Sure, YA stands for Young Adult and those books were the backbone of our youth, but that doesn't mean we still can't enjoy them. And good thing, too, because there are so many riveting books in the YA space, especially by talented female authors. We included the book versions of popular YA hits like To All the Boys I Loved Before and Dear Evan Hansen, which was adapted into a book from the Broadway show.
But we found a ton more that moms will love, either for pleasure or to even get inside the heads of their older kids. Our list includes YA romance stories, stories about grief and mental illness, stories with LGBTQ love and pain, tales of eating disorders, as well as books that are about humor and ones written as thrillers. Reading is a chance to escape to anther world, and if one has to go back to high school, this is the best way to do it.
'Dumplin'' by Julie Murphy
$9
from
Barnes & Noble
Mom (Rosie Dickson) and daughter, (Dumplin' aka Willowdean Dickson) have always had a fraught relationship. Dumplin' was never the size 2 beauty queen like her mother, but when it's pageant season, Willowdean decides to enter her mom's world, and teaches everyone a lesson in the process. It's been made into a movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald as the mother-daughter duo.
'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern
$16
from
Penguin Random House
Think of The Night Circus as somewhat a magical version of The Hunger Games, but it's just two young magicians going head-to-head in a duel. But then, something interesting happens: The two fall in love, "setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance."
'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' by Holly Jackson
$11
from
Penguin Random House
Moms who love true crime will find this book is right up their alley. The YA genre tackles a murder mystery in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. High school senior Pip tries to solve the murder of a senior five years ago. Everyone thought the boyfriend did it, and he later killed himself. But Pip discovers something that might prove he was innocent.
'Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel' by Val Emmich
$17
from
Barnes & Noble
Does Dear Evan Hansen sound familiar? The Broadway hit is said to be an amazing show, which means the book that was inspired by the musical is also great. It follows Evan Hansen, who writes himself letters to deal with anxiety. An outcast classmate, Connor, ends up finding one of Evan's letters and has it with him when he dies by suicide. Finally, Evan has a purpose, if he can "stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend."
'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' by Erika L. Sánchez
$11
from
Barnes & Noble
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a National Book Award finalist and New York Times' Bestseller. According to Barnes & Noble, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home."
'Everything, Everything' by Nicola Yoon
$10
from
Barnes & Noble
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is about Maddy, a 17-year-old girl who has a chronic disease that stops her from venturing into the outside world (aka she's a "bubble girl"), and a boy named Olly, one of the new kids who moved in next door. In Maddy's words, "Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster."
'Sadie' by Courtney Summers
This book takes sister love to a whole 'nother level. Sadie is a runaway, determined find the man who murdered her younger sister, Mattie, and avenge her death. But she isn't the only one on the story. A local radio host gets a tip about Sadie and goes to the town to share it, and it takes off. Macmillan writes, "Sadie is a breathless thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love and the high price we pay when we can’t. It will haunt you long after you reach the final page."
'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas
$17
from
Barnes & Noble
Angie Thomas' The Hate You Give is a No. 1 New York Times' Bestseller that takes the YA to new heights, exploring the life of a Black teen girl who loses a male friend to police brutality. Most of the people in the book act like they do in real life when a Black person is killed by police: They try to smear the victim. "What everyone wants to know is: What really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr."
'Just Listen' by Sarah Dessen
$10
from
Bookshop.org
Sarah Dessen is a YA queen, with more than a handful of books in the genre under her authorship. Just Listen is special, as it tackles real-life teen issues, from friend drama to eating disorders. And of course, the bad boy that main character Annabel falls for in the middle of it all.
'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' by Jenny Han
$10
from
Barnes & Noble
To All The Boys I Loved Before will warm readers' hearts like a warm cup of coffee, no matter how old they are. It follows Lara Jean, a biracial teen who writes letters to the boys who she used to love. Sounds innocent, until one day, all of those boys find her letters, including the most popular of them all, Peter Kavinsky.
'Tweet Cute' by Emma Lord
Books can be modern, too, and Tweet Cute by author Emma Lord is clearly a book of the modern internet age. It's an enemies-to-lovers tale about two teens, one being a major overachiever and the other a class clown, who get into a viral Twitter war. Eventually, though, they fall for each other.
'I'll Be the One' by Lyla Lee
$14
from
Harper Collins
I'll Be the One By Lyla Lee is a fantastic book in the YA genre that tackles fat-phobia, especially within the entertainment industry, head-on. Despite hearing "Fat girls shouldn’t dance" she still is determined to be a K-Pop star. Per Harper Collins, "When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho."
'The Stars and the Blackness Between Them' by Junauda Petrus
$10
from
Penguin Random House
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus is the story of how 16-year-old Mabel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and 16-year-old Audre from Port of Spain, Trinidad, fall for each other. Mabel's dad tells her that his best friend and her daughter from Trinidad are moving to the state, and when Audre gets there, Mabel falls hard. But there's a twist as they navigate a hardship that comes their way.
'The Marrow Thieves' by Cherie Dimaline
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline creates a world that wouldn't sound all that crazy if it actually happened given the state of humanity — or the lack of it — today. In this book, Native Americans are being hunted for their bone marrow, and Frenchie and his friends must find a way to survive.
'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' by Emily M. Danforth
$11
from
Barnes & Noble
The main storyline of The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth is meant to show what LGBT youth who live with conservative families may feel. Cameron Post goes to live with her conservative aunt after her parents die in a car crash. But when she meets a girl she starts to fall for, "Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to 'fix' her niece," and she is sent to a "conversion camp."
'Starting From Here' by Lisa Jenn Bigelow
$10
from
Barnes & Noble
This is the perfect girl-and-her-dog story we need, and Barnes & Noble reviewers gave it five stars, so they agree. Sixteen-year-old Colby is basically alone. Her mom died, her dad is always on the road working as a trucker, and her girlfriend left her. She finds a stray dog who she decided to take care of, but not before "Colby bolts at the first sign of trouble, managing to alienate her best friend, her father, the cute girl pursuing her, and even her dog’s vet, who’s taken Colby under her wing."
'Radio Silence' by Alice Oseman
$10
from
Barnes & Noble
This novel is different. There's a guy and a girl, but they don't fall in love. Instead, they join together to create a podcast — so Gen Z of them! According to Booktrust.org, "Alice Oseman's captivating novel is, at its heart, a story about friendship and being true to yourself. Oseman perfectly captures what it is like when you meet a friend who you feel understands you."
'When We Collided' by Emery Lord
$18
from
Books a Million
When We Collided by Emery Lord was given a stellar review by Dumplin' author Julie Murphy, so we trust it. The book is about a teen named Jonah Daniels who lost his dad and has a mom in a deep depression. He meets Vivi, who is wild and free and has bipolar disorder. According to Super Summary, "the novel explores themes of mental illness, grief, and familial bonds."
'Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now' by Dana L. Davis
$19
from
Barnes & Noble
Tiffany Sly moves into her biological father's home when her mom dies, but it's a life she doesn't really know, and man, there are a lot of rules. Things get even more interesting when "Another man claims he’s Tiffany’s real dad — and she has only seven days before he shows up to demand a paternity test and the truth comes out." Thankfully, she has her neighbor, Marcus, to help navigate life.
'How It Ends' by Catherine Lo
For an honest story about female friendship and its breakups, How It Ends by Catherine Lo is it. Jesse and Annie are "BFFs … until suddenly they're not." The book alternates between the perspectives of each girl to get a full view of their lives and relationship.
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, CafeMom.com may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
