I think it’s safe to say that NA is one of those genres that we all scratch our heads about (Anna : I personally face palm a lot, but what do I know) (Chelsea : She’s a bit dramatic). On the one hand, there’s so much potential. These young people are going out into the real world and about to begin their lives…and love is always in the air (Also, sex. What? Sex is important right? (Ummmm….). Plus, it gives us that relateable feel. Everyone wants to read about the trials and tribulations of young adults who are finding themselves (especially because let’s face it, finding ourselves is a lifelong goal). But too often in this newly coined genre do we see the same tired tropes that make us all rage (*cough* slut-shaming, magic dick, you name it *cough*) (I don’t mind the magic dick or slut shaming *cough*). I have seen an increase in people who are giving up on the New Adult genre completely (and at an alarming rate) and this makes me so sad. I know it’s (very) (Extremely) hard to find them, really, but there truly are some amazing books that people miss out on because
A) they aren’t looking in the right places (can I say here or would it be too conceited? Kidding, kidding) or
B) They have picked up one too many that turned them off so it’s the final straw (♬ ♪ THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Okay, no idea where THAT came from) (Looks to the sky for guidance because friend is going crazy)
C) They never find what works and what doesn’t work for them, thus making it possible to find some winners in a sea of losers (an ocean seems more like it – Hell, a UNIVERSE of losers) (Pretty much)
SO, this is where Anna and I got the idea to make a post showcasing the winners that JUST might help you restore your faith in this dwindling genre again (Well, and I’ve been helping a couple friends try to rediscover what COULD be good about NA) (and I’ve been bitching about NA for so long that everyone and their grandma are tired of my whining). We hope you like (love, we gotta be hopeful) (They are soooo goooddd) the books we have highlighted-these are what worked for US, and they really are the best of the best, in our (not so) humble opinion.
Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar → Anna’s Review
5 Stars! These raw, multi-layered and messed-up characters grab you, remind you of random anecdotes from your past (also that cupboard there? Don’t open it), drive you to call your mum because really, it’s been a while, tear up but NO YOU DON’T FREAKING KNOW WHY SO WHO CARES THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SURF, you’re having a moment there and – Well, realistic fiction, anyone? (I need to read this so bad…)
Love Show by Audrey Bell → Anna’s Review
5 Stars! No slut-shaming. No asshole as a hero. (So loyal, our baby OMG POOR BOY!) A driven and independent MC. Neither love triangle nor instalove. Fantastic banter. Jack!! Don’t let go! JACK! I love these guys to pieces.
Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3) by Krista and Becka Ritchie → Anna’s Review
5 Stars! Strong female characters. PLURAL. Frienship. No miscommunication or stupid drama, but a couple (His tear stained cheek…) who fight battles as a TEAM. My heart is full. I am so proud of Connor and Rose that it’s getting ridiculous, but I don’t even care. They’re my perfect match.
Second Position (District Ballet Company #1) by Katherine Locke → Anna’s Review
4.5 Stars! I wish I could have stopped crying but alas, I guess that’s what happens when you read such a poignant and beautiful story. What a surprising and lyrical gem.
Boomerang (Boomerang #1) by Noelle August → Anna’s Review
4 Stars! Ethan and Mia’s story may contain some kind of instalust, they never fell into instalove but on the contrary, they… Okay, you’ll see. What I loved the most about this book was the female friendship it pictured (because YES, that is RARE) and alright, alright, the chemistry off the charts 😉
The Deal (Off Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy→ Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! Okay so, this is a cliche book, with a cliche plot, with some cliche things…but people, this was popular for a reason-It’s cliche done well. And I’m willing to bet you’ll fall just as hard for Garret as I did. 😉 (alright, alright, I did like them, alright)
All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack → Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! GAH. Okay, this was literally the best because I didn’t think it would be good. I had it on my iPad just sitting there, then I picked it up randomly one night and it was not at all what I expected. A respectful male lead who doesn’t stray at the first sign of trouble and a plot that, while it’s been done before, is done in a way that I can’t help but love. I don’t know…this just felt different to me.
I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios → Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! Ugh, this borders the NA/YA line, but I don’t care. The content is more NA in my opinion and, frankly. it’s too perfect not to mention. This book is far from perfect-It’s characters even farther from perfect. But the journey they travel to find who they are and where they belong…it’s so fucking beautiful. An absolute favorite and I will absolutely never forget Josh and Sky (me neither)
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Love Show by Audrey Bell → Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! I have to thank Anna for this one…I would never have read it in January had she not made me read it. Jack is utter perfection and this story isn’t your typical NA drivel-It was literally almost flawless. Key word? ALMOST. Something happened at the end that always bothers me, so that will always stay with me-But I still will never forget this book and how much I ADORED it. (Especially Jack. Always Jack) (NEVER LET GO)
Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1) by Krista and Becca Ritchie→ Chelsea’s Review
5 Stars! Alright, alright, I know-Anna did FTF…and I was going to, too. But I decided that since we had a couple in common, it’s only fair to showcase the FIRST book in this wonderfully addictive spin-off series. The third book MAY (coughs loudly in an unladylike fashion) (“unladylike” is such bullshit anyway) be the best of Connor…but there’s just something so SEXY about the chase in this first installment. Connor is..he’s..I mean..I can’t…OKAY I FUCKING LOVE HIM, and seeing him try and protect Rose and finding how much he really DOES love her when he’s not capable of love…I CAN’T EVEN. FTF may be epic, but this is where the real feels begin (INDEED) (*nods firmly*).
I also wanted to add Isn’t She Lovely and Broken by Lauren Layne, but their pictures aren’t formatting correctly. So I will just say that they are what made me fall in love with NA, and while ISL might start out a little bit too much (it was her first novel) it evens out and made me fall for this author and her amazing way of dealing with NA and making men I instantly fall in love with. The book names are highlighted to take you to my review 🙂
So, did any of these books pique your interest? Which ones? Let us know in the comments because, as always, we LOVE to talk about our favorite books. Let us know if we helped you open up to NA again or we possibly found your next favorite! <3
I love everything about this post, lol. So glad dear Connor made this list BECAUSE EVERYONE NEEDS TO MEET HIM! The Addicted + Calloway Sisters will always be my #1 NA series but I do also really love the Off Campus books too!
THANK YOU!!! And yes, Connor HAD to be here of course ♥ Our boy is perf!
YES RIGHT?!!!! They are THE BEST. Connor! Garret! (The hockey one…)
Oh the Deal and All Broke Down <3! I am going to have to check out all the other books on both lists!
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Garret and Silas…..Two very scrumptious athletic boys… 😛
The rest of the list has amazing men, too. The stories are so great! I hope you find a new favorite from them! 🙂
I haven’t read any of these!! I have a hard time finding NA books that don’t sound too corny. Lol! I’ll Meet You There looks great though. 😀
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I feel you, I rarely read NA and enjoy them even more rarely XD I’ll meet you there was fantastic, more like YA/NA actually so perhaps you’d like – So realistic and emotional 💖
I’ll Meet You There is just so amazing! I hope you give it a try! 🙂
I love The Deal, a lot! <3 Garrett Graham is just so swoon-worthy. Haha. The rest will be going to my TBR list!
Garret was just amazing, wasn’t he?? I couldn’t not put him on here! I hope you find more favorites to love! We certainly wanted people to keep giving this genre a chance 🙂
Okay, I had to bookmark this post so I can come back to it later because I’m too tired to process all of these books now, but I definitely want to read about your suggestions. I love NA sometimes, but I haven’t read a lot of it lately because I have gotten a bit tired of it. I think it’s a genre I can only read in spurts and then I need to take breaks. But the only one of these I’ve read is I’ll Meet You There (loved it), so I need to check the rest of them out!
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I know. You REALLY have to be in the mood to read this genre-but that’s why we wanted to do this post! We really want people to see that there are still some winners out there! 😀 Hope you find some off our list that make you excited about NA and worth your while again! ♥
I loved ‘Love Show’ and I loved ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. I wish there were more books like those, and I’ve been trying really hard to find them. I found ‘The Mean Girl Apologizes’ to be good as well. You should post your favorites of the month/quarter/etc on this genre. I’m a huge fan but they’re always quite bad lol.
Yeah, they are SO hard to find indeed! We’ll think about it, that’s a great idea!
Ah, thank you for the recs! I haven’t gotten too far into NA, but I think I’m bordering on that line between YA and NA with SJM’s ACOTAR series! I recently read ACOTAR and I totally devoured it, so I guess I’m getting more into ACOMAF! I’ve been looking forward to reading I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios so I can’t wait to read it! Lovely discussion! 🙂
Sorry this took so long to respond to! I think the alert got lost!
Anyway, NA is a scary genre. but if you go in with your eyes wide open, it can be amazing!!!! I hope you found a new favorite from our discussion!
Thanks, Alice!!! <3
Okay, so the the Addicted series and Calloway Sisters series are some of my newest favorites. Heck, they may even be my favorite. I have just fallen in love with Becca and Krista Ritchie’s books (except maybe Amour Amour because the games in the club are a bit to much, but hey it was still good). I’ve been dipping my toes into NA slowly but surely over the past year so I’m definitely going to be checking these books out.
Yay!! We hope you love these as much as we did-Connor and Rose are great, but there are so many more winners out there….so I’m hoping we help find you more 😀