{"id":56144,"date":"2025-06-20T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T11:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=56144"},"modified":"2025-06-04T14:19:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T19:19:31","slug":"young-adult-authors-with-adult-debut-novels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/young-adult-authors-with-adult-debut-novels\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Adult Authors with Adult Debut Novels"},"content":{"rendered":"

What authors are you anxiously awaiting their next release? The author at the top of my list is Maggie Stiefvater. Stiefvater<\/a> wrote two of my absolute favorite young adult series: the Raven Cycle<\/a> and the Dreamer Trilogy<\/a>. In September 2024, Stiefvater announced on her website<\/a> that she had written another novel,\u00a0The Listeners<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and that this was her adult debut! *squeals of excitement* This announcement sent me down a rabbit hole: a search for other young adult authors with adult debut novels being released this year. Below you will find a list of five books across genres that fit this criteria! If you have another favorite, let me know in the comments.<\/p>\n

As of this writing, all of these books are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>by Kylie Lee Baker<\/p>\n

In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she\u2019s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.<\/em><\/p>\n

So the bloody messes don\u2019t really bother Cora\u2014she\u2019s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can\u2019t be sure what’s real and what\u2019s in her head.<\/em><\/p>\n

She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can’t ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Cora will soon learn, you can\u2019t just ignore hungry ghosts.<\/em> – MIRA<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Broposal<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Sonora Reyes<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about time roommates Alejandro and Kenny get married. Or at least, that\u2019s what all their close friends and family think when they announce their engagement. The kicker? The two are faking their whole relationship so Alejandro can get a green card. But if Han was going to marry anyone, it would be his ride or die since second grade.<\/em><\/p>\n

Han has never been able to put down roots, and the only one who truly breaks through his walls is Kenny. Sweet, sensitive Kenny is newly single, and what better distraction from his soul-sucking relationship than proposing marriage to Han? Kenny can\u2019t think of anything more fun than spending his life with his best friend, even if it\u2019s just for a piece of paper. But as Kenny keeps up the charade, he\u2019s soon struggling to resist their sizzling chemistry.<\/em><\/p>\n

The line between fact and fiction begins to blur the closer they get to their wedding date. With all eyes on Han and Kenny\u2014including a meddling ex and immigration officers\u2014will these two bros make it down the altar for real?<\/em> – Forever<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>I Think They Love You<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Julian Winters<\/p>\n

With his funny, big-hearted adult rom com debut, bestselling, award-winning YA author Julian Winters shows sometimes fake dating your ex can turn into a second chance.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Denzel \u201cDenz\u201d Carter\u2019s workaholic father and CEO of 24 Carter Gold unexpectedly announces his retirement, the competition is on for who will become his successor. To convince his family members that he\u2019s capable of commitment, Denz impulsively lies about being in a serious relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now Denz needs to find a fake boyfriend to seal the deal on the CEO position. Denz is forced to turn to the last person he wants to be in a pretend (or any) relationship with: Braylon, the man who broke his heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

Braylon\u2019s sudden reappearance in Denz\u2019s life turns everything upside down. But, apparently, he needs Denz\u2019s connections to the mayor to win his own promotion. So, they strike a deal. It\u2019s all business until the funny texts and the confusing kisses leave Denz struggling to separate this temporary arrangement from the affairs of his heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

I Think They Love You is a celebration of love, queer communities, big families\u2014in all their beautiful complications\u2014 healing, and, most importantly, falling in love with the person you\u2019re becoming.<\/em> – St. Martin’s Griffin<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>The Listeners<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Maggie Stiefvater<\/p>\n

January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society\u2019s troubles.<\/em><\/p>\n

Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel\u2019s aristocratic owners, have trained her well. But when the family heir makes a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats, June must persuade her staff\u2014many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the front lines\u2014to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile FBI Agent Tucker Minnick, whose coal tattoo hints at an Appalachian past, presses his ears to the hotel\u2019s walls, listening for the diplomats\u2019 secrets. He has one of his own, which is how he knows that June\u2019s balancing act can have dangerous consequences: the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal.<\/em><\/p>\n

June has never met a guest she couldn\u2019t delight, but the diplomats are different. Without firing a single shot, they have brought the war directly to her. As clashing loyalties crack the Avallon\u2019s polished veneer, June must calculate the true cost of luxury.<\/em> – Viking<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Matchmaker<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Aisha Saeed<\/p>\n

Business has never been better for Nura Khan, a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta. Her exclusive clientele benefits from her impeccable track record. And while a single thirty-one-year-old matchmaker would normally raise some perfectly threaded eyebrows in the community, Nura\u2019s childhood best friend, Azar, is willing to double as her pretend fianc\u00e9 at her clients\u2019 weddings\u2014even though Nura\u2019s feelings for him might not be so pretend.<\/em><\/p>\n

But all that glitters isn\u2019t gold. While it\u2019s not uncommon to get the occasional hate mail from rejected prospective clients, Nura is blindsided after a couple\u2019s carefully constructed wedding implodes, the first in a cascading chain of suspicious and increasingly terrifying events. Someone is taking things too far, and with Azar and her matchmaking team by her side, Nura embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens not only her safety but everything she\u2019s worked so hard to build.<\/em> – Bantam<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What authors are you anxiously awaiting their next release? The author at the top of my list is Maggie Stiefvater. Stiefvater wrote two of my absolute favorite young adult series: the Raven Cycle and the Dreamer Trilogy. In September 2024, Stiefvater announced on her website that she had written another[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[10041,10048,10039,5808,10044,10045,10040,6347,5019,10043,10042,10046,10047,6624],"class_list":["post-56144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reference","tag-adult-debut","tag-aisha-saeed","tag-bat-eater-and-other-names-for-cora-zeng","tag-debut","tag-i-think-they-love-you","tag-julian-winters","tag-kylie-lee-baker","tag-maggie-stiefvater","tag-novel","tag-sonora-reyes","tag-the-broposal","tag-the-listeners","tag-the-matchmaker","tag-young-adult-fiction"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-eBy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56144"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57256,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56144\/revisions\/57256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}