It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten 2017 Debuts I’m Excited For. Without repeating any titles from my Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017 list, I’ve compiled the debut releases I’m most intrigued by and excited for below. Now for someone who is very picky about contemporary, I sure do have A LOT of contemporary titles below so I’m really hoping that these deliver. Only time will tell. Okay, here we go!

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Genre: YA Mystery Thriller

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
 
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
    Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
    Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
    Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
    Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
    And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
 
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Poison’s Kiss by Breeana Shields (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: January 10, 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

A teenage assassin kills with a single kiss until she is ordered to kill the one boy she loves. This commercial YA fantasy is romantic and addictive like– a poison kiss– and will thrill fans of Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Aveyard.

Marinda has kissed dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It s a miserable life, but being a visha kanya a poison maiden is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a weapon.

Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She begins to question who she s really working for. And that is a thread that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.

This rich, surprising, and accessible debut is based in Indian folklore and delivers a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: August 29, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

There’s a box in the back of Audrey’s closet that she rarely thinks about.

Inside is a letter, seventeen years old, from a mother she’s never met, handed to her by the woman she’s called Mom her whole life.

Being adopted, though, is just one piece in the puzzle of Audrey’s life—the picture painstakingly put together by Audrey herself, consisting not only of the greatest family ever but of a snarky, loyal, sometimes infuriating best friend, Rose; a sweet, smart musician boyfriend, Julian; and a beloved camera that turns the most fleeting moments of her day-to-day routine into precious, permanent memories.

But when Audrey realizes that she’s pregnant, she feels something—a tightly sealed box in the closet corners of her heart—crack open, spilling her dormant fears and unanswered questions all over the life she loves.

Almost two decades ago, a girl in Audrey’s situation made a choice, one that started Audrey’s entire story. Now Audrey is paralyzed by her own what-ifs and terrified by the distance she feels growing between her and Rose. Down every possible path is a different unfamiliar version of her life, and as she weighs the options in her mind, she starts to wonder—what does it even mean to be Audrey Spencer?

Rebecca Barrow’s bright, honest debut novel about chance, choice, and unconditional love is a heartfelt testament to creating the future you truly want, one puzzle piece at a time.

You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: March 7, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

If Birds Fly Back by Carlie Sorosiak (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: June 27, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

A sparkling debut about love, family, and the mysteries of the universe.

Linny has been fascinated by disappearances, ever since her sister Grace ran away in the middle of the night without saying goodbye.

Sebastian can tell you how many galaxies there are, and knows how much plutonium weighs. But the one thing he can’t figure out is the identity of his birth father.

They’ve never met, but Linny and Sebastian have one thing in common: an obsession with famous novelist and filmmaker Alvaro Herrera, who went missing three years ago and has just reappeared. As they learn more about the mystery of Alvaro, Linny and Sebastian uncover the answers they’ve been searching for.

With humor and heart, debut author Carlie Sorosiak weaves a story of finding people who leave and loving those who stay, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Emery Lord.

And We’re Off by Dana Schwartz (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

Seventeen-year-old Nora Holmes is an artist, a painter from the moment she could hold a brush. She inherited the skill from her grandfather, Robert, who’s always nurtured Nora’s talent and encouraged her to follow her passion. Still, Nora is shocked and elated when Robert offers her a gift: an all-expenses-paid summer trip to Europe to immerse herself in the craft and to study history’s most famous artists. The only catch? Nora has to create an original piece of artwork at every stop and send it back to her grandfather. It’s a no-brainer: Nora is in!

Unfortunately, Nora’s mother, Alice, is less than thrilled about the trip. She worries about what the future holds for her young, idealistic daughter and her opinions haven’t gone unnoticed. Nora couldn’t feel more unsupported by her mother, and in the weeks leading up to the trip, the women are as disconnected as they’ve ever been. But seconds after saying goodbye to Alice at the airport terminal, Nora hears a voice call out: “Wait! Stop! I’m coming with you!”

COVERS COMING SOON

Devils Within by S.F. Henson (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: September 5, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

Nate grew up at The Fort, a white supremacist compound. He was eight the first time he stabbed someone; he was eleven when he earned his red laces—a prize for spilling blood for “the cause.” And he was fourteen when he murdered his father (and the leader of The Fort) in self-defense, landing in a treatment center while the state searched for his next of kin. And now, in the custody of an uncle he never knew existed, who wants nothing to do with him, Nate just wants to disappear.

Enrolled in a new school under a false name, so no one “back home” can find him, he struggles to forge a new life, trying to learn how to navigate a world where racism is not acceptable. But he can’t stop the racist thoughts from popping into his head, or help the way he shivers with a desire to commit violence. He wants to change—he just doesn’t know where to start.

And then he meets Brandon, the first person to treat him like a person instead of a monster. The person he would have made pay for the color of his skin in his old life. Brandon could never understand Nate’s dark past, so Nate keeps quiet. And it works for a while. But all too soon, his worlds crash together, and he must decide between his own survival and standing for what’s right, even if it isn’t easy. Even if society will never be able to forgive him for his sins.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: October 17, 2017

Genre: YA Contemporary

Dear Martin (aka, Dr. King),
Quick intro: Justyce McAllister, 17 years old, senior and full-scholarship student at the “prestigious” Braselton Preparatory Academy. I’m the debate Team captain, ranked fourth in my class, and despite growing up in a “bad” area, I have a bright future ahead of me.
Sadly, during the wee hours of this morning, literally none of that mattered. Long story short, I tried to do a good deed and wound up in handcuffs.
It shook me, Martin. I need to pay more attention. I wanna try to live like you. Do what you would do. See where it gets me.
—Justyce McAllister

Justyce McAllister is top of his class at Braselton Prep, captain of the debate team, and set for an Ivy League school next year—but, none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. He’s eventually released without charges (or an apology) but the incident rattles him. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood, he can’t seem to escape the scorn of his former peers or the attitude of his new classmates. The only exception: Sarah Jane, Justyce’s gorgeous—and white—debate partner he wishes he didn’t have a thing for.

Justyce has long studied the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But do they hold up in 21st century America? He starts a journal “to” Dr. King to sort things out.

But then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up. Way up. Much to the fury of the white, off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. And Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fall-out that follows, it’s Justyce who is under attack.

Raw, revealing, and utterly riveting, Nic Stone boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Mirage by Somaiya Daud (Add it to Goodreads)

Release Date: November 6, 2017

Genre: YA Sci-fi/Fantasy

A YA fantasy/SF trilogy inspired by the author’s Moroccan background, in which a poor girl from an isolated moon must become the body double to the cruel imperial princess, and learns that life in the royal palace is far more dangerous and complicated than she imagined.

What 2017 debuts are you most excited for?