Hi friends! I hope you all are doing okay ?
Today I thought I’d rant a little bit about some things I’d love to see in the books I read a little more. I’ve been lucky enough, in the past few years, to get to know myself as a reader more and more and, most importantly, to find and read books I really, really loved.
I think that, now and without hopefully being too self-assured, I kind of know what I like the most and I kind of know the kind of books I’d really, REALLY love to read more of. So here’s my little selection of things I’d love to read more about! Whether it’s relationships, themes, settings or anything else, if you know any books with these, please please scream all of your recommendations in comments for me!
? 10 things I want to read more of in YA books
1. Books with close sisters relationships
I will forever be craving stories with sisters relationships, sisters that are close, sisters that can’t live without each other, sisters that are each other’s halves.
I feel like we do have siblings in YA books, but I feel like we don’t have enough, or I just haven’t read enough about them, about siblings being at the HEART of the story and not as a side-plot to another story. I’m mentioning sisters here, because well, I have a sister and she’s everything to me, but any kind of close siblings story is! what! I need! more! of!
2. Contemporaries with different kind of settings
Confession time: almost every YA book I’ve read talks about prom and every other kind of very American celebration and I just can’t relate.
The high school experience, the young adult experience altogether, is so different here in France, or anywhere else in the world for that matter and I’d love to see more of that.
Not only contemporaries with high schools as their main setting, though. I mean, different countries as a whole, too.
For instance, I want to see more contemporary books set in France. OTHER THAN PARIS. I’m sorry to say this, but France does not equal Paris. There are places much prettier, much friendlier and I don’t know, there are other possibilities. I’m bitter about Paris, I apologize for those of you dreaming of it, no shade on it at all. Just, not my kind of city at all and I’m a little tired of, every single time a book is set in France, it is in PARIS. If you ask me, I’ll give you a list of over 10 gorgeous places you’ll dream of in France and they’re little gems and perfect to write stories for, too.
Okay. Rant over.
OH HEY random idea: should I write about a couple of places in France writers should write about??
3. Books about break-ups
Wow. I’m being terrible here, I’m sorry, but… break-ups are part of life and part of young adult lives, too. I have read my share of romance and adorable, swoon worthy stories, but I can’t recall reading once about break-ups.
How it hurt, how it can be messy, just plain confusing, liberating, and so on. There are so many reasons behind break-ups and so many complications afterwards, too. The getting over it, the moving on, the jumping back into it, the consequences of gettting out of a toxic relationship and so on.
Out of topic, but for those of you watching, having watched One Tree Hill. Isn’t it the best scene (and most heartbreaking scene) you’ve ever seen.
I think it’d be so interesting to read about that theme.
Heartbreaking, too, but obviously you’d get hope for renewal and new romances (WITHOUT SOMEONE BEING THE SAVIOUR!) and just rebuilding yourself.
4. Books with friendships
I want to read more books focused on friendships. We’ve had some wonderful releases lately focusing on friendships, break-ups and friendships building up again, stories with friendships at the heart of the book and I really really stan this okay. I feel like we need more and more of these stories.
I mean, there are so many ya books with romance at their hearts, but…. when you think about it, is romance really the heart of young adults’ lives? If you ask me, the answer is a big, fat, NO. FRIENDSHIP was at the heart of my teenager / young adult years.
I’d also love to read about a boy and girl friendship. With no tension, no hidden feelings, nothing but friendship. Could that ever happen in a book honestly? Because I’d be so happy to see this.
? YA books with friendships I’ve read and enjoyed
This is what it feels like, Rebecca Barrow
Hanna, Dia and Jules were an inseparable trio and lived for their band, but things have changed and now, they barely acknowledge each other anymore. Until a music contest gets to reunite them… for better, or worse. » read my full review.
☂️ Find more recommendations in my blog post: 12 YA books with great friendships
5. Books about blogging, bloggers, influencers
One book like that is hiding on my computer, aerm.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m a book blogger, because of the world we live in or how influencer is basically a job now, but… I’m craving these kind of stories, really. I want to read about passionnate bloggers, I want to read about the ups and downs and complications of this little bubble online colliding with real life, too.
6. Books with anxiety representation
I know there have been a lot of books dealing with mental health lately in the young adult market and I am so, so very grateful for it.
I’m so happy I can find myself in books this way, too and, well…. YES, I am craving for more, forever and always okay.
? YA books with anxiety representation I’ve read
Starfish, Akemi Dawn Bowman
Kiko has been living with social anxiety all of her life and, between her emotionally abusive mother and abusive uncle moving back in and her not getting into her dream art school, she feels her dreams of a far away life slipping away. Until her childhood friend brings her on an art-school tour on the west coast and Kiko slowly starts finding her own self and learns how to be brave. » read my full review.
☂️ Find more books with anxiety rep in my dedicated blog post: 10 YA books dealing with anxiety
7. Books with long distance relationships
With all the late night texting and the longing and the complications of seeing each other only every few months.
That’s all I have to say.
Another book hiding on my computer. It’s invisible. I need to write it okay.
8. Books with show-biz settings and characters: music and bands, TV shows and movies…
I want to read about teenagers Disney stars messing up okay.
More seriously. Well, I was serious before, but… ANYWAY. There’s something about books with famous characters that catch my heart and keep it there. There’s something about Evelyn Hugo, something about the stories with actors trying to make it, bands wanting to get their music out there, teenagers pop stars struggling to make it that fascinates me a little bit.
I could read more of these books, I really could.
I’m also writing one right now. Aerm.
? YA books I know about bands and movies
I Was Born For This, Alice Oseman
About a pop-rock trio of teenage boys, The Ark, with their notoriety rising and rising and Angel, part of the band’s fandom. It’s filled with the realistic, overwhelming incredible feeling of being part of a fandom and a wonderfully fun and complex insight into the band’s life as they handle their growing fame. » read my full review
Going Off Script, Jen Wilde
Seventeen-years-old Bex gets her dream internship in a writer’s room of her ultimate favorite TV show. Between getting cast aside, having to prove her worth and getting her work stolen… a lot of fun, heartwarming romance and friendships and important system-fighting is happening in Going Off Script and it’s amazing. » read my full review.
9. Stories about writers
I’m always a little nervous to call myself a writer, because I haven’t written a lot of books, I haven’t published anything and, I don’t know. But I guess if you write, you’re a writer, so I’m a writer.
I’ve been reading Beach Read recently, an adult book with main characters that are published authors and I loved it VERY much. This made me crave stories about other writers, too, in young adult books, too.
I mean, we could use stories with teenagers writing fanfiction a little more, young adult wanting to pick creative writing in college, writing novels in their bedrooms, I don’t know. I just LOVE and want more of these kind of stories where characters are as passionate by their writing, as messed up by the words they want to put out there as I am.
? YA books I know about writers and writing
THE UNDOING OF THISTLE TATE, Katelyn Detweiler
A teen bestselling author is struggling to keep the identity of the writer of her books a secret. With complex family relationships, romance and a peek into the publishing world, a really compelling read. » read my full review.
FINAL DRAFT, Riley Redgate
Laila loves to write stories filled with magical worlds and forbidden quests. In Final Draft, she obsessively starts seeking approval from her newest, Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist, creative writing teacher. » read my full review.
10. Books set in college or with college questioning
I’m not going to get into the debate of how these books set in college should be new adult books, how there should be more of a new adult book section that isn’t solely filled with romance and cringy, naked-torso book covers.
For me, books set in college, especially in the first one, two, three years, are young adult books, because I considered myself a young adult when I started university. Because I feel like these kind of contemporary reads would perfectly fit in the young adult genre and with other contemporaries, about finding yourself, a new environment and discoveries and so on.
I haven’t encountered many books dealing with college and getting into college and the first few moments there, and I want more of them okay. Books like Time of Our Lives, that perfectly fits in that in between moment I’m always looking for.
What themes, settings, kinds of relationships would you like to read more about in books?
If you know any books fitting the themes above that I could read, please feel free to scream recommendations at me in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️ Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin ‘☂️ Support the blog
OMG, the mc in break up buddy is a book blogger turned booktuber and I cannot with how I portrayed that back then. Girl got famous overnight and it’s ridiculous!!! But I agree on so many of your points. I thought about writing something set in my own country, but then I didn’t know how that would work with the language first and foremost. I thought it would be pretentious to write about Austrian teens in English, cause that’s just weird … typical things like slang and so on would be so hard to incorporate. I think that’s why I opted for someday writing the semester abroad story … it was the closest I could imagine.
Great post, Marie!
AH YES ahh. I just LIVE for these kind of stories and always want to read more of them!!
Oh yeah, I can understand what you mean so much, there are so many specificities that could be a little hard to grasp. I really think someday I’d love to write a story like that set in these kind of places, but yeah, it can be a bit complicated… I’ll have to think of it ahah 🙂
Thank you, Kat! <3
I didn’t know I needed all these things in YA! I slowly have gotten out of the genre. I feel like if some of these topics were included more, I’d read more YA!
My Bookish Fantasy
Ahhh! Well I certainly hope we will find some books fitting these themes soon 😀
I love books about platonic friendships! And stories about siblings. They’re just so wholesome and refreshing to read when so many books contain romance. I also agree with the contemporary books in different settings thing. I grew up as a non-American reading books set in America, so every time a book challenge comes along and asks you to name a book set in a foreign country, I’m very confused (foreign as in outside my passport country? outside where I currently live?? outside the States? help). I think it would be really cool to read about France! Maybe places like Nice or Toulouse or Marseille? When I started learning French, La Rochelle was a very popular place to reference, too.
Ahh thank you so much Germaine, I’m so happy you liked this post <3 <3
I feel like there are so few books set in different countries and, what frustrates me the most is that, when people travel, they usually go to the most popular places such as London, Paris, Amsterdam…. As an European (and French ahah), I can really tell that there are SO many incredible little gems to set books in other than the popular cities and hope to see that someday! 🙂
I agree! And as an Asian, I think it would be really cool to see stories set in countries less people have heard of — and also maybe more contemporaries in Africa (because it’s such a big continent, so I can’t imagine how many hidden gems there must be!) 🙂
Ohh YES I so agree with you on that one, this would be so lovely! <3
I LOVE each of your points and I think the same! ? I would especially love more books with sisters relationships! I don’t have sisters, but I do have brothers and books about sibiling in general are always my favorite thing!! ? & OMG, I’ve never thought about books about break-ups, but now that you mention it…it might work! It would also give a more realistic dimension to relationships and perhaps even a positive point of view.?
Amazing post, as always, love ❤️✨
Ahh thank you Sofi! So happy you enjoyed it <3
I'm glad you agree, siblings are wonderful and it'd be amazing to read more about siblings dynamics. And yes! break-ups are terrible, but they're part of life too and I think it'd be such an interesting pespective to read 🙂
Thank you! <3
I need more stories about writers. That’s something I would love to read about and it’s so #relatable with my life right now haha! Like you said fanfiction writers who grow to become full time novelists! Bloggers trying to get their names out there! More books focusing on friendships!! I’m here for all of it and ready to devour it up <3
Also while we are on the topic… I could always use more books about readers!!! Those types of books are my lifeblood 😀
AH YES! I’m so happy you agree with me about this, I want all the writers kind of books, they’re so wonderful 🙂
AND YES! Books about readers, with bookworms and everything always make me so happy! 🙂
YES YES YES TO ALL OF THESE!!! I haven’t read a book with a good sibling relationship in a really long time, which is SUCH a pity ? I’m really close with my sister so any books with a good sibling dynamic just pierces my soul ?I’d also really like to read about long distance relationships – I feel like it’s a part of life, and I’ve always admired LDR couples bc how do you make that work???
Looking forward to reading those books you’ve got hidden in your computer, Marie! ?
AH YES I’m so happy you agree ? we need all the wonderful siblings relationships.
And… well thank you for saying that ahahah. I agree it’s such a complex kind of relationship and I’d love to read more about it 😀
Thank you ???
OH MY GOSH YESSSS. can we please see something other than Paris????? My family is from the south of France, but apparently only Monaco and Paris exist??? hMMM. And yes sister relationships!!!! and friendships!! I’m so done with shitty, drama-based friendships in books, it just doesn’t appeal to me? i find it so irritating and childish, i JUST WANT TO SEE SOME GENUINE, FLUFFY FRIENDSHIPS!! Loved this post!!!
AHHH YES!! There are so many lovely place south, it’d be AMAZING to read all about them 😀 and agree with genuine, lovely friendships, we need them <3
Thank you so much! <3
yessss omg its all so beaut *hearteyes* you’re welcome <3
Yes, yes, yes! I totally agree with every single thing! Especially the one with breakups and anxiety – I feel like a lot of YA books are filled with people falling in love but the reality is, that a lot of us also experience heartbreak. Amazing blog post! xx
Thank you so much Karen! I’m so happy you agree with these 🙂
you know what i never thought about, since I’m american, I’ve never really considered the fact that a lot of YA books are written with an American background (in terms of holidays, celebrations, etc). I always just thought it was because those are the books that get more well known, and I haven’t had the chance to read many that take place in other countries. And while I have read some books that take place in other countries, they’re usually well known cities, such as london, paris, or some famous city in canada. I haven’t read many that take place in a more “rural” setting as most american ya books do. Great post marie xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Oh it’s okay, I completely understand that, too, the american market for YA books is the biggest in the world, so it’s only understandable! I think it’d be amazing to see books with more diverse settings, different than the usual big cities you see all around. There are such cozy, wonderful places all around Europe that writers could mention 😀
Thank you, Melina! <3
I see many YA with dead parent or siblings and character is dealing with loss and grief. For a change I don’t want anybody dead or character dealing with his/her parents’ divorce. Great post.
YES! I so agree with you on that, I’d love a little happier books with siblings and parents ahah 🙂
Thank you! <3
YES! I desperately want non-US YA. I’ve been begging the universe for that for years, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.
I hope it will eventually happen, it would be so, so, SO great. <3
I feel the one with contemporaries set in different places so much! ? And, yes, I’d love to see a list and/or post about places in France authors should write about. // There are a lot of things I want to read more of in ya in the fantasy section although I know that those probably already exist and I just don’t pick them up. I want to read good books about mermaids and ghosts, for example. ?
ahh thank you, i’m glad you like the idea, I might write a blog post about it sometime 😀
Oooh that’d be interesting! It’s true that I haven’t focused this post on fantasy, since I mostly read contemporaries ahah, but mermaids! that’d be amazing!
Great post! I love that you gave some recommendations too. What I’d like to read more of would be thrillers with vivid atmospheric settings, like creepy houses etc. I read a lot of thrillers more focussed on the characters, but I love it when the setting really stands out.
Ahh thank you Nikki, happy you enjoyed it 😀
Ohh that’d be so interesting. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, I’m too easily scared ahah, but a great setting always makes a book stand out 😀
I was literally JUST debating whether I could write a book about a freshman in college and still consider it Young Adult. I mean, I feel like very technically, publishers consider college books New Adult, but in the book community, Fangirl is still considered YA, soooo . . . ? I hope a trend starts of YA books set in early college years, because I need more books on college campuses. And YES to more friendship books!! Specifically, I want more contemporaries with friendship squads. I love that we’re getting that in fantasies like with Six of Crows, but I want a SoC gang in a YA contemporary story.
Yes that’s exactly the struggle I have with some of my stories, too. I feel like it’s YA, but technically, since it’s set in college… who knows? The lines are a bit blurry.
i really hope a trend starts, too, we need more books set in the early college years for sure 🙂
AH YES oh that’d be amazing. A great squad in a contemporary, I’d be so here for it <3
Thank you for your comment! <3
This is such a fantastic post, Marie! I definitely agree with all that you have said! I especially want more books that focus on platonic relationships like friendships and family relationships ? It’s okay if there is also a romance, but I do like books that don’t only focus on the romantic relationships of the main character. Maybe I just like to hurt myself … but I also want more friendship breakup stories like We Used to be Friends. I feel like we are slowly getting more of them and they are such important and devastating stories!
I also want all the books that feature the movie/show industry, publishing, or music! And I can never get enough of books with great mental health representation either! ? And college too omg! I’m always here for stories Not set in the US as well, I have kind of grown tired of most High School settings as it all seems to be the same. I want more stories like Darius the Great or Love from A to Z that are set in places I haven’t read much about before! ?
Ahh thank you Caro, so happy you liked this post <3
I agree that the focus on other kind of relationships is so important, these relationships matter SO much! <3
And oh! I had no idea Love from A to Z was set in a different country than the US, I need to check it out, thank you!! 😀
More books dealing with the entertainment industry are indeed needed ! Thank you for your book recommendations, I almost added them all to my TBR 🙂
Yes agree!! Ahh, this makes me so happy, thank you so much! <3
Yess give me all the good sister relationships!! That’s why I loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before so much the sister relationships in that are goals!! And yes I think it would be interesting to include breakups instead of just the whole book being about the couple only getting together in THE END?? plus I’m so here for a book that takes place in France and not Paris?! This is a great list Marie ☺️
AH yes me too! I loved Kitty and Lara’s relationship so much and want more of these ?
OH YES what a fantastic idea, only getting together at the very very end. Or already being together at the start of the story, we rarely see that, too!
Thank you! 😀
Ooo yes to all of these!! I’d love to read about books with more strong family relationships too. and big yes to breakups and long distance relationships!! Especially ones that work out because most LDRs we read about in books never last 🙁 I’d also love to read about books set in different countries!! I agree that almost all contemporaries are set in the US, and I’d love to use it as a way to learn more about other countries~
Ahh thank you Tiffany, so happy you liked this ? yes agree, this makes me so, so sad and I hope we might get stories that work out someday <3
definitely! well you can look out for my stories in like 2540 set in France ?
I love your list! I agree with all of them but the setting is the one I feel the most! I literally finished writing a review 30 minutes ago saying that I couldn’t connect with the prom/college seeking plot because it’s so American. And I agree all the books in France are in Paris, even though I live there, I’d be happy to see something else. I’d be happy to see your list of place ideas though ?
Yes exactly! It makes sense, since a lot of the YA book market is primarily American, and writers write about what they know, but… I’m craving for stories set in other countries to discover their school, college, application process and just teenagers and young adults lives 🙂
Thank you!! I’m so happy you like the idea, I might work on a blog post like that soon, then 😀
Can’t wait to read it ??
Books with famous characters yes!! please!! 100% agree with everything you’ve mentioned here and I’d love to see more books featuring these aspects in the future! I also agree with the American high school aspect – I’m from the UK so I don’t understand how the American system works? I want more books like Radio Silence which feature GCSEs and A-levels and university! Great post! 🙂
Ahh thank you, so happy you agree with these! 😀
I get what you mean so much. I only read a couple of UKYA books with the UK school system and… well, I was so confused given that I was so used to reading about the american one ? but I found it to be such a nice change!
Thank you!! 🙂
Ahhhh!!!!! I loved this post! 😀 😀
You know, before I saw that you mentioned it, that gif of Brooke and Lucas just tore at my heartstrings! That is probably the episode I’ve seen the most times; that season 3 finale is just UGH! THE FEELS! And when Brooke tells Lucas that she just wants him to let him all the way in ???
Anyways… I could talk OTH all day 😛
I totally agree with you about heartbreak in books! I’d love to read those too!
I’m also with you on friendships and a book about a girl and a guy just being friends YES PLEASE! I was watching a movie the other day and I just KNEW they were going to get together and all I wanted was for them to stay friends. One day, we can hope!
Ahhh thank you, so happy you liked it!
Right?!! This episode just breaks me every single time, yet I keep on rewatching it. Sophia Bush’s performance is stunning and I’m crying every time. I want to re-watch OTH now ?
Thank you so much!! <3
You’re welcome! 😀 ?
I used to rewatch that episode so many times… I haven’t seen it in years, but still the feelings are still so raw. I agree, Sophia Bush’s performance is spot-on! I used to think I related to Peyton, but when I rewatched it the last time a few years ago, I really related to Brooke!
AH yes! I used to like Peyton when I was younger and…. now I just can’t see why, I kind of don’t like her at all? ?
RIGHT?! Omg I thought I was the only one who felt this way!
It’s amazing how different you perceive things as you get older!
I think a lot of authors set their books in their home countries for the most part. I have been able to get more and more books by Australian authors, and their books are set in Australia. English authors pretty much set their books in England. I have read a few books set in France (Kids Like Us, Salty Bitter Sweet, etc), but I am not sure I have read any by French natives. You will have to write those books, Marie!!! But, I do like “traveling” via a book, though I understand setting a book in a place you know well.
Ahh that’s lovely! I read a book set in Australia recently and it was such a nice change, I need to find out more Australian writers 🙂
Ahh, it’s in the works, maybe someday, I’d love to write these books ? I also love to travel via books and love discovering new places. I think it’d be lovely to travel to Europe more, but not in London or Paris, in other kind of cities and lovely hidden places! 🙂
I want to see more contemporary YA outside of American high schools too! School is completely different here in the UK too (and then even more depending on which country in the UK you live in) so constantly reading about AP classes and sports being so important has me totally confused at times. And I totally get what you mean about so many books being set in Paris. Almost every US author who writes a book set in England makes everything take place in London and then assumes that every other part of the UK is exactly like London. I pretty much exclusively only read UKYA books set in the UK for that exact reason.
Yes! There are so many different kind of systems and I think it’d be so interesting to read about that, too, I’m curious ahah 🙂
YES! I so agree with you on that one. A lot of authors write books set in London or Paris, but that’s not a great summary of ALL the beautiful places the UK can offer, or France, for that matters. I hope to read more books with different settings soon 🙂
This is such a great post Marie! I would love to read more young adult books about all of these topics, especially books with close sibling relationships and friendships. I also really would love more books about writers and bloggers.
Ahh thank you so much, Aria, so happy you liked this! I hope we can find these books soon 😀
I agree about Paris! I live in the USA so I don’t know much about other countries. I’m just getting sick of tired of reading every single book either set in Chicago, NYC, Paris, or London. There are sooooo many other places to explore! I don’t have the money to travel either so being able to see places through a book is so magical. Side note, what other places in France do you recommend? I would love to visit some day. I heard Paris people aren’t very nice to Americans but I don’t know if it’s just a Paris thing in general based on your post xD
I would also love to see breakup books. Especially in YA. I know it’s nice to have love and everything but YA is not about happy endings. At least in my life experience. I didn’t met the boy I wanted to spend forever with until I was 23 lol
I also wish there were more friendships in books. That’s one of the reasons I loved Harry Potter so much. There is such a focus on friendship and romance is just chilling on the sidelines as the characters get older but it doesn’t ruin their friendship. I’m so tired of characters being friends with the opposite sex and usually the guy has a mad crush on the girl but she wants another. Then their friendship seems to fall apart for awhile. Makes me want to pull my hair out! Lol great post!
Oh god I wouldn’t even know where to start ? I feel like it really depends on people, some had a really great impression of Paris as a whole. I go there often and always get the same impression, good to stay for a couple days, but then, nope ?
There are so many incredible places everywhere in France, less crowded and so beautiful. The East is so pretty (Alsace is gorgeous, though I’m biaised given that this is home), I also love Lille very much! Bordeaux, in the south-west has Paris’ architecture but the southern vibes, too. I also really like Montpellier (south, close to the sea), Lyon (so pretty!), lovely little villages around Avignon, too! <3
I'm so glad you agree with my choices here! I also think we need way more books focusing on friendships, genuine, beautiful friendships <3
Thank you so much, Amber! <3
I definitely want to read more books with friendships and sibling relationships <3
Yay! Me too, so much! 😀
I read mostly YA Science fiction and fantasy, but I would agree with a lot of the broader themes here that you mentioned. I think that displaying different kinds of relationships is so important, especially to YA teen readers. At this stage in their life, it’s so important to read about these relationships outside of the internet I think.
Ahh yay, I was mostly focusing this post on contemporaries since they’re my main focus, but I’m certain there are so many great themes needed in fantasy books, too 😀
I so agree 🙂
Thank you!!
YES to more books about friendships, powerful sibling relationships, and book blogging (i’ve only read one YA book about a book blogger – What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter, and i would definitely recommend it)!!! actually, every single one of your ideas are things i would just love to see more in YA. ?? and omg yes, i have yet to read a book about a powerful friendship between a girl and boy that did not turn into romance… i need one asap!!
i agree with literally everything you said haha, this was a great post, Marie! ❤ (also it’s so cool that you’re writing books about some of these ideas ?)
Ahhh yay! What I Like About You is on my TBR, I AM VERY EXCITED to read it ahh it sounds so good 🙂
Thank you so, so much!! <3 <3
Yes for books featuring friendships and close sisters relationships! I feel like (outside of books for young readers), if books focus on any relationship, it’s the romance. I want to see more platonic relationships! Because friends and siblings aren’t going away when we start dating. I’d love to see more foreign settings in contemporary works. And yes to books about college life!
I agree with you so much! There is so much focus on romance, but there are so many other great relationships to write books about 🙂
Thank you! <3
I would love more of all those topics in ya books. 🙂 Great post!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
You’re welcome!
Book about breakup sounds interesting! I’ve read a lot of YA where the MCs are together till they get married and have kids but in real life people break up and meet a few people before settling down.
Yes exactly! I think it’d be so interesting to see these moments in life, too 🙂
I would love to read more books set in college – that was an amazing time in my life, and honestly I probably relate to it a bit more than high school students these days!
Right here with you on that! There are so many great, complicated, fun, heartbreaking, heartwarming moments happening in college and I’d love more books with these stories 🙂
Thank you, Angela 🙂
Marie I think you read my mind with this post because I want all of these so much !! Like sister relationship until the end of time. You can capture so much with these relationships and I definitely crave them !!
And yes to break ups, so many feelings that would resonate with a lot of people !! yes, yes, yes !!
Friendships and long distance relationships. And this made me laugh “Another book hiding on my computer. It’s invisible. I need to write it okay.” big mood !!
I would love to read more about bloggers and writers too because I could relate and I feel like there is a lot to explore there as well !! College settings and college questioning as well, please and thank you !!
I loved this post a lot and I need all this books now, thank you for writing this !! <3
Yes yes! I’m so glad you agree with these, we need all the wonderful siblings relationships <3 <3
I have so many books I want to write and so little time ? but this one is definitely a project I'd love to work on someday! <3
Thank you so, so much, Sophie!
I definitely think that more books set in college would be good! For something can be such a large part of people’s lives, there aren’t many books set there. Books about friendships are definitely always a bonus. I think my main take-away from this post is that I just want all the books about everything!
Agree! We need way more books with this setting, I hope they exist or will exist and we’ll find them 🙂
Thank you, Marley! 😀
I always love stories with sisters! 😀 I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA contemporary set in France (wait…Anna and the French Kiss lolol), so I would love to see that. And any book where friendship is a main focus is automatically my new favorite thing!! Ahhh I totally agree – books about show-biz are such a specific thing that I love, and I want to see more!
ahh yay! I hope we can find more books with these themes soon 🙂
thank you so much, Margaret! <3
Keystone by Katie Delahanty has influencers in a futuristic society. It is a heist story which read like a dystopia. And nope, there were no book bloggers. ?
Ohh thank you for the recommendation, I’ll have to check it out! 🙂
Here are some books I read in YA that fulfill your characteristics-
Book with friendship – Aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe
Books with siblings – Too ak the boys I’ve loved before
Books with anxiety- All the bright places
I loved the blog ❤
Ah thank you, I’ve read all of these books and really liked them!! ?
Thank you so, so much!! 🙂
I can’t believe you would hurt me with that OTH like that haha.
I’m sorry ?? this scene just hurts me so muchhhh.
Is the book you’re writing set in France? That would be wonderful!! 🙂 I love reading books that take place in other countries.
Not the ones I’m currently working on, but hopefully some later projects will be, I hope 😀
I’m always shouting to the world about needing more books set in collage that isn’t predominantly focused on the explicit romance. That entire collage experience is such a complex time cause you’re taking on more responsibility as a “new adult” and I find the changes in relationships from platonic standpoint is a topic that’s rarely highlighted.
Yes to contemporaries in different settings. Even when books are set in the UK, they typically mean London, when you could easily explore Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and other parts of England in general.
Great post.
Yes yes I so agree with you on that. The college experience is so complex and we definitely need more stories with that focus, I crave them SO much.
Oh yes. I adore so many places in England other than London, too and found out so many little gems I adore there. I’d love to see more books set in different places like these 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Lois! <3
YES to all of these! *claps* I’m obsessed with friendship-only books with zero-to-no romance whatsoever. Also, I’m obsessed with travel and definitely want to see more travel-themed stories to different places around the world. I love the Love & Gelato series because I felt like it wasn’t too stereotypical, and I hope we get more books like that! ?
Ahhh yay! Love & Gelato is on my TBR, I’m excited to read these books! 😀
oh god, yes, please give me all the books set in Europe!! I don’t get the whole American thing at all and I’m constantly googling things because I have zero clue what’s happening and what that event is. I’d love to see books set in Europe, especially not in Paris or anywhere in the UK, but instead give me small European towns, give me skiing in the alps and having to take the bus for 500 years to get to school. Give me small shops instead of Target or whatever Americans have. Give me the European school experience and weird European parents.
Also, please give me that list of beautiful places in France. I’ve been going there on vacation for 14 years now and I’ve wanted to move there when I was younger, so please give me all the recs for places to go!
And I’ve read “Aix Marks the Spot” recently which is set in the Provence. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but I loved how France was described there, just in case you’d like to look into it 🙂
Lots of love & I hope you find more of what you want in the books! 🙂
I so get what you mean, there is so much of the American experience that confuses me and I’d also love to see some kind of different reads with different high school experiences, too! 😀
Ahh, I’ll be working on that list of places soon, I think 😀
Oh thank you! I’ll have to check out this book! Thank you so much for the rec <3
This is such a good post, Marie! as someone who lives in the Philippines, I totally agree with you that the high school experience is SO different in countries outside of America. I wish we’d get more books that aren’t set in America in general… ? Also, I really need more books with friendship as the main relationship too! I’m all for romance, but I hate it when an author ruins a good friendship by turning it into something more ://
Ahh thank you so much! I really wish so too, it’d be amazing to learn more about other high school experiences, too 🙂
YES! I mean I love the friends to lovers trope, but…. sometimes it’s just not necessary to turn it into something more?
Thank you, Cailtin! <3
omg the first one!!! I just read The Henna Wars and it has the absolutely most beautiful sister relationship ever ??reduced me to a soft mess. I want more of that too!! AND it’s set in Ireland. Basically I just…love this whole list??more friendships for sure too! I also want more books that are mostly contemporary but with a little bit of magical realism. And anything with cons and heists because yessss.
AHH I’m all for this, I really can’t wait to get a copy of the Henna Wars now <3
Thank you so, so much, Cait! <3
I LOVE Paris, but I totally understand how you feel. The only part of the Netherlands that makes it into books is Amsterdam, and in my opinion Amsterdam is aweful.
I like how some of those books are still sitting in your computer. I recognise that! 🙂 I wanted to read about famous teens too and started a book about LisleyTV (not at all obvious that it’s a rip off of Disney ?). It’s not good though, but I understand the want to read about that!
Books about break-ups would be awesome in a heartbreaking way. I have read a few books with a break up, but linking them feels like giving spoilers, so I won’t do that haha. Wouldn’t a book with a combination of a break-up and great friendship or great sisterbonds be amazing? I would most definitely read that! 😀
Ahhh I’m glad this strange paradox exist in other countries, as well haha 🙂 I’d love to explore more of your country!! <3
AH YES oh that'd be incredible, I'd read that in a second!! Maybe we should write that someday 🙂
i definitely want more books with close sister relationships and friendships!! those kinds of relationships are always ignored in favor of romantic relationships, and while i love a good romance, i also love to read about sisters and friends since they’re probably more important to me in my life right now than romance! also YES to all the famous celebrity show business type books… it’s often drama-filled but i just love it?? jen wilde and alice oseman’s books definitely come to mind for that type of book, but i want more! great post marie <3
yes ahh I’m so glad you agree. I feel like family relationships and friendships are so so important and they should be up front and center in so many books <3
thank you!! <3
Gaah yess to all of these! On the vein of books about break-ups I’d love to see a book that shows that people can break-up with people they thought were *the one* and it’ll still be fine? I see so many books where it’s always about the person that’s the one, and the characters are like 16, and not to be a downer, but how often does that happen? And I want so many more books that focus on sibling relationships! My siblings are my best friends and my worst enemies, and so often (especially with USA centric books) the characters are either only children, or they just don’t have that much of a relationship with their siblings.
And yesss, I would love to see a list about the places in France people should write about instead of Paris! My mom’s from Paris and she always says that there are so many other places in France that blow Paris right out of the water. Like why doesn’t anyone write books that take place in the south of France, it’s just so freaking pretty there ?
YES oh yes! That would be really great and SO important, too. I feel like there are so many stories where you feel like the romance is THE ultimate romance of your life, while…. well, the character is 16 and this will most likely turn badly. I don’t know if I’m mean or realistic, I apologize ??
YES! Siblings are wonderful and I feel like we need more stories with siblings, always <3
Oh thank you for saying that! I'll work on that post soon for sure then! There are so many beautiful places in France ?
Marie, I seriously could not agree more with this post, especially your cravings when it comes to friendships in YA books. Friendship is the most important thing in my life (sorry @ my husband) and it was such a foundational part of my life as a teenager (that I’m still processing in therapy, it’s fine). I’ve been toying a lot lately with writing about some of it, so it makes me happy to hear that there are people who would want to read about it.
Same thing with long distance relationships: I feel like they’re a lot more common in our world today, what with the internet and how relatively easy it is to travel and all that. There’s that sense of living inside your phone/computer and just feeling like nothing has really happened until you’ve shared it with the other person and it’s just… such a bittersweet thing that I’d love to read (and write!) more of.
I also agree that breakups need to be a bigger part of YA literature. There’s too much falling in love and not enough of the real heartbreak that happens when you’re young and it feels like you’ll never move on. That’s a real experience and teens deserve to see themselves in that respect.
I would love to see you write about places in France! Unfortunately we in America just don’t know a whole lot about France outside of Paris (which is the only place in France I’ve ever seen, tbh) and I’d love to know more. I agree that YA seems so America-focused and it’d be great if the industry as a whole would promote books written by authors from other countries so that teens in America could learn that, ya know, the world doesn’t revolve around us!
Oh I DEFINITELY want to read all about the complex friendships. They’re so, so important and YES some teenage friendships are just… well, they have a huge impact on our lives too and stories about them are so important. <3
200% agree with you. I'll write something about these kind of relationships someday… when I'm ready, ahah. <3
Aww thank you! I might write a blog post soon with some places in France that are worth exploring, there are just SO many little gems here 😀
i absolutely love this kind of post. cait recently did one similar, where she talked about 5 things she wants to see more of in books about mental health issues and i really liked your list too!
i really want more contemporaries with different settings! or just books that explore more of their settings in general. i think i’ve been reading so much contemporaries where their surroundings barely affect them, it could be taking place in a completely different country and it wouldn’t matter that much. but i like whenever the characters explore more their city and their location is sort of a big deal, with references and such. it makes it for a 10x more fun read in my opinion.
(AND YES you should totally write about places in france writers should write about. i recently found this place on instagram (lol ofc) called mont saint michel and it looked so much like the perfect setting for a fantasy novel!)
i’m really glad that this year alone there were 2 releases talking about friends breakup. it’s a topic i can relate a lot with and it’s just as sad to me as a romantic relationship breakup.
and now that you’ve talked about, it is true i’ve never read about long distance relationships in books even though they’re very common now in the ~internet age~. it’s a really nice theme, we should see more of it!
Oh Lais thank you so much! I read Cait’s post recently as well and loved it 🙂
I get what you mean! I love books where we can feel the setting, too, because there is so much to be explored and it gives me all the wanderlust feels, too, something I kind of need ahah 🙂
I will write about this very soon, actually, I hope you’ll enjoy the places I picked out! and YES! Mont Saint Michel is really really a gorgeous place 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Lais <3
OK, two things: have you read A Crown of Coral and Pearl? The sister relationship in this is gorgeous (as is A Heart So Fierce and Broken, but it’s book 2 in the series), AND, One Tree Hill is the greatest show of all time, and I love Brooke.
Ohhhh no I haven’t read that one, I should then, thank you so much for the recommendation! 😀
AND AGREE, such a great show, I loved it 🙂
This is such a fantastic list, Marie. Yes I want more of these in YA too. Also, would love to have more YA stories about safe sex and consent ?
Thank you!! and YES! so agree with you, that would be wonderful 🙂
This is a great list!! We definitely need some more of these in YA books! I’d actually like to read a book about break-ups, all about the messy times, and then about rebuilding yourself. A book about a book blogger would be AMAZING so hm yes, I’m eagerly waiting for what’s inside your laptop 😛
Ahhh thank you Marta!! You’re so sweet, I hope I can share what’s in my laptop someday haha 😀
Wonderful list. We definitely need more friendships in YA and close sibling relationships. I totally agree about break ups too but because I feel like they generally only happen off the page to leave the character single for the next love interest /: and I definitely want more books about fame, there’s something so addictive about the idea of reading about it.
I think I’d like more boarding school stories. I know there are a lot of them but I do like them and do feel that they could at least get some with slightly historical vibes added into the mix. I also really crave books with mythology – particularly mythology that we don’t hear about so often from different places. I do feel like they’re on the rise though so yay ☺️
Thank you, Charlotte! <3 I'm so so happy you'd like more of these ideas, too!
I love boarding school stories so, so much as well, I'd always love more of these 😀
This is a perfect list!! These should definitely be more represented, especially books about writers and books with strong sister relationships!
Thank you so, so much! Glad you agree 🙂
I would LOVE more YA books focused on friendships. Seriously, how many of us had a sweeping romance as a teen? I’m sure some people do, but there are a lot of people who didn’t date at all in high school, or who dated a few people but never really got with anyone long-term. Finding ‘the one’ in high school is pretty rare.
YES exactly! I so agree with you on that and definitely think more friendship-focused stories would be amazing.
A book you might like about sisters: The 4 Elements by Chelsie Wells.