Hello friends, happy Sunday! How was your week? I hope it wasn’t as exhausting as mine was, for sure. I’m glad to be back in this sunny day to talk to you about my favorite genre and throw at your face all of the wonderful books you need to add to your TBR…very gently, obviously.
If I remember this correctly, it was Shar, in my latest recommendations blog posts, that suggested I talk about parents in young adult contemporaries…Obviously, I couldn’t say no to this little challenge because YES, it was SUCH a challenge. It’s already been talked about so many times now, but parents seems to be MIA most of the time in young adult books. If it’s not that shocking in fantasy or sci-fi, I guess it makes me even more confused when they’re not present in contemporaries. I mean, why?!
SOOOO I have some bookish recommendations. It took me quite a while to come up with these books but I did it. They’re here, they might be confused, they are not perfect but they are here, around and their presence is something good. I tried to come up with books with both parents as well but…#hard. So please, if you have suggestions?! Click on the book covers to be redirected to Goodreads.
Say hello to parents in YA books
I couldn’t NOT mention this fantastic contemporary series I just finished reading. Lara Jean is high up there in the cute contemporaries list, for so many reasons: it’s cute and SO relatable, but most of it all, her dad is present, accounted for and such a great figure in her life.
Big families filled with joy (and struggles), children’s screams and everything else?! FINALLY this happened in this lovely contemporary I read quite a while ago now. The Garretts, a full family with mother, father and tons of brothers and sisters, was so much fun to read about, and so refreshing .If a love story is at the heart of the book, families definitely play a big wonderful part in this as well.
I think that Aristotle and Dante is bound to be on any list talking about parents, because here, there are pretty awesome ones – especially Dante’s, whose I fell in love with at first sight. But what’s important here is that there are two sets of TWO parents, in love and everything, which happens basically NEVER in young adult contemporaries. Plus, they are always here, serving the story, which I loved.
Two parents again, yes! In this story, Solomon is agoraphobic and doesn’t get out of his house at all. It’s all about his mental illness, obviously, but about forging new friendships, overcoming obstacles you never thought possible, and so much more. But I’m here to say that, added to all of these awesomeness, Solomon has incredible parents (and one fun grandma) that are here, present, accounted for, and a lot of fun as well. YAY!
This book is a bit less-known than the previous ones I think, however it definitely deserves to be mentioned as I LOVED IT SO MUCH (and I cried like a baby). In this story about social media, anxiety, college, friendships and everything else, Allison has such an amazing father. Okay. It’s an adoptive father, but it does count. Their relationship in the book was explored, developed and evolved as the story goes on and my heart loved it all the more for that.
? For more YA contemporary recommendations, check out my previous posts in the series:
- The Great Siblings Edition
- The Road Trip Edition
- The friendships Edition
- The realistic characters Edition
- Say hello to tears Edition
- The healthy relationships Edition
I really want to read 180 Seconds! It’s on my TBR but I just haven’t gotten to it yet!
Oh I really hope you’ll get to it soon – it was such a lovely book 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment <3
Ahhhhhh YAY! This was such a great post! I feel like parents in YA are SO neglected and I don’t really understand why because they’re so so important in your life especially as a teenager??? So thank you for writing this list! I’ll definitely check out all of these books!
I 100% agree with the dad from 180 Seconds!!! I forgot his name but he was my favourite character in the book! He was always so supportive even thought it took Allison a while to open up to him and it was so great to see their relationship develop! ❤️
Ohh thank you so, so much, Jackie! <3 <3 I'm so glad you agree. I am always looking for more books where parents are actually there, they are such a big deal in a teenager's life and I don't get how they are just put aside in so many books :/
YES! Oh I'm so glad you read 180 seconds as well, it was such a lovely book and Allison and her father's relationship was SO great <3 <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
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i love ari, dante and lara’s parents! they are incredibly present throughout the series, and actually have connection and communication with their children. another amazing parents is leo’s parents from windfall. even though alice is not their biological child, they love her and leo equally and again, they communicate with each other. amazing list marie!
Ohh, I haven’t read Windfall yet but it is on my TBR, I’m so glad to hear it has amazing parents, it makes me even more impatient to read it 🙂 Thank you so much, Tasya <3
Omg YES YES YES TO ARI AND DANTE! One of my favorite contemporaries, one reason being because of the amazing parents! I want parents like Ari and Dante’s (not that my parents aren’t wonderful! ❤). And totally for the Lara Jean trilogy! Her dad is so great. I’d also say Simon Vs. has some good, supportive parents as well, and I’ll have to check out Highly Illogical Behavior!
Right?! Ari and Dante’s parents are SO cool and it was so refreshing to see parents present and everything in the story. It’s way too rare. It makes me sad.
Ohh yes, can’t believe I didn’t think of Simon vs. while writing this post!
Highly Illogical Behaviour was such a great book, I hope you’ll read it sometime 😀
Thank you so much May <3 <3
Their parents are so supportive and kind! I guess that in fantasy it’s hard to save the world with parents on your back, but I’d still love to see it. Contemporary’s doing a pretty good job though!
Same here – parents in fantasy are even harder to find. We need that more, it would be fun and refreshing for sure! 🙂
Yay! I love finding new books with strong parental representation in YA! I loved the first two Lara Jean books and I’ve also read My Life Next Door! That was super fun and I can see how she fell for the whole family… Boy do we need more books like these! I think a lot of kids have more than 1 parent so I don’t understand why we don’t show it more. It’s a diversity issue I think just the opposite of my diversity problems (for once!) 180 seconds sounds so good! I love adoption stories even if it is a side issue (like in The Problem with Forever)! Super post, I love these ??????
Oh yay, that’s great! I’m so glad you read and loved these books, Dani 🙂
180 seconds was such a lovely book – I hope you’ll read it someday and love it as much as I did! 🙂
Thank you so much! <3
I love this post Marie, and the books you picked for it as well. <3 I really enjoy reading strong and loving family dynamics and I see them more in contemporary than I do fantasy and sci-fi, kind of for an obvious reason like you mentioned. 🙂
My Life Next Door is one of my favourite contemporary books when it comes to family relationships, the Garrett's are just so loud and chaotic but you can't help but fall in love with them can you?
I haven't read 180 Seconds but it's on my to-read list, hearing there's a great father/child relationship between Allison and her dad just makes me all the more excited to get around to it, and of course I loved the family relationships in the others books on your list this week as well! 😀 <3
Oh thank you so, so much, Beth! <3 I agree, can't help but fall in love with the Garrett's family, they're just so…well, they felt so real! 🙂
I hope you'll get to read 180 seconds someday, it was such a great story, I loved it so much <3
Thank you so much, Beth! <3
They really did. I loved the chaos of all those people under one roof, it felt hectic but like you said so real as well. <3
I hope so too, I've heard great things about it! 😀
That's all right. 🙂 <3
How ironic that I just did this same post a couple days ago! I also had To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before on my list… that dad is just too precious and the whole family really is just too sweet.
Ohhhh really? Great minds think alike for sure! 😀 I’ll go check out your post right away, I am in need of all of these recommendations for sure 😀
I agree, the whole family in To All The Boys is adorable. I love them so much <3
Thank you for your comment! <3
I loved the Garretts so much, I wanted them to adopt me. That house was filled to the brim with love. And like seriously, Simon was such a beautiful creature. I loved him so much! I think YA parents are getting better. I Believe in a Thing Called Love, If I Stay, Everything All at Once, Letters to the Lost all had great parents, and where the parents are not great, I am seeing great surrogate parents (awesome grandmothers, for example).
Oh thank you so, so much for all of the recommendations, I need to check out these books for sure! 😀 <3
And yes, I wanted to be part of the Garrett's family as well, they were just so great <3
I love when parents are part of a story! (and thanks for giving me another reason to read Highly Illogical BehaviourI really like the parents in Night Swimming, the mum in Looking for Alibrandi and The Intern, and Salvador’s dad in the Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Ohh thank you so, so much for the recommendations, Shanti – I need to add all of these books to my TBR 😀
Great parents are so nice to read about! THere’s also an amazing parent in The Inexplicable Logic of My Life (actual quote: ‘Some people collect stamps. I collect 17 year old kids’ (which is actually what happens haha) READ IT). And Lara Jean’s father is so nice! I haven’t read the other books yet but they sound good.
I really especially want to read My Life Next Door because I have 3 siblings, which isn’t as many but I get the ‘chaos, kids running around’ especially when my sis has friends over or when I go to my friend’s house (she’s the oldest of 6 kids). Great post, and thank you for the recommendations!
OH YES, I have read and LOVED The Inexplicable Logic, it was really goo,d I loved the dad so, so much! <3 <3
You're so welcome, I hope you'll read MY Life Next Door, it is such a great book with an awesome family 🙂
I loved Ari & Dante not just for the story but also for their parents. They are wonderful and a breath of fresh air. Like you said, you don’t see a lot of parents in YA contemporary, let alone two sets of two parents who’re actually happy together. I’m also really looking forward to reading Highly Illogical Behaviour someday. I’ve heard it has great representation and it’s nice to see the parents are present too 🙂
Highly Illogical Behaviour was such a good book – I hope you’ll read it someday 🙂 Thank you so much, Lauren! <3
Me too! ?
Great post, Marie! I hate the absent parent-family trope so much. Nearly all my favourite contemporaries have a great family relationship in them. I loved Highly Illogical Behavior and Ari & Dante!!!
Thank you so, so much, Lauren! <3 I don't like it either, I just want to read more about good, actual parents and children relationships in YA books.
As I came across this post, I was hoping to see Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. Both sets of parents are so loveable and made the story even more special!!
Beth | http://allthebrightplaces.co.uk xx
Right? Both parents were awesome, it was so good to have them featured 🙂 Thank you so much,Beth! 🙂
I haven’t read any of these, but I thought This Adventure Ends showed a great parent/kid relationship. The MC’s father is such a fun and involved character; it was nice to see in YA.
Oh thank you so much for the recommendation, Angela – I need to check out that book for sure then 🙂
My Life Next Door! Ahh I forget about that book all the time, it’s been so long since I read it but I remember how much I loved The Garrets. They are the best. Still have intense hate for her mum though, what she did.
Agreed. I did NOT appreciate that. But the family was so great and it was cool to see them featured and have such a good place within the story 🙂
Thank you so much, Hannah <3
Yeah their family is so cute. I need a reread don’t I!
YES you do! 😀
Thanks for this list! I love reading books with strong parental presence because I can relate to them on a deeper level. And it’s also just really nice to see the parents guide their children and be there for them. Ari and Dante is probably my favorite book where the parents are a big part of the story. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” has been on my tbr for the longest time! I’m always hearing about that series so I must read it soon.
Oh I hope you’ll be able to read To All The Boys soon – it is such a cute series and the main character is so relatable and so, well, I grew fond of her because she felt so real. And her dad is just SO great 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by, Shouni! <3 <3
I hope so too! I’m always hearing about those books.
There is SUCH a shortage of great parents in YA, and I definitely want to see more bad-ass, supportive parents. I loved both the parents in The Fault in Our Stars too, and Lara Jean’s dad is so freaking adorable. I’ll have to check out the last two books on your list – those are the only ones I haven’t yet read. Great post, Marie!
~ Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
Oh yes, The Fault In Our Stars, parents were pretty great in that one <3 <3 Thank you so, so much, Aimal, I hope if you read these books, that you'll enjoy them 🙂
Lara Jean’s dad is just too perfect! I love how he takes care of his girls. It seems like in so many YA books the parents are only mentioned if they have major problems. Great post!
Right?! He is such an amazing dad 🙂 <3 Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
highly illogical behaviour is my next read, so i’m happy that this book does have amazing parents and family! anything could happen, by will walton, is another book with great family relationships. even though it’s a more underrated read, i still recommend it for how cute the parents dynamic was. and, of course, ari & dante! i really love that benjamin alire saenz always adds this element into his books; i feel like it really allows young people to realize that parents are also real people, with real feelings, and they’re not going to be perfect forever.
Ohh yay! I hope you’ll enjoy it, Lais, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about it <3
Thank you for the recommendation, I haven't heard of Anything could happen before so I'll check it out for sure 🙂
Thank you so, so much <3 <3
Lovely post! I know right, I’m always so confused when there aren’t parents in YA books, especially contemporary books, it doesn’t make sense at all! The only book I’ve read on this list is My Life Next Door and oh my gosh yes, I LOVED the family aspects! Another series that has very involved/awesome parents is the Geek Girl series by Holly Smale. I LOVEEE the parents – they’re utterly hilarious, very involved in the protagonist’s life and they’re a very close family which I LOVE reading about as I’m extremely close to my family. Wonderful post! 🙂
OH thank you so much, Kyra, I’m so glad you liked this post! 🙂 Ohhh I have heard good things about Geek Girl, definitely need to put that one on my radar 😀 Thank you so much for the recommendation! <3
Wonderful topic!! I love good parent figures in contemporary- I don’t really care so much in other genres, but in contemporary it’s a *must* for me that there’s at least one decent adult! I love love love the dad in To all the boys!! Aristotle and Dante had great parental figures too. And I recently read 180 seconds- and man the dad in that turned my heart to mush!! 😀 Love this post!! <3
Ohh thank you so, so much, I’m so glad you liked this!! <3 <3
You’re welcome!! <3 <3
I really enjoyed the parents (still in love and active in their teenager’s life) in “The Upside of Unrequited” by Becky Albertalli and “History is All You Left Me” by Adam Silvera.
Ohh, I haven’t read these books yet but they are on my TBR. I read and loved Simon vs. and More Happy Than Not by these authors so I’m eager to get to them – even more knowing there are fantastic parents! Thank you so much, Paige! 🙂
I hope you love both of them when you get around to reading them! Even though I think both of their debut novels are perfect, they somehow managed to pull out second books even MORE perfect 😛
Well…that just proves I have to read their second books;…and it is so promising for the rest of the books they’ll release for sure 😀
I can’t say perfect second books happen very often, so it was a very pleasant surprise 😉
I’m sure it was! 🙂
I’d always known there were a disproportionate number of absent parents in fiction, but didn’t understand the extent of the problem until I tried to write a post about the 10 best fathers in fiction novels and had to resort so some fathers that were not so great.
Right? When I first thought about writing this post, I had a hard time even coming up with a couple of books off the top of my head. Parents are too rare in YA books, it’s sad :/
Thank you so much for your comment, Jacqueline 🙂
Yeah, and family relationships are such an influential factor in people’s lives too.
I can see why they’re so absent though. Hard to have children go on an adventure when their parents keep reminding them to come home at a certain time. 🙂
You’re welcome!
Agreed! They are such a massive part of lives, especially teenagers’, they should be featured more for sure 🙂
Ahah yes that’s understandable 😛
Yes, especially since YA main characters are teenagers.
I’m afraid the parents in my current writing project aren’t portrayed in a very good light, but at least they’re there and alive, I guess? 🙂
Ohhh…now you got me intrigued about your writing project…. 😀 YES! At least they are there and it is SO great already. I’m sure it is great! 😀
Glad to hear it! Thanks for the kind words. I hope it’s as great as you think. 🙂
I hope so too and you’re welcome, Jacqueline <3 <3
Out of all of these I’ve only read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, but definitely agree on that choice. I loved their dad.
Molly and Arthur Weasley have to be my favourite fictional parents though 🙂 Though I also love Sally Jackson – she’s one great mom.
Forgot to specify that Sally Jackson is from Percy Jackson woops ?
I think I might be one of the lonely people that hasn’t read this series ???
Yeah I was like ‘wait did Marie read Percy Jackson I don’t remember’ haha you definitely should though it’s one of my favourites it’s so much fun <3
It is on my list for sure, I should read it someday then 😀
Ohhhh yes, Molly and Arthur are such amazing parents, I love them so much! 🙂 <3
A contemporary with great parents that I love is Love and Gelato (I mean kinda. I do love the family relationship there) and Second Chance Summer (I love the whole family!)
Oh I LOVE the family in Second Chance Summer so, SO much. Even if that book made me cry a whole lot ? <3
Thank you so much for your comment! 😀
Yes Second Chance Summer definitely brings out the tears. The family aspect in Simon vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited is super good and fun! Also I love the family that Rufus has even though it’s mismatched. But I love it when they have a
family aspect because family is so important to me ?
OH YES, family is the BEST and I love it when it’s heavily featured in YA books <3 <3