15 must-read YA book releases that will make staying inside a little easier this May

Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe by Sarah Mlynowski

With so much uncertainty about what’s in store for us this summer, it’ll be nice to fall into a lighthearted story about a summer romance. Sarah Mlynowski is bringing us just that in her latest release, Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe. 

The book follows Sam, whose boyfriend ditched her in favor of taking a backpacking trip across Europe for the summer. (I mean, can we blame him?) By comparison, her summer is looking positively dreadful — especially since she’s becoming a camp counselor at Camp Blue Springs, the very place she swore she’d never return … but, here she is.

Things begin to look up, however, when she meets the camp’s sailing instructor, Gavin. From the way the synopsis paints him, Gavin is just about everything a girl could dream of:

"“Gavin may have gotten the job just for his abs. Or that smile. Or the way he fills Sam’s free time with thrilling encounters—swimming under a cascade of stars, whispering secrets over s’mores, embarking on one (very precarious) canoe ride after dark.”"

Torn between Gavin and Eli, Sam will have to confront herself and make some difficult choices — but those choices seem likely to help her discover herself in the process. A tale of summer fun and coming of age, Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe is the type of YA rom-com we love to sink into when the weather gets nice — and we’re willing to bet we’re not the only ones.

Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe will be available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats starting May 19.