I finally read a few more young adult books last year, so I don’t have to combine my late middle-grade and young adult books! I loved all these books, three of which are by writers I’ve read before. I highly recommend these books for ages 13+!
Spin
I am not usually a fan of mythological retellings, but what a gorgeous book Spin by Rebecca Caprara was! It was part of the required reading for a course I did on revising a verse novel and it was my favourite on the list. Full of powerful imagery, this sapphic young adult verse novel blew me away with its story as well as its storytelling. It’s splendid!
The Poet X
I read Elizabeth Acevedo’s less famous Clap When You Land some time ago and I loved it. The Poet X is, in some ways, even more powerful. It’s such a moving story, and the verse form is the perfect way to express raw emotion. With the protagonist Xiomara, our hearts swell; we grow angry and we cry; we feel every emotion she feels. A beautifully nuanced book, it deals with a number of big themes from sexuality to religion and identity. It’s a beautiful, empowering read.
Where the Heart Should Be
Where the Heart Should Be is by the author who made me fall in love with verse novels in the first place, Sarah Crossan, so it comes as no surprise that I loved this one. Set during the Irish potato famine, the story is almost predictable, yet it’s the telling that makes it beautiful. Like with Spin, I love how metaphors make the verse rich and deep, taking my breath away with how will it is crafted. This is a story of love and sacrifice, family and friendship, desperation and hope! It’s a beautiful work of historical fiction in verse!
The Lucky List
The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott is the most surprising book on this list of my favourite young adult reads. I didn’t expect to enjoy it, let alone count it among my favourites. Yet, what I loved about it was how relatable it is. With the protagonist Emily, we go on an emotional journey, a journey of self-discovery. What stood out to me is the authenticity of tone, the way in which Emily hushes a voice inside her that is trying to show her the way. Ultimately, The Lucky List is a beautiful sapphic love story about finding yourself if you’re only brave enough to look.
The School for Bad Girls
I picked up The School for Bad Girls by Madhurima Vidyarthi all set for a slow read, one that I would take a while to get into. In just a few pages, my expectations were proved false, as I was sucked into a whirlwind of a story powered by grit and action. The School for Bad Girls is a gripping work of historical fiction set in nineteenth century Kolkata. It’s a story that kept me reading, charged up by the tenacity of the characters, both fictitious and historical.
Leave a Reply