If you haven't worked out by now, YA is my favourite thing to read. Yes at 24 I still read books aimed at teens. Mainly because I find the stories interesting, groundbreaking and a lot more fun to read than some of the stuff in "adult" fiction. You find that YA authors are pushing the boundaries to try and do more, discuss topics others won't and help people on a journey through life.

There is an amazing amount of YA debut novels coming out. But I had to be ruthless. I needed to pick just 5 books that are coming out this year that will blow you away.



7 Days - Eve Ainsworth
7 Days, 2 victims, 1 bully. This amazingly insightful book about bullying takes you into the mind of both the bully and the victim. For Jess, school is a safe haven away from her disruptive home, but life isn't made easy by the wonderfully perfect Kez and her gang. But surely Kez's life isn't all it's chalked up to be either. A nail biting, heartwarming story that will have you cheering and crying right until the last page.

Simon Vs The Homo Sapians Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Simon is 16 and is trying to work out who he is. When an email about his sexuality lands in the hands of the wrong person things don't look so great. Especially when he's just opened up to the world that he has feelings for Blue (you don't find out who Blue is until the end!). The book talks a lot about the sexual norm and why being gay isn't the weird thing. What if straight people had to come out to the world too?

My Heart and Other Black Holes - Jasmine Warga
Two teens make a suicide pact. Not because they are scared but because they know they can't do it alone. One is a smart, physics nerd called Aysel and the other is Roman who is dealing with a family tragedy of his own. It seems weird to read a book about motivational coaches in suicide, but this is something that does happen and it's amazing to get in the head of both characters. At the end of the day it is only them that can control their own fate. A gut wrenching book that will have you bawling through it.

Weightless - Sarah Bannan
Okay, I am cheating slightly. This will be filed under fiction. But the book is about teens and it read like a decent YA book to me so I'm putting it in there! A new girl turns up at school, she hits right up to the top of the school's hotlist. Except no-one knows anything about her, her social media is barren and until a tv crew shows up people are still in the dark. An amazing eye opener into cyber bullying and bullying in general. One that will resonate amongst young people.

Drop - Katie Everson
Carla wasn't always a junkie, it wasn't as if she set herself up to be one, it just happened. But she isn't one of those wreck heads that steals and sleeps on the street. She's different. But when she starts a school and meets the resident bad boy she gets swept off her feet and really isn't the normal good girl she thought she was. This book isn't out until August (not even the artwork has been released) but my god this blew me away!

So thats 5 of my top debuts. What books are you looking forward to?