The Echo of Empires by Shameen Abubakar (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Soha Khosrani knows how to make a deal.
Born and bred in Joot — a crowded port city teeming with gang lords, bureaucrats, and heiresses — Soha is an upstart tailor with an unhealthy appetite for risk who falls somewhere in between all of the above. On the cusp of the biggest deal in this back alley orphan’s career, a fiery beast of legend named Rostam destroys Soha’s precious tailor shop. Awoken from a thousand year banishment, Rostam has returned, furious at his siblings for trapping him, and now bound to Soha through a ring from her childhood.
Soha’s past then storms onto her doorstep when her assassin half-sister and childhood-nemesis-turned-pirate return to Joot, bound to Rostam’s brother and sister. In order to break the dangerous link, the three former street rats and their monstrous counterparts must crash the Royal Wedding and steal the only object that could free them from one another. On their way, they confront the past that ties them all together, whilst also uncovering a history that could unravel an empire built on carefully gilded secrets.
All Soha knows is that being tied to a monster is not good for business, so Joot’s Merchant of Death will do whatever it takes to return to her life of sin and sequins. Even if that means making a deal with the devil.
February 16th
How to Be A Heartbreaker by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíde and Adiba Jaigirdar (Feiwel and Friends) - previously titled Suite Scent of Sabotage, moved from May 2025, August 2026 and January 2027.
In this contemporary romance by bestselling authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar, a hotel heiress and the son of a caterer develop feelings for each other as his family works to cater a big celebrity wedding and she secretly works to put a stop to the wedding.
For Karim Zaman, life is like the Bollywood movies he loves watching with his nanu. Sure, his family runs a catering/divorce/funeral business, but he still gets caught up in the movies’ big dance numbers and sweeping declarations of love. He can’t believe it when his family is hired to cater the wedding of a famous Bollywood actress to and Afrobeats superstar. And with Karim’s family struggling to make ends meet ever since his father’s death, this wedding would be life-changing for them. Things cannot go wrong.
Nairobi Yusef may be the heir to a large hotel fortune, but her life is nothing like a movie. She spends most of her time in the London branch of her dad’s hotel chain alone and unsure what to do with herself. And with the way she’s seen relationships crash and burn, she’s not exactly looking forward to her cousin Musa’s—or Oga Suya as his fans know him—wedding. When she overhears something that makes it clear his fiancé has ulterior motives, Nairobi realizes this wedding cannot happen.
With multiple pre-wedding events leading up to the big day, the two teens’ paths keep crossing while Nairobi works to keep her cousin from saying I do (unbeknownst to anyone) and Karim works to make sure things go perfectly. They may be focused on the wedding, but they can’t help notice their growing feelings for one another. Will Nairobi’s meddling with the impending wedding tear them apart? Or will they get their sweet Bollywood movie ending?
When a Tiger Flies by Susie Yi (Roaring Brook Press) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2025, August 2026 and January 2027.
Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook has acquired, in a preempt, to Susie Yi 's debut YA graphic novel When a Tiger Flies, which follows a 16-year-old Korean-American prodigy as she attends her first year at Harvard. A daughter of a "Tiger Mom," Ara is far from her overprotective family and struggles with school, friendships, and a toxic first love, and discovers that she herself is a tiger too—strong, fierce, and resilient. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Kathleen Ortiz at KO Media Management sold world English rights.
Every Room a Hunger by Nino Cipri (Henry Holt)
February 9th
Should I Stay or Should You Go? by Kyle Lukoff (Dial Books) - moved from October 2026.
From award-winning author Kyle Lukoff comes an emotionally charged and unexpectedly funny not-quite-love story, set against the backdrop of college orientation
For Thomas, matriculating at Erikson, the storied Ivy League University on New York’s Upper West Side, is about more than trading in small-town Vermont for life in the big city. It’s about returning to the place he was born, walking the same streets his late uncle did in his early 20s, and finally, finallygetting a chance to ditch the “nice trans boy” persona he’s been carrying since coming out in middle school. Not that Thomas isn’t nice or trans, but he longs to be just one of the guys, another face in the crowd.
Blending in has never been Annabelle’s aim, but ever since her most recent (and most disastrous) breakup, she’s been counting down the days until she can escape Seattle’s claustrophobic queer scene for the relative anonymity of NYC. No one at Gilman College, or its sibling school Erikson, knows anything about Annabelle or her exes. It’s the perfect fresh start, and this time, everything will be different.
When Thomas and Annabelle meet, their connection is electric. Neither one can believe they’ve found someone so perfect before classes even start. But as the heady thrill of new love (and lust) begins to fade, both teens will discover that what you think you want isn’t always what you need.
Seeing Starlight by Myisha Haynes (First Second) - YA graphic novel, previously titled Humanities 1010 and moved from 2024. Description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Hakeem is skeptical about the existence of anything supernatural, so what happens when he falls for a boy who might not be human? This solo debut combines the sweet romance of Crumbs with the supernatural fun of The Witch Boy, perfect for teens looking for a paranormal, romantic, high school story.
"There's no such thing as Aliens."
At least, that's what Hakeem thinks. Which sucks for him, because he’s about to attend Black Birch High, a school specializing in everything paranormal. To make matters worse, his childhood friend seems to hate him, and he's failing UFOlogy.
Then he meets Yuhit, his handsome classmate who's excited about everything, and is willing to help Hakeem study. Things start off great but despite the crush that Hakeem definitely is developing, there's something off about Yuhit that holds him back. But is that because of Hakeem's cynicism and trust issues, or because there's something Yuhit is hiding from him?
As otherworldly events begin to transpire, and rumors fly of strange creatures prowling the town, will Hakeem even believe what his eyes are seeing?
February 23rd
Infernally Yours by Kylie Lee Baker (Feiwel and Friends) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
A teenage girl must compete against her wealthy cousins for the hand of the Prince of Hell in order to win an inheritance and save themselves from being stuck as yokai forever in this young adult romance inspired by Japanese folklore.
A normal girl would’ve wept over her grandmother's coffin at her funeral, and hugged her family tightly as they mourned. But Sakura Smith is not a normal girl. And this is not a normal family. On the day of her estranged grandmother’s death, all of Sakura’s family turned into Yokai, creatures from Japanese folklore. Now Sakura not only has to deal with her rich, entitled cousins, but she also has to manage her newly sentient hair and the eternally hungry mouth that has suddenly appeared on the back of her head.
But Grandma Kojima didn’t leave them without options. In order to regain their human forms, all they need to do is make sure someone in their family marries Benjiro, the teenage Prince of Hell. And to sweeten the deal, Grandma Kojima added an extra clause: whichever cousin marries Benjiro will receive ALL of her inheritance. Spurred by their greedy parents, Sakura’s cousins immediately jump at the chance to get their hands on Grandma Kojima’s massive estate.
Sakura knows she needs that money more than any of her wealthy family members, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the altar. But will she be able to keep it together when she starts getting real feelings for the sweet, kind Benjiro?
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