We all have a need for love, and these five young adult novels offer up experiences of love, in all its forms. From family to friendships, romances to coming of age stories, each of these novels tells a unique story that will capture the hearts of readers of all ages. These books bring the hope and heartbreak of first love to life, as the teen main characters struggle to figure out who they want and how to be happy.
Frankly in Love
About the Book
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book Review
This book is sarcastically funny with tons of heart. The smart humor cuts the tension of some of the deeper issues that the book dives into.
Frank Li is a second-generation Korean-American, struggling to deal with his strict Korean parents’ views of the world and their racism. They no longer speak to his older sister Hanna because she started dating a black boy. When Frank falls for an American girl, Britt, he decides to set up a fake dating relationship with his parent-approved Korean friend Joy, who struggles to find time to see her boyfriend, too. Telling the parents they’re out together then splitting off to their separate dates may buy them some time, but the lies take a toll on their respective relationships. Then Frank finds himself falling for Joy, too, and has to decide what he really wants.
Frank is an adorable confused nerd, who aces AP classes and plays video games with his friend Q and wants to argue with his parents, but can’t quite work up the courage to make a big stand. He says things like, “Mom-n-Dad are like this big ice wall of ignorance, and I’m just a lone soldier with a sword.” Frank is sweet to his dad who never really learned English and devoted his life to his store so his son could have a better life, even if this meant that Frank, who only speaks English, never really knew him despite their living side by side. Frank’s confused in love, too, falling for multiple people for multiple good reasons – both girls are awesome, smart and have good hearts. All three of them – Frank, Joy and Britt – are the kind of people who score over 1400 on their SATs and can get into almost any college they want.
In the end, Frank will have to confront what it means to be both Korean and American, and what it means to live his life and love his parents.
Love, Life and the List
About the Book
Love, Life and the List by Kasie West
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book Review
This cute friends-to-lovers story from Kasie West, the queen of sweet young adult romance, will warm your heart!
Abby’s having a bad summer. Her mom’s anxiety is spiraling, her art got turned down from a showcase at the museum she works at for having no heart, and her best friend Cooper insists on dating other people. Abby decides what she needs to fix everything is a list. She makes a list of experiences that will change her and grow her heart, like try a new thing, face a fear and fall in love.
I love how Cooper and Gramps, her adorably sarcastic and grumpy grandpa who lives with them, always has Abby’s back. Cooper takes on the list as his own, dragging her to race dune buggies with him to face a fear and trying out for the Music Man to experience something new. He’s also so good with Abby’s mom, whose anxiety has spiraled to the point that she struggles to leave the house. Abby and Cooper’s chemistry is great, and you cannot wait for them to realize that of course they were meant to be together.
But when several people close to Abby break her heart, she has to decide if she can forgive them and move on.
Super Fake Love Song
About the Book
Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book Review
This one goes out to all the closet nerds.
I love this concept! When Cirrus meets Sunny Dae, she mistakes his cool older brother’s room for his, with its guitars and band posters. Sunny, a nerd, lies and tells her he’s in a band. But when they start to fall for each other, he decides the only way out is to fully commit to the lie, forming a band to play in the talent show. But the lie keeps getting more complicated, especially when Sunny’s older brother Grey comes home.
I loved how Sunny and Cirrus, who have both often felt like outsiders, formed a connection. And I understood the instinct to pretend to be cooler than you really are. This was a cute teen romance that really nails the awkwardness of high school. It’s got true rom-com vibes, with first kisses and betrayals and, of course, Sunny’s big lie.
This is a fast, feel-good read that left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Field Notes on Love
About the Book
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book Review
So many smiles right now! I think I fell for Mae just as much as Hugo did.
This book had the cutest concept. When his girlfriend dumps him right before a planned train trip across the U.S., she tells him he should go on it. But there’s one problem. All the reservations are in her name. So begins Hugo’s search for another Margaret Campbell.
Mae’s looking for life experiences she can turn into film. I wanted so badly to watch her final film, that’s how invested I got in the process. Mae’s definitely the stronger character, perhaps because of her clear ambition, but we see Hugo begin to dream as well.
Perfect for anyone who’s ever thought of a cross-country train trip, and even those who haven’t.
Love in English
About the Book
Love in English by Maria Andreu
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book Review
This is a super cute romance! The author’s style reminds me of Elizabeth Acevedo, but sweeter.
Ana wants to be seen. Struggling with English and in a new country, she’s feeling lost. She gets a crush on Harrison, an American boy who is folding 1,000 origami cranes for a good luck charm for his sister’s wedding to a Japanese man. But she also bonds with Neo, a Greek boy in her ESL class who invites her to watch movies with him to better learn English. When both boys seem interested, Anna has to decide which one makes her heart soar.
I love how the author showed you how at first Ana only caught key words, but by the end, she’s understanding most of the words. Ana is a poet, and that poetry carries through every word on the page. The prose is absolutely beautiful, and many chapters have a poem by Ana in-between them. The language is so beautiful that this is a book I will re-read again and again.
“I am always worried I’m reading the situation wrong. I don’t have all the words. But right now: I am a battalion of the most delicate cranes, wings wide, flying high into the sky.”
Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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