A Haunted Local Hotel, Fantasy Heists, and More New YA Books for July 29, 2026

We won’t be feeling any coolness in the air for quite some time, but as the end of July approaches, it’s hard not to start thinking about back-to-school season. Where I’m at, the kids go back on August 12, which is really dang early; usually, they don’t go back until much later in August. Despite the heat and the long days with jam-packed weekends, my brain has had to shift into school year mode again–and that also means thinking about the ways we’ll see fall start to emerge in the world of YA releases. For the final week of July, there are quite a few new releases to be found. This hasn’t been typical, but it is welcome. There’s something for every kind of reader this week, ranging from the first Barbie novel to a horror novel to whet the reading appetites of those who, like me, are already building up stellar scary-read TBRs for the coming season. This week also brings with it another dual release title, continuing in the fashion of many YA books over the last year. Again, picking what format you get your book in when it releases is such a win for readers. Whether you’re preparing for a change in routine and season right now or you’re enjoying several more weeks of summer-as-summ...