New year, new books: 15 YA releases to watch out for this January

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson

If the gorgeous cover and intriguing title aren’t enough to draw you toward Shaun David Hutchinson’s A Complicated Love Story Set in Space, the “Black Mirror meets What If It’s Us” comparison might just do the trick. From the author who wrote We Are the Ants, this romantic science-fiction story sounds like the perfect genre-bender to kick off the year.

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space opens with the book’s main character, Noa, suddenly waking up on a spaceship — unfortunately, one that’s about ready to blow up. He isn’t the only one to suddenly find himself on the Qriosity though; two teens named DJ and Jenny are also there and also lacking any memories as to how they got there.

There are plenty of dangers to contend with in space, but Hutchinson isn’t going to let readers off the hook when it comes to the coming-of-age aspects of the story. Because amidst all the traversing through space and coming across aliens, Noa falls in love with DJ — and that opens up a whole other can of worms:

"“Together, the three face all the dangers of space, along with murder, aliens, a school dance, and one really, really bad day. But none of this can prepare Noa for the biggest challenge — falling in love. And as Noa’s feelings for DJ deepen, he has to contend not just with the challenges of the present, but also with his memories of the past. However, nothing is what it seems on Qriosity, and the truth will upend all of their lives forever.”"

Seriously, A Complicated Love Story Set in Space sounds bananas, and nothing should sound bananas after the past year. Dive into this sci-fi/romance mix when it arrives on January 19.