The 10 Best Romance Novels for Young Adults
Young love! Is there anything sweeter? Not kisses from kittens nor snorting Splenda! But while some of us might rather forget who we dated in our late teens and early 20s, these books feature lovers that should (hopefully last the test of time). Here are ten of the best YA romance novels.
The Hunger Games
The settting of Suzanne Colins’ The Hunger Games might not seem very romantic, but stress, trauma, and political turmoil just has a way of bringing teenage feelings bubbling up to the fore! In a dystopian autocracy divided into 12 districts, the young archer Katniss Everdeen is selected to compete in The Hunger Games, a death battle royal between teenagers from each district. Where’s the love? Katniss left behind the strapping Gale to fight alongside her adorable teammate Pita, but who will she choose after the totalitarian government has been toppled? You’ll find out.
The Fault in Our Stars
Oh great. The book I can’t even THINK about without getting misty eyed. John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars is about two teens diagnosed with cancer who find romance and solace in each other’s company. The title comes from a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar “the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings.” While terminal illness is fated in the stars for these two kids, they’re not going to becoming underlings to the disease. They’re gonna love each other. They’re gonna live their last days to the fullest. They’re not gonna let cancer ruin what little time they oh god here we go I’m crying again.
His Dark Materials
Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is many things. Paradise Lost fanfiction. A critique of religion. A high fantasy meets low fantasy epic. And one of the most beautiful coming of age romance stories in existence. The young Lyra Belacqua finds out a secret principle of the universe that a world ruling totalitarian theocracy would rather keep buried. After opening a portal to another universe (long story) she meets a boy named Will, and the pair set off on a quest to kill God and commit original sin in the process. Yes, THAT kind of sin. How romantic.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty is the coming of age story of Belly Conklin, who spends her summers at the home of a family friend and their two teenage sons. Belly, who has recently turned pretty as the title suggests, finds herself at one point of a love triangle made between her and the two brothers. But will it be obtuse? Acute? Equilateral? Or will it just turn into a line between a pair of them? You’ll just have to read on and find out.
Looking for Alaska
It’s west of Canada. Case closed. Or is it? John Green strikes again with Looking for Alaska, the story of Miles “Pudge” Halter who has recently enrolled in boarding school looking for a new outlook on life. He finds it. Her name is Alaska, she’s beautiful, fun, energetic, and a little bit unstable. But that’s okay! They can make it work, right? This novel won’t culminate in a beautiful romantic tragedy like everything else ol’ Johnny writes … right? Oh god I can’t handle this.
Pride and Prejudice
You’ve been splashing around in YA rivers and tributaries I take it, but why not travel upstream through time to get to the source? Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the OG young adult romance novel. It’s the story of the spirited, quick witted, and a little judgy Elizabeth Bennet, who lives in a country estate with her family in 19th century England. At a party she meets the mysterious, aloof, and totally bitchy Mr. Darcy, and sparks fly. First they’re sparks of anger … and then they heat up into something even more passionate. A greater enemies to lovers story there never was.
Your Heart, My Sky
Your Heart, My Sky clinches the romance with the title alone. Margarita Engle’s novel takes place during Cuba’s “Special Period” which was special for the amount of abject suffering its population suffered during the time. War, poverty, and famine abound, but the two young teenage lovers Liana and Amado fall for one another in spite of it all. Love in the time of hunger, through thick and a whole lot of thin.
When Dimple Met Rishi
Dimple had a plan. She’s a straight A student with her sights set on Standford and an illustrious career in web design, then her parents just HAD to introduce her to Rishi and throw things for a loop. Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi is about two Indian American teens with drastically different ideas of marriage striking up a relationship in spite of it all. Hopeless romantic meets career focused go-getter. They’ll work it out.
For All Time
Til death do us part, right? Well what if death keeps bringing us back together? For All Time by Shanna Miles is the story of two teenagers who are destined for each other. And I don’t mean figuratively. They’ve loved each other across multiple lifetimes already, only to be reincarnated to find one another again. The problem? One of them keeps dying tragically, no matter what they do. The pair have to figure out the cosmic reason why their love always culminates in brutal loss, and what there is to do about it.
Honey Girl
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Unless you get married to it. Then it comes with you. In Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, PHD graduate student Grace Porter finds that out the hard way. She awakens one morning to find herself married to Yuki, who she impulsively tied the Wedding Chapel knot with the night before. Rather than call it quits then and there, Grace instead decides to spend her summer with Yuki living in New York City. But is the tender hearted Yuki a distraction from Grace’s academic dreams? Or exactly what she needs?
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