Five Young Adult Novels With Adult Appeal

A year ago I would have adamantly told you that I do NOT read Young Adult novels.  I was quite certain that I had no wish to relive the "glory" of my high school years. But then one day while browsing through the virtual Overdrive shelves of my local library's website I spotted a Young Adult book that piqued my interest (see If I Stay below) and took a chance.  To my surprise, I discovered that some of the most intense love stories can be found in the Young Adult section.  Now, a year later, a healthy portion of my favorites list is made up of Young Adult Romance.  Here are my picks for top five Young Adult Romances that can easily cross over into the Adult Romance genre.

Slammed / Point of Retreat
By Colleen Hoover
Slammed and its sequel Point of Retreat are not only my top pick for Young Adult Romance selections, they are also in my all time favorite top ten.  In fact, I love this series so much I made my review of Slammed my very first post when I started this blog. This is the story of Layken Cohen and her slam poet soul mate Will Cooper.  This series is about so much more than your typical romance.  It is about all the moments in life that shape you.  Read more about this series here.

If I Stay / Where She Went
By Gayle Forman
This is the series that changed my mind about the Young Adult Romance genre.  These books focus on the heroine, Mia Hall, after a horrific car accident takes her family and leaves her in a coma.  Her boyfriend, Adam Wilde, pours all his soul into willing Mia to live, to fight, to stay with him.  I am not gonna lie, If I Stay, is gut wrenching but wow what a story.  The sequel, Where She Went, is high up on my favorites.  I absolutely love the hero of this series, Adam Wilde.  I love his voice and narration in Where She Went but mostly I loved the promising conclusion of Mia's emotional story.  Check out the awesome book trailer video for Where She Went here.

Going Too Far
By Jennifer Echols
Going Too Far is the story of two very different people who are both trying to compensate for damaged pasts in two very different ways.  It was dark and gritty and somehow that made it all the more appealing.  Echols departs from the stereotypical bad boy/good girl matching and switches it up.  Despite appearances, Meg and John fit together perfectly and complement each other in their differences.

Pushing The Limits
By Katie McGarry
With two main characters named Echo and Noah, I was leery of this high school based romance. But to my surprise, McGarry pulled off a great story that touches on some serious issues. Bi-polar disorder, divorce, the foster care system and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) play out realistically throughout Pushing The Limits. McGarry also does not dumb down the dialogue which, in my book, is a huge point in her favor.

Between the Lines Series
By Tammara Webber
The three books that make up the Between the Lines series were my first exposure to the talent of author Tammara Webber. Webber is one of the up-and-coming indie authors making a name for herself.  Her latest New Adult Romance book, Easy, has made its way to the New York Times Bestseller list. Although the Between the Lines novels walk a fine line between the Young Adult and New Adult genres, they don't pretend to be anything other than highly entertaining Mature Young Adult novels.  Throughout the series you follow the lives of Hollywood's young rising actors as they navigate paparazzi, love triangles and some serious social issues.