Hey YA

Hey YA

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.

Episodes

October 8, 2025 63 mins
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 fav...
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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 autu...
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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 fro...
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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...
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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 vid...
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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 ne...
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July 16, 2025 58 mins
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-...
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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 ...
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We're revisiting a fantastic interview from earlier this year! Kelly talks with YA author and children’s literature champion Jason Reynolds about his career, writing the inner lives of teen boys, his favorite middle grade and YA books, 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! This content contains affiliate li...
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It's a YA blast-from-the-past meets popular-still-for-a-reason this week. Kelly talks with E. Lockhart about the We Were Liars adaptation, and Erica talks with Rioter Danika Ellis about the 10th anniversary of Nimona. 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! Show Notes: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Family of Liars by ...
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Erica goes over a nice mix of new YA books by AAPI authors, while Kelly has a great convo with Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia, authors of the new rom-com On Again, Awkward Again. 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 to level up your reading life? Become a Book Riot All Access member and explore our full l...
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Erica shares a few new books to start the month off with. Then, we revisit a great past episode where Kelly and Erica discuss the first book of the super-popular 1980s/1990s series Sweet Valley High. We also find out who is more of a Jessica/Elizabeth. 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 to level up your read...
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Erica gets into some cutesy/cozy YA books, and Kelly speaks to Huda Fahmy about her fictionalized memoir series. 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! Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to ...
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Kelly and Erica discuss their most anticipated YA books coming out in April. 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! Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match ...
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Erica gets into some new YA graphic novels that she's excited about, and Kelly interviews YA author Ava Reid about her latest release, the art of homage, and being a life-long Hunger Games fan. 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! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 ta...
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Kelly and Erica share their picks for the best YA books coming out in March and get into a little adaptation news and horror. 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! Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000...
Mark as Played
Kelly and Erica discuss the first book of the super-popular 1980s/1990s series Sweet Valley High. We also find out who is more of a Jessica/Elizabeth. 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! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To g...
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Kelly talks with New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman about her new book, about the afterlife, and about the growth and evolution of YA as a category. 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! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading hori...
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Kelly and Erica talk about the YA books out in February they're most excited about...and maybe a demon or two. 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! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign u...
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Kelly and Erica discuss a mega list of the best YA books of 2024, the romance bookstore boom of the last few years, and our current book club pick. 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! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get ...
Mark as Played

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