I feel you on every point, omg. Young adult book covers are SO MUCH PRETTIER!! But I'm really outgrowing YA. :/ I especially have a hard time taking YA romantic subplots seriously now that I'm an old grandma (28 lol). Like... I just want to sit these teen girl protagonists down and have a talk with them about their choices 😆😆
Interesting discussion. I've never really experienced this for myself 'cause I always used to read "adult" books when I was a teenager anyway. But I'll pick up the odd YA book here and there still now and they're fine. I wouldn't want to read only YA, though. The whole "reading the same story again" thing seems to keep happening with new releases too. I don't really know why people keep flocking to them (must be the covers!) And to be honest, I don't tend to worry about genres. I just pick up stuff that sounds interesting or if I've heard good things about the author :D
Even though I am only 20 I have to say I agree with what you are saying. Some YA feels too young for me to really be able to enjoy. What I am happy about though is it seems like this year in particular and looking at recent book deals I have seen more aging up in YA. I think the genre is starting to be more Young Adult instead of teen. Im thinking Cruel Prince, Furyborn, CoBaB, etc. It seems kind of like in the next few years New Adult will be merging a bit more with YA, which is great bc right now NA is so new and is taken less seriously bc publishing houses are only just starting to venture there. Even still, I definitely agree with what you are saying. Great vid!
Have you read much Brandon Sanderson? He writes excellent fantasy. I would categorize it as adult because he writes epic fantasy. It could cross over to YA I guess, but I get an adult feeling in these books. Start with Mistborn. You will thank me.
I'm super excited that you're going to be talking about new adult books!!! I mostly read YA but as I get older (I'm 19 now) I've found that I'm starting to gravitate towards the YA books that are closer to the border between YA and new adult. I definitely agree that a lot of YA feels like the same things over and over again. It can sometimes be difficult to find a book that brings something new. I haven't read many new adult but the ones I have I've loved and I would really like to read more :)
I usually check out the new adult fiction setting at my library. I don't read a lot of adult fiction, but I've found a few novels I've liked. I think the last one I read was called Marlena. You could try checking out some short stories as well! A lot of the reading I've done lately has been for my writing classes so it's always different short stories (my professor usually picks different anthologized pieces, or stuff from the New Yorker, or other places like that). She prefers giving us literary fiction pieces, too. It's been interesting reading what I've had to for class because it's definitely not what I'd usually gravitate towards.
I’ve been reading more new adult genre or really mature young adult. Because honestly that’s where I am in my life so I want to relate to the characters. Great video, Julia!
I think it depends on what your looking for, but once you start finding authors you like the books are easier to find; I don’t do YA often! Ive always read Adult fiction, mainly PNR, Fantasy and Mystery suspense. Will be interested in what to pick up, I’ve got a ton of recommendations too
You totally made sense and I agree with you 100%. In January all of my books were YA and they wrre all quite disappointing. And they were super popular books! I got into a reading slump for the first half of this month and I'm kinda still there and my only hope for getting out of it has been the adult books that I feel have a bit more substance. And I totally get what you're saying about writing what you want to read. I feel like I haven't come across adult high fantasy that's as fast-paced as YA fantasy, so I'm just going to try to write it myself!
I agree with all of this. My problem is most of the New Adult books I've read have main characters that have some huge traumatic past or the relationships aren't healthy. I wish they had more New Adult Fantasy stories, but it seems most of that genre is romance. My other problem is that my library doesn't carry much NA and if it does it's hidden between the Adult section so it's hard to find. I do want to branch out this year though so I'm excited to see what books you find! -Mel
I went through this a couple years ago. There are a ton of Adult books out there that you'll love. Once you start finding NA and Adult ones you like it's easy to find comparable titles and suggestions. Hit up your local indie store and they can get you started on the right foot. P.s. I think part of the problem is bad writing in YA as of late. Because I looove middle grade and some people are like "eww how can you read from the perspective of a 10 year old" and it's because if it's well written you can find your inner child lol.
I agree with your opinion on YA writing styles. I am not into YA recently but I have no problem at all reading middle grades, and even children books. Also, squibblesread! Yessss, I really like her channel. Totally recommended for those looking for NA or OwnVoice Lit recommendation.
oooo that is such a good point because i am currently reading the harry potter series for the first time and enjoying it sooooo much the fact that he is way younger then me doesn't effect the story for me at all!
I TOTALLY can relate to this! I've had these same thoughts for over the last year. It's sometimes hard to root for a couple who are sixteen years old to be together forever when I believe that you're first love isn't always meant to be your one and only love in your life. And yes, we get the same type of book recycled to us over and over again! It's getting annoying! And when it comes to adult books it's not only hard to shop for them because of their lack of interesting covers, but also how they're displayed at the book stores! When I go to both of my Barnes and Nobles in town I'll try to branch out and go to the adult section, but they display everything where you only see the spines of books...And then when I go to the YA section almost every book is displayed where you see their beautiful covers. And honestly, seeing the pretty covers is what draws me in. I don't understand why adult books aren't shown properly. But that goes back to what you were saying about how their covers aren't as pretty as YA covers. I totally agree that the industry needs to make a cover change for Adult books cause the audience is growing.
I definitely understand this. I still love a lot of YA, but I have had to read more diversely. I think the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard is really good as crossover fantasy. In terms of adult, I love Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisen, the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Isaac Asimov is great for classic sci-fi. So is Dune by Frank Herbert, but it's pretty intense and densely written. Have you though about trying other genres too? I just finished Big Little Lies and was amazed at how much I loved it. It was also more relatable being a mom.
Brimstone's Knight by W. Wright - Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy - International release date: JAN 31st! Pre-order available on-line at Austin Macauley Publishers. Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million & more! "Will you answer the call, or run away like your father did?"
I love this video so much. I'm absolutey drawn in by covers. I'll get the e-book, audio, whatever except buying a physical copy with a terrible outside. I don't want to pay full price for an ugly book, but an eye-catching illustration will probably make me gravitate towards it much more. I'm not tired of YA yet, though, but I'm interested in testing other categories too, like Adult thrillers and romance. New Adult contemporary is not for me at all, though.
100% get it! I am feeling the same feels and having the same problems. I just feel like I’ve matured past teenage angst problems and I realized it when I went back and reread some of my absolute favorite books that I’d read over and over when I was a teen and reading them now I’m just sitting here going...”Holy crap was I really this melodramatic???” Like the same things that I was eating up as a teen are just making me V8 slap myself in the forehead now. I’m done being a teenager and am past dealing with those “who am I?” “What is this emotion called love I’m experiencing for the first time?” “Why does no one understand me?” problems. L Now it’s “I feel like I should know what I’m doing but I don’t.” “Am I setting the right example?” “Am I getting old?” “Have I wasted valuable opportunity time I’ll never get back?” “Have I made wrong life decisions I can’t undo?” 😳 But I too still get drawn in by the absolutely gorgeous YA covers and it makes me sad when I look at the regular adult fantasy shelf at B&N.
I've been loving your content lately! I feel the same... I do love a good YA book every now and then (I have just finished The Selection and I loved it), but I often have the same problem. It can be hard to relate to someone who is ten years younger than you.
Every YA book I've read this year was SO HIGHLY recommended and they were all terrible. (Looking at you Strange The Dreamer). I've always enjoyed adult books more since I was a kid and I'm 30 now. P. S. You look a lot like Winona Ryder
Brimstone's Knight by W. Wright - Sci-Fi/Fantasy - International release date: JAN 31st! Pre-order available on-line at Austin Macauley Publishers. Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million & more! "Will you answer the call, or run away like your father did?"
I am a visual person too and actually do judge books by their covers (no pun intended!) but if it's a boring cover or whatnot I am more likely not going to want to read it! Just found you on RU-vid!
Laura Sheriff well hello so glad you found me!!! i think about 80% of people do judge a book by its cover but don't want to admit it because they don't want to be judged for it. but honestly i'm the kind of person that i don't really care what people think of my reading habits i'm just going to read how i want and what i want and i encourage others to do the same
I agree about the covers and struggling to relate. The books I liked last year, such as Roar or Flame in the Mist didn't push the idea of them being teenagers/high school, which is what drew me in. Similar to A Conspiracy of Stars and The Cruel Prince. The issue I have with New Adult is so much of it seems to be contemporary/smut. Which, that's great and all, but I want fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, adventure!
I’m right there with you. I am having a hard time getting through YA lately. I started picking up some adult and I have been flying through them. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is amazing. I will be following your channel to see what you discover :)
I'm actually finding myself in this transition as well. Like, I see so many good young adult covers and I want to read the book but I know that it's just gonna end up as a love story. While the more adult fantasy is what I'm drawn to BUT I feel like I never give it a chance because the covers don't catch my eye. OMG I just finished the whole series of Hundred Thousand Kingdoms!
I read a lot of YA, but also New Adult and adult fiction. I find I enjoy all of them more when I read a mix of them, but some YA these days feels 'very' YA to me and I enjoy those less. I think I'm getting better at knowing the authors in the different readerships that suit me and that makes it a lot easier to find books I want to read and that I'll enjoy reading. This year I want to try and read more adult sci-fi! If you're looking for a good bridging book between YA and NA, "No Limits" by Ellie Marney is a great book that is sort of a spin-off of a very good YA series (you don't need to have read it) but is a contemporary-crime book. It's one of my favourites.
Covers have never mattered to me.... I'm there for the actual reading not the pictures lmao. They aren't for decoration. I also find YA to be repetitive and shallow. I didn't bother reading YA even as a YA or a teen. Whatever gets people reading though.
I sooooo agree with you about the covers. I really am drawn in by covers and turned off by other covers. It's not that what's inside is bad, it's just that I'll feel like it's outdated even if it's not true. I have such a hard time picking up a book if it has an awful cover.
The same thing is kind of happening to me. I find a gem sometimes, but most of the time I have to think of the characters as not teens unless it's a high school setting. Like Eliza and Her Monsters. I related to much to those characters because of how I was in high school! I have some recs from other people for non-YA books if you want to share and trade knowledge.
I find genres like fantasy/science fiction also have a lot of amazing novels similar to YA but with better world building and interesting. I think an issue that's happening with young adult for me is that they've become generic. They have the same kind of protagonists and love stories. I just can't deal with it, I lose interest so fast now. I absolutely loved young adult novels, but newer novels (released in the last few years) are lacking quality writing. With the getting to old for YA thing I think it's a common thing. Because you're older now and have a different understand of the world and can't deal with the tropes. Glob but I hate the generic bland female main character and love triangle trope.
Anneke Botes you are so right it feels like books written lately are all the same like all authors are following the same template for books and it drives me nuts that i can guess what's gonna happen in a book before its half way over
I definitely don’t always feel in the mood to read YA nowadays like I used to when I was younger. I still will read it though, just depending on the book and my mood at the time. I would love to read more new adult books, but I feel like there aren’t that many. The covers for YA are way more beautiful which is kind of sad to see. The cover is so important so it would be beneficial for the publishers to put in that little bit of extra effort.
I get what you are saying about the covers of adult books. I love reading adult books. So If there is a book i am interested in i will always look up the covers of different countries so i can get a pretty cover. I am from the netherlands but also read a lot in English. Which means i read books from the Netherlands, UK or USA. And that depends on the cover. So maybe you should look up the UK cover if you find a story interesting, just to get the most beautiful cover. I like to use bookdepository.com which is UK based but ships internationally for free.
I have just started to lose interest in a lot of YA novels as well and have been finding adult fiction a lot more interesting with characters that I can relate to more. and I definitely agree with you about adult covers being boring and not grabbing my attention.
I think our reading tastes develop and change over the years. When I was in the age range young adult is targeted at I eas readin horror and fantasy novels. Now I am heading towards 40 I am reading and enjoying romance and young adult. I really don't get why we have to discuss who should read what because for me what matters is that people are reading.
I've been getting more into adult fantasy lately. I fee the same as you. I watch Elliot brooks and she reads a lot of adult fantasy. I'm currently reading the inheritance trilogy by NK jemisin and loving it. I also am planning to get into robin hobb.
I feel exactly the same, I'm 16 but I find Young Adult very, very repetitive. It's like there is a certain template almost every YA novel follows. I loathed An Ember in the Ashes and found Children of Blood and Bone very average. A YA book I DID enjoy was The Song of Achilles and I'm currently reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which I'm actually liking so far. I liked her Warbringer novel. When I see these gorgeous YA covers, I hardly read the blurbs but when I see covers from books like A Song of Ice and Fire or Raymond E. Feist's work, I'm more interested. I think I hate YA because whenever two or more characters have their own point of views, it becomes very bland and useless to hear both voices, and the female protagonist is always beautiful and feisty. Oh, and they lost someone very special to them. And they have two guys in love with them. I don't see how people can enjoy that same thing over and over...
Yamin Eaindray yaaas. i agree t feels like there is a template that ya books follow and everything is so predictable. i feel like adult books just have more involved and make my mind work a little hard. don't get me wrong though i still love to read an easy read that i don't have to put much thought into them but for the most part i think i would rather read an adult novel and this point in my life.
All ratings have tropes and get repetitive in each genre it's not just a ya thing.And libraries have more variety than book stores so better luck there maybe.
I just stumbled on this video because I was looking for adult book reviews. I can't stand YA. I'm just too old for it. Which isn't to say that there's anything wrong with older people reading YA books--they're just not of interest anymore once you've past certain milestones in your life. A few adult recommendations (heavy on the scifi): 1) The Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, the first one is Shards of Honor. The covers are terrible. Baen always does awful covers. But, the story is fantastic. It's a space opera about the Vorkosigan family and there's a little bit of everything in it: romance, humor, action, and some really well done political intrigue. 2) City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (first of a trilogy and the whole thing is good) It's a fantasy setting that is kind of post colonial but with a fantasy twist of there once being gods and the invading army that colonized the continent actually killed the gods. So the main character, who is an intelligence agent, is investigating a murder that might have to do with a rebel conspiracy and she finds evidence that the gods might not be as dead as originally thought. 3) The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey, the first one is Leviathan Wakes. This is the basis of the TV show The Expanse--so if you're familiar with that, it's pretty much the same but with more depth. It's one of those with several different sets of characters doing separate things that all end up tying together in the end. There's a detective investigating a missing person and a group of misfits on a water hauling ship and various political factions fighting with each other and what may or may not be an alien threat. 4)Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie (first of a trilogy, all three are good). The main character is an avatar of a war ship, but then the ship gets destroyed and what's left of the AI is just downloaded into this one human body, called an ancillary. So then she sets out for revenge for being destroyed. And there's a lot of cool stuff in it about gender and identity and imperialism along the way. And I'm reading Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks right now. It happens to have an awesome cover. So far it's really interesting, but I haven't finished it yet so who knows.
