Are you starting to wish your favorite YA characters aged with you? Or maybe you just want to mix a story about older characters in your YA heavy TBR. We may just have the answer to all your problems.
First of all, if you haven’t heard of the New Adult genre before, it, like YA, is based on the age range of the heroes and heroines. While YA stories usually pertain to high school aged protagonists, New Adult focuses on the next step in life, the post-high-school landscape. Some of these stories take place at college, while some are young people in their twenties just trying to figure out what comes next.
The New Adult genre has found great success in the romance sub-genre, so these recommendations tick all the romance boxes including the golden rule of romance: the happy ending. So while some of these YA novels may not have ended as you wish, you can rest assured that all of the New Adult recommendations will leave you with good feelings.
Love these YA favorites? Try these New Adult recommendations!
If you love ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ by Stephanie Perkins, we think you’ll love:
‘On Dublin Street’ by Samantha Young
On Dublin Street is the story of a young American living in Scotland when she meets a man that changes how she sees just about everything. Like Anna and the French Kiss, this story features an American living abroad, but the similarities don’t stop there. Anna’s hero had a sexy accent that made listening to the audiobook that much sweeter, and the same definitely goes for On Dublin Street as well. It’s a great story, it kicks off one of my favorite romance series full of the couples surrounding Jocelyn and Braden, and it lets you get a brief glimpse of the flagship couple from time to time as well.
If you love ‘Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green, we think you’ll love:
‘Wait for You’ by Jennifer L. Armentrout (writing as J. Lynn)
Okay, so it’s hard to find a story that can quite compare the beautiful, yet haunting tale of Hazel and Gus, but we did our best. Cam is every bit the charming, charismatic hero that Gus brings to the page, and like Gus, he helps his lady through a tough time in her life. The worst is behind Avery, but coming to terms with what her past means for her future with Cam is no small feat. This book is just the beginning of this series written by Jen Armentrout, with some truly great stories to follow.
If you love ‘Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli, we think you’ll love:
‘The Understatement of the Year’ by Sarina Bowen
This book! While it may be easy to see the obvious connection between Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda and The Understatement of the Year (the gay, male leads) there are subtle similarities as well. Both Simon and Graham have issues with their sexuality and watching Graham explore his attraction to Rikker will hopefully give you all the warm and fuzzies. The Understatement of the Year is actually book three in Sarina Bowen’s Ivy Years series, which we highly recommend reading in its entirety, but can be read as a stand alone if you just want to read about Graham and Rikker. Also: hockey players, lots of hot hockey players.
If you love ‘Eleanor & Park’ by Rainbow Rowell, we think you’ll love:
‘Maybe Someday’ by Colleen Hoover
Fans of Eleanor & Park will hopefully find the musical themes in Maybe Someday a comfortable way to settle in for a story about two people from different worlds finding solace in each other. When Sydney needs a friend and confidant most, Ridge shows up strumming his guitar and helps her navigate her emotional turmoil. Ridge is a different kind of musician, and his unique quality is what reminds most of Park’s one-of-a-kind personality.
If you love ‘Nowhere but Here’ by Katie McGarry, we think you’ll love:
‘Wilder’ by Rebecca Yarros
Nowhere But Here dove readers headfirst into the world of motorcycle clubs and is all about the danger and bad boys. While Wilder isn’t about a club, it does have a motor or two involved. Wilder and his fellow Renegades are extreme sports athletes on the hunt to record themselves doing some of the world’s craziest stunts all while attending college aboard their world-traveling cruise ship. There is arguably more danger involved in the Renegades series, what with all the death-defying stunts taking place, but it definitely gives a bit of the same dangerous quality. You never knew what was coming next in the Thunder Road series, and there is no way you could predict what’s next for Wilder and his crew.
If you love ‘All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ by Jenny Han, we think you’ll love:
‘Best Kind of Broken’ by Chelsea Fine
All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and it’s follow-ups are charming and lovely stories about a girl whose past catches up with her time and time again as she deals with the difficulties of high school and family life. Best Kind of Broken isn’t necessarily about all the same things, but it has a bit of the same feel for its story, what with Pixie and Levi’s past sneaking up on them when they least expect it. Both stories also show an appreciation for old, beautiful things that you just don’t find in every book you read.
We hope you find one or more of these stories a great way to dive into the wonderful world of romance and explore a whole new genre. New Adult is a great bridge between Young Adult and the ever-expanding world of romance that has stories in just about every sub-genre you could ask for.