Okay, I have no restraint. This was always meant to be a top 10, but I read SO MUCH contemporary last year that I'm going for a top 15. On counting up, I actually read 59 YA contemporary books released last year so the top 25% or so doesn't seem that bad.
Best YA Contemporary
Imogen is a black belt in Tae Kwon
Do. She's her grandmaster's top student. Agile, strong, and confident, she has
dedicated years of her life to becoming this good. Then she gets the chance to
use her skills when she's involved in an attempted hold-up at a diner - and
freezes completely. The gunman gets shot, and she blames herself, losing all of
her confidence. What good is Tae Kwon Do in the real world if she can't bring
herself to do anything with it?
Stunning
debut novel tackles a host of difficult themes brilliantly.
McGarry's
usual sizzling chemistry and a wonderful set of characters make this an
absolute must-read.
Twelve months after Janey Bradshaw's
suicide, her friends get together in a secluded Spanish villa. After a year
apart, there's a lot to talk about - but the elephant in the room is Janey's
death. Ryan Hayward isn't convinced she killed herself - and when someone else
from their old school turns up, they seem to confirm his suspicions. Except
very quickly, there's another dead body, and Ryan and his friends need to get
rid of the corpse. Of course, where there's a murder victim, there's also a
murderer - who can it be? Will anyone stay alive to find out?
After Jess's dad gets suspended from
work, her mum takes her and her older sister out of school. Fleeing from
publicity, they go to a remote Scottish island to join a community of people
who shun modern technology. The longer they stay on the island, though, the
stranger things seem to be. What's going on, and when will Jess see her dad
again?
Simon Packham gives us yet another excellent teen contemporary
novel, complete with one of the best narrators for ages. Definitely
recommended!
Harriet Manners has the opportunity
of a lifetime. She's been asked to go and model in Japan, a country she's
always wanted to visit. After problems in her personal life, this is exactly
what she needs. Of course, for Harriet,
life is never quite that simple...
Excellent
follow-up to one of the funniest teen novels of the year. Massively
recommended.
Despite his efforts with Sarah at the
start of term, fourteen-year-old Archie is still as geeky and as clueless about
girls as ever. Then he meets Clare, a sixteen-year-old who has relationship
problems of her own, and they create a fake relationship to try and get their
crushes to notice them. What could possibly go wrong?
Warm
and funny, this is an entertaining story which stands out both due to Robb's
great narrative style and the subject matter of roleplaying.
Faith has been moved into a different
form to separate her from her friend Megs, as the teachers seem to think
they're a bad combination. On the plus side, the school are bussing in cute
boys for their choir - and Faith is ready to get to know the dreamy Finn a lot
better. Until she realises he's singing a duet with her sworn enemy, at least.
Can Faith get the boy? And will she be able to move back into the same form as
Megs by impressing Miss Ramsbottom with her new found maturity?
Strong
contender for the funniest book of the year so far, this is fabulous. Not just
for girls, despite the pink cover - boys will warm to the great characters and
the focus is more on humour than romance.
In Bloom by Matthew Crow
The story of Francis, who gets
diagnosed with leukeaemia and faces the horrors of illness and treatment
alongside Amber, a girl he meets at the hospital, is one of the best of the
year for me.
I've
seen a fair bit of buzz suggesting this was really, really good. Nothing had
prepared me for how completely wonderful it actually is, though. It's warm,
tender, and surprisingly funny at times, given the subject matter. It's also a
beautiful depiction of both romantic love and family relationships, with a
brilliant narrator and a superb supporting cast. I particularly liked Francis's
brother Chris and both lead character's mothers, who are very different people
but who are both brilliantly drawn.
Severed Heads, Broken Hearts (Published as The Beginning of Everything in the US) by Robyn Schneider
Ezra Faulkner thinks that everyone
has a tragedy in their life, something which will forever define you. His
happens when he loses his girlfriend, his tennis ambitions, and his social life
in one night after a car accident shatters his knee. Drawn back towards his old
friend Toby - whose own tragedy, years ago, was to catch a decapitated head on
a theme park ride, forever dooming him to misfit status - he meets new girl
Cassidy. With new friends around him and a potential new love, can Ezra rebuild
his life?
This
lyrical and unpredictable book is an outstanding read.
Soulmates by Holly Bourne
Poppy and Noah are soulmates -
literally. But two people who are the perfect match for each other could cause
the perfect storm for the rest of the world - meaning a secret government
agency wants to stop them seeing each other.
Stunning
chemistry between the leads, a brilliant plot and a jaw-dropping ending make
this a debut to savour.
Grace and Ellie are at the seaside
with their mum. They're not on a holiday, though - they've escaped from their
domineering and abusive father. As the two settle into a new school and make
new friends, Grace - who only ever speaks to Ellie - meets someone she can be
herself around, while Ellie reinvents herself as Elle, a confident and popular
girl instead of the shy and scared youngster she used to be. But can they ever
be free of the shadow of her father?
In
turns tense, fun, scary and life-affirming, this is a staggeringly good read.
(Although I'm not keen on the cover, which makes it look far lighter than it
is.)
Elise is a fragile girl who's never
felt like she fitted in anywhere. Shuttled between her divorced parents, she's
desperate to be popular at school but can't work out how. Then a chance event
leads to her DJ'ing in Start, a hot underground nightclub and her life suddenly
improves dramatically - but can she really leave behind her old self, or are
the bullies who make her feel like there's nothing worthwhile about her life
right all along?
An
emotional, sometimes brutal, but ultimately hopeful read with an amazing voice.
An absolute must read.
Stunning
conclusion to the Gallagher Girls series. (I'll avoid a plot summary due to
risk of spoilers for earlier books -
however, this is one of the very best contemporary series of recent years!)
Weirdos vs Quimboids by Natasha
Desborough
Apart from having some of the most
unfortunate initials ever, Blossom Uxley-Michaels is saddled with
liberal-minded hippy parents, a huge crush on a boy, and a feud with a pair of girls
who look down on her and her best friend. Can a job at the school radio station
convince people she's not a weirdo?
Frank,
frequently fairly filthy, and flipping funny! I laughed out loud a lot,
but am not prepared to admit which parts I was laughing at. (Although it's
pretty close to 'all of it'!) When The Daily Mail get their hands on this one,
they'll be running an outraged article about the disgusting state of YA today.
However along with the rude humour, we get a great trio of friends, a bit of
romance, and a story about a 'weirdo' finding herself, with some brilliant
character development. I've heard a rumour that the upcoming sequel is even
funnier. I'm finding this rather hard to believe, but am looking forward to
finding out!
I have a similar problem here as I
did when reviewing two of my other all-time favourites, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and Pantomime by Laura Lam. Part of me wants to write lots about
how brilliant a book this is, but part of me is glad I went into it without
much of an idea what was going to happen as I think the unpredictability really
added to the book. So, the bare bones.
There are four girls in a band. There's a TV talent show, and the chance to
progress, just not as a quartet. There's a difficult decision to be made.
One
of the best YA contemporary stories I've read in years, exploring media
manipulation, cyber-bullying, body image, romance, friendship, making choices,
and doing it all with incredible heart and a wonderful cast of characters.
Narrator Sasha is outstandingly portrayed, with Sophia Bennett bringing her
vividly to life, flaws and all, but the other girls in the group are all very
realistic as well, as are their schoolmates and the various people involved in
the talent show. I also really liked the way that Bennett dealt with the
fall-out from the decision made and both the positive and negative effects of
social networking.
Wonderful list! It's a travesty that I haven't got round to reading all of these, but every one that I have read from this list was awesome! Bruised, You Don't Know Me and This Song Will Save Your Life are probably my favourites out of your list.
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed your end of year lists! I think I have quite similar tastes in YA fiction, so they've allowed me to fondly think back to some of my favourite reads of the year, while also providing some delicious looking additions to my reading list. Thanks!
Of the books I've read from this list, I loved ALL of them and I'm quite excited to see many books on my TBR pile as well. Need to shift some of those up to the top of the pile then!
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