21 exciting new YA book releases arriving in the summer of 2021

Of Princes and Promises – Sandhya Menon

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, comes a second installment in a brand-new series set an elite boarding school that’s a contemporary spin on fairy tales. But where the series’ first novel updated the tale of Beauty and the Beast,  this one is a delightful, romantic twist on The Frog Prince.

Of  Princes and Promises follows the story of another pair of St. Rosetta’s Academy students, Caterina Lavall and Rahul Chopra, both of whom appeared in more limited roles in Of Princesses and Promises.  Here, Caterina is desperate to prove that she’s still the queen bee of the Academy after her boyfriend cheats on her, and, with the help of a little maybe magical hair gel, she turns the charming but socially awkward Rahul into a debonair dream man.

But when he turns out to like his social standing as “RC” a little too much – could Rahul give up everything, including a shot with the girl he’s loved for years – to change his fate?

The official synopsis provides much greater detail about the story.

"Caterina LaValle is determined to show she’s still the queen of St. Rosetta’s Academy. Sure, her crown may be slightly askew after her ex-boyfriend, Alaric, cheated on her, but she’s a LaValle. She’ll find a way to march right back in there, her hands clutching the strings to the whole puppet show. This time, she’s going to be untouchable. Rahul Chopra knows that moment he shared with Caterina LaValle at the winter formal meant something. Surely she feels it, too. He’s a little uncertain how someone like him (socially inept to a point way past “adorkable”) could fit into her world, but he’s loved Caterina for years. He knows they’ll find a way. When Caterina finds out Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she cannot arrive without the perfect date. But the thought of taking another superficial St. R’s boy exhausts her. The solution? Sweet-but-clueless Rahul Chopra and a mysterious pot of hair gel with the power to alter the wearer into whatever his heart desires. When Rahul tries it, he transforms instantly into RC—debonair, handsome, and charming. But transformation comes with a price: As Rahul enjoys his new social standing, the line between his two personas begins to blur. Will he give up everything, including Caterina, to remain RC? Or will this unlikely pair find their way back to each other?"

Of Princes and Promises is available on June 8.