Hello lovely people! It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted over at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is Reasons Why I Love [insert your favorite book title, genre, author, etc. here]. Even 10 years after graduating high school, I still mostly read Young Adult books. So much so that I’ve dedicated my book blog to YA. It’s such a special genre to me, and I know there are so many readers out there who agree. Shout out to my amazing friends Joey, Allison, Kristen, and Kaley for their always valuable input on this one! Here are 10 Reasons Why I Love YA.
They’re less dense and easier to read.
This is not to say the YA books aren’t profound or gorgeously written, but 9 times out of 10, I read to escape. I find that this is so much easier to do with YA than it is with Adult fiction. I don’t always want to have to think or concentrate deeply, I just want to read and enjoy the adventure.
The character development is well-rounded.
YA characters are relatable. They usually have a bigger character arc than I find in adult fiction and they have a stronger emotional component to them which makes them easy to connect with.
The plots are less mundane and have more drama.
When I’m reading a book, I want to be taken on a journey. I don’t want to read about Sad Sally in her boring job and sad family life. Obviously there are exceptions, but I prefer something grander. Something with more drama and more excitement. Events in YA, even mundane ones, are heightened by a YA emotional sensibility and that makes it more entertaining and raises the stakes.
The romance and sexual tension is better.
There is something about romance in YA that is just better. It could be the heightened teenage emotions, or the feeling of remembering those first butterflies, or the fact that sexual tension isn’t released as easily as it is for “adults”. There’s a drama and build to it that just makes it better.
The YA book community is so strong.
One of the biggest reasons I started to focus my blog more strictly on YA is because of how amazing the YA book community is. It is so much fun to be a part of. Getting excited for new releases, ranting about crazy twists or bad endings, freaking out about our new book boyfriends- it’s one of my favorite things and brings me so much joy.
There is a sense of nostalgia.
YA books are what gave me my love of reading. They give me the warm fuzzy feelings that I remember feeling as a teen discovering a new world and new characters. Also, now that I am *cough* older *cough*, the situations and feelings in the stories bring me back to that time in my life and it is so relatable and fun to see them from the other side. YA books just have stronger emotional auras and can really put you in your feelings.
There are so many series.
There are so many series in YA. I feel like it can sometimes be harder to find a YA standalone book. As someone who gets super invested in the stories, I always prefer when there is more than one book to continue on the journey.
Options! There are so many genres within the YA “Genre”
YA covers SO MANY different genres. There is something for everyone and I love that you can explore different genres while still retaining all the aspects of YA that we love.
They’re more diverse.
Because each generation is getting more enlightened, books geared towards a YA audience have a lot more LGBTQ+ and minority representation. I’ve loved seeing the genre grow that way, especially in recent years. YA also shows us how people’s upbringing and backstories form them as adults and can teach people to be empathetic and see things from a new viewpoint.
YA combines all of the best aspects of storytelling.
In conclusion, YA combines all of the best aspects of storytelling. It has great character development- both emotional depth and strong arcs, diverse characters and stories, fantastic romances, exciting plots, a strong community, and creates a perfect escape. What more could you want?!
Reading In The Wings 
I love this list and pretty much agree with you on everything! I’ve been reading mostly YA since I was 11 for all those reasons, and whilst a decade on I do read more adult fiction now most of my books sit in the YA genre still. I think it’s mainly because of the characters, most of the time I find they go through character arcs or learning curves that are still relevant to people at all ages of life – you’re never too old to better yourself or learn!
My TTT: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/05/19/tttwhyilovebooks/
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100%!!
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I love the YA genre for all of these reasons, too.
My TTT .
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It’s the best 🙂
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I love YA so much but I don’t know exactly why. Sometimes I think it’s because I don’t ever want to grow up (ewww adulting lol!) and that reading ya makes me feel less old and curmudgeonly, but then what you said about there being such emotion and great storytelling. I think the traditional coming of age ya story will always be my fav because it’s something that we all have had to go through. We all at one point have to go from being a kid to an adult and ya perfectly encapsulates all those emotions we go through. Great ttt ☺️☺️☺️💛💙🧡
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I SO feel you on not wanting to grow up hahaha but totally. The emotions are heightened because all of the characters are still trying to figure themselves out and it makes for more poignant and relatable stories for sure.
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These are all great reasons to love YA. Although, being a romance reader in general, I think the sexual tension stuff is way more ramped up in NA or adult romance. There are some mature YA that hit the high mark, but not as many for me. That’s just my opinion, though.
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This lost pretty much sums up why I read YA tbh! I 100% agree with the characters being more relatable than other genres, and who doesn’t love a bit of drama ??!!! 😊💛
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YAY! I’m glad you agree 🙂 It’s the best.
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