Welcome to another edition of Must Read Monday! This feature is where I spotlight current and/or upcoming releases I am looking forward to. The lists will include all genres I like to read, everything from picture books to comics, children’s lit to adult fiction!

This week I am featuring upcoming young adult releases from C.K. Kelly Martin and Robin Stevenson:

Delicate by C.K. Kelly Martin
Expected publication: November 6, 2015 by COR (*updated release date as per Chapters.ca)
Book Description:

Ivy’s seemingly perfect, master-of-social-causes boyfriend breaks it off in the school hallway before their final exam. So much for love. It turns out Jeremy wants to get good and laid by someone new over summer vacation, before they both head off to different universities in the fall. At her grandmother’s seventy-fifth birthday party, Ivy is in no mood to socialize. In fact, she’s downright delicate. Unfortunately, sixteen-year-old Lucan’s peanut allergy reaction happens right in front of her eyes. As Ivy keeps him company the two realize they’re second cousins who haven’t seen each other in six years due to a mysterious family feud. The old drama is the last thing on Lucan’s mind. He has more immediate problems, like his mom’s noisy playtime activities with her brash younger boyfriend. On top of that, Lucan’s a constant witness to his best friend’s toxic relationship, which he begins to suspect has become abusive. As the weeks pass, Lucan and Ivy’s summer seems more like a minefield of disastrous events — but at least they have their developing friendship with each other to count on. Or is that what’s really going on?

C.K. Kelly Martin’s The Sweetest Thing You Can Sing was one of my favourite YA’s of 2014, so I am really looking forward to read the Canadian author’s newest contemporary title. Martin’s writing is beautiful, clear and affecting, and no holds-barred when it comes to talking about grittier or uncomfortable teenage issues.

The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson
Expected publication: September 8, 2015 by Orca Book Publishers
Book Description:

Wolf’s mother is obsessed with saving the world’s honeybees, so it’s not too surprising when she announces that she’s taking her Save the Bees show on the road—with the whole family. Wolf thinks it’s a terrible plan, and not just because he’ll have to wear a bee costume—in public. He likes his alternative school and hates the idea of missing weeks of classes. His teenage stepsister doesn’t want to leave her boyfriend, and one of his little half sisters has stopped talking altogether, but Wolf’s mom doesn’t seem to notice. She’s convinced that the world is doomed unless ordinary people take extraordinary action. It isn’t until the kids take some drastic action of their own that she is forced to listen when Wolf tells her that dragging the family around the province in a beat-up Ford panel van may not be the best idea she ever had.

Canadian author Robin Stevenson has another contemporary YA coming out! I am a big fan of Stevenson’s work; her novels (Escape Velocity, The World Without Us & more ) read as genuine and moving; her characters relatable, imperfect and determined. If you’re a fan of Susan Juby, Susin Nielsen or similar authors, then I would recommend diving into Stevenson’s work. The Summer We Saved the Bees is high on my fall must-reads!