Top 10 Books for People Who Don’t Normally Read YA Contemporary

/44 Comments/by

top ten tuesday

 

Yay, Top Ten Tuesday is back with new topics starting this week!  For those unfamiliar with it, Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten book recommendations for ______________: (Skies the limit here…examples: for Hufflepuffs, for fans of Game of Thrones, for people who don’t normally read YA, for animal lovers, for video game lovers, etc.

* * * * *

Since I’ve been reading and loving a lot of YA contemporary books lately, I decided to come up with a list of some amazing books that I think people who don’t usually read YA contemporary would love.  All of these are favorites of mine.  Some are light and fun, while others are more serious and shine a much-needed spotlight on important social issues and, in some cases, mental health issues.  All of these books are so good that I think they could turn any reader into a fan of YA contemporary even if it’s not usually your thing.

 

Top 10 Book Recs for People Who Don’t Normally Read YA Contemporary

 

1. THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

2. SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

3.  SAINTS AND MISFITS by S.K. Ali

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

4. ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

5. THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED by Becky Albertalli

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

6. WORDS IN DEEP BLUE by Cath Crowley

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

7. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

8. THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Mindy McGinnis

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

9. UNDER ROSE-TAINTED SKIES by Louise Gornall

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

10. FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

Question: What books would you recommend to someone who doesn’t normally read YA contemporary fiction?

You might also like
Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I Initially Wanted to Read Because of Cover Love
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Spring 2021 TBR
Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I DNF’ed During the Pandemic but am Ready to Revisit
Top Ten Tuesday – I’ve Been Framed – My Favorite Book Covers that Feature Eye Glasses
Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books That Take Me Back to the Innocence of My Youth
Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Book Covers That Make Me Think of Fall
44 replies
  1. Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads
    Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads says:

    Amazing list! Half of them are some of my all-time favorites too and the other half is still on my TBR so I can only agree wholeheartedly with your list 🙂 They’re definitely must-reads for people who aren’t normally into YA contemporary.

  2. Chrissi Reads
    Chrissi Reads says:

    You’ve got so many great recommendations! 🙂 I’m a big fan of Becky Albertalli’s writing. My sister who doesn’t enjoy contemporary loved Simon Vs!

  3. Anastasia
    Anastasia says:

    I don’t usually read contemporary, yet I loved Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and Fangirl so I think you nailed it here 🙂

    Happy TTT!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Cool, hope that means you’ll love all of the rest of them too since we have pretty similar taste when it comes to contemporary. 🙂

  5. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    Ooh some really good ones on here like Simon Vs. and Fangirl. Others I need to read – The Upside of Unrequited and The Hate U Give (though I own a copy so SOON).

    One of my all-time favorite contemporary novels is Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert, so I highly recommend that.

  6. Louise
    Louise says:

    Great list idea! I’d definitely class myself as someone who doesn’t usually read YA contemporary, but I really liked Simon versus… and The Female of the Species is on my TBR, so these recs seem spot on to me!

    My TTT this week.

  7. Louise ✨🦇
    Louise ✨🦇 says:

    I loved The Hate U Give and Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda! I think I’d recommend either David Levithan or Jenny Han’s books to people who don’t normally read contemporary; there’s pretty light and easy going but there are some serious subjects in them at the same time 🙂

  9. Angela
    Angela says:

    I haven’t read a ton of contemporary YA fiction lately, and I haven’t read any of these, so I think may have to check some of them out! Everything, Everything is one I’m particularly interested in.

  10. Poinsettia
    Poinsettia says:

    I don’t typically read a lot of contemporary, but I might have to check several of these out. Nice list! Here is our TTT.

  11. Kelly @ Kelly's Rambles
    Kelly @ Kelly's Rambles says:

    There are some really fantastic book recs here. I love YA contemporaries but there are a couple here that I haven’t read yet. The Hate U Give is going to appear on a lot of ‘Best of 2017’ lists at the end of the year I think and rightfully so!
    I also chose contemporary for my post but with a UKYA slant, maybe you’ll find something there you like the look of!
    Here’s my TTT.

  13. Jordan Rose
    Jordan Rose says:

    This list is exactly what I needed! I’m definitely not usually a contemporary YA fan, but the few I have read on this list (The Hate U Give and The Female of the Species) are ones that I LOVED! I will definitely be looking into more of these because this list seems great. Thanks for the recs! 🙂

  15. Annemieke
    Annemieke says:

    Becky Albertalli is great for those that don’t usually read YA contemporary like me. I’ve really liked her books so far. 🙂

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I love her books too. Reading her books was actually what got me more interested in YA contemporary. I also can’t wait to watch the Simon movie when it comes out. 🙂

  16. Jo
    Jo says:

    I’ve heard of most of these but the only one I’ve read is Under Rose Tainted Skies. I’m not a big contemporary YA reader, a lot of them seem to be very romance focused and I’m not big on that.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’m not big on romance either so most of the ones on this list either don’t have a romance or else the romance is secondary to a more substantial storyline.

  17. Greg Hill
    Greg Hill says:

    I read more YA contemps than I ever did before and it’s always nice to get more ideas! Under Rose- Tainted Skies is one I added to my TBR after reading some great reviews, and Fangirl is a favorite of mine.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Fangirl is so good. I have a couple more of Rainbow Rowell’s books sitting on my TBR and really need to read those soon.

  18. Lauren
    Lauren says:

    As a huge contemporary YA fan I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve only read one of these – Everything, Everything. I guess I just need to add all the rest to my TBR pile lol I have been dying to get my hands of The Hate You Give and Words of Blue though. Everyone in the blogging community seems to just love them. Wonderful list, Suzanne! 🙂

  19. Angie @ Ba_BAMB
    Angie @ Ba_BAMB says:

    It’s been a long time since I’ve really dived into YA Contemporary, but I have a huge to read list. Words in Deep Blue is near the top! I also really want to read the Becky Albertalli books. Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I really like Albertalli’s books. Reading Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda is actually the book that got me interested in YA contemporary.

  21. Carmen
    Carmen says:

    Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is such a feel-good book. I can`t wait for the movie to come out. Also, The Hate U Give is such an important book. On that note, I`m also very excited for “Dear Martin”, who deals with the same topics.

Comments are closed.