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

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.

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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…)

 

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

 

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3.  SAINTS AND MISFITS by S.K. Ali

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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4. ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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5. THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED by Becky Albertalli

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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6. WORDS IN DEEP BLUE by Cath Crowley

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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7. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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8. THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Mindy McGinnis

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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9. UNDER ROSE-TAINTED SKIES by Louise Gornall

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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10. FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

 

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

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

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. 🙂

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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 🙂

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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! 🙂

  11. 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. 🙂

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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! 🙂

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

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