10 Young Adult Books To Read Just In Time For The 2020 Olympics

Why hit the gym when these books will make you sweat?

1. Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

Penguin Random House, Via jenniferciacopelli.com

Release date: Feb. 18, 2020

What it's about: Thanks to Iacopelli's masterful knowledge, this is the book that should be in every gymnastics fan's hands in time for the Games. It follows Audrey Lee, a gymnast whose career almost ended with a spinal injury but who's managed to make it to the Olympics. Now she's training harder than ever for the dream, while at the same time one of her teammates is living a nightmare: She's been sexually assaulted by someone they all should've been able to trust. Between advocating for her friend and falling for the new coach's son, things in the gym are definitely heating up for Audrey, and it'll take the strength of a whole team standing together to go for the gold.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

2. Gravity by Sarah Deming

Penguin Random House / Via penguinrandomhouse.com, Gordon Eriksen / Via sarahdeming.nyc

Release date: Nov. 12, 2019

What it's about: A boxing gym creates the perfect escape for Gravity Delgado in Deming's first contemporary novel. There, she finds a father figure for the first time, not one but two potential love interests, and such a rare skill for the sport that soon enough, the Olympics are in her sights. It's a lot to juggle, but Gravity's determined to make it work.

Get it from Amazon for $12.69, Barnes & Noble for $16.19, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

3. Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon

Amulet Books / Via abramsbooks.com, Via sarahnicolelemon.com

Release date: May 8, 2019

What it's about: "Sport climbing" is a brand new entry in the list of 2020 Olympics sports, so there's no better YA choice to get yourself psyched for it than this contemporary about a girl named Rilla who finds herself living with her sister, a Yosemite Park ranger, and getting seduced by the thrill of the climb. The experiences in the book feel gritty, real, and most importantly, lived.

Get it from Amazon for $11.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.09, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

4. Fence by C.S. Pacat

Boom! Studios / Via boom-studios.com, Alise Black Photographic Studio / Via penguinrandomhouse.com

Release date: July 31, 2018

What it's about: With art by Johanna the Mad, coloring by Joana Lafuente, and lettering by Jim Campbell, this graphic novel series follows Nicholas Cox, a boy who's out to prove himself as a competitive fencer, which is made even more meaningful because he's following in the footsteps of the father he never knew. This year sees two new additions to the series with the fourth installment releasing in May, and an original YA novel by bestseller Sarah Rees Brennan following in September.

Get it from Amazon for $8.36, Barnes & Noble for $9.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

5. Every Reason We Shouldn't by Sara Fujimura

Tor Teen / Via us.macmillan.com, Via sarafujimura.com

Release date: Mar. 3, 2020

What it's about: The Olympic dream is over for ice skater Olivia, which is made even tougher by the fact that the Games are in her blood. When very cute Olympic hopeful speed skater Jonah starts training at her parents' rink, it certainly gives Olivia something else to think about. But can she handle giving her heart to someone aiming for the future she can no longer have?

Get it from Amazon for $12.79, Barnes & Noble for $12.79, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

6. The Knockout by S.A. Patel

Flux Books / Via hypable.com, Via Courtesy of the author

Release date: Aug. 18, 2020

What it's about: Kareena has a pretty typical life...except for the part where she's training to become a member of the first ever Olympic Muay Thai team. (Muay Thai was given provisional status in 2016, but has yet to be recognized as an official sport of the Games alongside other martial arts such as Judo, Taekwondo, and, newly in 2020, Karate.) It's a lofty goal, and like any teen, Kareen has plenty of distractions, not to mention the fact that she's feeling like a cultural outcast. But if she can achieve it, she just might go down in history.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

7. The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Hachette Book Group / Via hachettebookgroup.com, Chip Bryan / Via noracarpenterwrites.com

Release date: Mar. 24, 2020

What it's about: This beautiful dual-POV friendship-centric YA follows two girls whose lives intersect when they're each at rock bottom. For Sage, the crushing blow comes in the form of an injury that steals volleyball, her absolute favorite pastime, away from her. Together, she and misfit photographer Len learn to forge new bonds and find the language of asking for help. While Sage wasn't an Olympic hopeful to start with, fans of the Summer Games standard will definitely appreciate her passion, athleticism, and borderline dangerous drive for the sport.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99, Barnes & Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

8. The Flip Side by Shawn Johnson with A.L. Sonnichsen

Simon & Schuster / Via simonandschuster.com, Via goodreads.com

Release date: June 7, 2016

What it's about: If your favorite coping mechanism for waiting for the upcoming Games is to watch endless videos of your retired faves, you'll be delighted to know that gold medalist Shawn Johnson's got you covered on the book front too. To everyone else, Charlie is an average high school sophomore, but when she's not in school, she's training her butt off as a world class gymnast. All she wants to keep that life private and separate, but when a new guy enters her orbit, it threatens to blow up her secret, forcing her to figure out how to straddle both worlds.

Get it from Amazon for $9.28, Barnes & Noble for $11.12, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

9. Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

First Second / Via us.macmillan.com, Via ngoziu.com

Release date: Sept. 18, 2018

What it's about: If hockey is your main Olympics event, you're not gonna find greater joy than with this award-winning graphic novel series about a college freshman hockey player named Sam who's doubly blindsided by both the roughness of hockey at this level and the crush he's got on his coach, Jack. (The second volume, subtitled "Sticks & Scones," releases April 7!)

Get it from Amazon for $10.79, Barnes & Noble for $15.29, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

10. Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning

Hachette Book Group / Via hachettebookgroup.com, Via sarahhenningwrites.com

Release date: Jan. 7, 2020

What it's about: Okay, so American football isn't an Olympic sport, but Liv started out playing softball, which is one of the five new sports being introduced to the Games this year. It isn't her fault (okay, it sort of is) that she got tossed off the team and lost her scholarship, forcing her to transfer schools. Her would-be new softball team isn't quite convinced she deserves a spot, especially since it was punching one of their players that landed her there in the first place. So when injured quarterback Grey promises to get her on the softball team if she just replaces him on the gridiron for one semester, Liv has no choice but to say yes. But what's she actually getting herself into? That's another story.

Get it from Amazon for $11.59, Barnes & Noble for $16.19, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

11. Courage to Soar by Simone Biles

Via simonebiles.com, Via amazon.com

Release date: Nov. 15, 2016

What it's about: What discussion of the Olympics would be complete with the GOAT, Simone Biles? This is the gold medalist's autobiography, coauthored with Michelle Burford and with a foreword by Mary Lou Retton, taking readers from her foster care beginnings to her incredible record-shattering career.

Get it from Amazon for $10.79, Barnes & Noble for $16.19, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.