Gift Guide: The Best YA Books for Adults

Seasons readings, Book Nerds! We’ve made a list and checked it twice for your favorite adult Book Nerd (even if that person is you!). Keep scrolling for the best YA books for adults. 

The best YA books for adults: Coming of Age

We Were Liars Boxed Set

We Were Liars Boxed Set

By E. Lockhart

Discover the TikTok phenomenon with this not-to-be missed paperback boxed set featuring the #1 New York Times bestsellers We Were Liars and Family of Liars!

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Kathleen Glasgow Three-Book Boxed Set

Kathleen Glasgow Three-Book Boxed Set

By Kathleen Glasgow

From New York Times bestseller and author of the TikTok phenomenon Girl in Pieces comes a boxed set including all three of Kathleen Glasgow’s critically acclaimed novels: Girl in Pieces, How to Make Friends With the Dark, and You’d Be Home Now.

“Impossibly moving…suffused with light.” —Vanity Fair

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The best YA books for adults: Sci-fi and Fantasy

Murtagh

Murtagh

By Christopher Paolini

Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy!

“Christopher Paolini is a true rarity.” —The Washington Post

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Sinner's Isle

Sinner's Isle

By Angela Montoya

A spellbinding romantic fantasy about a powerful witch who will do anything to escape the remote island she’s being held captive on, including blackmail a notorious, charming pirate who washes up on shore, from debut author Angela Montoya.

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The best YA books for adults: Romance

American Royals IV: Reign

American Royals IV: Reign

By Katharine McGee

A queen’s life hangs in the balance, and her siblings’ decisions—about what to do, and most of all, who to love—could change the course of history. Romance. Duty. Power…only one can triumph in this stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling American Royals series.

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Fake Dates and Mooncakes

Fake Dates and Mooncakes

By Sher Lee

Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.

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The best YA books for adults: Thriller

Win Lose Kill Die

Win Lose Kill Die

By Cynthia Murphy

A high-school slasher with a lethal twist, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson! The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school’s best and brightest, the pressure is on.

Failure is fatal…

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Where There's Smoke

Where There's Smoke

By E. B. Vickers

In this fast-paced thriller, eighteen-year-old Calli finds herself alone after the loss of her father—until a bruised and broken girl shows up on her property, forcing her to face the present, rethink her future, and unearth the skeletons of her own past.

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The best YA books for adults: Horror

There's No Way I'd Die First

There's No Way I'd Die First

By Lisa Springer

A spine-tingling contemporary horror-comedy novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.

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Those We Drown

Those We Drown

By Amy Goldsmith

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv’s best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

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The best YA books for adults: Contemporary

My Father, The Panda Killer

My Father, The Panda Killer

By Jamie Jo Hoang

A poignant coming-of-age story told in two alternating voices: a California teenager railing against the Vietnamese culture, juxtaposed with her father as an eleven-year-old boat person on a harrowing and traumatic refugee journey from Vietnam to the United States.

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Plan A

Plan A

By Deb Caletti

A sixteen-year-old girl’s road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World, this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us.

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