Contemporary YA Books for Every Reader

Set in the Philippines, this story is a tale of all kinds of love: love for your friends, your family, your country, and my favorite kind, romance.

Racquel, or Rocky as I know her, will tell you over and over that this is not a romance novel. While that is true, the journey Ophelia finds herself on to discover who she really is gave me the same warm fuzzy feelings I look for in a romance novel.

Thankfully, we’re entering an era where there are more books about the asexual/aromantic experience but there could always be more. In Loveless, Georgia goes to university thinking perhaps she’ll finally find romance, but instead she discovers that maybe romance isn’t really what she wants after all.

Imagine your families have rival pho shops and you’ve been told your whole life to keep your distance only to find yourself in a back alley with their son, and spoiler alert, sparks fly. Now you can’t seem to keep away despite the risks, and as it turns out your romance might be what finally brings your families back together again.

Fake dating for me always depends on the premise. What would make two people decide lying to everyone they care about makes sense? Well when Hani’s “friends” reveal their biphobia and Hani decides to prove them wrong by claiming she has a girlfriend, I absolutely supported her decision making. Plus, the chemistry between her and Ishu was there from the start and I couldn’t put this book down.

With Grown, Tiffany D. Jackson does what she does best. Taking a heavy subject based on true stories, and forming a tale that is not only filled with twists and turns, but casts a bright light on ongoing issues. In this one, we follow Enchanted who thinks her dreams are coming true when she catches the attention of R&B artist Korey Fields, only to discover he’s not at all what he seems. And when Korey ends up dead, Enchanted is the #1 suspect.