Top Ten Tuesday: Book Recommendations for YA Contemporary Lovers

Hello all and welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve really missed having a Top Ten Tuesday post every week and I’m happy to have it back! This week’s top ten topic is all about book recommendations for YA contemporary lovers. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

So without further ado, here is this weeks Top Ten Tuesday, book recommendations for YA contemporary lovers.

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1) Super Awkward by Beth Garrod

“I, Bella Fisher, am absolutely WINNING at FAILING at life.
1. I once got my tongue stuck to a box of Calippos in a supermarket.
2. I accidentally called my geography teacher Mum. Twice. He wasn’t impressed.
3. I’m a geek. And not in a geek-chic kind of way, but in a secretly-caring-about-failing-maths-and-science way.
4. I always fail maths and science.

So it figures that when I meet the FITTEST BOY IN THE WORLD, Zac, I’m doing solo star jumps. While dressed as a cereal box. “

This book is a perfect YA! I loved reading it. It is the perfect book to read if you want cheering up. It brought me back to my high school days and sometimes I think you need that. I recently interviewed the author of this book, you can find my interview here.

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2) It’s Not Me It’s You by Stephanie Kate Strohm

“One high school girl’s comedic examination of her dating past as told by the friends, family, and boys who were involved! 

Avery Dennis is a high school senior and one of the most popular girls in her class. But a majorly public breakup with the guy she’s been dating causes some disastrous waves. It is right before prom and Avery no longer has the perfect date. She runs the prom committee, how could she not show up with somebody?”

I adore this book! I have very recently recommended this book to a friend. It is hilarious, adorable and heart-warming. Avery is a fantastic main character who learns so much in this book. It is a brilliant contemporary book! Stephanie Kate Strohm is another author I was very lucky to interview recently ad you can find my interview with her here.

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3) Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green

“Poor Noah Grimes! His father disappeared years ago, his mother’s Beyonce tribute act is an unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran is no longer herself. He only has one friend, Harry, and school is…Well, it’s pure HELL. Why can’t Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone – maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely – he’d be seen in a different light? But Noah’s plans are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That’s when things go from bad to utter chaos.”

Another fantastic book I cannot recommend enough. This another YA book that cheers you up but also shows you the true life of a teenager. This book is so very true to teenage life and I really value that in a book. I recently got to interview Simon Jame Green the author of this book and you can find that interview here.

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4) Countless by Karen Gregory

“When Hedda discovers she is pregnant, she doesn’t believe she could ever look after a baby. The numbers just don’t add up. She is young, and still in the grip of an eating disorder that controls every aspect of how she goes about her daily life. She’s even given her eating disorder a name – Nia. But as the days tick by, Hedda comes to a decision: she and Nia will call a truce, just until the baby is born. 17 weeks, 119 days, 357 meals. She can do it, if she takes it one day at a time … “

I very recently finished reading this book and thought it was fantastic. It was very raw and real and didn’t sugarcoat any of the topics in the book. I feel like a lot of YA books sugarcoat some topics but Countless doesn’t do that. Which I think makes this book one I would recommend highly.

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5) Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik

“Things Chloe knew: Her sister, Ivy, was lonely. Ethan was a perfect match. Ethan’s brother, David, was an arrogant jerk.

Things Chloe should have known: Setups are complicated. Ivy can make her own decisions. David may be the only person who really gets Chloe.

Meet Chloe Mitchell, a popular Los Angeles girl who’s decided that her older sister, Ivy, who’s on the autism spectrum, could use a boyfriend. Chloe already has someone in mind: Ethan Fields, a sweet, movie-obsessed boy from Ivy’s special needs class.”

This is another book I can’t recommend enough. I had been wanting to read a book that had a character who was on the autism spectrum. But, all the book I had been finding had reviews saying they weren’t very true to life. Things I Should Have Known is so true to real life. I actually learnt things from this book and thought it was fantastically written. You can find my review for it here.

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6) The Upside of Unrequited

“Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.”

I read this book extremely quickly. I just couldn’t put it down. It was so nice to see a main character in YA who isn’t represented enough. I am pretty certain I will be reading this book again very soon so, I really recommend this book to Ya contemporary lovers who want a book they will read very quickly. You can find my review for this book here.

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7) The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

“Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.”

This book I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Jennifer Niven and Nicola Yoon books. After reading Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything within 3 hours I thought I would do the same with this book. It did take a little longer to read but I still really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of a quick, sweet love story. Just be warned the main trope is insta-love. You can find my review of this book here.

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8) Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen

“Sixteen-year-old Petula De Wilde is anything but wild. A family tragedy has made her shut herself off from the world. Once a crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula now sees danger in everything, from airplanes to ground beef.

The worst part of her week is her comically lame mandatory art therapy class. She has nothing in common with this small band of teenage misfits, except that they all carry their own burden of guilt.

When Jacob joins their ranks, he seems so normal and confident. Petula wants nothing to do with him, or his prosthetic arm. But when they’re forced to collaborate on a unique school project, she slowly opens up, and he inspires her to face her fears.”

This book is fantastic! I really couldn’t put this book down once I began reading it. I loved the characters and the storyline itself. It is a perfect YA contemporary in my opinion. I am a huge fan of Susin Nielsen’s books and this is the only book of hers I would recommend to YA contemporary lovers. You can find my review of this book here.

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9) Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

“Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.”

This book is beyond perfect! I couldn’t get enough of this book I just didn’t want it to end. It came out on my birthday last year and I had read it by the weekend. I couldn’t stop reading it. There is something about Jennifer Niven’s books that captivate me and make me not want to leave the book world. I would really recommend this book to anyone who likes a very well written YA story! You can find my review of this book here.

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10) When We Collided by Emery Lord

“Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.”

This book is the perfect Summer read. I read it last Summer whilst on holiday. I made my sister read this book right after I had finished reading and she also loved it. I can’t wait to read more Emery Lord books especially if they are as good as this one!

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There you have it, this weeks Top Ten Tuesday, book recommendations for YA contemporary lovers! I am so glad that Top Ten Tuesday is back and can’t wait for all the new topics! Don’t forget to leave links to your Top 10 Tuesday below!

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Until next time,