Skip to main content

2015 Favourites: Top 5 Young Adult (YA) Books.

Hello! 

Another Top 5 post, this time let's see some of the Young Adult books I've loved this year. 
Truth be told, I didn't read that much YA this year. Not as much as I've read in the past few years. 
So while coming up with this list I actually had to struggle a fair bit and think hard while thinking about the five books I liked best. 

Here in no particular order here are 5 books I liked best in the YA genre. 


1. The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel: I read this book pretty early in the year, while I was on my 2 month holiday in my parent's hometown. I remember getting it on my Kindle and turning to it on a night I was running a high fever and couldn't sleep. I didn't really even remember the plot of this book when I started reading it and just knew it was YA. But as I read the first few pages I really began to enjoy the book and it's premise. 

A dystopian YA, something that was all the rage a few years ago and something I hadn't read in a very long time. Set in a future when there are two sections in this particular society, the victors of a previous war and the losing side. The losing side must give it's daughters in marriage to to boys in the victor's side. The book starts when a young girl is married to a boy she considers her enemy and is on a secret mission to kill him. But as she begins to spend time with him and gets to know him, her mission seems harder and harder to accomplish. 

I really enjoyed this book. A simple-isn premise and a great set of characters and situations. The new marriage and the slow and believable falling in love aspect was especially nice. 

I gave this book a 4/5 and only yesterday got it's sequel on my Kindle. I can't wait to read it and re-visit this world. 



2. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed: A YA set in Pakistan about a Pakistani-American teenager forced into an arranged marriage and her journey from hell and back. 
Riveting. Sad. Heart-breaking and yet so important to read and talk about and know since so many young and often underage girls are pushed into unwanted marriages by their families. 
Really enjoyed this book and I even have a full review of it on the blog. Read HERE. 


3. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen: Sarah Dessen is a big name in YA fiction. She has a ton of books out and is very loved. I've read a couple...like maybe two other books by her before and have fairly enjoyed them. This was her newest release and I read it because books about family and especially dysfunctional families always intrigue me. This was an enjoyable and intense and emotional read. I really liked it. A full review can be found HERE. 


4. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella: A book about anxiety and dealing with it and trying to overcome a debilitating condition. Realistic and genuine. And with Kinsella's trademark humour and quirky characters. A full review is HERE. 


5. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: Even though I said this list was in no particular order, this book just might be my favourite YA book I've read all year. It even won the GoodReads Best Book in YA Genre. This was an emotional ride and so heart-felt and heart-breaking all at once. So good! Full of great and loveable characters. Read the full review HERE


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a