Hello guys! Summer break is officialy over and I’m SAD! I had a fantastic time with my sister across the Atlantic ocean. If you didn’t quite follow our adventures, we traveled to CANADA this summer! Montréal, Toronto and the Niagara Falls…a dream come true for sure. If you’re curious and want to get all the wanderlust feels, just head over to our instagram accounts.
Today I’m taking about NEW ADULT BOOKS and guys…I’m excited!! As you know (or don’t…), I’m a 28-year-old gal reading mostly young adult books. You’re going to ask why and I’m going to tell you it’s because those books give me FEELINGS. Contemporary, fantasy or dystopia…I like YA because it’s engaging, fast-paced and it deals with intense emotion… and to be honest I think we’re all young at heart. I mean…troubles finding yourself and what you want in life? Heartbreaks? Best friends and family dynamics? All topics are relatable and just full of life! I’m a bit struggling with “adult books” because those are often dealing with motherhood, divorce or other topics that I’m not really grasping because I’m not there yet in my life.
The genre I want to see in librairies and bookshops is “new adult”. Stories about those people between 20 and 30 years old who just moved to college or are starting their first job, struggling with love and trying to find their path into adulthood (and not only stories about sex!!). I just want books that are talking about me. I want to be seen, acknowledged and to be fair…understood.
After long hours browsing through the wonderful website that is Goodreads, I found 10 new adult books that I’m dying to read and that maybe you’re going to want to put on your ever-growing TBR (you’re welcome!). Let’s dive in, shall we?!
? 1. Again, but Better by Christine RICCIO
A story about a girl going away to college and realizing she’s doing it all wrong. No friends, no romance just the plain boring routine. To spice things up, she decides to move to London for a semester abroad. But apparently it’s not that easy living outside that little comfort bubble.
? 2. Fangirl by Rainbow ROWELL
Cath is a fangirl and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, went through pretty tough times thanks to that Simon Snow series. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t seem to let it go. And now she’s on her own at college. Can she do it alone? Is she finally ready to start writing her own stories?
? 3. The Kiss Quotient by Helen HOANG
Stella thinks that math is key in life, a belief that got her that fantastic job where she comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases. Unfortunately, her dating life isn’t fantastic at all and the fact that she has Asperger’s isn’t really helping. That’s why she decides to hire an escort. Before long, she’s craving all the things he’s making her feel…
? 4. Almost Adults by Ali PANTONY
A story about the struggles of adulthood. Mackie, Edele, Alex and Nat didn’t know it would be this hard being a grown-up. We follow them as they try to get their shit together. Breaking up, making up, moving out and moving on…at least those girls can count on each other.
? 5. Starfish: A Rock Star Romance by Lisa BECKER
Ambitious graduate Marin accepts an internship at a prestigious public relations firm but her perfect plans are derailed when she’s asigned to go on the road with a touring rock band! Soon, Marin falls for the rock star, Brad. But when Marin’s accused of betraying her company, will Brad stand up for her or thinks she was disloyal for the sake of her carreer?
? 6. London Belongs to Me by Jacquelyn MIDDLETON
Alex, recently graduated from Florida, is an outsider, a geeky fangirl with dreams of becoming a playwright in London, a city she’s loved from afar. After a devasting betrayal, she flees America to finally end up in the city of her dreams. But it turns out it’s not that easy to escape the past. Is London the place where she truly belongs?
? 7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MAAS
A tale about Feyre as she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian after murdering a fairie. Dragged to that magical kingdom, she discovers that her captor is hiding plenty of dark secrets and slowly her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion. In order to survive and save the one she loves, she must fight with all she’s got.
? 8. Ninth House by Leigh BARDUGO
Alex is the the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. She dropped out of school early, got into the shady world of drug dealer boyfriends and dead-end jobs but she’s also the only survivor of a horrific, unsolved homicide. Still trying to find anwers, she’s tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the secret societies’ activities…
? 9. Unknown by Wendy HIGGINS
When an unknown organization bombs major cities in the USA and across the globe, the nation is split between paralysis and panic. Food, water and communications are getting harder to come by. But despite the danger, Amber is determined to help and put her nursing skills to good use, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.
? 10. The Vanishing Girl by Laura THALASSA
Every night the minute she falls asleep, Ember disappears. She can teleport anywhere in the world but 10 minutes is all she gets before finding herself back into her bed. But someone discovers her well-guarded secret. She’s being captured by Caden and delivered to the government where she learns that people like her are being used as weapons. As she’s falling for the boy who got her into this whole mess, she’s planning her escape.
What did you think of my picks? Did you read any of them? Do you have any awesome recommendations for me?
Why do you think new adult novels are so underdeveloped? Do you also feel like our generation is a bit “forgotten” by the book industry?
Let’s chat in comments ?
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I love ACOTAR & Fangirl so much! I haven’t read Again, But Better .. but heard so many disappointing reviews about it so we shall see
Yaaaay, can’t wait to read them! ? Oh, I guess we’ll see ? Thank you for stopping by ??
Fangirl and The Kiss Quotient are cute! ACOTAR is one of my favorite series (I like Fantasy a LOT!) I too have the Ninth House in my TBR, I’ve nothing but great things about it.
If you are going for contemporary new adult romances, I would recommend: Bully by Penelope Douglas, Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas, or Anything by Mariana Zapata (all her books are slow burners).
Fantasy/fictional new adult: Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Wicked by Jennifer L Armentrout, The Bird and The Sword by Amy Harmon
I feel like many New Adult novels are given the YA genre classification or even the Adult genre classification. The genre has always been a fight the be defined as something separate but there have been many who don’t think it should be a separate genre at all. Luckily within the last couple of years, more new adults are surfacing and old ones are being reclassified to fit the correct genre. (ACOTAR was classified as YA before and now it’s NA). It might take a while though to see our Libraries and bookstores to have their own NA section.
Yaaay, can’t wait to read all those stories ? Oh my god…thank you so so much for all the recs! I’m going to check them RIGHT NOW! ?? Yeees, I feel like books are not under the right classification and I get it sometimes the line is a bit blurry! I hope NA will grow and offer more than romance novels! And maybe one day we’ll even get our own shelf in libraries. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! ??
It was my pleasure!!! I hope you enjoy them like I did!
I hope for that same dream too!
???
I thought ACOTAR was YA ? Also as for “adult” books, there is “You” by Caroline Kepnes which is amazing. I also recommend “The book thief” if you haven’t read it yet, and Circe by Madeline Miller !
It’s classified under NA and YA so I don’t really know, haha ? Thank you so so much for the recs, I’ll check them out ??
Omg I love ACOTAR and Fangirl so much!! <3 They are great picks. And I totally agree with you, there are not enough new adult books. I want to read about characters in their mid-twenties and all the mess of trying to figure out where they are going in life and how to adult. For real, I need someone to relate to and some guidance lol! And a little magic and adventure on the side wouldn't hurt either 🙂
Yaaaay, it makes me want to read them even more!! ?? Yeees, that’s exactly it! Oh totally, it would be perfect ? Thanks for stopping by ??
I didn’t know fangirl was considered new adult?! I do still need to read that one as well!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Yeah, the line is a bit blurry with this one I think! I can’t wait to read it, I’ve only heard good things ??
I’m 25 years old and I feel you about this, I think that the “New Adult” genre needs a big change, sometimes I feel that most of the books that fit into this category are highly romance-focus, so there’s not much to choose from.?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Ninth House, if you get to read it, Nyx! It sounds SO good and I love Leigh Bardugo, so I hope you enjoy it and have an amazing September ❤️?
Totally!! It sucks ? I hope it’ll change soon! Thank you so much, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts about it ? Have an amazing September too ??
I read four of these. TKQ was just amazing! Fangirl was really, really good (I love RR). I liked ACoTaR, but I LOVED ACoMaF, so, there’s that to look forward to, if you start the series. Again, But Better was cute. I was way more into the second half, than the first.
Yaaaay, I’m even more excited to read them all! ? Thank you so much for stopping by ??
Ahhhhh I love this post so much! I’m 27 & in the past I’d feel so ashamed to say I still read YA, just because of the judgement I’d received about it from people in the past. Like you, it’s not like I had anything against adult fiction – I just didn’t relate at all to the characters & didn’t much care for the topics explored! Loved loved LOVED these recommendations & I’m also loving this new wave of new adult books that don’t just focus on sex ?
? Ngoc
Aww, that makes me so happy ☺️ And I’m glad to see I’m not the only one still reading YA at my age, haha ? I really hope New Adult will evolve from those too-focused romance novels and soon! I’m glad I made your TBR grow a little bit ? Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts ??
I can completely relate to this post! Recently, I’ve been trying to branch out a bit more and explore more new adult books. Of the ones I’ve read so far it’s been kind of hit or miss but I really enjoyed Again, But Better and The Kiss Quotient so I’m glad they made your list! I hope you end up liking them too!
Oh yaaay, it makes me want to read the even more now ?? Thank you for stopping by, talk soon ?
I read Almost Adults a couple of months back and I found it quite relatable! It tackles a lot of stuff, from mental health to relationships to money.
Oh yaaay, I want to read it even more now!! ??
You have literally spotlighted everything I feel about adult books. I can’t relate to the ones that focus on marriage, kids, etc and it’s so frustrating that publishing houses still shy away from all the potential that the new adult genre can offer.
I adore some of the choices on this list. The kiss quotient has been on my tbr for a while and I’m really excited to read that.
The Vanishing Girl also sounds awesome and of course Ninth House is one of my most anticipated books of the year. Thank you for taking the time to spotlight these books.
Yeeees! We need more new adult books pleaseeee ? Thank you!! I’m really excited to read them all ??
Ooo, I love this post! A lot of the contemporary books on this list are on my TBR, but I’ve read ACOTAR and Fangirl! I remember reading Fangirl for the first time in my first year of college and thinking, “Wow, I want to read more books like this” because it really resonated with my current circumstances ?.
As for why NA is underdeveloped, I think it’s party due to its audience not being so loud about liking it? Like there are so many YA bloggers and booktubers and bookstagrammers, and they like to tack YA onto their bios and make it their whole brand, but I’ve failed to come across a purely NA blogger.
Thank youuuu, it makes me so happy that you liked it ? Yeeees, totally!! I just started reading Fangirl and I was like : where was this book when I was starting college?! I haven’t thought about that but you’re so right! The YA community is SO loud! Well…I’m going to scream about NA more often then ?? Thank you so much for stopping by ?
I read both YA and adult books but I agree. I am not there yet as far as motherhood etc. Despite being almost 26, I read mostly YA for that reason. I wish we were more represented in the literary world. But I also think I am in denial and don’t really want to grow up lol! I am like peter pan and live vicariously through my books. I love how YA is written with characters trying to find themselves because I still am searching to know who I am.
No matter how old I get, I will always prefer YA and read YA books. They are my favorite!
-Emily The Book Nerd
emilythebooknerdxo.blogspot.com
Oh my god… yeees! I think that I’m also still reading and loving YA books for this exact reason! In those stories, characters are always trying to find themselves and I do enjoy that aspect! I think no matter how old we are, we’re still looking and searching! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! ??
This is a great list! I loved Fangirl and I can’t wait to read Ninth House.
Thank you!! ? I just started reading Fangirl and I’m already loving it ? Same here ?
It’s been quote awhile since I’ve read it, but I do remember it being a cute, fun read. I’m glad you’re loving it so far.
It really is! Thank you ??
You’re welcome!
Yay, I love new adult books! 😀 As a 22 year old person who mainly reads YA, I’m always looking for books about people closer to my age that still reflect my actual life experiences (more or less). Fangirl is definitely one of my favorites, and I also desperately want to read Ninth House and London Belongs to Me 😀 Wonderful list!
Yaaay! ? Same here ? Fangirl has been on my TBR for SO long, I’m really really pumped about that one ? Yeees, can’t wait to get my hands on those ? Thank you so much for stopping by ??
Great post. As someone who has just graduated university I really want to start reading more books following characters who are trying to find there feet in the adult world and will definitively be checking these out both Almost Adults and London Belongs to Me sound really good ??
Thank you so much! ? Yaaay, I’m so glad I made your TBR grow a little bit ?
You’re welcome ??
So very excited for Ninth House! I do think we need more books that fall in that middle ground between adventourous YA and super romantic NA. We need more of those books that may or may not combine the two -and that are labeled correctly! I feel like with so many of us aware of the problem, we’ll probably be seeing more books being labeled correctly as NA. It’ll take time, but I know it’s already happening!
Same here, I cant wait! ? Yeees!! You’re right, I think we’re on the right path. We just need to scream a little bit more about NA and we’ll get there ? Thank you so much for stopping by ??
I’m also in my late 20s and totally get you when it comes to YA and adult fiction! I’m really glad NA is branching out more because it’s great reading about characters who are actually my age who are doing more than just having unhealthy relationships ?.
I’m so so so hyped for Ninth House!! I also really need to read Fangirl. I wasn’t the biggest fan of ACOTAR ? but I hope you enjoy it!!
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one having those issues! Yeeees, totally!! ? Same here, I just can’t wait ? Just started reading Fangirl yesterday and it seems really really promising ? Oh…well, we can’t enjoy everything, haha! I’ll try it ? Thanks for stopping by ??
The Kiss Quotient and ACOTAR are forever favorites of mine!
Yaaay, it makes me want to read them even more ??
Do it! Do it!
I sure will ??
I am SO excited for Ninth House next month omg !! I’ve read so many amazing arc reviews and I just can’t wait, Bardugo is literally my favourite author haha
ACOTAR was also a fun read
Same here!! I’m so excited about that one ? Yaay, can’t wait to get my hands on it ?
The only book I’ve read from this list is Fangirl and I love it! On my TBR there are also the first four and I can’t wait to read them too!
I actually just started reading it yesterday and I’m already loving it ? Yaay, I can’t wait to read them all ?
Haha, I am 31 Nyx and still,YA is my most read genre 😀 Can’t help, I just love them. True, New Adult genre is so underdeveloped. I thin the lack of audience can be a reason.
You have to read The Kiss Quotient soon okay? It was one of my favorites book from last year and I loved it so so much. But It is an adult book, not a new adult. And Ninth House is also an adult book, from whatever I have heard.
ACOTAR series which has been on my TBR for the longest time and still I don’t know when I’ll read it 😀 It was promoted as a young adult series but later reviewers started claiming it as a new adult because of the content. I am really hoping to read it someday soon.
Again, but Better and Fangirl are also on my TBR.
Yaaay, it makes me so happy to see I’m not the only one still readig YA!! ? Yeah…I think we need to scream more about NA! ? Oh I didn’t know it was an adult book and I still want to read it ASAP, I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it!! ? Yeah…the line is a bit blurry! Same here, I’ve been meaning to read ACOTAR series for SO long. I think I just need to be in the right mood or something, haha! Yaay, all those books seem so good, can’t wait to read them all ? Thank you so so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on the topic with me ??
I loved ACOTAR and Fangirl! Fangirl in particular was amazing, because I related so much to Cath. I don’t feel like there’s enough books out there with shy protagonists. I hope you enjoy these! There’s definitely a couple of books on here I’ll be adding to my TBR 🙂
Yaaay, can’t wait to read them both ? And yeees about the shy characters!! Awesome, I’m happy I made your TBR grow a little bit ?
this entire year i’ve been reading outside of my comfort zone of young adult fiction and i’ve been trying to look for books about adult experiences that keep the themes of young adult books (am i even making sense here lol) and im happy to say ive come across some really great books
but this list is so great!! fangirl is definitely a wonderful pick for your list. i found it so relatable but also so sweet and wholesome. i badly want to read ‘london belongs to me’ and ‘ninth house’ they both sound so good and lets be honest, i’ll read anything leigh bardugo writes
great post!!
Haha, yees you are making sense! ? That’s awesome, I’m happy to see there are great NA books out there! Thank you so so much ? Yaaay, I just started reading Fangirl yesterday and I’m already loving it ? Yeees, I can’t wait to get my hands on those two!! Haha, same here ? Thanks for stopping by ??
The Kiss Quotient is divine! A must read when you’re in the mood for romance. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns of Roses enough, but I must say the sequel A Court of Mist and Fury is an even better reason to read the series if you like found families and slow burn romances in your stories 🙂
Yaaay, I want to read it even more now ? Oooh awesome!! I need to get into it asap!! ?? Thank you so much for stopping by ?
I loved The Kiss Quotient, and ACOTAR! I’ve also read The Vanishing girl and enjoyed it but It’s not my favorite book by the author. I loved her other works! I’m so excited about Ninth House!
Yaaayyy, I can’t wait to read those two ? Same here, so excited ? Thanks for stopping by! ??
I wish there were more NA books in the world! Thank you for adding The Vanishing Girl to my TBR list because it sounds amazing!
Same here, I need more NA books in my life!! ? You’re very welcome! ??
I agree that there is a gap in the market for 20-30 aged characters who are stumbling through life and are clueless because I would find them SO reletable!! It is an interesting time and I don’t know why there aren’t more books with these protagonists!!
Almost Adults sounds great and is immediately going on my TBR– I mean ‘try to get their shit together’— I am sold on that story!!
I am excited to read Ninth House as well as it sounds like an interesting setting and I know it has trigger warnings but I love Leigh’s writing so I am curious to see more from her in this genre.
Great post!! 🙂
Yeees!!! We need more books with 20-30 aged characters and not only romanced focused ones! Hahaha, it was also that little phrase that got me hooked. I can’t wait to get my hands on it ? Same here about Ninth House, I’m really curious! Hope we’ll like it ? Thank you so so much ??
New Adult is a genre that I would love to see more of as well. Ninth House is one that I am really excited for, too. I hope that you enjoy The Kiss Quotient if you give it a try.
Yaaay! ? Yeees, I’m so excited for that one! Thanks, I need to get is ASAP ??
I’ve only read Fangirl but it’s a favorite of mine! I do like books set during the college age or 20-30.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I just started reading it and I’m already LOVING it ? Yees, we need more books focused on that period! ? Thanks for stopping by ??
OH MY GOSH. I adored/enjoyed the first three books! So, I hope you like them when you get to them! AS FOR THE REST OF THESE, I’M SO EXCITED FOR NINTH HOUSE ABOVE ALL ELSE. It sounds like pure brilliance and I’m basically foaming at the mouth in excitement. And, okay, fine, that’s not totally true, but I am pretty dang excited.
Thank youuuu, I’m so excited to read them all ?? Hahaha, well…same here! It’s got so much potential, I can’t wait to get my hands on it ? Thank you so much for stopping by ??
Can I just say: *APPLAUSE* ?… because Sarah J Maas books SHOULD be listed as New Adult, NOT YA!!
* also (totally unrelated) applause just looks like ‘apple sauce’ mashed up, and I have only just noticed this.
Hahaha, totally ??
I think so too!! ?
I read Fangirl earlier this year and while I didn’t love it, I thought it was still very good and I quite enjoyed it! I had similar thoughts for ACOTAR but like everyone says, the sequel is only better than the first one! I really need to read The Kiss Quotient too. It’s waiting for me on my kindle DD: I love new adult reads ^.^
I actually just finished reading Fangirl and I really enjoyed it ? Yeah, many people are saying that to me, that the sequel is better! I need to check it out soon ? Yaaay, I can’t wait either for that one ?? Thank you so much for stopping by ?
I’ve read a few things by Laura Thalassa and they’ve been hit or miss for me. However, I am going to give a try to Vanishing Girl, it sounds so interesting.
Also, I need Almost Adults in my life more than I need to get up early for college tomorrow.
I haven’t read anything by her yet but Vanishing Girl seems promising, we’ll see ? Hahahaha, yeees!! ? Thank you for stopping by ??
Of course!
I loved Fangirl and The Kiss Quotient! Hope you manage to read all of these and love them!
Yaaay, thank you!! I can’t wait ??
I’ve had ACOTAR on my TBR for ages and am desperate to read it – I LOVE books about the fae – but I had no idea it was new adult so now I feel stupid ? I didn’t know Red, White & Royal Blue was either until recently… I think maybe a lot get mislabelled? Or maybe I just don’t pay enough attention. I definitely agree that they’re aren’t that many books that focus on that in-between age though.
Same here, it’s been on my TBR for such a long time ? Don’t be!! I think it was classified YA before and now it’s NA. Oooh I didn’t know about Red, White & Royal Blue but it makes sense! I think they have some issues with labels. Yeees, we definitely need more of those ? Thank you so much for stopping by ??
I hope we both get to it soon then (: Oh right. Yeah I didn’t either until I saw someone mention it on their blog :L It’s okay, I enjoyed the post and yes, hopefully we’ll get some more of them as there’s a demand for them.
Yees hopefully! Thanks again for stopping by ??
Lovely list, Nyx! Ah, I actually haven’t read any of these yet! ? I’ve been planning on reading the Kiss Quotient and Fangirl, but just hadn’t gotten to them yet! Since I’m a huge fan of Bardugo, I’m hoping to read Ninth House when it releases. I was mildly interested in Again, but Better when it first came out, but after reading a lot of reviews for it, I don’t think it’ll be my cup of tea (sadly). I hope all these novels are a huge hit for you, love! Happy reading! <3
Thank you!! ? I just started reading some of that list, Fangirl was really really good! I loved it ? Yees, I’m really curious about Ninth House! Yeah…there are mixed reviews about that one, I guess we’ll see! Thank you so so much, talk soon ??
I’ve read Fangirl, ACOTAR, and The Kiss Quotient. I have Ninth House on pre-order.
They need more books like these. Lately, a lot of teens have been complaining about adults reading (and influencing the maturity levels of) YA books, while people that grew up on YA are now complaining that there aren’t many YA books in college. Maybe we’re at the beginning of a trend.
And I have kids and I have no interest in reading books about kids or divorce. That doesn’t sound exciting.
Yaaay, awesome!! ? Yes, it does feels like it! Haha, tell me about it. Hopefully, we’ll get more awesome NA books very very soon ? Thanks for stopping by ??
Oh this is such a fantastic post, as I’m always searching for more new adult books to read! ? Fangirl is still one of my all time favorite books, the college experience is so relatable and Cath herself meant so much to me! 🙂 Almost Adults sounds so good (and very relatable) ?
Thank you so so much ? Yeeees, I actually just finished reading it and I LOVED it ? Totally, I can’t wait to get my hands on it ?
Fangirl is super cute! I can’t wait for Ninth House. And ACOTAR is…ok. I still haven’t finished the third book because meh.
Yeeees it is, I just finished reading it ? Same here!! ? Oh, it’s too bad you aren’t enjoying it more. I still need to get into it, I think I’m waiting to be in the right mood or something, haha! Thanks for stopping by ??
This is such a great list of books! There are a few of them that were already on my TBR list, but some of them I have never heard of, but they piqued my interest. Great post Nyx xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Thank you!! ? Awesome, I’m so happy I made your TBR grow a little bit ?