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Read 25 Young Adult Books in 2025

jess64au's profile picture jess64au Host

5 participants (107 books)

01 Jan 2025—31 Dec 2025

Overview

Young adult novels can be basically defined as books that are marketed towards teens and contain main characters between the ages of 12 and 18, sometimes reaching to early 20s. What young adult literature is not is a story that leaps into adulthood. The majority of the stories (short of maybe an epilogue set years in the future) take place during the characters’ teen years. They don’t typically deal with adult situations and problems such as divorce or financial troubles, etc. Also, a common misconception about young adult novels is that, because they are meant for teens, the stories must be immature and the writing poor. One only need look at authors such as John Green, Hannah Moskowitz and Maggie Stiefvater to see that those claims are false. 

Challenge Books

All books added
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds

Twenty-Four Seconds From Now

Jason Reynolds

256 pages • hardcover • 2024

fiction romance young adult emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann

Ask Me How I Got Here

Christine Heppermann

240 pages • digital • 2016

fiction contemporary poetry young adult emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

T. Kingfisher

8 hours, 30 minutes • audio • 2020

fiction fantasy young adult adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land

Elizabeth Acevedo

432 pages • hardcover • 2020

fiction contemporary lgbtqia+ poetry young adult emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Up from the Sea by Leza Lowitz

Up from the Sea

Leza Lowitz

272 pages • paperback • 2016

fiction historical poetry young adult emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narváez Varela

Thirty Talks Weird Love

Alessandra Narváez Varela

205 pages • hardcover • 2021

fiction young adult dark emotional slow-paced
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

Tobias Madden

9 hours, 43 minutes • audio • 2022

fiction lgbtqia+ romance young adult emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
Find Layla by Meg Elison

Find Layla

Meg Elison

6 hours, 32 minutes • audio • 2020

fiction contemporary young adult dark emotional reflective medium-paced
The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson

The Ballad of Darcy and Russell

Morgan Matson

388 pages • paperback • 2024

fiction contemporary romance young adult emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Impossible Music

Sean Williams

6 hours, 37 minutes • audio • 2019 user-added

fiction contemporary music young adult emotional reflective slow-paced