Behold, the three stages of a book obsession. Innocently pick up a book, not yet realizing it will provide a magical experience. Dive into a world composed of words that is somehow, miraculously more interesting than the physical world. Then, try to get everyone you know to read said book. "It will change your life," you whisper, with slightly crazed intensity.
These kind of word-of-mouth recommendations are often the best kind. If you’re in search of book recommendations, ask people about the books they can’t stop pushing into their friends’ hands. The books they encountered months ago, but keep thinking about (defying that frustrating tendency to immediately forget every book we read).
So, to navigate the ever-booming world of YA fiction, we turned to the experts: authors themselves. We asked some of our favorite YA authors working today, like Tomi Adeyemi, Sarah Dessen, Ellen Hopkins, and Maurene Goo, to tell us the book they can’t stop raving about. We’ll be updating this story throughout the course of Refinery29’s YA Month in April, so be sure to check back in.
Refinery29 is proud to partner with Penguin Teen on YA Month.
Renée Watson
Co-author of Watch Us Rise
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani. In Calling My Name, Taja Brown is redefining who she is and what she believes. Growing up in a loving, but strict, religious family, she battles expectations and struggles to find her purpose. Tamani’s lyrical, episodic writing is moving and makes this novel an unforgettable read."
Ellen Hagan
Co-author of Watch Us Rise
" Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I loved Brown Girl Dreaming for its lyrical, stunning, and brilliant images. It hooked me from the start, and I found myself marking each poem to teach my students. I loved following her journey and family history through poems. It was a supreme joy to read and will stay forever on my bookshelf."
Kathi Appelt
Author of Angel Thieves
" I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. This book takes no prisoners. It reaches into darkness, using dual time-lines that ask the reader to stretch, and ultimately brings everyone–characters, readers, all of us–into the light. Each time I read it, I find something else about it that I didn’t see before–like it takes a new reading to find the layer that needs to be pulled away. Importantly, it’s centered around the soul-rescuing and life-affirming power of art, in all of its varied manifestations, giving us so many ways to deal with grief and ultimately love. The book is a masterpiece, and the prose is beautiful enough to break the heart."
Nicki Pau Preto
Author of Crown of Feathers (2019)
" Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake is the dark, moody, matriarchal book series of my heart. The mysterious world building is without a doubt my favorite part: The hidden island of Fennbirn is in thrall to the cult of the goddess and the tradition of triplet queens who murder one another generation after generation for the throne. The plot is slow building and exquisitely tense, filled with women in positions of power plotting and scheming and outmaneuvering one another."
Claire Kann
Author of If It Makes You Happy
" Contagion by Erin Bowman. This book was like all of my favorite deep space sci-fi films rolled into one compelling YA package. If you loved Pandorum, Event Horizon, and Alien, you won’t be disappointed with one. The audiobook is also wonderful!"
Peternelle van Arsdale
Author of The Cold Is In Her Bones
"I loved Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin. It’s both realistic in subject matter and imaginative in format and at once clever and profound."
Sandhya Menon
Author of There’s Something About Sweetie
" Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Kidney transplant between best friends! Unrequited love! Bisexual main character! Solomon’s trademark ability to make you ugly-cry like you’re an infant and your bottle’s late!"
Renee Ahdieh
Author of The Beautiful
" An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir because it will break your heart in all the right places."
Kat Cho
Author of Wicked Fox
"Rebel Seoul by Axie Oh, which has gorgeous prose and imagery that you can see in your mind as you read. Rebel Seoul an exploration of nationhood (something so important to Korean people today) in a futuristic setting where much of Eastern Asia has combined into a super power. While I have a soft spot for the male characters in this debut, it is the female characters that give the book its spirit. I love that the girls are both the most accomplished soldiers in the nation, but aren’t so hardened that they don’t feel relatable teen girl feelings. This is a YA debut that is fresh and imaginative, and I am so excited because it has a companion novel, Rogue Heart coming out soon!"
Caleb Roehrig
Author of Death Prefers Blondes
" I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It’s a moving story that explores grief and love and sibling relationships with absolutely exquisite prose. I’ve never encountered another book that so accurately captured what the world looks like to a sensitive, artistic soul who doesn’t really fit in anywhere else. I wish I’d had this book when I was a teenager, and I share it whenever I get the chance."
Jen Doll
Author of Unclaimed Baggage
" A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti. This book depicts — heartbreakingly, achingly, and beautifully — what it’s like to be a girl (and, for that matter, a woman) today, in a world of incomprehensible violence and in a society when, even as a victim, you can be made to feel you did something wrong. Oh, it’s just so good. Everyone should read it. And we should all use it to become better."
Tomi Adeyemi
Author of Children of Blood and Bone
" The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo has won all the awards and then some, and it deserves even more. It’s a sensational story with some of the most beautiful language I have ever read in my life!"
Ally Condie
Author of The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe and the Matched Trilogy
" Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, and its sequel, The Vanishing Stair(which just released in January!). I am a sucker for a murder mystery, and this book/series has everything a reader could ever want. A great main character, Stevie, who is interesting, original, funny, and smart. A fantastic setting (a glamorous old home/school in Vermont). It also boasts a wonderful cast of supporting characters, stunning twists and turns, and a haunting, clever mystery-within-a-mystery in the form of an unsolved kidnapping from decades ago. The whole thing is heart-poundingly good, and just plain fun to read."
Sarah Dessen
Author of This Lullaby
" Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka rocked my world. It’s an award-winning graphic novel about a teen with a parent who has an addiction issue. It’s incredible."
justin a. reynolds
Author of The Opposite of Always
" The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk. This book is a haunting exploration of tragedy and its aftermath; a brilliant examination of what happens when grief and heartache settle into the space once occupied by love and seeming invincibility. And much like the music driving its characters, it is deeply lyrical, supremely thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful."
Maureen Johnson
Author of Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair
" The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (and the sequel, The Wicked King). Holly is the mistress of faerie. Her knowledge and mastery of fantasy is so deep — even if you aren’t a fantasy reader, you’ll be swept into this book. It’s a court romance. It’s an adventure. It’s amazing."
L.L. McKinney
Author of A Blade So Black
"Besides mine? I kid! The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. The sequel, The Everlasting Rose, comes out soon! I’m so excited."
Dhonielle Clayton
Author of The Belles series
" Let Me Hear A Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson, a love letter to hip hop and Brooklyn that took me back to high school. It follows three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he’s still alive, and reminded me how deep the bonds of friendship went during those days; where friends were family, hip-hop and rap music were stitched into the fabric of how you related to a person, and there wasn’t anything you wouldn’t do to make sure your friend got the respect he or she deserved."
Lilliam Rivera
Author of Dealing in Dreams
" When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. McLemore’s novel is such a beautiful exploration of family, gender identity, and young love. It is rich with fantastical elements, poetic, and haunting."
Ellen Hopkins
Author of People Kill People
" Jandy Nelson’s The Sky is Everywhere. Her book I’ll Give You the Sun might have earned more accolades, but I loved her first book. Dealing with grief is something every young person must eventually face, and this book is a gorgeous study. Jandy’s an MFA poet, and while the book isn’t in verse, her poetry is obvious in the beautiful language. Stunning."
Marissa Meyer
Author of The Lunar Chronicles and The Renegades Trilogy
" My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows. It is quirky, magical, hysterical, and romantic, with just enough "real history" mixed in to make me curious about what really transpired hundreds of years ago."
Maurene Goo
Author of Somewhere Only We Know
" Tell Me Everything by Sarah Enni. Sarah Enni has been a big part of the YA community for the past few years with her amazing podcast, First Draft, where she interviews writers about their journeys and creative processes. Like Sarah, her debut is clever, hilarious, and full of heart. Tell Me Everything is pitched as Amelie meets Instagram and it’s both fun and incredibly timely — I highly recommend it for lovers of contemporary YA!"
Hafsah Faizal
Author of the forthcoming fantasy novel We Hunt the Flame
"The one YA novel I remember connecting with so deeply that it made me sob in the middle of the night is I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios . Demetrios gives us a protagonist who is vulnerable and fierce, who sees her world falling apart, struggles to take control, and suffers through so much; only to surface stronger than ever before."
Victoria Lee
Author of The Fever King
" This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada. This book made me nauseous but like…in a good way. I’ve never read anything quite like it. It twists genre conventions and eviscerates expectations. Science! A virus that makes people literally explode! Hacker girls! Seriously…what are you waiting for?"
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Source: Refinery29 – Elena Nicolaou