A Quick Guide to YA Books
If you’ve never browsed the YA section of a bookstore, you’re missing out! Young adult literature has something for every kind of reader, whether you’re a teenager searching for a relatable romance or an adult yearning to escape into a fantastical world. Find all your questions about YA answered and discover our favorite titles in this quick guide.
What Are YA Books?
YA, or “young adult,” is not a genre—it’s a moniker used to determine the intended age range for a story. YA novels tackle more adult themes and content than middle-grade or chapter books. These stories typically feature tweens and teenagers as their main characters and tend to have more innocent plots and themes than the spicy, festive romances and revamped classics aimed at adult readers.
Common Themes in YA Novels:
- Friendship
- Loss
- Puberty
- Mental health
- Coming-of-age
- Identity
- Social issues
- First love
What Age Is YA Appropriate For?
Technically, YA is written for readers around the ages of 12 to 18, but everybody is different! We recommend that you look into the content of the book to determine if it’s right for a particular reader.
Pro tip: An easy way to find out if the novel is appropriate for younger readers in terms of sexual themes is to Google the name of the book with “spice level” attached at the end. This helps you assess what may be mentioned in the book before handing it over to your young adult.
Can Adults Read YA Literature?
Yes! We firmly believe that there are no rules on what you can and can’t read. We know many adults (including Rachel and Elliot, Novel’s co-owners) who love diving into the occasional YA book. If a title interests you, you should give it a read, regardless of the intended age group audience. You could even start a book club with it!
Popular YA Authors You May Know and Love
Whether you remember their books from your youth, are a current fan, or have found your teenagers picking them up, a few YA authors have stood the test of time:
- Judy Blume
- Rainbow Rowell
- Tamora Pierce
- Suzanne Collins
- Lois Duncan
- Phillip Pullman
Are YA Books Available in Different Genres?
YA books can be found in a variety of book genres to appease any reader. From young love stories in sweet romances to cozy mysteries with plot twists and beyond, there’s something for everyone in the YA section of your local bookstore.
An Inside Peek at Some of Our Favorite YA Titles By Genre
When you poke around the YA section of our Rochester, MI, bookstore, you’ll be met with countless titles. It can feel easy to get overwhelmed with the choices! Start by taking a closer look at these titles in three genres:
Feel Butterflies in Your Stomach with YA Romance Reads
Who says romance novels are exclusively for adult readers? YA romance is one of the most popular genres on the market, from audiobooks to physical copies. If you want to kick your feet and experience (or recall) the thrill of young love, grab a sandwich from our menu and settle in with one of these romantic reads:
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly Conklin measures her life in summers. The other months are simply a countdown to the moment she can reunite with Jeremiah and Conrad, her family friends who have been everything from brother figures to crushes for her since their first visit. But one summer, everything changes—for the good and the bad. Fall in love with the complex love triangle and power of friendship in The Summer I Turned Pretty!
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds
There’s no doubt about it—Aria and Neon are in love. After a meet-cute in the church parking lot, a father’s lecture on intimacy, and plenty of practicing with the dreaded tricky bra clasps, they’re ready to take things to the next level. That is, if Neon can get out of his own head and stop hiding in the bathroom in the next 24 seconds! Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… tackles the inner thoughts and panic during the vulnerable moment of “the first time” with honesty, humor, and tenderness in this stream-of-consciousness style novel.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
When Hazel Grace begrudgingly attends the Cancer Kid Support Group to deal with her stage IV thyroid and lung cancer diagnosis, the last thing she expects is to meet the gorgeous, in remission, Augustus Waters, an ex-basketball player who lost part of his leg to bone cancer. With a shared love of reading, an undeniable connection, and a willingness to accept the inevitability of their situation, it doesn’t take long for the two to fall head over heels in love. It’s been over 10 years since The Fault in Our Stars hit the shelves, but it remains a classic in the YA romance genre!
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
After losing her sister, Claire, eighteen months ago, and going through a brutal breakup, Meredith Fox has shut everyone out. But as her family’s annual game of assassin approaches, she figures the trip to Martha’s Vineyard is the perfect opportunity to rejoin the world. She has one goal in mind—win the game and honor her sister. But when she makes an alliance with a cute groomsman, she realizes she may lose the game and her heart. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s songs, The Summer of Broken Rules is the perfect young adult romance to read before graduating to Emily Henry’s books.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
If you’re a fan of the fake dating, boy next door, and childhood crush tropes, Better Than The Movies was made for you. When Liz Buxbaum’s forever crush, Michael, returns to town, she’ll do whatever it takes to get his attention and, hopefully, a date to prom—even if that means befriending the annoyingly cute next-door neighbor Wes Bennet, who’s been nothing but a pain in her behind since they were kids. But as the three of them grow closer, she’s shocked to realize she may like Wes a bit more than she thought!
If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
Once childhood best friends, Autumn and Finny used to be inseparable—until something changed. Now, Autumn has her close-knit friends and a boyfriend named Jamie, and Finny has become the it-boy at school. But every time they cross paths, she finds a nagging thought that things could have been different, that maybe they should be together. If He Had Been With Me starts off with a shocking twist and portrays an honest look at how relationships in our youth can stay with us forever.
Find Thrills and Chills with YA Mystery Books
Between solving puzzles and high-stakes suspense, voracious readers love the selection in YA mystery! Pick up one of these titles the next time you want to put your sleuthing cap on and stop by our silent book club to dive in:
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
When Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself, it was all anyone in Fairview could talk about. Five years later, Pip isn’t sure it’s as closed a case as everyone says it is and decides to reexamine it for her final project. Soon enough, she discovers a trail of dark secrets that may just prove Sal’s innocence—but the more she digs, the more it seems her own life might be in danger! A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a nail-biter that can’t be skipped.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
As an 18-year-old Ojibwe girl, Daunis Fontaine always thought she’d find a fresh start at college, but when tragedy hits her family and she’s forced to put her future on hold, her dreams are dashed. Things start looking up when she falls for Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team… even though she’s pretty sure he’s hiding something. After witnessing a shocking murder, Daunis is thrown into an undercover position for an FBI investigation, where she must combine her knowledge of Ojibwe traditional medicine and chemistry to discover the truth about a new lethal drug. But as deceptions and deaths continue to grow in Firekeeper’s Daughter, Daunis must learn how far she’ll go to protect her community from greed, corruption, and old scars.
The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto
When Lia Setiawan wins a full ride to Draycott Academy on a track scholarship in The New Girl, she’s determined to finally fit in. But after witnessing a girl being carried away by campus security on her very first day and noticing her peers seem completely unphased, she’s not so sure she knows what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of the school, including a corrupt teacher, a two-faced golden boy, and a blackmailer hellbent on getting her kicked out, she’s not sure who she can trust.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Lovers of puzzles and clue-finding adore The Inheritance Games! Avery Grambs’ entire life plan is turned on its head when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves her his entire fortune—even more peculiarly, she’s never met the man! In order to receive the inheritance, Avery must make her way through the puzzles, secret passages, and riddles of the Hawthorne House. Unfortunately, it’s inhabited by the four Hawthorne grandsons who grew up expecting to inherit the billions for themselves. Caught in a maze of privilege, danger, and trickery at every turn, Avery will have to learn to play the game to survive.
Other Novels in The Inheritance Games Saga:
- The Hawthorne Legacy
- The Final Gambit
- The Brothers Hawthorne
- The Grandest Game
- Games Untold
- Glorious Rivals (coming July 2025!)
Lose Yourself in the Magic of YA Fantasy Novels
Young adult fantasy gives readers a way to leave their own problems behind and escape to magical worlds. If this sounds up your alley, consider getting the audiobook or a physical copy of:
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
In Scythe, we find a world where humanity has conquered death, hunger, war, and disease, and Scythes are the only ones commanded to end life to keep the population under control. Against their wishes, Citra and Rowan are chosen as Scythe apprentices, where they must learn the “art” of taking a life, even if failure means they could lose their own.
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
When Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera receives news of her absent parents’ tragic deaths, she inherits their large fortune and an odd archeologist guardian—and longs for answers. Together, they sail to Cairo, where the magic of her late father’s ring leads her to wonder if her parents’ disappearance has more to it than meets the eye. In What the River Knows, Inez must outsmart her guardian and his handsome assistant and learn to rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth before she becomes a pawn in the game as well!
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
After watching her parents’ murder, seven-year-old Jude and her two sisters were stolen away in the night to live in the High Court of Faerie. Despite the fact that the Fey despise humans, now-17-year-old Jude wants desperately to belong. To win a place at the Court and survive the looming civil war, she must defy all expectations, discover her own thirst for bloodshed, survive the cruelness of Prince Cardan, and risk everything she knows to save her sisters and the fate of Faerie itself. The Cruel Prince is a spellbinding read—and there are even a few sequels!
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for 100 days for the Centennial to occur. There, the rulers of the six realms fight to break their curses and win unimaginable power. To save themselves and their realms, one must die. In the first of the saga, Lightlark, Isla Crown must learn to lie, cheat, and betray—even when love gets in the way.
YA is a powerful, diverse category that captures the minds and hearts of readers of all age groups. If you or your teen are searching for your next series to get lost in, you’re in luck: there’s something for everyone in the YA section of Novel. Contact us with any questions, or stop by to grab a book and a sandwich or attend one of our events and see for yourself!