Hey YA

Book Riot

4.4 (172)
BOOKS
UPDATED WEEKLY

From great new books to favorite classic reads, from news to the latest in on-screen adaptations, Hey YA is here to elevate the exciting world of young adult lit.

10/08/2025

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: This Is Our Last Episode

Kelly and Erica look back on 8 years of Hey YA, highlighting their favorite (and messy!) YA moments, their most memorable episodes, and some YA books they think deserve more attention. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! Memorable Moments: Hey YA episode “Podcasting While Eating Chocolate Cake” Hey YA episode “I See a Cat, I Like It” How YA Twitter Took Down a Best-Seller Pretender The Blues Traveler Story The Worst Bestsellers Episode on Handbook for Mortals “A History of Buying Books Onto the Bestseller List” Hey YA episode "I'm Optimistic Because It Saved My Life" Noor.org Books Discussed: East by Edith Pattou Frost by Marianna Baer Invisible Son by Kim Johnson The Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic by Yi Shun Lai The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros 13 Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby Aya by Marguerite Abouet The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 4m
09/24/2025

Colombo Had the Right Idea: Interviews with Author Mariko Tamaki, Illustrator Nicole Goux and Author Hannah V. Sawyerr

In the first half of this two-part episode, Erica goes back in time to the late '80s with Mariko Tamaki's and Nicole Goux's sapphic murder mystery This Place Kills Me. Next, Kelly Jensen speaks to Hannah V. Sawyerr about her novel-in-verse Truth Is. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! Show Notes: This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Nicole Goux Nicole Goux's current reading list: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Audiobook), The Corus Wave by Karenza Sparks Mariko Tamaki's current reading list: Collected Millar by Margaret Millar, My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Follow Mariko Tamaki on Instagram and Nicolce Goux on Instagram The Turnaway Study Brave New Voices When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo Plan A by Deb Caletti Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann Find Hannah V. Sawyerr on Instagram and TikTok. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 13m
09/10/2025

That Was Extremely Libra of You: September's Best New YA Releases

Kelly and Erica highlight the best of September's new YA books, including some feminist nonfiction, thrilling mysteries, goth-y fun, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! Show Notes: Self-Silencing Is Making Women Sick Twilight Will Be Back in Theaters This October The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez YA Novels in Verse for 2025 Truth Is by Hanna V. Sawyerr Arm in Arm: The Grimke Sisters' Fight for Abolition and Women' s Rights by Angelica Shirley Carpenter Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America by Deborah Heiligman You’ve Goth My Heart by L.C. Rosen By Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven The Secret History by Donna Tartt Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis Through Our Teeth by Pamela N. Harris Who’s All Going (To Die)? by Lisa Springer If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

55 min
08/27/2025

All Thrills, No Chill: New YA Books for Spooky Season, Plus an Interview With Author Candace Fleming

Erica highlights some new YA genre-bending thrillers and Kelly talks with YA author Candace Fleming about her latest book, Death in the Jungle, as well as cults and YA nonfiction. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Show Notes: The Devil's in the Dancers by Catherine Yu Roar of the Lambs by Jamison Shea When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur Empty Heaven by Freddie Kölsch Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming "What Makes for Good YA Nonfiction" from School Library Journal Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed Cultish by Amanda Montell The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams Underground by Haruki Murakami A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

58 min
08/13/2025

Anywhere There's a Court, There's Mess: New YA Books For August

Kelly and Erica discuss the latest media they've been consuming and the YA books coming out in August that they're most excited about. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed: Tin House Workshop Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith A Beautiful and Terrible Murder by Claire M. Andrews Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai The L.O.V.E. Club by Lio Min White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum The Next Generation United Daughters of the Confederacy: Book Censorship News, April 28, 2023 Tall Water by SJ Sindu, Dion MBD Rosa By Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Nicole Goux What Hunger by Catherine Dang Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

54 min
07/30/2025

Interview with Frederick Joseph (THIS THING OF OURS), Plus Queer YA Graphic Novels

Erica talks queer YA graphic novels you should read and Kelly speaks with author and activist Frederick Joseph. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed: The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag Daybreak Volume One by Moosopp The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 by Mokumokuren, Ajani Oloye (Translator) The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen Brooms By Jasmine Walls, Teo Duvall (Illustrator) This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph Ruin Road by Lamar Giles Hey YA interview with Lamar Giles Dwyane Wade The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir On the Come Up by Angie Thomas The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 24 Seconds From Now . . . by Jason Reynolds Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas Nic Stone Gayle Forman Ibi Zoboi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 1m
07/16/2025

Tiny Dragons & Giant Cats

Danika joins Kelly this week to talk about exciting new YA books that hit shelves in June and July, as well as to talk the best YA books of 2025 so far. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. News: Best YA books of 2025 So Far Trailer for Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All The Best has dropped We Were Liars released to Prime, The Summer I Turned Pretty Season Three is releasing its first two episodes on Prime July 16, and the animated take on Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan is dropping on Netflix July 10. Marissa Meyer’s “The Lunar Chronicles” is being adapted for animation in fall 2028. Books Discussed: On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju Love Points to You by Alice Lin "The Complicated World of YA Books for Younger Teens" "Do Teens Get Pushed Out of YA Books When It’s Called A Genre?" (S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi Hear Us Out by Nancy Garden The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden Wednesday The Haunting of Hill HouseCall Your Boyfriend by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by CB Lee Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero, illustrated by Claudia Aguirre Ana of California by Andi Teran Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli Hit Me with Your Best Charm by Lillie Vale The Tournament by Rebecca Barrow This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins Not So Shoujo Love Story, Volume 1 by Curryuku Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

58 min
07/02/2025

History and Politics in YA Fiction with L.M. Elliott

Kelly talks with YA author L.M. Elliott about historical fiction, Watergate, and contemporary politics for teens. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed: Truth, Lies, and The Questions In Between by L.M. Elliott Walls by L.M. Elliott The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The West Wing Hamilton Suspect Red by L.M. Elliott Truth, Lies, and The Questions In Between Playlist L.M. Elliott's blog Mrs. America Countdown by Deborah Wiles (series) This Promise of Change by Debbie Levy Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen (Don't) Call Me Crazy edited by Kelly JEnsen A Dangerous Idea by Debbie Levy Bluebird by Sharon Cameron The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

52 min

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TRAILER

Welcome To Hey YA

From great new books to favorite classic reads, from news to the latest in on-screen adaptations, the Hey YA podcast is here to elevate the exciting world of young adult lit. Join hosts Kelly Jensen and Sarah Hannah Gómez on Wednesdays for recommendations, news, and lots of discussion about all things YA! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10/29/2020

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3 min

4.4

out of 5

172 Ratings

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12/05/2024

Luffy D monkey 45

Could you do some book recommendations of ace and aro books I have a hard time finding those.
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01/14/2024

Blayzerlazer1

I love podcast. This is so cool.
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02/11/2024

Dogperson431

I could barely understand what they were saying so I got very confused. Also I don’t like ads in podcasts, so I immediately stopped listening after about five minutes.
Recommendations you won’t find anywhere else

03/17/2021

Everyone_And_No-one

I am an avid YA reader, and sometimes I get sick of BookTube, Epic Reads, and other online bookish spaces because they recommend the same, mostly white, books on rotation. When I discovered this podcast, I found so many new recommendations in the first episode I listened to alone. Kelly and Eric (and now Kelly and Sarah) KNOW YA, and they KNOW indie books. In every episode, I find new reads that not only fit my reading tastes but are fantastic titles that are not getting nearly enough attention. For example, I picked up The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls a few years ago based on Kelly’s recommendation, and I still swoon over the book to this day. If Kelly hadn’t recommended it, I wouldn’t have picked it up and I would have missed out on my favorite read of that summer. If you are looking for recommendations that aren’t the 5 “hot” new titles being publicized that you’ve already read, PLEASE listen to this phenomenal podcast. Also, and this won’t persuade you to listen, but the hosts and I have similar reading tastes and bookish-sphere topics that interest us and it makes me happy :)

From great new books to favorite classic reads, from news to the latest in on-screen adaptations, Hey YA is here to elevate the exciting world of young adult lit.