Ah, the infamous reading slump. We’re all dreading it and, when it comes, we kind of don’t know what to do with it all. When you love reading so much it’s such an incredible part of who you are and, all of a sudden, that part is gone, all you want to do is scream, cry, or both at the same time.
The real question is: what do you read in a slump? Is there some sort of magic trick to help you get out of a reading slump? I’m not here to tell you there is: sometimes, you just need to take it one day at a time and trust the fact that, if you love it, it will come back to you eventually.
To help, I thought I’d compile a list of ya books that are perfect for this situation. Whether they’re YA fantasy or contemporary, these stories are addictive, fast-paced and, when I read them, I just… couldn’t stop. So here are some of my ya books for a reading slump recommendations… fingers crossed these will help you all find your love for reading again!
Feel free to add your own suggestions in comments, I’d love to hear from you!
☂️ You might also be interested in: How I avoid reading slumps (and how you can, too)
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10 YA Books To Get You Out Of A Reading Slump
The Ones We’re Meant To Find, Joan He
Will I ever stop talking about The Ones We’re Meant To Find? Probably not. This binge-worthy YA dystopia story won my heart. No spoilers, of course, but it’s such a relevant story with a quest for a missing sister at its heart, twists and turns that will have you sobbing and, just… I love it.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney
In the YA contemporary category, I’d recommend Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. This is such an addictive story about a list-maker, blackmailed into doing a list of all of her worst fears… It’s about going out of your comfort zone, it has heartwarming friendships and a beautiful romance and I loved it!
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Like A Love Song, Gabriela Martins
In the “contemporary you can’t stop reading” category, I’m asking for Like A Love Song. When an international pop star needs to restore her image after a messy-break up, she finds herself having to fake-date a British indie movie star. It’s swoon-worthy, addictive, heartwarming and overall, just perfect if you need a feel-good story to get back to reading.
Add to Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
The Fever King, Victoria Lee
It’s been a hot minute since I mentioned The Fever King and, friends, I regret it. This is SUCH an excellent read and I find it perfect if you’re in a book slump. An incredible mix of fantasy and dystopia, this is about a magical virus either killing people or giving them magical powers. It’s thrilling and addictive and emotional, at times, I love it so much.
Add to Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
The Truth Project, Dante Medema
I rarely read novels in verse, but The Truth Project won my heart over and over again and.. I binge-read this so quickly. It’s a beautifully written novel about Cordelia, finding out that her father isn’t her real father after all. It’s a beautiful quest about figuring yourself out and it’s a tiny bit emotional, overall just perfect if you need something to captivate you and win your heart.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Crier’s War, Nina Varela
I didn’t read this while I was in a reading slump, yet… this book made me feel like I was. Every single word, the world-building, the characters, every emotion leaped off the page and transported me, right from the FIRST page. Crier’s War is a stunning YA fantasy about a human servant in a world of Automae, looking for revenge for her family… it’s just so good, friends, I can’t.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Famous in a Small Town, Emma Mills
If you ask me, ALL of Emma Mills’ books are perfect to get out of a reading slump. She writes some of the best YA contemporary reads with incredible friendships and oh so relatable characters. Famous in a Small Town is about a small town group of friends in the summer, as they try to convince a famous country singer to come back to town to perform in a parade. It’s soft and heartwarming and oh so lovely.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Ace of Spades is another book I can’t stop screaming about. It’s so addictive, I truly believe it works perfectly for any fan of fast-paced YA mystery/thrillers. It’s a compelling story about the only two Black students at a private academy, seeing their darkest secrets suddenly revealed to everyone… No spoilers, just read this and scream because it’s so good okay.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
The Reader, Traci Chee
I feel like The Reader can go both ways: clear your slump or just… not. The author creates such an incredibly intricate world-building, something that can win you over, or not. For me, oh, damn. It really did. I still can’t believe this book exists. Set in a world where reading is unheard of, Safia’s left to fend for herself with her only clue as to what happened to her missing aunt and murdered father… a book. It’s stunning and addictive and… I’m just stunned by this book okay.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
I Wanna Be Where You Are, Kristina Forest
Oh, I adore this book. I Wanna Be Where You Are is about an aspiring dancer, escaping to audition to a conservatory despite her mother’s disapproval. She finds herself on a road trip with her neighbor/ex-best friend… this book has a lot of heart, a lot of swoon, a lot of soft, lighthearted summery vibes and it’s so, so wonderful.
Find on Goodreads ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Enjoyed this list? See a book you’d like to read? Order them through these retailers below!
For more YA book recommendations, check out these blog posts:
- Novels & Waffles shares some YA Books to smash your reading slump
- I’m sharing some 10 YA Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About
- Looking for more? Check out some 10 of my biggest book hangovers (and why I’m still not over it)
📌 Pin 10 YA Books To Get You Out of a Reading Slump!
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For once, I don’t feel like I’m super out of the loop, because I’ve actually read two books (Like a Love Song, Ace of Spades), have one book on my ereader (the Fever King) and one book on my TBR already (The Ones We’re Meant to Find). Love the post!
Ahhh yay! I hope you’ll read both of these soon, especially The Ones We’re Meant To Find. I’m still crying about this ahhaha. Thank you so much Kat <3
I absolutely loved this post! YA books are such lifesavors when it comes to that slumpy feeling. Ace of Spades is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a looong time, I really hope I can get to it in 2022! Happy reading 😊
Oh thank you so much! I hope you will love Ace of Spades as much as I did! 🙂
I’m 100% saving all these titles onto my TBR for future me because 2021 absolutely kicked my butt when it came to reading slumps! I’ve only read TOWMTF and omg I should have just gone back and reread it because it would have saved me so many months of reading nothing this year >_<
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that and I hope that 2022 will be way better for you, reading-wise. I get that feeling about TOWMTF, I want to re-read it every day, it’s SO good!
I really have to read Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, I have it sitting on my Kindle and I love the premise! Like a Love Song is also still on my list and it sounds like so much fun 🥰 I also agree that The Fever King Duology is the perfect series to bing-read as it’s so suspenseful 😊
Ahhh yes Caro, you should! It’s such a great YA contemporary, I have a feeling you’d love it. Thank you! <3
I agree with Famous in a Small Town. Any of Mills’s books would work.
Agree! All of her books are SO lovely! <3
100% agree with The Fever King! That whole series is so good!
Ahhh right? I’m obsessed with it, such a great series!
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is such a good book! Also, I hadn’t seen that cover before!
Agree, it’s a fantastic book! and this is the UK cover, I think it’s so beautiful!
The truth project’s cover is simply gorgeous!! Ive never read a book in verse before either 😅im not sure how that plays out,.
Like a love song & excuse me while I ugly cry has been two ive been wanting to read for a while!
Agree, I love this cover so much! It was my very firsrt novel in verse and wow, I was blown away. I hope you’ll give it a try someday! 🙂
ahh.. so many amazing reads. I loved THE FEVER KING so much! One of my favourites ever and it did get me out of a slump… thrilling and emotional just like you said! 🥰 Ace of Spades would also be perfect too with it’s fast pace and entertaining characters. I 100% need to check out The Ones We’re Meant To Find and Famous in a Small Town. Great post! 💕
AH YES! It’s such an incredible read, I love it so much. I hope you’ll read and will love The Ones We’re Meant To Find and Famous in A Small Town, both are EXCELLENT! <3
ace of spades is such a perfect rec for people who are slumping!! you’re so right about it being addictive—i think i flew through 75% of it in one day haha. and emma mills is truly so perfect too! her writing style is so easily to fall in love with and read quickly <3
Agree! I couldn’t stop reading, it was SO addictive. Thank you so much! <3
Ace of Spades is such a good book, and I also could not stop reading it!! I really want to read The Ones We’re Meant To Find, Like a Love Song, and Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry; they all look amazing!! This is such a great list! 💕
Ahhh I hope you will read all of these books and will LOVE them, they’re all incredible! <3 Thank you so much, you're so kind!
I love this post, because I am always looking for fast-paced books! Lately it’s been so hard for me to really focus on reading, so I think reading more fast-paced books might get me more into the reading spirit and actually want to sit there and read, read, read haha! I need to check these out and I do even own a few, so that’s good! <3
Oh I’m sorry you’ve been having a tough time focusing! I hope these books might help you, I know that once I started reading these, I just couldn’t stop!
Oooh! This is definitely a good list to have in your back pocket.
Oh thank you Nicole! So happy you enjoyed this list 🙂