life and celebrates the transformative power of drag—¬perfect for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Peter Thompkin needs a public image overhaul after his vicious clapback against the most popular gay in school goes viral. When his best friend Alan, aka teen drag queen Aggie Culture, announces the first public drag performance by The House of Rural Realness, Peter steps forward as their producer. It might be the only way he can restore his reputation.

Peter leads the queens as they survive bigoted backlash—and one another. But will Mason County’s Drag Extravaganza drop dead before they make their first death drop? And will Peter and Alan’s friendship even survive past curtain call?

Touching, sharply funny and a little absurd, The House of Rural Realness explores the pains and pleasures of queer community through one teen’s stumbling journey towards self-acceptance.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

Publish date: 25/02/2025

A star-crossed lovers romance that spans a millennia, for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, They Both Die at the End and One Day.

‘Impossible to put down’ V.E. Schwab, international bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

They’ve loved each other in every lifetime. They’ve killed each other in every one.

Evelyn can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the one she’s in now, and more importantly, her sister needs her for bone marrow transplants to stay alive. So now she has to:

find the centuries-old enemy who hunts her through each life and destroy them forever
figure out exactly why she’s being hunted in the first place,
try quite hard not to fall in love with them
…again.

‘Vividly beautiful and brilliantly transcendent’ – Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of the Song of the Last Kingdom duology

‘An iridescent ode to love, life and humanity’ – Bea Fitzgerald, Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

‘Evelyn and Arden are a pair for the ages’ – Ayana Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Beasts of Prey

‘Our Infinite Fates demands to be read in one sitting.’ – M. K. Lobb, Sunday Times bestselling author of Seven Faceless Saints

‘Our Infinite Fates is the kind of book that only comes around once in a lifetime. Gives enemies to lovers a whole new meaning.’ – Kara A. Kennedy, author of I Will Never Leave You

‘One of the best books I’ve ever read.’ – Rachel Greenlaw, author of Compass and Blade

Everything I Promised You by Katy Upperman

Publish date: 04/02/2025

Their love was written in the stars, but how is Lia to move on when death trumps fate? Everything I Promised You is an emotionally raw and romantic YA novel perfect for fans of Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been with Me.

What comes after heartbreak?

Lia and Beck. Beck and Lia. Despite army-brat life orbiting them in and out of each other’s worlds, Lia knows they are destined to be together. It’s more than their friendship and chemistry. When Lia’s mom was a teen, a fortune teller said her daughter would fall in love with her best friend’s son. Lia and Beck were always meant to be. Or so they thought.

When tragedy steals Beck away, Lia is devastated. She lived her life by her mom’s old fortune. If she was fated to be with Beck and he is gone, who is she supposed to be? And is there room in her broken heart for life, let alone new love?

This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern

Publish date: 04/03/2025

Margot McGovern’s homage to 90s horror films and final girls will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Four girls share a cabin on their school retreat – in an abandoned town where the ghost of Smiling Jack is known to haunt the isolated campers.

Shelley is the new girl with her own haunted past.
Mack made things awkward by kissing her best friend.
Priya thinks she’s ready to take the next step with her boyfriend.
Raffi has a flair for drama, and convinces them all to hold a seance.

But when you call on the darkness, sometimes the darkness replies . . .

‘Powerful, heartbreaking, hair-raising and absolutely terrifying. This feminist ode to the 90s slasher films is twisty, clever and frightening from beginning to end.’ AMY DOAK, bestselling author of Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer

Sunny At the End of the World by Steph Bowe

Publish date: 04/03/2025

‘Fierce and funny by turns, with Steph Bowe’s flair for seeing straight to the heart of what makes us tick. What a gift, to have one more tale from this master storyteller.’ Amie Kaufman, NYT bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods

A witty and moving YA tale of friendship, survival and acts of courage, told with humour and heart. When a zombie apocalypse destroys the world, Sunny must save what matters most—and discover that the zombies might not be the true enemy.

You’re not going to like this part. I don’t like this part. I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to you, and have it make any sense.

In 2018, seventeen-year-old Sunny and Toby are on the run after zombies have destroyed most of the adults in their world. Cut to 2034 when Sunny is being held in an underground facility.

What happened? Was it aliens, a genocide, a video game, biological terrorism, a totalitarian takeover? And who can infiltrate the facility and release the surviving prisoners? The tables will be turned more than once in this thrilling and thought-provoking novel.

With Steph Bowe’s sad passing at the age of twenty-five, in 2020, we lost a truly wonderful author of three smart, funny YA novels. Her mother and sister discovered a manuscript on her computer: the book you have in your hands. Steph was always wise beyond her years, with the power to access other worlds. Somehow, in Sunny at the End of the World, she predicted an ‘outbreak’ much like the one that changed our world, after she was gone…

With her trademark humour, endearing characters and brilliant storytelling, Steph Bowe has left us a novel that helps to make sense of the rapidly changing world we live in.

PRAISE:

‘A twisty road trip through a post-zombie apocalypse, Sunny At the End of the World is testament to Steph Bowe’s brio, wit and brilliance.’ Rebecca Lim, author of Tiger Daughter

‘Brutal, tender and fierce, Sunny is ultimately a celebration of love and resilience, from a much-missed voice in Australian YA.’ Lili Wilkinson, author of A Hunger of Thorns

With classic Steph Bowe humour and undertow, this is a post zombie apocalypse to relish. I loved it.’ Fiona Wood, author of How to Spell Catastrophe

May the Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao

Publish date: 18/03/2025

A humorous and heartfelt MG debut about chess, girl power, and performance anxiety in elite sports.

For fans of Kelly Yang and Celia C. Perez!

Tick, toc . . . Tick, toc . . . The clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championship, kicking them into high gear in preparation for nationals. What’s more exciting for May is that her win came with a special award for being the top female player in the tournament. An award that earns her a spot on a splashy Lingard Middle School campaign celebrating student achievements.

May should be thrilled. But some of her teammates, including her supposed-to-be-friend Ralph, aren’t too keen on the special attention she’s getting—and they’re even questioning her skills. Backed into a corner, but not one to back down, May makes a move: She bets Ralph she can win Lingard’s internal chess tournament and become team captain for nationals.

Under the pressure of her teammates and school’s expectations, May starts to crumble under pressure. Anxious feelings begin to take the fun out of chess and even affect her game. Now finding the joy in chess may be just what May needs to do in order to win the bet.

The board is set. The game is on! The crown is May’s for the taking.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Publish date: 18/03/2025

First Impressions: Indulge your inner romantic – a new Puffin Classics collection of Jane Austen novels

With a foreword by Lauren Asher, author of The Fine Print and Love Redesigned

Craving adventure, seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland leaps at the opportunity to step into the dizzying world of British high society in the resort town of Bath.

Adventure arrives in the form of handsome clergyman Henry Tilney, and the ominous promise of his family home: Northanger Abbey. But for romance to blossom, Catherine must find answers to her dark suspicions about the abbey and face that most terrifying of enemies: money-minded social climbers.

Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures.

With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Publish date: 18/03/2025

First Impressions: Indulge your inner romantic – a new Puffin Classics collection of Jane Austen novels

With a foreword by Alexis Hall, author of Boyfriend Material and A Lady for a Duke

Anne and Captain Wentworth fell in love eight years ago. Although Anne broke off their engagement as her father wished, their flame flickers on, however dim.

When they finally meet again, Wentworth has secured wealth and status to become an eligible option. But both Anne and Wentworth have their eyes on other people, and Anne must follow her heart to decide whether to start again or rekindle an old flame.

Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin Classics’ boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures.

Alexis Hall is an English romance writer renowned for warm and witty queer love stories. From fantasy and science-fiction to Regency romance, Alexis is a self-described ‘genrequeer’ author who writes books on a range of subjects in an array of genres – though most of them involve kissing.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Publish date: 18/03/2025

First Impressions: Indulge your inner romantic – a new Puffin Classics collection of Jane Austen novels

Left destitute after their father’s death, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood must navigate love, marriage and societal expectations to ensure their security and happiness. But romance isn’t easy, and soon Elinor finds her good sense tested by her charming brother-in-law, while Marianne’s romantic sensibility brings her nothing but heartbreak.

To find happiness, both sisters must learn to balance sense and sensibility.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Publish date: 18/03/2025

First Impressions: Indulge your inner romantic – a new Puffin Classics collection of Jane Austen novels

With a foreword by Krystal Marquis, author of The Davenports and The Davenports: More Than This

When Fanny Price is taken in by wealthy relatives, she finds herself abused, overlooked and thoroughly unloved. Her only solace is her friendship with their youngest son, Edmund. But they are just friends. At least for now.

Soon, the arrival of Henry and Mary Crawford sets off a flurry of matchmaking and Fanny must decide who she loves and how they might all end up living happily-ever-after.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Publish date: 18/03/2025

First Impressions: Indulge your inner romantic – a new Puffin Classics collection of Jane Austen novels

With a foreword by Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically

Elizabeth Bennet must get married – her family’s status depends on it. But she and Mr Darcy, her suitor, don’t exactly see eye to eye. He’s embarrassed her, she’s snubbed him. As a pair, they’re headed for disaster.

In one of the world’s most enduring love stories, both would-be lovers must overcome their personal pride and social prejudices to allow their turbulent, but true, love to bloom.