27.12.17

Top 10 of 2017: Best Contemporary YA of 2017


Top 10 of 2017 is hosted by Nancy & Christy from Tales of the Ravenous ReaderRachel from Fiktshun, Bridget from Dark Faerie Tales, Jaime from Two Chicks On Books, Fallon from Seeing Double in Neverland, and Take Me Away To A Great Read

From Monday until Friday I'll be sharing five top ten lists, ranging from best book covers of 2017 to books I'm looking forward to in 2018. To find out more about the event and see others posts, click here

Today's topic is is a freebie so I decided to go with...

BEST CONTEMPORARY YA OF 2017



1) Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley: This is by no means an easy read - the main character Max faces an incredible loss and then convinces himself that he is dying as well - but it's so incredibly worthwhile. Ready to Fall is hopeful, emotional, and beautifully written. Better yet, Marcella perfectly captures the voice of a teen. 



2) Wrecked by Maria Padian: I said it back in September and I'll say again it now: this book should be required reading! Again, Wrecked is tackles a tough subject - sexual assault. What makes this book different from the ones I've seen before is that Maria seamlessly weaves together three perspectives - the roommate of the accused, the best friend of the accuser, and the accuser - and in turn brings about important questions. 



3) Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson: Allegedly's premise tackles news stories seen before in the headlines: young child kills baby, but did she really do it? While Allegedly is told from the POV of the accused, there isn't an easy cut and dry answer. The POV is twisty and messy, oftentimes making me wonder if we were dealing with a reliable or unreliable narrator. Additionally, this book tackles so many important issues - the legal system, the horrors faced in "baby prison" as well as the group homes these convicted teens are sent to, and mental illness. Tiffany is such a fantastic new voice in YA. 



4) Sunshine is Forever by Kyle T. Cowan: The narrative in this is straightforward and casual, as it's told through the main character's journal, and I honestly think that's what made this novel so great.  



5) Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: Finally, a more happy novel! Alex, Approximately lives up to its breezy, summery cover - it contains a beach setting, romance, and adventure. However, it also contains a lot of heart! The relationship between the main character and her father warmed my heart, and I loved the love interest! 



6) Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno: There's so much I loved about this one! I thought Katrina did such a wonderful job of presenting grief in this, and I especially liked the way in which she included dares and letters to move the plot and character development forward. I'll be reviewing this novel sometime in the coming weeks. 




7) Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens: Friendship, feminism, girl power, and strong, feisty main characters....there really isn't much to not utterly love about this novel! Billie McCaffrey is an inspiration to all - she's so uniquely herself and proud of it. 



8) Be True to Me by Adele Griffin: At its core I feel as if Be True to Me chronicles the time at which childhood innocence fades, eventually shattering. Be True to Me tackles first love, female rivalry, growing up, and making the right choices as well as the wrong. I will say that the ending will break your heart, but at the same time, it made this book all the more powerful. 



9) Little Forevers by Katie Kaleski: This book reminded me of something by Sarah Dessen or Jennifer Echols, two authors I downright love, so it's easy to say this was a big time winner in my eyes! This book focused on unconventional families, growing up, and first love, and gosh, did Katie do an amazing job with it all! 



10) Wishbones by Virginia MacGregor: What would you do if the person you loved the most was falling apart in front of you? That's what Feather, the main character, wonders in this book. Instead, of continuing to let her mother's health fail, she decides to tackle it head on, hoping to inspire her to take a chance on life again. This book is sweet, heartwarming, and just a tad bit heartbreaking. It even contained some BIG REVEALS and I can never resist one of those.  

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This was a hard list to put together. I've read so many excellent YA contemporaries this year! Have you read any of these? Did you love them? Hate them? And most importantly, tell me some of your favorites! I'm ALWAYS looking to read more contemporary YA - it's my addiction!  

14 comments:

  1. Great list! I really need to read Allegedly. The synopsis is very intriguing.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. You definitely do! I wish I had read it sooner.

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  2. Everything All at Once is on my TBR, but I haven't read too many reviews, so I'll be looking forward to yours!

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    1. You know I think I had seen one review for it prior to reading it, which is nutty because I feel like there should be way more people talking about it. It should (hopefully) be up sometime in the beginning of January :)

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  3. All of these are still on my TBR. I'm especially interested in Allegedly and Wrecked.

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    1. They're both so good! I hope you enjoy them!

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  4. Alex Approximately is one I keep thinking I want to read and I never seem to get to it, and now 2017 is almost over! I need to prioritize it for early 2018 I think!

    Nice list.

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    1. You definitely do! I actually picked it up blindly this summer. I didn't know everyone loved, but was so pleasantly surprised.

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  5. Great picks. Alex Approximately made my best of list.

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  6. I have a copy of Be True to Me on my bookshelf that I won earlier this year so I might have to dust that off. Great list of books!

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    1. Thanks, Carole! I hope you enjoy Be True to Me. I feel like it's one of the hidden gems of '17.

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  7. I am really happy to see Dress Codes on your list. I thought the book was phenomenal and was packed with so many characters to love.

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  8. Might I recommend Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer - if you've not read it already? It's such a great YA contemporary novel! I am *not* usually a fan of YA contemporary but I so loved the book. I highly recommend it!

    Happy New Year, Lauren. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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