A Former Vampire Turned Human, A Historical Thriller, and More New YA Books for June 10, 2026

It’s 1929 in Santa Monica, California. Blue is 15, and her parents own the only Black beach. That beach means the world to her family, and it means the world to Blue, as it’s where she and Ben–who has very dark Black skin–feel safe. Blue’s family judges Ben, but the beach allows them the freedom they cannot find elsewhere.

One evening, Blue and Ben discover the body of white debutant Dottie at the beach. Not wanting their beach at risk, the pair moves Dottie’s body to a nearby white beach in a panic. But it isn’t long before her body washes up on that beach, and everyone is looking at Ben.

He’s the natural suspect, not only because of his skin but also because of the history between him and Dottie. It’s a history that goes a lot deeper than Blue could ever suspect. But Blue is going to help him do everything she can to clear his name–because her name needs to be cleared, too.

This one’s getting some comparisons to Promise Boys.

It’s Lily’s senior year, and all she wants to do is get a cool prom dress, hang out with her boyfriend Max and best friend Sarita, and do well enough in history class. Unfortunately, her year is going deeply sideways. Now she’s babysitting a newborn vampire, fighting off her immortal ex-boyfriend, and worrying that her secret may no longer be kept from the people in her new life.

Do you want a dark and funny twist on vampire lore? You’ll want this one on your to-read list.

Coming in at just over 200 pages, Mesrobian’s latest (and long-awaited!) book follows two teens whose lives have been packed with trauma. Leo and Connor are spending the summer in a rural Minnesota town, where Leo’s mom is renovating her family’s estate–even though she’s not really around watching it happen at all. The two teens begin an intense relationship with one another, which only escalates when they stumble upon the bones of two dead people at the estate. They’re obsessed with learning who these two people were, and they’re convinced that those two people are related to their own futures.

This book is firmly situated within the 2020 pandemic, which is interesting to see; the pandemic in YA fiction seemed to have slipped away pretty quickly in the immediate years after 2020. I’m personally not sure how I feel about revisiting this period, despite knowing, in my adult brain, that it’s a really important chapter to stay with. There’s a lot to wrestle with and a lot to mourn, and as a culture, we simply haven’t done it. We’ve sped onward. I’ll be really curious to see the reception to this one because it sounds great, if challenging.

Tia’s struggling between the pandemic that’s ruining her senior year, her middle sister’s mental health crisis (which has resulted in her being in a coma), and the continued police violence against unarmed Black people across the country. Tia’s best friend thinks speaking up and out is the answer, but what Tia really wants is an escape.

She finds it in the form of an invitation from her oldest sister: stay at her place for a bit. It’s everything Tia thinks that she needs. Everything seems great to begin. Tia’s got a new pandemic puppy to play with, she’s in a new relationship with a cute girl, and the stresses of being at home are there and not here.

But try as she might to escape her life, Tia’s still invested in everything that’s happening in it. Will her sister be okay? Does she need to step into an activism role? Can love help buoy her through the tough times?

Ana Maria Ybarra wants to be a pastry chef, and while she’s honed some great skills at her family’s bakery, she’s frustrated that her father will not update the menu with some of her creations. This is made worse when Morales Bakery opens across the street and takes off on social media.

Ana Maria plans to enter a scholarship contest with a social media component. If she wins, it’ll help her get to school and help her convince her dad to take some new chances.

What Ana Marie didn’t bank on was that a boy she had a fling with, Miguel, is in town. And worse, he’s behind the popular bakery that’s rivaling her family’s. Can she both pursue her goals and hold off on falling in love? Or does she pursue her goals *and* let herself feel those feelings?

Eleanor’s father is famous. He’s so famous that everyone knows him and adores him from afar, just like Eleanor has. Hugo Harrison works on AI inventions, and, well, Eleanor’s mom getting pregnant by him was of no interest to him or his work. He has a reputation to keep.

But Eleanor wants to know her father, and she sees her in by applying to serve as a nanny to his current child (and her own step-brother). To snag the gig, Eleanor tells a few lies, and she’s in. She’s taken on a new identity, and while it helps her learn more about her father, his job, and his current life, it’s made her own life far more complicated.

Eleanor then discovers the dangerous new project her father’s working on and realizes she can do something about it. Except how can she, if she’s not even being her true self?

This certainly sounds like a story inspired by another famous tech billionaire.