Chase April showers away with some fresh new reads this month! May is bringing us some truly enchanting, charming books to add to our TBR lists, and we’ve rounded up a few of the most exciting new book releases for you right here. Check out the latest from Becky Albertalli, fantastical fantasies to kick off summer, and new romance and adventure down below!
Content warning: The Honey POP encourages mindful reading and always checking the author’s website for any additional content warnings.
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Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli is back with an all-new contemporary romance! Imogen is known as the token straight friend among her best friends. She’s very supportive of them and considers herself a great ally to the LGBTQ+ community. And when she visits her friend Lili on campus, she goes along with the lie that she and Lili used to date. But as Imogen spends more time with Lili’s friend Tessa, she starts to wonder about her sexuality and if she was that straight to begin with. This sounds adorable, and we are here for it!
Release date: May 2
Order here!
Content warnings: homophobia.
Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, & Carlyn Greenwald
Are you a fan of Heartstopper? Then you’re in luck! Time Out is a story about Barclay, a basketball legend in his small town who experiences a lot of hostility after coming out to his school. Suddenly nothing is the same, and Barclay is worried about his position on the basketball team. To help him through this difficult time, his best friend, Amy, brings him to her voting rights group. There he meets Christopher and the two butt heads, but as they spend more time together, they become friends and maybe something more.
Release date: May 2
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Content warnings: homophobia.
Lying In The Deep by Diana Urban
Calling all thriller lovers out there! With a cruise ship setting, Lying in the Deep is about Jade, who has just been dumped by her boyfriend… for her best friend. She cannot wait to go on a 4 month-long cruise and get far away from her problems. Except when she boards, she finds that the couple is also on the cruise. As Jade’s anger grows, and their friends drop like flies, will Jade and her new crush be able to find the killer in time?
Release date: May 2
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Content warnings: violence, blood, stabbing, death, murder, panic attacks, drug abuse.
The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom by Allison L. Bitz
We are big fans of books with themes of self-love and discovery, which is why we’re excited for The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom! When Bridget is admitted to the music program of a prestigious boarding school, she’s excited to showcase her singing talent. Except, her low music theory scores are stopping her from performing, and her dean challenges her to stop singing entirely. We can’t wait to see how Bridget grows throughout this story!
Release Date: May 2
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Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Perry is eager to have a carefree summer until she gets into a fender bender and is stuck working to pay for repairs. Luckily, her twin sister, Pauline, and the other outcasts are there to support her. But when Perry learns that a museum is storing the remains and belongings of an ancestor called “Warrior Girl,” she learns everything she can about the legal process for requesting their release. Except she soon realizes that the museum is using every legal loophole at its disposal to withhold Warrior Girl and the remains of twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors. Perry quickly employs the other Misfits to work together and pull off a heist to bring back the stolen remains and artifacts.
Release Date: May 2
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Content warnings: murder, kidnapping, sexual assault.
They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody
Jonah and Dylan do not get along. On the other hand, their friends think their tension is because they secretly like each other. When the two wake up in the same bed after homecoming, this fans the flames of the rumor even more. So they come up with a plan to fake date and then break up through a huge staged fight. The only problem is that the more time they’re together, the closer they become…
Release date: May 9
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Content warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, mention of child abuse, violence.
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude
The sapphic sci-fi story of our dreams is here in the form of If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude! Avery has a lot going on––she’s in love with her best friend, Cass, and she’s struggling with clinical depression. Avery decides to make it through the next nine days after discovering that Earth is about to be hit by a devastating asteroid. Over the course of the few days they have left, Avery and her friends and family share secrets and grapple with what the asteroid means for them all.
Release date: May 9
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Content warnings: attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, sexual harassment, home invasion, religious homophobia.
Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
From the Stonewall Honor–winning author Abdi Nazemian comes a new journey following three generations of an Iranian family. There’s Moud in 2019, his father Saeed in 1978, and his grandfather Bobby in 1939. The sweeping story portrays the interwoven stories of the fathers and sons throughout Tehran and Los Angeles, exploring sexuality, identity, and intergenerational trauma. We’re so excited to see how their lives unfold and what similarities they have!
Release date: May 9
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Content warnings: gun violence, homophobia, grief, blood, police brutality, outing, drug use, cancer, sexual harassment, suicide.
You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
Who doesn’t love a good YA romance? This one follows Valentina “Vale” and her long-time soccer rival, Leticia. After Vale incites a fight during playoffs with Leticia, she’s excited to escape the embarrassment at soccer camp. Only to find out that she and Leticia must team up to co-captain a team that needs to impress college scouts. Shoved together due to the circumstances, the two find common ground out of necessity… and maybe more. We can’t wait to find out what happens between these two rivals-to-lovers!
Release date: May 9
Order here!
Content warnings: off-page maternal death by breast cancer, maternal grief, mentions of underage drinking, depictions of paternal emotional abuse, depictions of anxiety/panic attacks, discussions and depictions of sports-related injuries (primarily a sprained wrist), condemned homophobia, condemned xenophobia, off-page teenage cancer patient, condemned mention of exclusionary transphobia in sports.
Rubi Ramos’ Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra
This sunny YA is about Rubi, who has a step-by-step plan for post-graduation. That is, until she gets waitlisted for her top-choice school. Now, Rubi needs to get off the waitlist without her parents finding out. To do that, she needs tutoring from a math-genius surfer, Ryan, and to stay away from baking, which is what she really loves to do. But when a Bake-Off comes to town, it’s Rubi’s shot to prove her baking skills and she has to choose between two versions of herself.
Release date: May 16
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Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians is really all we needed to know about this one to be hooked, but we’ll give you a little more! Dylan wants to win an autumn festival mooncake-baking contest to help out his aunt’s Chinese takeout restaurant in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, handsome Theo distracts Dylan by charming him into being his fake date at a wedding. Their two worlds intertwine, and Dylan realizes he’s starting to fall for Theo…
Release date: May 16
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Bound by Sword and Spirit by Andrea Robertson
The third book in the Loresmith series sees Ara and her friends separated, and the only thing that can stop the wizard and the destroyer is Ara and her Loreknights. In order to save the literal world, Ara and her friend have to rally and use all of their powers to take back what’s theirs in the kingdom, changing the future of Saetlund forever!
Release date: May 16
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Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko
Last but not least, you know we had to shout out our queen, Hayley Kiyoko, for this YA adaptation of her viral, iconic ‘Girls Like Girls’ music video that quite literally changed lives. In the book version, Coley feels alone after she moves to rural Oregon when she loses her mother. But a connection with Sonya changes everything. The two girls navigate figuring out first love, self-worth, and youth.
Check out our dream soundtrack for the audiobook here!
Release date: May 30
Order here!
What will you be reading this month? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @thehoneypop!
Want more book recs? We gotchu.
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