Whenever I need to decompress after the long, stressful month of November, I always like to pick up a good campy novel to help lift my spirits. And there’s nothing more fun and cheesy to read than a good Young Adult Romance novel. So, here’s a list of 5 books to help you relax and that will, hopefully, make you smile.
1. First and Then – Emma Mills
Image Courtesy of Macmillan
First and Then is a refreshing young adult take on Jane Austen’s prose. Written with the same charming wit Austen herself possesses, First and Then is a modern take on what love and family mean. Devon is a senior in high school who doesn’t know at all what she wants to do with her life. Meanwhile, her younger cousin Foster who seems not to know a thing about social interaction moves in with her family after his own family trauma. But when Foster somehow makes the varsity football team, Devon is forced to interact with the pompous new kid: Ezra. Will she be able to put up with him for Foster’s sake?
2. Sugar and Spice – Shari L. Tapscott
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Harper comes home from college finally ready to admit her feelings for Brandon, the guy who has been there for her since they were kids. She’s always known he liked her, but she hasn’t been ready to admit her own feelings until now. But when she comes home for the holidays, she discovers Brandon’s moved on, and his new girlfriend is so sickeningly sweet that Harper can’t even manage to hate her. Then, Brandon and her sister ask her to enter a televised cookie baking contest judged by pop star Mason Knight. The catch? To compete, she needs a partner, and the only one available is Sadie, Brandon’s new girlfriend.
3. I Believe in A Thing Called Love – Maurene Goo
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Desi Lee works hard for everything she’s got. But there’s one thing she doesn’t have that Desi thinks she can apply her trademark tenacity to: getting a boyfriend. Enter new kid Luca Drakos. Desi is convinced she can make the brooding artist fall for her; she just needs a plan. So, she decides to use the soap-opera style romance of her favorite K-Dramas to craft a list of steps to win her man. And, knowing Desi, she’ll do whatever it takes to follow through with her plan, even if the unexpected threatens to interfere.
4. 180 Seconds – Jessica Park
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Allison Dennis has bounced from foster home to foster home her whole life. Until she doesn’t anymore. She’s adopted by her single gay dad at sixteen, but now that she’s in college, she’s still afraid to accept their fragile connection. Then she meets Esben Baylor, a YouTube celebrity who’s famous on her college campus. But she doesn’t meet him the usual way. Esben is concocting one of his famous social experiments for YouTube, and Allison somehow gets roped into participating. The game? Make continuous eye contact with a stranger for 180 Seconds. The results shock both Allison and Esben and change the course of their year permanently.
5. Chasing Polaris – Erica Cope and Autumn Doughton
Image Courtesy of Good Reads
Imogen Shaw is so ready to leave for her college dance program. Her perfect family just crumbled in front of her, and she’s not about to watch her estranged father wreck the remaining rubble. She has one more night until she leaves, but before she does, her two best friends need a favor: compete in a scavenger hunt to win tickets to their favorite band. But Imogen needs a partner, and Seth, the only person left after she gets to the hunt late, is her only option. But he has a secret, and it could ruin all her carefully constructed plans.