A Dozen of My Favorite Young Adult Novels

 I think that young adult books often get a bad rap; I actually find that most of them deal with such intense themes and subject matter that I get sucked right in.  I actually had a really hard time narrowing down my favorites and decided to include a whole separate post with dystopian novels since I really like those too and so many of them are also young adult.  For today's post I thought I'd write up a quick list of a dozen of my favorite young adult novels.

1.See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon--   When Barret Bloom starts college she's hopeful that everything will be different and so much better than high school ever was.  Then she finds herself stuck in a time loop much like the movie Groundhog Day and she's freaking out until she realizes that a guy in her science class is experiencing the same thing! The two reluctantly team up to try and figure out what is going on and how they can break the loop.  Ultimately spending so much time together leads them to developing feelings.  It was such a fun story to read.  

2. Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay--  I just LOVED this book.  Two years after a horrible tragedy left Nastya unwilling to talk and trying desperately to reinvent herself.  She moves to a new high school and finds herself drawn to Josh, a boy who is just as isolated as she is.  Josh, who has lost every family member in his life is determined to ignore Nastya but find himself unable to do that.  A gripping story about second chances.  I found myself thinking of these characters long after I had finished the book.

3. Tahira in Bloom by Farah Heron-- This was a cute young adult story about Tahira who is a budding fashion designer.  When her internship falls through at the last minute her parents talk her into a replacement job working for her aunt in her clothing boutique she's not sure she's totally on board with a summer in the country.  Determined to make the best of it she ends up teaming up with a few of the locals for a flower arranging content called Bloom.  It was an adorable enemies to friends kind of book and I loved all the art/ fashion/ and flower references too.

4. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson-- This was such a cute little murder mystery that kept me guessing! Pip decides to look into a murder/suicide that happened in her hometown 5 years ago for a school project.  Feeling deep in her gut that that accused wasn't capable of murder Pip starts to dig into the the lives of these two teens. There were so many fun and unexpected little plots twists along the way.  The whole series was really well done.. though each book did get progressively darker.

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green-- Hazel has a terminal diagnosis but when she meets Augustus Waters at her cancer support group the two hit it off. Hazel and Augustus cram a whole lot of living into a short amount of time and their love story is both powerful and poignant. 

6. To All the Boys I've Loved Before series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han-- I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this series!  Laura Jean has always written a "good-bye" letter to those boys she has had a secret crush on... never intending for them to actually get mailed out!  When they do a series of events unfold that she just isn't sure she's prepared to deal with; especially with her older sister and mother figure away at college.PS I still Love You by Jenny Han (Book 2),  Always and Forever Laura Jean by Jenny Han (Book 3)--  

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman-- 17 year old Mia watches as her body is pulled from an automobile wreck told in alternating storylines between past and present Mia must decide whether to stay or go.  

8.Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon-- A cute young adult novel that I zipped through in just a day or two.  Rowan and Neil have been bitter rivals all through high school.  On the night of Howl; a scavenger hunt that takes them all around the city the two reluctantly team up and discover that they might actually like one another and perhaps have a future together. 

9.  Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano-- Edward is the lone survivor of a plane crash that takes out his whole family.  The book is written in two alternate timelines; before the crash and after.  It was such a compelling novel reading about how Edward, his aunt, and uncle go on to build a new life together dealing with shock, grief, and the injuries Edward sustained. 

10. Salt to the Sea by Rupa Sepetys -- This novel follows four young adults as they are trying to flee war torn countries at the end of World War II as the Russians are beginning to battle the Germans back.  These four adults find themselves becoming friends and all end up on the same ship in the end.  I can't say more than that but the author's note in the back was really enlightening with bits of history that I had never heard about before about the role of the Baltic states and the Baltic sea in the war.

11. In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn-- Finn's life ends In an Instant as her and 10 of her family members and friends plummet over the side of a cliff one winter's night. We watch through Finn's eyes as those she love struggle to survive and deal with those choices long after they are rescued.

12. Come Back to Me --Jessa had just turned 18 and is about to graduate from high school when she falls in love with her brother's best friend, Kit.  Kit and Riley (Jessa's brother) are in the marine corps and are being deployed overseas in less than a month. Jessa's father hates Kit and her brother has always been over protective of her but Jessa has decided Kit is worth defying her family for. Then an officer arrives on her doorstep to deliver news that someone she loves has died overseas. Jessa can't imagine having lost either her brother or her boyfriend. As most of the story is told in flashback form we wait through most of the book to find out who has died.  It was a pretty gripping read! Though labeled as young adult there are quite a few graphic sex scenes so be warned.

Do you like young adult novels?  I'm always looking for suggestions if you've read any great ones! 

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