WOW, it’s been a long time since I’ve participated in a Let’s Talk Bookish, but this topic is too good to be true not to write a post and so I’ll take a few minutes to write a short post! And not to forget: the discussion is as always hosted by Dani @Literary Lion and Rukky @Eternity Books!
Do I read YA?
Yes! Definitely. Last year, YA was probably my most-read book genre and it’s been like that for some years now.
Am I happy with that: Not really.
I am 17 now and I feel like it’s time to switch things up a bit. I’ve been trying to read more and more mystery and crime and also read some non-fiction books to educate myself once in a while.
My struggles with YA
The more years I that read YA as my main genre, the less new gripping books I find that I want to read. I guess sometimes, and maybe that’s on mostly focusing on fantasy YA, I feel like we are only repeating ourselves: the magic kingdoms with the assassins, the protagonists who are apparently a no-one and a thief trying to survive and then turn out to be some major princess, the outcasts and the gangs… I’ve sadly noticed that the newly released books don’t fascinate me and enchant me and make me desperately want to buy them than they did one or two years ago.
I think I’ve developed
I think the reason I’ve had some issues with YA is because I am slowly growing up – I will always read and also reread some YA books and I’m super happy about that. But I think that, now starting my high school senior year and soon turning 18 focussing on my university and future choices and possibilities, sometimes I feel like I’ve outgrown the genre (as my main reading genre).
That’s it for now – I don’t have much time as I have dinner plans tonight. Tell me: what are your feelings concerning YA, have you experienced something like this with other genres or maybe even the same? Happy reading!
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i’m 15; I read almost exclusively YA as well but I have also been trying to expand my reading tastes and read more adult and nonfiction!
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I don’t read YA anymore (and if I do, is 1 or 2 books a year) but I used to read it a lot a few years ago. YA was never a genre I navigated towards, I think the covers was one of the reasons I even got into it, but nowadays I tend to read anything except YA 😅
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hahahahah feel you!!!
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I’m a junior in high school, so part of me still adores YA. I mean, it’s so cool seeing teens my age doing cool stuff! But on the other hand, I totally agree with you, so much of it is starting to get repetitive?? And it seems like there ALWAYS has to be some kind of angsty teenage romance no matter what. I would love to expand my reading tastes more into mystery and crime and maybeee some adult fantasy lol! great post💜
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thanks so much!!! and I’ve always wanted to read more adult fantasy because fantasy really is my genre, but I never really knew where to start… I started got but I didn’t really like that and now I’m lost lol
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SAME like it’s all so intimidating?!?! I did enjoy the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson and that’s about as far as I got😂😂 and OOF was GoT too slow? I’ve heard fantastic things and I’m like “no they’re too long” lol (also I read Shadowhunters though so maybe i’m being too hypocritical XD)
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exactly!!!! hahahahahah
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This was really interesting! I know what you mean RE: how a lot of YA can get very ‘same shit, different book’.
If you want some YA that’s doing something different, I’d suggest: Dread Nation duology by Justina Ireland, Deep Light by Frances Hardinge, Meat Market by Juno Dawson, The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven, Summer Bird Blue and Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman, Places I’ve Cried in Public and It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne, This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, The Hate U Give & On the Come Up by Angie Thomas, and the Garvie Smith series by Simon Mason <3.
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AHHHHH thanks so much!!!! And woowwww, I’ve only read The Hate U Give on that list, but just the fact that you included it makes me want to read all the other books!
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I totally feel what you mean when you say “less gripping” books. The more YA I read the more apparent the standard tropes and pitfalls are to me. I start seeing the same stories over and over and it starts to get exhausting. I’m 26 so plenty of YA books do feel a little bit like they’re not for me, but I’m still finding stories I enjoy! It’s just that I have to wade through more junk now to find the treasures.
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EXACTLY!!!!!
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I love YA and I’m 29. I think I’ll read it forever.
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I love that!!!!
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