Summer Book Talk: Day 6 - guest post on CONTEMPORARIES!

Hello lovely readers! The Summer Book Talk event is on its third day! Today we have guest post from the mastermind behind this event! Anjanna from Kindle and Me Will give her opinion and open the floor for discussion about her favorite deep YA contemporaries. Don't be shy and join in on the discussion! We'd love to hear your OWN opinions! 

Young Adult Contemporaries – Should authors stick to fluffy romance or dig deeper?

Thanks so much to Juhina & Farah from Maji Bookshelf for having me today. To the rest of you, I hope you all enjoy The Summer Book Talk!
A few days ago, I had a totally random John Green fan moment. For some reason, I found myself thinking about his book, The Fault in our Stars, which I’m sure most of you have already read. I share a love-hate relationship with it; I love it because his writing is pure poetry and I hate it because I wept like a mad woman when I was done reading (not that it made me love it any less). Okay, so although I’m probably too old for them, I enjoy fluffy, cute YA reads from time to time but nine times out of ten, the highest rating I give those books is 3/5. Usually, that’s okay. It's not a bad rating but if we're talking about books that I fell in love with, those usually have more depth. Today, I’m going to name 5 of my favorite young adult contemporaries of 2012. Not happy, fluffy reads but books that dig a little deeper, the ones that made me feel a whole range of emotions when I was done with them. They’re not flawless but each of these books has something special that makes them memorable. I’m not even going to bother mentioning books by Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Echols or Susan Colasanti because you guys probably already know that they’re good. The books I've mentioned below are all pretty popular so you may have already read/heard of them. If not, I hope you consider giving them a shot.

 

The Fault in our Stars by John Green.

I don't know why I'm mentioning this again. This book turned me into an emotional wreck, in an oh-my-god-I-can't-take-this-anymore-but-I-can't-stop-reading-either kind of way. The Fault in our Stars is the first John Green book that I read and I completely fell in love with his writing.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.

Wanderlove is definitely my favorite YA contemporary book of 2012! At least, so far. I loved everything about this book; right from the characters, the setting, drawings and the writing, it's all fantastic! Personally, this book felt more like an experience than a novel.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.

Addictive. No other way to put it. Pushing The Limits is an intense novel that explores the story/romance between two characters that you wouldn't normally see together.

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky.

I know a few people who didn't like this book but I thought it was amazing! The writing's wonderful; I was highlighting a quote pretty much on every other page. The ending's a little abrupt but it's still worth reading.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

It's hard to believe that My Life Next Door is Huntley Fitzpatrick's debut novel because the characters are so vivid. This isn't your regular boy next door romance. My Life Next Door has got a wide range of characters, all of them so unique that I wanted to know each of their stories in detail. This is a must-read!

So that's pretty much it. I'd mention a lot more but since I'm sticking to 2012 releases, I just mentioned my favorites! If you've read anything similar or better, I'd love to know =) Thanks again to Juhina & Farah @ Maji Bookshelf for hosting me, you guys rock!

Make sure to come back for the rest of the days in the Summer Book Talk event! As for today, we've also got a post about some to look out for titles at the blog of one of the co-hosts and also an interview with an author at the other! Be sure to head over there! 

At the Paranormal corner, we've got an interview with Amanda Hocking! the author of the highly popular Tryll Trilogy and upcoming new book: Wake.  Be sure to head on over there and check out the post along with entering for a chance to win a copy of EACH ONE of her books!Click on the right button above!

We've got a post of the most anticipated titles this summer from Amber and a giveaway! So be sure to check out what Amber is excited for and let us know what YOU are excited for!!