School has made me neglect Asian YA for a while now, but now that it's May, one of the best book release months this year in my humble opinion, I decided to launch this new feature. I'll be highlighting book releases I think are especially notable each month. Feel free to contact me with future releases you think are valuable as well, I'll try to cover as many as I can.

May is a really strong month for cute contemporaries, the highly anticipated Flame in the Mist aside, which is amazing considering that cute and fluffy reads are much harder to find with diverse books in general, although 2017 is proving to be a strong year for diverse books. Here are a handful of books that you should keep your eye out for, especially because it is Asian-American History Month!

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han

Published: May 2nd 2017 Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Purchase:  Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to? - Goodreads

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Published: May 2nd 2017 Publisher: Amulet Books Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

It’s the start of Jordan Sun’s junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she’s an Alto 2, which—in the musical theatre world—is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: She has a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation. So it’s no surprise when she gets shut out of the fall musical for the third year straight.

Then the school gets a mass email: A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. Worshiped ... revered ... all male. Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for. - Goodreads

That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim

Published: May 9th 2017 Publisher: HarperTeen Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

Shabnam Qureshi is a funny, imaginative Pakistani-American teen attending a tony private school in suburban New Jersey. When her feisty best friend, Farah, starts wearing the headscarf without even consulting her, it begins to unravel their friendship. After hooking up with the most racist boy in school and telling a huge lie about a tragedy that happened to her family during the Partition of India in 1947, Shabnam is ready for high school to end. She faces a summer of boredom and regret, but she has a plan: Get through the summer. Get to college. Don’t look back. Begin anew.

Everything changes when she meets Jamie, who scores her a job at his aunt’s pie shack, and meets her there every afternoon. Shabnam begins to see Jamie and herself like the rose and the nightingale of classic Urdu poetry, which, according to her father, is the ultimate language of desire. Jamie finds Shabnam fascinating—her curls, her culture, her awkwardness. Shabnam finds herself falling in love, but Farah finds Jamie worrying.

With Farah’s help, Shabnam uncovers the truth about Jamie, about herself, and what really happened during Partition. As she rebuilds her friendship with Farah and grows closer to her parents, Shabnam learns powerful lessons about the importance of love, in all of its forms. - Goodreads

Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist #1) by Renee Ahdieh

Published: May 16th 2017 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known. - Goodreads

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Published: May 30th 201730th 2017 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)Straus and Giroux (BYR) Purchase:  Amazon / Barnes & Noble /

Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and has never had a B in her entire life. She's for sure going to Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation-magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds her answer in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It's a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Rules for True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and fake car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama. - Goodreads

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Published: May 30th 2017 Publisher: Simon Pulse Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. - Goodreads

I wanted to take a moment to showcase some standout titles of 2016. I think this year and on, there have been some excellent additions to the list of books that feature Asians, without reducing characters to flat stock characters, which many Asian characters often end up falling under. I've recruited some friends to rec their favorite books of this year featuring characters of their heritage. All of the following books are #ownvoices and have been vetted by readers of the heritage repped in the books.

Disclaimer: I apologize for the fact that I am not featuring any books that feature West Asian authors/characters in this list. Unfortunately, the YA genre seems to be lacking in that area, and I will do my best to make up for this fact this year, if you read this post and do know of any (and you can vouch for the rep in the book), please don't hesitate to let me know.

East Asia

Heroine Complex* by Sarah Kuhn*

Heroine Complex is classified under the Adult genre, not YA.

Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco's most beloved superheroine. She's great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss's epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants. 

Unfortunately, she's not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea. 

But everything changes when Evie's forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it's up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda's increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right... or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.

You can read my review on Goodreads.

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes. 

On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait with her classmates for their families in a temporary park encampment. Though fires might rage, and the city may be in shambles, Mercy can’t sit by while they wait for the army to bring help—she still has the “bossy” cheeks that mark her as someone who gets things done. But what can one teenage girl do to heal so many suffering in her broken city?

You can read a review by Wendy at Written in Wonder.

South-East Asia

Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz

It feels like there’s no ground beneath me, like everything I’ve ever done has been a lie. Like I’m breaking apart, shattering. Who am I? Where do I belong?

Jasmine de los Santos has always done what’s expected of her. Pretty and popular, she’s studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship. 

And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation. 

For the first time, Jasmine rebels, trying all those teen things she never had time for in the past. Even as she’s trying to make sense of her new world, it’s turned upside down by Royce Blakely, the charming son of a high-ranking congressman. Jasmine no longer has any idea where—or if—she fits into the American Dream. All she knows is that she’s not giving up. Because when the rules you lived by no longer apply, the only thing to do is make up your own.

You can read Sue's review on Hollywood News Source.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

You can read Diep's review on Goodreads.

South Asia

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choski

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire… 

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

Mana wrote a review on Goodreads and you can also read Rashika's review as well.

Review: The Epic Crush of Genie Lo // YES to Angry Asians

Let me just start with: I’m Chinese. And this book has a Chinese main character. And this was my reaction to the book: I loved this book, okay? This book was the combination of my utter asian self, a relatable teen, and EVERYTHING I WANT FROM A YA book. Ergo, this book is good. ★★★★★ {goodreads review} So… I loved this book. Basically, before I read this book I heard about it from bookish…

As all book lovers who thrive on social media or anywhere on the internet, there’s always new books to look forward to, whether they’re a few weeks away, or even a year. While there are dozens of exciting new books to look forward to in the coming year of 2017, I wanted to feature the following books that should be on your radar when it comes to Asian YA. 

Note: This list chooses to focus on books that both feature Asian MCs and Asian authors, whether they’re #ownvoices or not, although the majority of the books listed here are #ownvoices. Those that are not #ownvoices or I am unsure about have been indicated with an asterisk. I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible, and if any titles are missing that fit the above qualifications or I made any errors, please let me know as soon as possible!

East Asia

Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist #1) by Renee Ahdieh*

Dove Alight (Dove Chronicles #3) by Karen Bao

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Along the Indigo by Elsie Chapman

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco*

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Forest #1) by Julie C. Dao*

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han

The Ship Beyond Time (The Girl from Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig

A Place I Belong by Cynthia Kadohata

The November Girl by Lydia Kang

The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

Weaving a Net is Better Than Praying for Fish by Ki-Wing Merlin

The Amaterasu Project by Axie Oh

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Want by Cindy Pon

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

Secrets & Sequences (Secret Coders #3) by Gene Luen Yang

Kokoro (Kojiki #2) by Keith Yatsuhashi

The Emperor’s Riddle by Kat Zhang

South-East Asia

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Girl in Between by Pintip Dunn

Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Not Your Villain (Not Your Sidekick #2) by C.B. Lee

South Asia

Saints, Misfits, Monsters, and Mayhem by S.K. Ali

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski

That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Soulmated (Joining of Souls #1) by Shaila Patel

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi

This Promise I Will Keep by Aisha Saeed

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

West Asia

The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian

Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai

I hope you found some new books to add to your TBR and are excited about the upcoming releases! I, for one, cannot wait to pick these books up and am patiently counting down the days until I get a chance to read them. Stay tuned for the part 2: the non-YA edition for 2017 books, coming soon.

1. Hold Me by Courtney Milan (New Adult)

Amazon // Kobo // iBooks 

2. A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository

1. It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

So this is a new project started by moi (@cammiemorgan) in order to promote Asian diversity in YA. In the past few years I’ve become more and more aware of how non-inclusive YA can be, how blanketed Asians are in books and how incredibly demeaning that is, especially as Asia is the largest continent, with a multitude of rich culture and history. 

Here’s the mission statement for Asian YA:

Welcome to Asian YA, a place that aims to showcase the multitude of YA books that celebrate the authentic and glorious portrayal of teens. We strive to shine a spotlight on both the underrated and well-deserved, in hopes that we will help to satisfy that yearning we all feel to find ourselves in literature.

For the most part, this blog will feature new releases, monthly recommendations, and other various features meant to highlight both Asian authors and characters, in addition to the masterlist of Asian YA books that can be found on the blog. While this blog mainly focuses on YA, New Adult/Adult books may be featured as well, disclaimer included. 

Suggestions to the masterlist are always welcome since the list is still a work in progress and I know there are many gaps(especially with the West Asia category), although books that feature problematic Asian rep will not be added, and corrections are always welcome as well.