An apology to YA fiction
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
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I run a bookshop, and whenever I sell a Sarah J. Maas book I can’t help but slightly die inside, knowing what the customer is in for.
I think a big problem with YA stems from the marketing and culture that’s built up around it, and indeed solidified it, as a genre. As in, YA should really only be a general indication of the suitability of a book for a range of audiences, in the same way a film being classified a 15 doesn’t mean you *need* to be 15 to watch said film, or that you should expect the film to be full of certain tropes/cliches, but that it’s written to suit an audience aged 15 *and up*. Instead, and this is definitely the fault of publishing houses above anyone else, YA seems to have become a thing in itself, which not only promotes proliferation of tropes and cliches but also created the barrier around it; you’re specifically reading “YA fiction”, not a book that would be accessible for a young adult to pick up. It almost forces authors to gear their writing towards the “YA audience”, since publishers focus on books that tick all the right “YA” boxes, and for shops (and my bookshop is also guilty of this) to syphon off these titles into their own section, separate from what should be more suitable company.
As an example, it baffles me that The Hunger Games is “YA” and gets treated as such, when The Colour of Magic isn’t. I wouldn’t say there’s any significant gap between the two in terms of accessibility to a teen audience, but one is marketed specifically as a “YA” book, and the other locked away with the “adult” fantasy. It pigeon holes reader choice and creates an arbitrary line based on what seems to me a completely synthetic and manufactured culture surrounding certain types of book, rather than the quality of said books themselves.
That’s a very, very good argument and very well-made! Thanks!
Funnily enough, I think I read both books in seventh grade! (Colour of Magic I didn't particularly enjoy though, for whatever that's worth.)
I agree. Marketing, When I was a teenager in the ‘70s, YA wasn’t really a genre. There were books such as the Trixie Belden series ( which I would consider to be aimed at a younger readership than YA), and cautionary tales such as Go Ask Alice (don’t do drugs, kiddies), but apart from that sort of thing, most of us went directly from children’s books, to whatever happened to take our fancy. I read everything I could get my hands on.
Beginning scared the sh*t out of me. Willow!! Hahaha
Haha yeah I’ve been very excited about this video going up, but also a little nervous about it being read as emotional manipulation 😬 Glad the joke landed!
@@WillowTalksBooksjoke absolutely landed. Although a tip would have been to do it in a grey hoodie- lean all of the way in.
Also I really appreciate your candour in admitting your elitism in the past about regarding YA.
Such honesty and the ability to look at oneself and to then publicly declare that you did not like the behaviours you saw there, is tremendously powerful stuff. It is inspiring to continue doing that for myself, as I am sure it is for others, and hopefully makes this world a bit of a better place.
Same! I was almost terrified of what would be revealed. 🙈
I was like ohhh no what did you do...
"Simplicity is complicated." I love how you put that!
First....for several years I meant to express how much I enjoy and value your channel. I do!
When many of your friends are educators one's confirmation bias (at least in my world) is frequently challenged.
YA has been on my radar now for the last 20 years of my 47-year love affair with literature.
That said nice to view this particular video.
Oh...thank you for turning me on to so many great works of literature.
Peace
the way i was holding my breath.... you scared the hell out of me.
Love your videos!!!
😂 Me too!! Willow! x
"Enjoy your fairy porn" might have to be integrated into my daily vocabulary with immediate effect.
LOL
DAMMNIT WILLOW! You did the apolgy video breath and everything and the acting was so believable!!!! LMFAO
😈
The Ones We're Meant To Find by Joan He is a wonderful YA sci-fi dystopian novel that I highly recommend! It's so unique setting wise and is about the bond between sisters no matter how far apart.
Willow!!!!….that was a petrifying intro to say the least 😂 simply brilliant humour!
I swear I raised up out of my body when I saw you hold up AJW's novels. I read Hell Followed With Us about a month ago, and I loved it. LOVED IT. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is on my shelf right now, to be read before the end of the year. I'm jazzed to hear that you enjoyed the second book more, and I'm curious how my reading experience will compare. Having been raised in the American Evangelical culture, the church-horror of Hell Followed seriously resonated with me, so right now it's tough for me to imagine liking another title more. I'd love to be wrong about this.
Super Mario Wonder is so good! I was pleasantly surprised by the number of references to previous games through character designs or level elements
As someone who struggles reading since I am an adult (ahdh stuff lol) YA is actually what got me back into reading, because its most of the time very easy to read and I don't need to concentrate as much as reading stuff that is a bit more dense, esp older works that I do really enjoy, but it's taking way longer to read them, esp when reading in English, since it's not my first language, so I do run into words I don't know more often in adult books than in YA. It's like watching a teen show where you can just chill and don't miss too much, unlike stuff that really needs your attention. Saying that, I dont mean that YA writers are bad, I just think they usually write very accessible, which is nice if you struggle to concentrate. I don't only read YA now, but I did a lot. I'm getting back into it this year, so im really thankful for that, actually.
Great points, well put!
I think a good YA book can be accessible and also deal with hard themes, like The Hate U Give, or with light themes without underestimating the audience, like Tweet Cute.
Thank you for talking about this and giving insight on this--I have a friend who also has English as a second language and struggles to concentrate while reading adult fiction, but has an easier time reading YA books in English because they are more accessible or easier to follow; also because certain subtleties/meanings hidden between the lines in some adult fiction writing styles are harder to identify and understand than in YA writing styles. Good to know someone else also feels the same way as her!
@angelali3980 I do still read other books as well, just takes me longer, depending on what, but I think it would also take me longer to read old German, because we are just not used to that anymore but reading old language of something that is not your first language is definitely another hurdle xD But yh I think its really helpful to have easy reads on hand, not only depending on your language level but also your mood and mental state at the time.
Also helps to learn new words, regardless of what you read in another language, I actually explained some English words from a book I read to my british bf yesterday, because he didn't know what they meant either. xD
@MarcelleLeiturasPreguicosas Yh that's true and a good thing and I appreciate good YA but sometimes it's just nice not to think much tbh xD it's my "guilty pleasure" to read kinda badly written YA, even tho I do cringe at some of it, it's still entertaining and that has value to me, something doesn't need to be outstanding to entertain me. Does not mean it's my favourite tho, it's just a comfort thing when I'm in a reading slump or dont feel well and I also think that if its not actually a controversial book that is harmful, there is no harm in people enjoying it, weather its actually well written with a great plot or not, it still has some value to it if it makes someone happy to read it. :)
You completely had me with the title of this video 😂
The stigma surrounding reading/writing YA is reeeeeal. Like you said, so much of this is due to our collective internalized misogyny. Anything created by women, or for women, especially young women - is automatically perceived as having less merit and worth as something that has been created by men or for men/young boys. Even if the stories being told are nearly identical in plot, overall message/theme etc. Now...Hell Followed With Us has been on my radar for a long while - but I wasn't sure if what the book promises to delivers could be executed "properly" as it's YA. Thank you for making me check some of my own biases in reading because now, thanks to you (as always) I've really been given the push to pick up this fierce sounding book ~ as well as The Spirit Bares its Teeth!
Oh my god, the way I spit my milkshake 😂😂 Hilarious, got me for sure
„If tomorrow doesn’t come“ from Jen St. Jude - had me in tears from the beginning to the end.
It’s a queer sci-fi novel about a queer depressed young college student Avery.
One morning when Avery feels it’s all too much the world finds out that a huge asteroid is headed towards Earth - impact in nine days. Throughout these nine days secrets are discovered and truths are told.
It was really tough to read at times - in a good way. 😊
Sold! Thank you!
I really liked Scythe, thematically. It’s a sci-fi in a post apocalyptic setting
I relate so much to rarely giving YA fiction a chance, even when I was the target demographic. Aside from maybe the Hunger Games, the ones I tried reading were often too on-the-nose, recycled too many uninteresting cliches, and/or the writing style wasn't for me. My friend begged me to read ACOTAR but I've avoided it (
"These Broken Stars" is a hauntingly beautiful scifi novel I still think about after years...
I WAS SO CONCERNED!
I recently got a used copy of Hell Followed with Us, and can’t wait to read it. I used to read a lot more YA 5+ years ago (currently 36, so also not a YA myself), and I’m trying to read more broadly I read it much less. I enjoy it sprinkled in here and there, especially after books in a series to give myself a bit of a break. Glad you’re diving into YA more, because there really is some good stuff in the genre. Sometimes it’s too “trope-y” for me, but it’s usually a good time.
Anyways, love your videos! Keep up the good work 😊 be kind, and have a great day!
Why didn't I read the title,I was scared 😅 I'm glad you changed your mind about YA,I love reading it! Even if I'm not always so sure as why a book is YA... one of my favourite authors is Destiny Soria,especially Beneath the Citadel and Fire with fire in fantasy and an another is Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé with Ace of Spades (thriller mystery). Very curious to know your thoughts about them!
I'm glad I read comments while the ad played so I didn't get scared 😂
I bought the Spirit Bares Its Teeth after you mentioned it in your previous video. When you described it I instantly wanted to read it.
My gosh. You scared the heck out of me!❤
I totally agree. I’ve looked down on YA as being childish and no plot. But now I’ve realized a lot of it is fantasy and has themes and plots, but it’s just always labeled as YA; aka for young women, which I disagree with.
When the sigh happened I was like "wait this has to be a bit"
😇
ngl i was holding my breath that whole intro. i just started reading again as an adult this past year and YA is what helped me get back into reading!
No ukele? This is a terrible apology. I have never looked down at YA but it has never attracted me. I feel they target a particular high school student. Those cover do look nice. Also the Mario, Peach and Bowser love triangle is very dense and intricate.
Dread Nation is always my go to recommendation! I loved it. I really enjoy YA. I find it easier to grasp concepts when they're spelled out. My autistic brain often misses subtle plot points. I love adult fiction equally but I've found since my diagnosis (at age 42) I've learned so much about the world from YA. It's allowed me to learn how to read into the more complex plots of adult fictions and also enjoy many literary classics that I only used to read from an English class perspective. (I hope that makes sense!)
I’m commenting a year later but wanted to pop up like a Whac-a-mole mole and agree that Dread Nation and its sequel, Deathless Divide, are amazing AF. I loved qnd continue to love those books.
Thankful for being a Patron. My heart would've been in my stomach without knowing about the fakeout beforehand xD
Haha yeah I’ve taken a gamble with this one! Was kinda worried it might be considered emotional manipulation, so I hope it’s being received mostly with a smile 😅
The intro to this is immaculate. I was so worried 😂
The thumbnail and the beginning scared the crap out of me.
Yeah I’m starting to feel bad about it now 😅
You are really, really good at disruption my reading plans by making me want to read something that had not previously been on my radar... These sound fascinating.
Andrew is a wonderful writer-his first adult horror novel comes in 2025!
I can’t wait!!
Not sure if it’s technically in the YA category, but Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body is an amazing queer coming of age story playing on the tropey style of a serialized mystery!! I think it would be a hit for you. TW for eating disorders
Willow, you are such a big tease! (And I’m here for it)
😇
As someone who reads a mix of different genres, to answer your question as to why someone might read the unchallenging ones: sometimes you don’t want something challenging, sometimes you just want a simple fun book to get lost in and forget about reality. Empty carbs if you will. Sometimes you don’t want a salad, sometimes you want a cupcake 🤷🏼♀️
I honestly don’t remember asking that question, because I fully understand that answer. But thank you!
@@WillowTalksBookswrote the comment at the start of the video 😅
Maybe should have waited…
Thank you, this is grand for the audience of great writers that seeking a crowd of true search differences on their own simply reads. I get tired of simply reads of adults . I get it. Dysphoria is a natural separation of relief from banning a good time without being you in a lot labels we go through in person for a good read.
Your hair is so pretty!! Okay now I can watch the rest of the video 😄
The intro cracked me up! I’m glad you’ve seen the light - I did a bunch of children’s lit courses in undergrad, and I still read everything from picture books to adult stories. Quality varies regardless of the tartget audience age! Some of my YA favourites are Akwaeke Emezi’s Pet (trans MC, set in a world where monsters don’t exist anymore…or do they?), Aiden Thomas’s Cemetery Boys (trans Latinx supernatural), and Kacen Callender’s King and the Dragonflies (contemporary queer exploration of grief that is just exquisite). I haven’t read it yet, but Callender’s Felix Ever After is also highly-rated, and this is my reminder to place a hold at the library 😅
And it’s maybe not in your wheelhouse, but I’m Canadian and thus obligated to suggest L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Anne doesn’t conform to traditional gender roles, has a non-traditional family, and finds herself in many a sticky situation ❤️
Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials count as YA although they deal with complicated issues and complicated characters. Recommend! The same applies to Ursula K Le Guin's Earthsea books, which are more than just YA fantasy. Otherwise I agree with you about YA = readable
This is the best apology video ever!!
If you haven't already read it, consider picking up "Rules for Vanishing" by Kate Alice Marshall. Its a YA horror novel which I initially thought it would be superficial but oh was I wrong. Intriguing plot, interesting themes, great world building, and perfectly tense and scary.
I love some YA (I read everything, from Adult to children's books and many genres) because growing up physically disabled, undiagnosed autistic and adhd, bisexual and trans, I felt all alone and was constantly told I was wrong and a burden just for being who I am. I didn't get to read diverse YA books when I needed them, the stuff being written today, it didn't exist back then. I'll be 35 in February. Just because i'm no longer a teen, doesn't mean I can't be glad they exist now and enjoy them. I don't read a lot of YA fantasy though, the YA I read is mostly contemporary.
I have those 2 books though! I heard they have own voices autistic trans boy characters, like me, so I had to pick them up, and I love horror. I just have to read them! I only got them recently.
Yeah YA fiction is so good at almost effortlessly presenting a diverse world in many ways!
I didn’t touch on the characters being autistic because I’m not autistic, and I often get nervous about discussing autistic characters because I really can’t tell if the representation is good or not. I’ll leave that to autistic readers :)
Cant wait to read Hell Followed with Us!! I read Spirit Bears its Teeth in Oct and fell in love 😱
WHY WOULD YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT
If you’re actually mad, I’m very sorry. I was really excited about this video, thought it would be funny, and since posting it I’ve kinda just felt guilty 🥲
I highly recommend the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Linba Bray. It's hands down my favorite series, and years after reading it, I still think about it. The cast, supporting and main, is mostly girls (the main trio live at a boarding school in Victorian England).
The main three are, in my opinion, coded bisexual. It's also a portal fantasy with magic!
Also, The Diviners series.
I recommend Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao if you haven't read it for a diverse, asian-centric, sci-fi esque, queer and angry feminist YA novel. There is some romance, but mostly in the poly way. I also actually haven't read this, but all my friends who have been very sus of YA for the same reasons you spoke about have all liked this and I've heard many good things about it through them!
It’s actually on my TBR! I’ll be reading it soon :)
@@WillowTalksBooks PLEASE READ IT! I'm not a sci-fi fan usually but I DEVOURED iron widow in two days! ive since read it three times plus I have the audio book 😅
: Breathing deeply … 🌸” I’be never been kind to YA fiction 😊”🌸 wasn’t prepared 😂 ❤️
in middle and high school, ya is what kept me reading constantly. i know many people who say that school made them hate reading but not me bc i had so many great books about characters going through similar stuff to me then. i’m not so into it now at 22 but i still have my favorites and writers that maybe i’ll read if they release new books! ❤
My thing with YA is sometimes they fall into typical tropes and pitfalls of moving too fast but when it hits it H I T S. For me hunger games will ALWAYS be a 10/10 series with complex themes and Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe was the first time I really felt like I was fully seen and represented in whole as a queer person!
As with some of your other subscribers - you caused my stomach to go up into my throat!
The heart attack I got in the beginning...
Yeah, sorry about that! I hoped it would be funny and now I’m panicking that it just frightened people 😅
Although I'm reading less YA these days, I was drawn to it as an adult specifically because it was exploring important issues in ways I wasn't seeing elsewhere.
YA is where I found stories about formative experiences and the search for identity. Queer fiction was easily identifiable. Simplicity also allowed for focus.
Coincidentally, I'm listening to Hell Followed with Us and need to hustle sincr its a Libby borrow and there are 3 people behind me😮. And you sold me on The Spirit Bares Its Teeth -- the setting, the time period, the plot, the everything!
YA has become one of the ways I get myself out of reading slumps, good YA has to be high interest and they have to have thick plots and characterization in order to keep the target audiences attention I’m glad your taking a shot at YA I hope you find something you like!
I'm currently reading Hell Followed With Us at a slow pace, but I'm enjoying it enough, with similar tonal gripes. (I believe I'll also prefer the author's next book, however).
I too used to snub YA after getting back into reading as an adult... but later realized it was a silly mindset. Recently I've read the YA duology Crier's War, and loved it's political setting, commentary on oppression, and the dynamic of the sapphic main characters, one human, one robot-ish, one an (intially ignorant) elite, and the other a scrappy rebel. I would absolutely recommend it since it was what convinced me to keep reading YA!
WILLOW!!! I RAN OUT OF THE RESTAURANT!
GEEZ..
I’ve had a lot of reactions today but this one has destroyed me lol I’m so sorry
@@WillowTalksBooks LOL!!
I didn't believe it for a second 😅😊💜
You threw me for such a loop lol
If we're all throwing out recommendations, I'll add on Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, an amazing literary coming-of-age.
I think watching this video has made me way more open to trying more YA novels. I tend to shy away from them because I don't see them as "refined" enough, but now you've got me really interested in reading some of Andrew Joseph White's novels. I'm also a trans guy and I've never read a novel with a trans male protagonist - I'm always worried that I'll find the depiction "cringe" or something. I really hope they'll live up to the hype!
I'm not young but enjoy some YA Horror, Scifi and Fantasy.
You might like:
Lord of the Fly Fest and The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky.
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala.
Monsters Born & Made by Tanvi Berwah.
(these have been some of my favorites from this year.)
I feel so sad when people label ACOTAR as just "fairy p*rn" since I genuinely found a world that embraced me and gave me so many complex feelings... yes, there's the romance bits but, i found a range of larger themes in this books, I processed and learned about the character's survival, trauma, how they deal with trauma in so many different ways, hope, and of course, love for others and also self love. In the process I learned about myself and how I as a person and my life relates to all that... I am not an expert in literary analysis by any means, so I'm not qualified to say if it's well written or not, maybe it is too simple and on the nose, maybe it is badly written... but I know deep down that these books helped me in so many ways and... yeah, It may be crazy but I find myself constantly wanting to return to it's world, to feel safe, to feel strong. Also I don't think these should be YA, since I find that should be more of an age range for readers to approach it, and it definitely feels more adult for me, but I guess that has more to do with the publishing industry as you said!
I haven’t read YA fiction since I was actually a YA, and I’ve never liked fantasy- but you really make me want to read it!
I have found myself venturing away from YA due to not being that age anymore and tend to have less developed characters. That said, I do still read YA every now and again when it's recommended to me by someone I trust. I am not opposed for searching it out on my own, I just find it VERY difficult to judge if it's a novel that I will enjoy. As you begin venturing into YA I would love to hear how you determine which novels to read and how well you at predicting your enjoyment of YA novels. Glad to hear you are widening your reading and trying something new. Good Luck!
Has anybody here read the "Unwind" series by Neal Shusterman?? I have only read the 1st book, I really enjoyed it! Reminiscent of "Never Let Me Go"
Oh yes that book is great! I've only read the first book as well. And you're right it is similar to "Never Let Me Go."
Yeah, I only made it through three chapters of a Sarah J. Mass book before I DNFed it. But if I don’t like a book, it simply means it’s not for me. Lovers of her books are free to enjoy them. 😁 I am excited to read these books, though, for sure!
I really like Ruth Sepetys. She writes wonderful historical fiction.
Willow, I love your videos!!! As always, you are amazing!!!
The analogy to primary colors was so perfect. That has always been my big issue with reading YA, YA Fantasy especially. I know its an art its just not art I tend to find depth of connection with. Which is valid, its not meant for me. These do sound really interesting though so they are 100% being added to the TBR.
I loved The Spirit Bares Its Teeth so much! It's a YA book that thankfully doesn't fall for the tropes I hate
Ngl if youre reading ya, id love to hear your take on the hunger games series ❤ i always love your reflections and analysations, your channel has is awsome and has lead me finding some of my fav books ❤ (p.s. any book recs that would be good for like the average steprytpical dad 😂, want to get mine a good book for christmas as he doesnt read much anymore)
I'm recently opening myself to YA. I have ADHD and recently read Six Crimson Cranes and let me say: I haven't enjoyed a plot in a book this much in YEARS 😅 I guess that's what I get for literary translated fiction mostly. I love that genre but the plots are often the opposite of fast paced and engaging story events-wise (as opposed to thematically) and it was a nice change of pace.
I’ve been tempted by Six Crimson Cranes for a while! Time to check it out :)
I love that every video I watch of yours I walk away with another book on my to read list! Not a huge fan of YA but I'll have to check these out. I also would love to hear more of your thoughts on Sarah J. Maas as someone who was encouraged to read her books (4 down, 1 to go) and am still struggling to understand the hype around her. One of them was honestly awful...Great video!
After the initial shock I was so happy to hear what you had to say about YA books. I'd learned to get past my learned biases against horror, fantasy, and mystery fiction, but held onto the YA one until my niece was 9 or 10 and she'd grown out of little kids books. I wanted to continue reading books with her and YA hadn't existed in my teens. But very quickly I saw the complex subject matter and was trying to figure out what about these YA books seemed a little different. I saw that vocabulary was easier, but you really clarified here that the characters are more black or white with less gray complexity.
I still read YA because particularly the queer stories speak to my wounded inner childhood self. Ones like Dante and Aristotle Discover The Secrets of the Universe, Every Day, and Two Boys Kissing, would've been illegal everywhere a few decades ago.
But a YA book that I think you'd love is White Space by Ilsa J Bick.
I feel like a lot of the points you brought up as reasons for why these novels are considered YA also apply to Kuang’s Babel, and being someone who has also struggled to enjoy YA I think those points were a large part of why I had a hard time enjoying that novel. The lack of character nuance and the loads of exposition in particular killed it for me, as I felt I always knew who to align with and that I was being hit over the head with the book’s message (one that I already agreed with, at that). That said, I didn’t finish Babel, and the fact that you like it, and so do a few of my friends whose tastes I also trust immensely, make me want to try to give it another chance. Maybe I’ll go about that by reframing it as YA or “New Adult”.
Phew! That opening! 😂 I’m not a huge YA reader though not adverse to it at all. YA to me seems more like it is a marketing category. There are YA marketed books that are definitely less challenging (SJMaas I’m looking at you!) and people of all ages love them mainly I think because they are brain candy. Then there are just great books that are marketed as YA, a lot of the time because they have a coming of age element! The books you’ve found sound fantastic and I’m looking forward to hearing more great YA recommendations from you!
Outside of misogyny, I think part of the reason why YA gets a bad rep is because people genuinely don't know what it is. I've seen a lot of people equate it to books for children. I've seen a lot of people equate it to bad fairy porn, which would not be for children lol. But it's really just an age categorization that keeps getting pushed up as no one seems to understand what it's supposed to mean. The original marketing term of YA was similar to tv and movie ratings in the US.
Picture books - TV-Y (safe for all children, ages 2-7)
Children's - G (safe for most child, early chapter books, may include things like non-graphic deaths, ages 3-10)
Middle Grade - PG (more difficult to read for younger children, tends to be longer than early chapter books, can touch on some more complex themes, some violence but not torture bloody horror-levels, ages 10-13)
YA - PG-13 (darker themes, more complex stories, some graphic violence, some sex but typically fade to black, sex is typically written through the thoughts of the characters and not the action of it as they're minors, can involve triggering content, the characters are usually high schoolers, ages 13-18)
New Adult - R (can cover anything, can have explicit sex scenes, can have graphic violence, the characters are usually in college or early adults, lots of exploration into ones self, trying to find your place in the world, can have sex but not required, ages 18-25)
Adult - TV-MA (similar to New Adult except the adults are usually 25+, more complex in that it often covers topics from the viewpoint of people who have already experienced them, can have sex but not required, largely involves family, marriage life, relationship problems, wanting to change your life after you've settled down, regaining your sense of identity, analyzing the past, ages 25+ with a separate target group of people 50+)
Erotica - NC-17 (characters *should* be adults, sex is required, can cover complex themes but the main focus is romance and sex)
A big issue in YA right now is that the New Adult target audience is being marketed books under the YA label. Which isn't fair to teenagers. New Adult has sort of disappeared as its own marketing category which I don't understand. A book targeted towards a 20 year old shouldn't be targeted toward a 13 year old. Not to say they can't both enjoy the same books, of course they can, but those are two completely different ages. Working at the library I've noticed that kids 13-18 aren't really getting books marketed towards them anymore. They feel too mature and not challenged enough for Middle Grade, but YA over the past few years feels too mature and complex. They don't always want to read steamy scenes or about complex adult characters. They need that space for characters their age going through the things they're going through. But, because of the YA boom of the late 2000s-2010s, marketing started to focus only on YA. A lot of adult readers haven't let the YA label go because the label has grown with them. They're expecting YA to be more mature and complex than it was ever meant to be because they're not being targeted books under New Adult or Adult anymore. Because of that, people want Middle Grade to be more mature now because they don't fit into the YA label anymore that's being targeted for 25-40 year olds who were the original YA audience in the 2000s. And now middle schoolers are feeling like Middle Grade is getting a little too mature for them. It's covering topics they don't feel equipped to read right now. The language used is getting more complex and mature. Adult readers are fine with that because it's still a quick read for them.
Anyway, this long boring rant is all to say that adults and capitalists are ruining what Middle Grade & YA mean for children and teens because they can't decide what those labels and demographics actually mean. Those terms are being targeted at people with money and not the appropriate age ranges, and adult readers aren't letting go of a marketing label they don't fit into anymore because it's always been catered to them. And in return every other person hates on YA because they don't know what it means, don't realize it's not a genre, or view the New Adult and Adult work of women as lesser than and less mature than the work of men
My heart was in my throat watching the beginning of this, a mini panic attack. You’re obviously a good actress, darn you.
My daughter is getting old enough for (clean) YA now,, and I’ve been reading it to her. So much of it is beautifully written, unique and well plotted, with important themes. The White books sound fantastic (although the horror’s probably a little too much for her at this age.)
If you like zombie horror the Benny Imura series from Jonathan Maberry is some intense and engaging stuff. Fantasy with unique narrative and LGBT characters wise I always recommend Michael Kanuckel 's Tessa Gardener and the Knights of Floraeon which starts with The Girl from the Tea Cup Village.
Fraternity by Andy Mientus
I always recommend the same YA book: The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. Absolutely spellbinding. And im someone who usually loathes YA
😂❤ *big sigh* well 👀 ugh .. youuu are forgiven 👀🤷♀️ 😂 though I’m not sure there’s anything to forgive 😬
A great YA I read recently is The Outrage by William Hussey. Hussey grew up in the Section 28 era and has written a dystopia to show the young queer people of today a version of what that felt like. It is very on the nose in places (the book literally calls the inspections that see if there is any LGBT stuff in your house Section 28 inspections) but for what it's setting out to do and the audience it's aimed at it does kind of need to be. There are scenes of LGBTphobic torture which definitely were A Lot, but it definitely made me so grateful to live in the world we live in, which was the point of it
I totally fell for the beginning of the video, wondering "oh no, is my fave now problematic?" Had a good lol at the reveal. I haven't read much YA lately that I used to, but a recent YA horror that I really enjoyed was The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson. It's a modern retelling of Stephen King's Carrie, but with more of a focus on racial tensions. As an homage, I thought it was very well done, in addition to examining its own very different themes.
The timing of your framing a video as an apology is wild, given the drama that's currently unfolding around a certain queer TH-camr right now. Had my adrenaline spiking for a second, ngl.
On topic: I kind of get the skepticism around YA given some of the more popular works in the genre, but it's always been associated in my mind with His Dark Materials, so I've always thought of the more, um, problematic? works as outliers and not representative of the genre as a whole.
Ooh I don’t think I know that drama? I’m very bad at keeping up with the tea
@@WillowTalksBooks a fairly successful queer YTer was the subject of an incredibly well-researched video proving (with receipts) that he had been plagiarizing other queer writers and video creators for years, profiting massively off their work while completely erasing them (among other frankly vile behaviors). Guy proceeded to nuke his Discord, Twitter and Patreon, likely running off with the money.
I'm usually not one for drama, but this video was from a creator I've followed for years who isn't a drama TH-camr at all. He just dislikes plagiarism and queer erasure.
I would disagree that characters being more archetypal/2-dimensional is what MAKES something YA...but it is probably true that that's more common (because its one way of hitting a reading level between middle grade and adult).
Technically, of course, what makes something YA is that it is aimed at teenagers - and perhaps one reason I don't jive with MOST YA is that capturing a teenager's mindset WELL can actually make the book kind of annoying...because that's not a period of my life I particularly want to revisit.
However, there are YA books that I enjoy because they have either strong themes development (like "Hell Followed With Us") or strong character development. I feel like manga aimed at the same age group tend to do the latter better than English-language novels...but I'm not sure WHY.
Great video! Can’t wait to check out those books they sound right up my alley. If you are wanting to explore more YA a series I really enjoyed is Arc of a Scythe, it’s sci-fi/dystopian
Looooll that apology sigh
Yeah I tend to snob YA, but to my defence most of the things you see everywhere as represantation of YA is romantasy, usually involving some toxic alpha male. But going out of comfort zone I found few books I really liked , just outside the mainstream. There is "Song below the water" which has some powerful scenes tackling rasism mainly but also relationship between sisters, womanhood. It's not flawless but very good. Out of the french ones there was "Phenomen" about a group of kids with powers escaping an asylum, it's more for teenagers but some parts went pretty dark, but if you grew up on Astrid Lindgren and Grimm brothers it's ok. Now I'm reading one set in greek mythology (Quelqu'un se souviendra de nous) a bit of reteling but not exactly, very feminist filled with angry, broken women who's been done dirty by the gods. Main trio is Pandora, Medusa and Arachne, but you have voices of others like Helen of Troy who's so pissed she starts a revolution in Tartar. Who can blame her, or the others? What happened to them was unjust and disgusting. So Pandora wants to kill the gods, beginning with Zeus. I still have quite a bit to read but I really enjoy this one.
Off topic, but your hair looks awesome in the video!
Thank you! :)
22:36 I really enjoy the Children of Blood and Bone series the third book comes out late spring early summer 2024
girl noooo, you scared me lmao
I love some young adult fiction - I think a lot of what gets peddled online is often not that interesting, the stuff intended for general or TikTok audiences, but I've loved plenty of YA novels, usually ones that are queer-themed or outright LGBTQIA+. Watch Over Me by Nina Lacour is one of my all-time favorite novels, I am sure you'd appreciate its beauty and sadness too, Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno is gorgeous, and the list could go on.
I'm a bigger fan of middle grade literature, am 34 years old, and have 3 full shelves of middle grade novels and one shelf of middle grade graphic novels/picture books + Heartstopper. I think books for younger audiences can still resonate with older readers, especially for middle grade they're kind of like my "escapist" books, and where I can be reminded that there is love and compassion and understanding. I'd be absolutely thrilled to see you cover some middle grade sometime, if you'd ever be interested.
Have to admit I’m not entirely sure what’s classed as “middle grade” or how to distinguish it from YA
Finished the video now - if you want even more recs then The Honeys by Ryan LaSala is a fantastic YA horror, very dreamy and surreal with some very effective scenes of horror. I'd say it feels like if the movie Suspiria went to summer camp and the MC is a non binary 17 year old, grappling with the death of his sister.
If you want a YA horror anthology, I think Our Shadows Have Claws is extremely well done with both its queer and Latine/Latinx characters and stories.
If you just want a happy, positive book with a large cast of queer characters, with drag queens and drag kings in particular, then Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanja Boteyu was one of my favorite reads this summer. I smiled a LOT. Same is true for Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie, more queer and Latine/Latinx characters and both of these books are great coming of age/finding first love or crush stories.
@@WillowTalksBooks middle grade could be intended for anyone ages 9-12/13, I tend to read older middle grade, which is more likely to touch on deeper topics like grief, death, queer identities, racism/xenophobia/bullying, etc. As someone who doesn't really enjoy reading romance or anything "spicy" I also love middle grade knowing I can enter that space where the focus is usually on friends and family.
It's funny if I think about it. While I write adult fiction I pretty exclusively read YA fiction. I'm not in the target audience anymore but it's a familiar place. Welcome to reading YA! I don't have any recommendations.
Is my phone glitching orrr why does the video have like 5k views and almost 500,000 likes 😂😭
I understand what you mean about YA, it wasn’t a genre when I was a teen, so I’ve come to it as an adult, but I agree, some are terrible, some are great. But that’s the same as adult fiction really! Try The Arc of the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. It absolutely blew me away, especially the first one.
Yess Andrew Joseph White singlehandedly makes me not want to give up on YA! I also recommend reading his two short stories that are available through his website for free if you haven't read them (both hit really hard for me as a trans person). There's just something about the way he writes trans anger that's very relatable. I can't wait for what he does in his adult book because I sometimes feel that the YA genre is kind of holding back his stories from being even better (my anti YA bias is showing lol)
I also love your analysis of what makes his work YA because it's something that I've been thinking about for a while. Actually, Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus reminded me of his books a lot - to me that book also felt kind of YA for the very reasons you talk about, despite not being marketed that way
I have loved ya fiction since it was just emerging as a genre. Writers like SE Hinton and Robert C OBrian crafted the genre but there is so much out there that is thoughtful and challenging.
🤷♀️ i read what i read lol, judge me or not LOL. 🤣 Idc, I'm happy in my own world with my horror books 😍 on my breaks at work 🥹✌️❤
Ps your hair is gorgeous omg
In the abstract, I'm fine with YA fiction... and some of my favorites would be considered YA today... On the other hand, I've recently picked up a few things that I found myself disliking the tropes or found the writing unengaging, and then found it was YA. I *know* there are many exceptions, but I've not had good luck. Perhaps I just need to be more purposeful in my choices. I'm definitely interested in those Andrew Joseph White books.
I do think there could be two categories made out of YA, because what's right for a 12 year old and what's right for a 17 year old are very different.