9 Of Our Anticipated YA Books By Latinx Authors That Come Out Early 2021

Keep your eyes out for these next year!

1. Written in Starlight by Isabel Ibañez

Page Street, isabelibanez.com

Release date: Jan. 26

Why we're excited: This is the companion to Woven in Moonlight that's been called an adventurous South American Tomb Raider, so we're here for it. Catalina Quiroga is a Condesa who's lost the Inkasisa throne, the loyalty of her people, and her best friend. When Catalina is banished to the jungle, she knows nothing will stop her from reclaiming her throne. But then she hears of the Illari, with whom she can form an alliance, and as she seeks them out, she just might uncover her true calling.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

2. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

holiday house, crystal-maldonado.com

Release date: Feb. 2

What it's about: This fat-positive contemporary sounds like a relatable, quirky, and charming coming-of-age story, and we're so excited to get our hands on it. All Charlie wants is to have a good relationship with her body, but it's hard when her mother thinks she should fit a beauty standard she does not subscribe to: being slim, white, and quiet. Luckily, her BFF Amelia always has her back. But when a cute classmate starts to notice Charlie, she's over the moon until she learns that he asked Amelia out first.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

3. Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

HarperTeen, lasmusasbooks.com

Release date: March 2

Why we're excited: This contemporary YA, set in Miami, sounds sooooo cute! Carmen Aguilar's summer consists of an unpaid summer internship, which forces her to help plan her cousin Ariana's extravagant quinceañera. And if things couldn't get any worse, her dance partner is Mauro Reyes, the ex she regrets the most. Is it going to be the summer of disasters, or will Carmen get her happily ever after?

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

4. Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera

Quill Tree Books, Elliot Knight / Via adamsilvera.com

Release date: March 2

Why we're excited: This is the sequel to the incredible Infinity Son, and we, for one, are eager to find out what's going to happen next. After Emil and Brighton Rey defeated the Blood Casters and escaped, they're presented with a new slew of problems. Brighton is learning that the Reaper’s Blood might be poisoning him, and Emil is determined to find an antidote that can save him.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

5. The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

Feiwel & Friends, author.annamariemclemore.com

Release date: March 16

What it's about: McLemore's latest sounds like it will be deeply moving with hints of magical realism. When Graciela and Lock discover they were both sexually assaulted at the same party, they form a friendship through Graciela's family’s possibly magical pastelería. Lock has no memory of what happened to him that night, but Graciela knows that their survival depends on uncovering what really happened.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

6. Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

Swoon Reads, Elizabeth Stelle / Via aiden-thomas.com

Release date: March 23

Why we're excited: This sounds like it might be a unique spin on Peter Pan, and we're already intrigued. Five years after Wendy's two brothers went missing in the woods, other children from her town begin to also disappear, bringing a focus back to her brothers. But when Wendy finds an unconscious boy named Peter, whom she thought only lived in her stories, they team up to try to find the missing children, and Wendy is forced to confront what might be waiting for her in the woods.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore through Indiebound here.

7. Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp

Little, Brown, Diana Ascarrunz / Diana Ascarrunz Photography / Via laekanzeakemp.com

Release date: April 6

Why we're excited: This phenomenal-sounding YA contemporary has been pitched as I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Emergency Contact — what more can we ask for?! Penelope Prado is an aspiring pastry chef with dreams of running her own pastelería next to Nacho's Tacos, her father's restaurant. Xander Amaro is a new hire at the restaurant who seems to understand Pen better than her parents do. But when the restaurant and Xander's immigrant status are threatened, Pen and Xander must do whatever it takes to save the place they call home.

Get it from Barnes & Noble or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

8. Oculta by Maya Motayne

Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, mayamotayne.com

Release date: April 6

Why we're excited: This is the sequel to Nocturna, a fantasy novel full of adventure. The sequel follows a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who reunite to take on a dangerous enemy that threatens to destroy their kingdom's chance at world peace.

Get it from Bookshop, Target, or your local bookstore through Indiebound here.

9. Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova

Little, Brown, Sarah Elizabeth Younger / Via zoraidacordova.com

Release date: May 11

Why we're excited: This is the sequel to Córdova's 2020 novel, Incendiary. When Renata Convida teams up with her enemy Prince Castian, they must work together to find the fabled Knife of Memory, kill the ruthless King Fernando, and bring peace to the nation — but will they succeed?

Keep an eye out on Zoraida's website for pre-order links!

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