Great Young Adult Contemporary Reads

Created On: October 15, 2012 | Updated: June 5, 2016 | 20 Comments

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Young adult contemporary romance novels. Great for holiday and Summer reading lists.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday with The Broke and the Bookish is “Favorite Authors In X Genre”. Since I just barely started reading more contemporary books (i.e. normal old no power, no magic, no undercover spy work just regular people in world settings) I thought I’d share some of those that I’ve enjoyed. I don’t quite have 10 but these are a good start. And if you wanna be friends on Goodreads, I’m here.

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Cohn, Rachel and Levithan, David – Not only is this great for a contemporary (it’s no secret that I have a weakness for powers and magic) but this is now one of my all time favorite books. My friend Linda who’s got similar tastes also just finished it and loved it. It is such a cute story and I am love with the realistic quirky characters. It’s kind of letter style written back and forth between two characters. Seriously I LOVE this book.

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) by Perkins, Stephanie – This was my first contemporary book and it is super cute. Boarding school in France and a super crush worthy boy need I say more? And Lola and the Boy Next Door is also a fun one.

Along for the Ride bySarah Dessen – Whenever you hear people talk about contemporary YA you’re sure to hear Sarah Dessen mentioned. I’ve read a couple of her books and while they take me a little bit to get into they are fun. I really liked Along for the Ride, it stuck with me and I think it has some interesting ideas about first impressions. I’ve also read Dessen’s Lock and Key which I liked but not quite as much as Along for the Ride but it’s fun and light if you want a good vacay book.

13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1) by Johnson, Maureen – This was cute. It’s a story of a girl who is sent on tasks around the world by her dead aunt via a stack of 13 blue envelops. Not my favorite but a fun light read for sure.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Nelson, Jandy – This book deals with some super heavy issues and while heart wrenching at times it didn’t feel unbearable or too much. The familial relationships are fantastic. Definitely a good one for those of you close to sister.

And here are a few gate-way contemporary books. For those of you who like something fantastical these are books with otherworldly aspects but a strong contemporary feel.

Unraveling (Unraveling, #1) by Norris, Elizabeth – Very fun. While the twist happens with a somewhat awkward bit of info dump the idea is really interesting.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1) by Hodkin, Michelle – This was one of my favorite books that I read last year and the sequel comes out next week. Eeeek so so excited. It’s like a crazy roller coaster with one of the most attractive boy interests ever.

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