Love at First Spite by Anna E. Collins
1/4/2022 by Graydon House
They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé's house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.
https://www.22debuts.com/anna-e-collins.html

Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas by Leigh Lewis 
1/11/2022 by National Geographic
This wow-worthy book proves that women have been making their mark in all aspects of history―even the high seas! Meet Ching Shih, a Chinese pirate who presided over a fleet of 80,000 men (by contrast, Blackbeard had some 300). Get the scoop on Anne Bonny who famously ran away from an arranged marriage to don trousers and brandish a pistol in the Bahamas. And there are more!
https://www.22debuts.com/leigh-lewis.html

Second Star to the Left by Megan Van Dyke
2/15/2022 by City Owl Press
Banished for doing the unthinkable, selling the hottest drug in Neverland—pixie dust, Tinker Bell wants absolution. Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn’t hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his…hook.
https://www.22debuts.com/megan-van-dyke.html

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
2/22/2022 by HarperTeen
It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place. But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down. ​As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . . . . . she is not the hero.
https://www.22debuts.com/vanessa-len.html

One For All by Lillie Lainoff
3/8/2022 by FSG (Macmillan)
An OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love. Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand. Everyone thinks her near-constant dizziness makes her weak, nothing but “a sick girl.” But Tania wants to be strong, independent, a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion. Then Papa is brutally, mysteriously murdered. His dying wish? For Tania to attend finishing school. But L’Académie des Mariées, Tania realizes, is no finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for new Musketeers: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a sword fight.
www.22debuts.com/lillie-lainoff.html

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia  
3/16/2022 by Wild Rose Press
Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar. Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does.
https://www.22debuts.com/cara-bertoia.html

The Girl Beyond The Gate by Becca Day
3/22/2022 by Embla/Bonnier Books
Arriving at her new home in the exclusive gated community of Kensington Grove, journalist Jodie Evelyn instantly feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the community, built around a converted psychiatric hospital, unnerves her – as does her new neighbour Norah Williams and her terminally-ill teenage daughter, Lacey. When a death rocks the community, she suspects Norah may have been involved and sets out to save Lacey from her mother. But as Jodie delves deeper into Norah’s shadowy past, she is forced to come face to face with her own, with devastating consequences.
https://www.22debuts.com/becca-day.html

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
3/29/2022 by Hatchette/Orbit
On Crow Island, people whispered, real magic lurked just below the surface. But Annie Mason never expected her enigmatic new neighbour to be a witch.When she witnesses a confrontation between her best friend Bea and the infamous Emmeline Delacroix at one of Emmeline's extravagantly illicit parties, Annie is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where magic can buy what money cannot; a world where the consequence of a forbidden blood bargain might be death.
https://www.22debuts.com/francesca-may.html

Bad Girls Drink Blood by S.L. Choi
City Owl Press, May 17, 2022
"Part sun fae, part blood fae, all abomination." Readers are sure to be hooked about this story about Lane Callaghan, the only hybrid fae in existence, who runs a Las Vegas detective agency together with her sisters. 
https://www.22debuts.com/sl-choi.html

Let The Mountains Be My Grave by Francesca Tacchi
Neon Hemlock Press, May 17, 2022
This debut novella is set in 1944 Italy, where Veleno is a partisan fighter intent on avenging his father and killing as many Nazis as he can before leaving this world. He is also beloved of the ancient Italic goddess Angitia, which makes him the perfect person to recover a strange weapon the Nazis are planning to use against the Allies in the battle of Montecassino. Cover to come.
 https://www.22debuts.com/francesca-tacchi.html

Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver
Neon Hemlock Press, May 17, 2022
In this 1920s gothic comedy novella, bright young socialite Julia and shy Jewish magician Simon decide they aren’t beholden to their families’ unhappy history. Together they confront such horrors as murdered ghosts, alive children, magic philosophy, a milieu that slides far too easily into surrealist metaphor, and, worst of all, serious adult conversation. Cover to come.
​https://www.22debuts.com/emily-bergslien-and-kat-weaver.html

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
Harper Collins/William Morrow, June 7, 2022
Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman’s story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, this book weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles’ vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles and the Inheritance trilogy. https://www.22debuts.com/maya-deane.html

The Last Feather by Shameez Patel Papathanasiou
Flame Tree Press, July 19, 2022
​Twenty-two-year-old Cassia's sister is dying, and she doesn't know why. She wakes up in another realm to find her missing best friend, Lucas, who knows how to save her sister. Lucas is part of a community of Reborns, people who were born on earth and after death, were reborn in this realm with magical abilities. The original beings of the realm, the Firsts, rule over them. To keep the Reborn numbers manageable, the king of the Firsts releases a curse to cull them. Cassia needs to break the curse before her time runs out and she is trapped there forever. https://www.22debuts.com/shameez-patel-papathanasiou.html

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Tor, August 9, 2022
​Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. But besides that captivating premise, this book is also a gripping story of motherhood, sacrifice, and hope; of queer identity and learning to accept who you are; of gilded lies and the danger of believing the narratives others create for you. https://www.22debuts.com/sunyi-dean.html

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans
Orbit, September 14, 2022
Since the city of Bezim was shaken half into the sea by a magical earthquake, the Inquisitors have policed alchemy with brutal efficiency. When Siyon Velo, a glorified errand boy, accidentally commits a public act of impossible magic, he’s catapulted into the limelight. Except the limelight is a bad place to be when the planes themselves start lurching out of alignment, threatening to send the rest of the city into the sea. Cover to come.
​https://www.22debuts.com/davinia-evans.html

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
Tachyon Publications, October 18, 2022
Magical calligrapher Elle put her dreams on hold to hide her brother from their murderous family. But when her crush commissions her for a career-defining project, she must choose: risk her brother's life for a brush with fame, or walk away from the art - and the man - she loves. Cover to come.
​https://www.22debuts.com/mia-tsai.html

Empire of Exiles by Erin M. Evans
Orbit, November 8, 2022
Magic, mystery, and revolution collide in this fantasy epic where an unlikely team of mages, scribes, and archivists must band together to unearth a conspiracy that might topple their empire. 
https://www.22debuts.com/erin-m-evans.html

Curator: Victor Manibo
​Blogger: Susan Azim Boyer

Katryn Bury’s DREW LECLAIR GETS A CLUE from Harper Collins/Clarion on 3/1/22

In this modern take on Harriet the Spy, 12-year-old Drew uses her true crime expertise to catch the cyberbully in her school—only to discover that family, friendship, and identity are the hardest mysteries to solve.
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https://www.22debuts.com/katryn-bury.html

Erika Lewis’s KELCIE MURPHY AND THE ACADEMY FOR THE UNBREAKABLE ARTS from Macmillan/Starscape/Tor Teen on 3/1/2022 

Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie. 
​https://www.22debuts.com/erika-lewis.html

Dee Hahn’s THE GRAVE THIEF from Tundra Books/Penguin Random House on 3/1/2022

A twelve-year-old grave thief gets caught up in a royal heist in this compelling middle-grade fantasy in the vein of Kelley Armstrong's A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying.

https://www.22debuts.com/dee-hahn.html
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Lin Thompson’s THE BEST LIARS IN RIVERVIEW from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 3/8/2022

In the woods of a small Kentucky town, Aubrey sets off on a journey about growing up, self-discovery, and acceptance while searching for their missing best friend—perfect for fans of King and the Dragonflies and Three Times Lucky.  

https://www.22debuts.com/lin-thompson.html

Alexis Castellanos’s ISLA TO ISLAND from Atheneum Books for Young Readers on 3/15/2022

This stunning wordless graphic novel follows a young girl in the 1960s who immigrates from Cuba to the United States and must redefine what home means to her.

https://www.22debuts.com/alexis-castellanos.html

Monica Roe’s AIR from FSG/Macmillan on 3/15/2022

An action-packed, empowering middle grade novel about a girl who has to speak up when her wheelchair motocross dreams get turned upside down.

https://www.22debuts.com/monica-roe.html
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Andy Sagar’s YESTERDAY CRUMB AND THE STORM IN A TEACUP from Hachette Children's Group on 3/17/2022

The first in a new fantasy series for readers aged 8-12, about a girl with fox ears who has never fitted in. With adventure and magic in every teacup, this is perfect for fans of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency and Starfell.

​https://www.22debuts.com/andy-sagar.html

Sonja Thomas’s SIR FIG NEWTON AND THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin by 3/22/2022 

From the Desk of Zoe Washington meets Ways to Make Sunshine in this heartfelt middle grade novel about a determined young girl who must rely on her ingenuity and scientific know-how to save her beloved cat.

https://www.22debuts.com/sonja-thomas.html

Naomi Gibson’s EVERY LINE OF YOU from Scholastic on 3/1/2022  

In the face of overwhelming grief and bullying, tech-savvy Lydia pours all of herself into creating the perfect AI, the perfect boyfriend-but will Henry turn out to be perfect, or a creation of her cruelest self? 

https://www.22debuts.com/naomi-gibson.html

Joy L. Smith’s TURNING from Simon & Schuster/Denene Millner Books on 3/1/2022 

In this raw, searingly honest debut young adult novel, a former aspiring ballerina must confront her past in order to move forward from a devastating fall that leaves her without the use of her legs.

https://www.22debuts.com/joy-l-smith.html
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Charles A. Bush’s EVERY VARIABLE OF US from Flux Books on 3/1/2022 

After Philly teenager Alexis Duncan is injured in a gang shooting, her dreams of a college scholarship and pro basketball career vanish in an instant. To avoid becoming another Black teen trapped in her poverty-stricken neighborhood, she shifts her focus to the school's STEM team, but just as her future starts to reform, Alexis’s own doubts and old loyalties pull her back into harm’s way.
​https://www.22debuts.com/charles-a-bush.html

Aneesa Marufu’s THE BALLOON THIEF from Chicken House on 3/3/2022

A commercial, thrilling and beautifully uplifting fantasy adventure, The Balloon Thief follows Khadija and Jacob’s battle for friendship in a society plagued by racism and misogyny. For fans of Noughts & Crosses and We Hunt the Flame.

https://www.22debuts.com/aneesa-marufu.html

Tamara Girardi’s GRIDIRON GIRL from Wise Wolf Books on 3/3/2022

Fun friendships, high school romance, and intense competition are at the heart of book one in Tamara Girardi’s swoon-worthy, young-adult contemporary series.

https://www.22debuts.com/tamara-girardi.html

Lillie Lainoff’s ONE FOR ALL from FSG (Macmillan) on 3/8/2022

One for All is an OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love. 

https://www.22debuts.com/lillie-lainoff.html​

Laura Gao’s MESSY ROOTS: GRAPHIC MEMOIR OF A WUHANESE-AMERICAN from HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray on 3/8/2022

A TOUR DE FORCE of graphic memoir storytelling about growing up a queer Chinese-American immigrant in Texas. In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as a girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.
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https://www.22debuts.com/laura-gao.html

Deborah Falaye’s BLOOD SCION form HarperCollins / HarperTeen on 3/8/2022 

A young girl with forbidden powers must free her people from oppression in this richly layered epic fantasy from debut author Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology and perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.

​https://www.22debuts.com/deborah-falaye.html​

Erik J. Brown’s ALL THAT'S LEFT IN THE WORLD from HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray on 3/8/2022

What If It's Us meets Life as We Knew It in this postapocalyptic, queer YA adventure romance from debut author Erik J. Brown. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Alex London.

https://www.22debuts.com/erik-j-brown.html​

Heather Kamins’s THE MOTH GIRL from Putnam/PRH on 3/8/2022

From debut author Heather Kamins comes a beautiful and evocative story about one girl’s journey of choosing who she wants to be--in a life she never planned for. 

https://www.22debuts.com/heather-kamins.html
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JC Peterson’s BEING MARY BENNET from HarperTeen on 3/15/2022

With a hilariously sharp voice, a sweet and fulfilling romance that features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, and a big family that revels in causing big problems, this charming comedy of errors about a girl who resolves to become the main character of her own story (at any and all costs), is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Becky Albertalli…and Jane Austen, of course.
https://www.22debuts.com/jc-peterson.html

Humayun Khan’s WRONG SIDE OF THE COURT from Penguin Teen​ on 3/15/2022

Fifteen-year-old Fawad has big dreams about being the world's first Pakistani to be drafted into the NBA. A first-generation Pakistani coming-of-age story for fans of David Yoon and Ben Philippe.

​https://www.22debuts.com/humayun-khan.html

Ann Fraistat’s WHAT WE HARVEST from Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House on 3/15/2022 

For fans of Wilder Girls comes a nightmarish debut guaranteed to keep you up through the night, about an idyllic small town poisoned by its past, and one girl who must fight the strange disease that's slowly claiming everyone she loves.

​https://www.22debuts.com/ann-fraistat.html

Skye Quinlan​’s FORWARD MARCH from Page Street Kids on 3/22/2022 

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made her a gay fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

https://www.22debuts.com/skye-quinlan.html
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Stacy Stokes’s REMEMBER ME GONE from Penguin Random House / Viking on 3/22/2022 

Lucy Miller’s family has the unique ability to remove people’s painful memories—but Lucy isn’t prepared for truths she will uncover in this twisty speculative thriller, perfect for fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Neal Shusterman.

​https://www.22debuts.com/stacy-stokes.html

Judy I. Lin’s A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON from Feiwel & Friends on 3/29/2022 

When Ning accidentally poisons her mother, she enters a competition to save her sister from the same fate. But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

https://www.22debuts.com/judy-i-lin.htm

Kayla Cottingham’s MY DEAREST DARKEST from Sourcebooks Fire on 3/29/2022 

Wilder Girls meets The Craft in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: what price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires? 

https://www.22debuts.com/kayla-cottingham.html
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Liz Scheier’s NEVER SIMPLE from Henry Holt/Macmillan on 3/1/2022

Liz Scheier’s darkly funny and touching memoir—with shades of Jeannette Walls’s The Glass Castle and Mira Bartók’s The Memory Palace—of growing up in ’90s Manhattan with a brilliant, mendacious single mother.

https://www.22debuts.com/liz-scheier.html
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Jen Comfort’s THE ASTRONAUT AND THE STAR from Montlake on 3/1/2022 

An out-of-this-world romantic comedy featuring an astronaut tasked with training a Hollywood actor for a space flick.

​https://www.22debuts.com/jen-comfort.html
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Mazey Eddings’s A BRUSH WITH LOVE from St. Martin's Griffin on 3/1/2022

Mazey Eddings’ debut A Brush with Love explores the nuances of falling in love while having a mental illness. Balancing hilariously awkward hijinks with moments of emotional vulnerability, ABWL portrays the absurdity of modern dating, the reality of sexism in medical careers, and how love can undo even the most carefully laid plans.

​​https://www.22debuts.com/mazey-eddings.html

Lizzie Pook’s MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER'S DAUGHTER from Pan Macmillan / Mantle on 3/3/2022 

A gloriously rich and wonderfully assured debut, Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter is set in a mesmerizing yet unforgiving land, where both profit and peril lie deep beneath the ocean's surface.

​https://www.22debuts.com/lizzie-pook.html

Khan Wong’s THE CIRCUS INFINITE from Angry Robot Books on 3/8/2022

A circus takes down a crime-boss on the galaxy’s infamous pleasure moon in this found-family tale. 

https://www.22debuts.com/khan-wong.html
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Maggie Smith’s TRUTH AND OTHER LIES from Ten16 Press on 3/8/2022 

Readers who love Jodi Picoult’s topical plot twists and Liane Moriarty’s character-driven novels will devour this fast-paced tale of three women whose lives converge as one fights a devastating accusation, another campaigns for a contested seat in Congress, and one, the young reporter with ties to both, navigates the tricky line between secrets and lies.
​https://www.22debuts.com/maggie-smith.html

Allegra Hyde’s ELEUTHERIA from Vintage on 3/8/2022

​~A story of idealism, activism, and systemic corruption, centered on a naïve young woman’s quest for agency in a world ravaged by climate change.~
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https://www.22debuts.com/allegra-hyde.html
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Stephanie Vanderslice’s THE LOST SON from Regal House Publishing on 3/14/2022

​How does a mother survive the unsurvivable? After her husband and the baby’s nurse kidnap her infant son, Nicholas, and take him back to their native Germany, Julia Kruse must completely rebuild her life in America. The Lost Son chronicles Julia’s journey.

https://www.22debuts.com/stephanie-vanderslice.html

Jinny Alexander’s DEAR ISOBEL from Creative James Media​ on 3/15/2022

​Two marriages. A bucket full of dreams and a pile of broken hearts. A raw, soul-baring, relatable depiction of the fallout and recovery from an affair and its effect on both families, told from one woman's bias. 
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​https://www.22debuts.com/jinny-alexander.html

Caitlin Barasch’s A NOVEL OBSESSION from Dutton/PRH on 3/15/2022 

​A wry and bold debut novel, which is at once an irresistible catastrophe waiting to happen and an unflinching exploration of how we narrate the stories of our lives, as an aspiring novelist finds herself stalking—and writing about—her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

​https://www.22debuts.com/caitlin-barasch.html

Joan Long’s THE FINALIST from Level Best Books on 3/15/2022 

​After a single mom enters a competition to complete a famous author's novel, she finds herself stranded on an island with a killer.

​https://www.22debuts.com/joan-long.html

Cara Bertoia’s CASINO QUEEN from Wild Rose Press on 3/16/2022 

Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does.

​https://www.22debuts.com/cara-bertoia.html

Becca Day’s THE GIRL BEYOND THE GATE from Embla/Bonnier Books on 3/22/2022 

One child. Two women fighting to protect her. Sometimes being right can be deadly. When a murder shocks The Grove, Jodie vows to do everything in her power to save her daughter Lacey from her mother. But as more secrets emerge from Norah's shadowy past, Jodie is faced with the unthinkable - Norah's not so different to herself, and neither woman is innocent.
https://www.22debuts.com/becca-day.html

Ally Wilkes’s ALL THE WHITE SPACES from Atria / Emily Bestler Books on 3/29/2022 

Something deadly and mysterious stalks the members of an isolated polar expedition in this haunting and spellbinding historical horror novel, perfect for fans of Dan Simmons’s The Terror and Alma Katsu’s The Hunger.

https://www.22debuts.com/ally-wilkes.htm

Francesca May’s WILD & WICKED THINGS from Hachette/Orbit on 3/29/2022 

In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut.

https://www.22debuts.com/francesca-may.html
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LOVE AT FIRST SPITE by Anna E. Collins
January 4th, 2022 at HarperCollins
They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé's house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on-site and off, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter...

Learn more

SECOND STAR TO THE LEFT by Megan Van Dyke
February 15th, 2022 at City Owl Press
Banished for doing the unthinkable, selling the hottest drug in Neverland—pixie dust, Tinker Bell wants absolution. Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn’t hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his…hook. Captain Hook believes he’s found a real treasure in Tink. That is, until he recovers from her pixie dust laced kiss with a curse that turns the seas against him. With his ship and reputation at the mercy of raging storms, he tracks down the little minx and demands she remove the curse. Too bad she can’t.
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THE ALMOND IN THE APRICOT by Sara Goudarzi
February 15th, 2022 at Deep Vellum Publishing
Emma had the perfect trifecta: a long-term job as an engineer designing sewers; a steady relationship with her reliable boyfriend; and an adoring and creative best friend (about whom she wasn’t quite ready to admit her unrequited feelings). Then early one morning, a phone call changed her world forever. Now she’s having nightmares that threaten to disrupt the space-time continuum –– nightmares of hiding from bombs in basements, of glass shattering from nearby explosions. But these disturbing dreams, in which she inhabits the body of a young girl named Lily, seem all too real, and Emma’s waking life begins to be affected by the events that transpire in this mysterious wartime landscape. Convinced she has been given a chance to save a life, Emma tries to rescue Lily from heartache, but ultimately it is through Lily that Emma finds her way back.
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PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li
April 5th, 2022 at PRH
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a shadowy Chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. Learn more

LOVE, HATE, & CLICKBAIT by Liz Bowery
April 26th, 2022 at Harlequin
Cutthroat political consultant Thom Morgan is thriving, working on the governor of California’s presidential campaign. If only he didn’t have to deal with Clay Parker, the infuriatingly smug data analyst who gets under Thom’s skin like it’s his job. In the midst of one of their heated and very public arguments, a journalist snaps a photo, but the image makes it look like they’re kissing. As if that weren’t already worst-nightmare territory, the photo goes viral—and in a bid to secure the liberal vote, the governor asks them to lean into it. Hard. Thom knows all about damage control—he practically invented it. Ever the professional, he’ll grin and bear this challenge as he does all others. But as the loyal staffers push the boundaries of “giving the people what they want,” the animosity between them blooms into something deeper and far more dangerous: desire. Soon their fake relationship is hurtling toward something very real, which could derail the campaign and cost them both their jobs…and their hearts. Learn more

FREDDIE VS. THE FAMILY CURSE by Tracy Badua
May 3rd, 2022 at Clarion Books
In this thrilling and hilarious middle grade adventure, a young Filipino-American boy must team up with his ancestor to break the curse that’s haunted their family for generations. . .or be trapped in an amulet forever.

​Learn more

THE SUMMER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jen Ferguson
May 10th, 2022 at HarperCollins
Lou is dealing with enough complications under the roof of her family's ice-cream shack this summer. But when she gets a letter from her white biological father--a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life--Lou knows that he poses a danger to her and her family. Unless she can face him down.
​Learn more

THE LOST RYŪ by Emi Watanabe Cohen
June 7th, 2022 at Levine Querido
In post-WWII Japan, Kohei Fujiwara must team up with his new neighbor, a mixed Jewish/Japanese girl, to search for the truth behind his family history and the disappearance of the giant dragons that fought in the war.
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​Learn more

AS SEEN ON TV by Meredith Schorr
June 7th, 2022 at Forever/Grand Central Publishing
Meredith Schorr's AS SEEN ON TV is a rom-com about a hopeful journalist obsessed with Hallmark movies who leaves NYC for a quaint small town only to discover it’s nothing like TV led her to believe—no homemade pie, no fall festival, and the guy working for the real estate magnate she wanted to bring down is surprisingly charming. Learn more

Curated by: Emi Watanabe Cohen
Posted by: ​Susan Azim Boyer

 THE HITMAN'S DAUGHTER  by Carolyne Topdjian
Agora Books February 22, 2022
Beautiful dress? Check. Weapon on cover? Check. Mysterious title that promises lots of stabbiness? CHECK! An homage to classic gothic horror, that proves that the ghosts of family and classism are alive and well.

https://www.22debuts.com/carolyne-topdjian.html

List curated by: Lillie Lainoff
Posted to the blog by: ​Susan Azim Boyer

PIRATE QUEENS: DAUNTLESS WOMEN WHO DARED TO RULE THE HIGH SEAS by Leigh Lewis
January 11, 2022 from National Geographic
This wow-worthy book proves that women have been making their mark in all aspects of history―even the high seas! Vetted by the world’s leading pirate experts and historians, this book is a cool and edgy gift. It’s also perfect for any curious kid who dreams of adventure and for parents who are eager to show their tweens and teens that history is more diverse, daring, and surprising than what is typically found in textbooks.​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE UNFORGETTABLE LOGAN FOSTER by Shawn Peters
January 18, 2022 from Harper Collins
Logan Foster is an undersized, neurodivergent 12-year-old orphan with a photographic memory and zero filter. He has no expectations of ever being adopted and spends his spare time searching for the younger sibling he believes is still out there. But when he’s fostered by a kind, suburban couple who are clearly hiding something from him, Logan’s logical mind won’t stop until he uncovers the super-secret truth; superheroes are real… and his new foster folks are actual superhumans.​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE WAY I SAY IT by Nancy Tandon
January 18, 2022 from Charlesbridge
Rory still can't say his r's, but that's just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory's ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel. Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory's r's (as well as a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory's complicated feelings about Brent. Brent's accident left him with a brain injury and he's struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school--even after Brent failed to do the same for him?
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark
January 25, 2022 from Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions
THIS BOOK'S RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN PUSHED TO FEBRUARY 15
Brave the sour to taste the sweet. 
Mom's last words: Keep them safe. Help them be happy. Morgan promised, so she sacrifices soccer, free time, and friendships for her younger siblings. But when Dad's “talk therapy” campout ignites Morgan's anxiety, she makes a reckless decision to prove she can fill Mom's shoes . . . which leaves her literally fighting for survival.

Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE IVORY KEY by Akshaya Raman
January 4, 2022 from Harper Collins/Clarion Books
​In this epic YA fantasy debut, magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war.

​When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology that’s perfect for fans of There Will Come a Darkness, The Gilded Wolves, and We Hunt the Flame.
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Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE BONE SPINDLE by Leslie Vedder
January 11, 2022 from Penguin/Razorbill
Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling fairytale retelling for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and All the Stars and Teeth.

THE BONE SPINDLE is a genderflipped Sleeping Beauty starring two girl partners: Fi, a bookish treasure hunter destined to wake the sleeping prince, and Shane, a queer ax-wielding mercenary falling for a mysterious witch. 
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Traps, ruins, riddles, curses, a little bit of true love and a whole lot of snark!​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

COLD THE NIGHT, FAST THE WOLVES by Meg Long
January 11, 2022 from Wednesday Books / St. Martin's Press
Meg Long's Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.

On a frozen wasteland of a planet, a girl is on the run with a wolf who is born to be a killer but bound to be her guide. As they fight to escape ice goblins, giant bears, and a ruthless leader intent on trapping them both, one question drives them relentlessly forward: where do you turn when there is nowhere to hide?​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

ICEBREAKER by A. L. Graziadei
January 18, 2022 from Macmillan/Henry Holt
Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot. The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield, a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey's infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) teammate. When rivalry turns to something more, Mickey will have to decide what he really wants, and what he's willing to risk for it. This is a story about falling in love, finding your team (on and off the ice), and choosing your own path.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU by Brian Zepka
January 25, 2022 from Disney-Hyperion
Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle.

THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU is the story of first love, and the lengths we'll go to figure out our hearts. What starts as an electric, chance encounter at a Dairy Queen quickly evolves into a heated romance, a journey of trust and identity, and a ticking clock for survival.​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

JUST FOR SHOW by Julie Hamilton
December 28, 2021 from Harlequin/Carina Press
(Yes, we know it's a few days shy, but with an unexpected release date push back, it'd be a crime not to include this book as an honorary #22Debut!)

An aspiring photographer and a home renovation TV star have their airplane meet-cute go viral and realize fake dating can boost their careers—if they stick to the rules: cute selfies, fun dates, no kissing, and definitely no sex. They'll fake a relationship for the social media exposure, but can they be more than a hashtag?
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

DEEP DIVE by Ron Walters
January 11, 2022 from  Angry Robot
Still reeling from the failure of his last project, videogame developer Peter Banuk is working hard to ensure his next game doesn’t meet the same fate. So when Peter’s tech-genius partner offers him the chance to beta-test a new state-of-the-art virtual reality headset, he jumps at it. But something goes wrong during the trial, and Peter wakes to find himself trapped in an eerily familiar world where his children no longer exist. As the lines between the real and virtual worlds begin to blur, Peter is forced to reckon with what truly matters to him. But can he escape his virtual prison before he loses his family forever?​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

WAHALA by Nikki May
January 11, 2022 from HARPER COLLINS (US), TRANSWORLD PRH (UK)
An incisive and exhilarating debut novel of female friendship following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.

A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.
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Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan​
January 11, 2022 from Harper Voyager
​An enthralling debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother sets her on a dangerous path and pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm. 
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Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

SHIT CASSANDRA SAW by Gwen E. Kirby​​
January 11, 2022 from Penguin Books
Margaret Atwood meets Buffy in these funny, warm, and furious stories of women at their breaking points, from Hellenic times to today.

Cassandra may have seen the future, but it doesn't mean she's resigned to telling the Trojans everything she knows. From "The Best and Only Whore of Cym Hyfryd, 1886" to the "Midwestern Girl Is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories," Kirby is playing and laughing with the women who have come before her and they are telling her, we have always been this way. You just had to know where to look.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

ALL THE SALT IN THE SEA by Tammy L. Harrow
January 11, 2022 from Red Adept
Abby West's goals to become a physician were derailed by an unexpected pregnancy, and after 19 years of being a dutiful wife and mother she discovers her husband's secret - a child from an old affair. Devastated, she flees to her grandmother's hometown on the Amalfi coast, where she meets Daniel Quinn, a former American soldier turned travel photographer. As she travels across Europe with him, she begins to imagine a new life, one without a controlling and unfaithful husband. Empowered by a newfound sense of freedom and courage, Abby returns to St. Augustine to settle things with her husband. But nothing goes as planned, and what awaits may very well destroy her.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS by Anita Kelly
January 18, 2022 from Hachette/Forever
Dahlia Woodson's culinary dreams are coming true. Sure, her marriage ended in a hideous explosion of misery, and she’s quit her job for the gamble of a lifetime, but she's finally a contestant on the cooking show Chef's Special. London Parker is fighting for more than just a cooking title. Not only did they just come out as nonbinary on national television, but this is an opportunity for London to raise some support—and a ton of cash—for the queer community. No pressure. Getting distracted by a tiny and adorable tornado like Dahlia could be disastrous. Can London and Dahlia’s growing relationship take the heat, or are they about to get burned?​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

MUST LOVE BOOKS by Shauna Robinson
January 18, 2022 from Sourcebooks​
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill meets Younger in a heartfelt debut following a young woman who discovers she'll have to ditch the ""dream job"" and write her own story to find her happy ending.

Your next book club read touching on mental health, happiness, and the peaks and perils of being a young woman just trying to figure it all out. Nora Hughes is the perfect heroine for anyone looking to get past their own chapter twenty-something and build their storybook life.
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Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK by Sequoia Nagamatsu
January 18, 2022 from William Morrow/Harper Collins and Bloomsbury
A spellbinding and profoundly prescient debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague—a daring and deeply heartfelt work of mind-bending imagination from a singular new voice. From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, Sequoia Nagamatsu takes readers on a wildly original and compassionate journey, spanning continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the resilience of the human spirit, our infinite capacity to dream, and the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe.​
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

RISE OF THE MAGES by Scott Drakeford
January 25, 2022 from Tor Books
THIS BOOK'S RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN PUSHED TO FEBRUARY 8
Emrael Ire wants nothing more than to test to be a weapons master. His final exam will be a bloody insurrection, staged by corrupt nobles and priests, that enslaves his brother. With the aid of his War Master tutor, herself an undercover mage, Emrael discovers his own latent and powerful talents. To rescue his brother, Emrael must embrace not only his abilities as a warrior but also his place as last of the ancient Mage Kings―for the Fallen God has returned. 
And he is hungry.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

Which books are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments or on social media @22Debuts. 

MUST LOVE BOOKS by Shauna Robinson
January 18, 2022 Sourcebooks
When Nora Hughes landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come  to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist. With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet...and maybe  poach some Parsons authors along the way. But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. 
​Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

SECOND STAR TO THE LEFT by Megan van Dyke
February 15, 2022 City Owl Press
Banished for selling the hottest drug in Neverland—pixie dust, Tinker Bell wants absolution. Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn’t hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his…hook. Captain Hook believes he’s found a real treasure in Tink. That is, until he recovers from her pixie dust laced kiss with a curse that turns the seas against him. With his ship and reputation at the mercy of raging storms, he tracks down the little minx and demands she remove the curse. Too bad she can’t.
​Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

LEASE ON LOVE by Falon Ballard
March 1, 2022 G.P. Putman's Sons
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, Jack has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
​Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

THE ASTRONAUT AND THE STAR by by Jen Comfort
March 1, 2022 Montlake
Astronaut Regina “Reggie” Hayes wants to be the first woman on the moon—it’s all she’s ever dreamed of. But after a PR disaster, Reggie is off the list for a lunar mission. To rehabilitate her reputation with NASA, she agrees to a different kind of assignment: astronaut “training” with a Hollywood action hero. Jon Leo is a charmer. With credits that include an underperforming sitcom and a campy action flick called Space Dude.   Although Reggie and Jon are polar opposites, their mutual attraction is undeniable, and it only takes a few weeks in close quarters for them to give in to its magnetic force. Jon is set on convincing Reggie this is a match made in the heavens, but her future is in space, and his is among stars of the Hollywood kind. The odds of successfully launching a real relationship outside the confines of the training base are anything but optimal.
​Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.

A BRUSH WITH LOVE by Mazy Eddings
March 1, 2022 St. Martin's Griffin
Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable. A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules. So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.
Learn more about this book and where to preorder it here.