gritty contemporary 2010s young adult books that shaped me (and a few favourites from the 2020s retroactively added)
created by kumishona
last updated December, 2025
Gay the Pray Away
Natalie Naudus
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
Suzanne Collins
Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Veronica Roth
Radio Silence
Alice Oseman
Tiger Lily
Jodi Lynn Anderson
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
Matthew Quick
The Female of the Species
Mindy McGinnis
On the Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
Saving Francesca
Things Not Seen (Things, #1)
Andrew Clements
Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
Made You Up
Francesca Zappia
We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
Fangirl
Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)
Gayle Forman
Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver
Forget Me Not
Alyson Derrick
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)
Becky Albertalli
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