12 must-read August YA book releases to close out your summer

The Companion – Katie Allender

Gothic YA novels aren’t exactly what you might call commonplace, which is what makes the latest novel from the author of Bad Girls Don’t Die and The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall so exciting.

The Companion follows the story of sixteen-year-old Margot Radegan, who recently survived a  terrible car accident that killed her parents and sister. When an old family friend of her farther’s offers to take her in, the other orphans at their group home are jealous. But there’s a catch: Margot must serve as a companion to John and Laura Sutton’s daughter Agatha, whose mysterious illness has rendered her unresponsive and left her without speech.

At first, things aren’t so bad – Margot generally likes the Suttons, working out a communication system with Agatha and even crushing on her brother, Barrett. But the family’s ancestral house holds many secrets and much is not as it seems.

The official synopsis offers up a few more details.

"The other orphans say Margot is lucky. Lucky to survive the horrible accident that killed her family. Lucky to have her own room because she wakes up screaming every night. And finally, lucky to be chosen by a prestigious family to live at their remote country estate. But it wasn’t luck that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak existence at the group home. Margot was handpicked to be a companion to their silent, mysterious daughter, Agatha. At first, helping with Agatha–and getting to know her handsome older brother–seems much better than the group home. But soon, the isolated, gothic house begins playing tricks on Margot’s mind, making her question everything she believes about the Suttons . . . and herself."

The Companion is available on August 25.

What are you planning on adding to your TBR pile this August? Let us know in the comments!