Posts Tagged: New Adult

Monday, February 12, 2018

New Adult and Romance

Posted by 4 Comments

 

Discussion posts are sometimes really hard to write when you have a lot of thoughts and feelings and it usually requires a backstory. So here is a short one. Recently, on twitter, there were discussions happening regarding how homogeneous New Adult lit is. A lot of the criticism was centered around how romance and sex heavy a lot of New Adult books are.

I think no one will ever disagree that we are definitely short on the range of experiences that are usually found in New Adult novels. We need change in that regard but, I don’t think that the demand for change should come at the cost of dismissing the New Adult that already exists?

For one, New Adult isn’t really a genre. It’s a demographic, its an age range that focusses on college-aged kids. A lot of books with characters in that age range tend to be romance novels. This is probably in part due to how incredibly successful New Adult Romance novels were a couple years ago. Secondly, there are a number of books that do exist that aren’t Romance and have new adult characters. Having said that though, I know that they barely even begin to scratch the surface and we need a lot more novels written for new adults that capture our experiences.

My problem is that a lot of the discussion just seemed straight up dismissive of books that already exist and in some ways, dismissive of those that read them. Which sucks. I think there are ways to have this very important conversation without shitting on an entire genre and an entire slew of readers.

Romance isn’t a one dimensional genre where the only thing that matters is falling in love. I am not an avid reader of New Adult Romance but, I do know that the few books I HAVE read are much more complex than that. One of my favorites Trade Me deals a lot with socio-economic privilege and how expensive college can be. Other books I’ve read specifically deal with what it’s like to be on your own for the first time in your life and carving your own place in the world. Also, like, for a lot of college kids, romantic relationships are a big part of their ‘new adult’ experience. Of course, the genre really does exclude aro & ace identifying people which is an issue that we should have a lot more discussions about.

Believe me, I know that New Adult Romances aren’t perfect. I know we can and should expect more of the industry but I don’t think those expectations should come at the cost of the books that already exist. As a ‘new adult,’ I ALSO want a variety of books with characters my age. I want to see my existential angst reflected in their journeys. I want to read about college experiences reminiscent of my own.

The industry needs to evolve to accommodate more experiences but that doesn’t mean the books already out there are not meaningful to anyone or are unimportant because they are romance. It’s a shitty thing to do to dismiss an entire genre because it isn’t reminiscent of your experience or your tastes. Criticism is IMPORTANT because thats how we all learn but criticism shouldn’t come at the cost of dismissal. In my experience, romance is a genre read by many young women of color and a lot of the criticism I saw in this debate came from older white people so really, lets take a step back and reflect on that. Lets advocate for a diversity of experience and characters in New Adult novels without rolling our eyes at New Adult Romances.

What do you think about New Adult books? Romance? Let’s Talk!

15 Books for New Adults

Posted by on 02/08/2018 • 9 Comments

Recent discussions in this community have been about how we don’t have enough books out there that reflects the experience of the average new-adult person. There are some facets of this discussion I disagree with (which might be a post for another day) but, I think we can all agree the more the better. Everyone deserves to have their experiences reflected in the books they read. So, today, I’ve compiled a list of 15 books with characters who are either in college or are college-aged. Some of these were marketed as YA and some as cross-over. Some of these just came out and others have been out for a while.

1. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Let’s Talk About Love pretty much has it all. Anxiety about choosing…

Interview with Colleen Hoover + Giveaway!

Interview with Colleen Hoover + Giveaway!

Posted by on 03/18/2015 • 12 Comments

I’ve got the wonderful Colleen Hoover, NA rockstar, on the blog today for a short interview about her newest book, Confess! First let’s take a peek at this pretty for those who hadn’t heard of it yet:

Interview with Colleen Hoover Hi Colleen! Thanks so much for dropping by my little space on the web! Hopeless was the first New Adult book I ever read and I absolutely loved it! But today let’s talk about your newest release – Confess! 🙂

Let’s start with giving us a brief description of Confess using only 2 sentences.

Boy meets girl. Crap, I’m out of sentences.

What was the whole confessions part like – the book mentions they’re actual confessions you received – did you get some that will…

Review: Losing at Love by Jennifer Iacopelli + Giveaway

Review: Losing at Love by Jennifer Iacopelli + Giveaway

Posted by on 02/25/2015 • 6 Comments

Penny, Jasmine, and Indy are back in all their wonderful glory! Losing at Love is the sequel to Game. Set. Match. which I completely loved when I read it 2 years ago. And even though so much time has past since, I was easily taken back into the world of tennis and competitions and romance and drama. This novel is more character than plot driven – the later doesn’t progress all that much, but the friendships and personal goals do, which are just as important for the story to move forward.

All in all, this novel is a character driven drama about these girls’ complicated lives as Tennis pros. Don’t let this scare you off, however, I know squat about that sport, and I was completely captivated by the…

Audiobook Review: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Audiobook Review: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Posted by on 12/09/2014 • 8 Comments

Books about loss of memory are always intriguing to me. I also love a contemporary that sounds like it will be all sorts of emotional. This book delivered well for the most part. The thing that turned me off was the infidelity. I don’t ever think it’s okay no matter what. Yes, her husband was a cheating bastard first, but it doesn’t make it okay for her to do it too. Anyways, putting all of that aside, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the past is told by Jesse, and the present told by Water and how they finally converge. I did wish for a bit more of an emotional impact, but I think because I was put off by certain things it made it harder for me…

Top 10 List with Chelsea M. Cameron + Giveaway!

Top 10 List with Chelsea M. Cameron + Giveaway!

Posted by on 11/17/2014 • 19 Comments

I’ve got the lovely Chelsea Cameron on the blog today for her upcoming book’s blog tour. Read on for fun top 10 list along with a giveaway! 🙂 And in case you hadn’t heard of For Now yet, have a look at what it’s all about:

Top 10 List with Chelsea M. Cameron

Top Ten Reasons Javier and Hazel Belong Together

1) He drives her crazy: “You’re disgusting,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “And I’m busy. Go find someone else to annoy with your presence.”

2) Chemistry, baby: We sit down and everything shifts. It feels so… domestic. Not like we’re married or anything, but almost like we’re a couple having dinner together like we do every night. “So how was your day, dear?” Javi says, as…

Review & Dream Cast: Deeper by Robin York

Review & Dream Cast: Deeper by Robin York

Posted by on 01/31/2014 • 13 Comments

A slow budding romance, loads of chemistry, and highly character driven; Deeper has a lot to offer. Revenge porn is something that happens all too often, and unfortunately continues to be legal in most States. Finding those sex pictures of herself after a break-up was only the beginning of a very long, very dark chapter in Caroline’s life. Not only is she plagued with the knowledge of everyone having seen her during such an intimate act, she’s ashamed, haunted by the voices of the men who call her vile names, describe the repulsive things they’d do to her in comments, making her wary of anyone that looks her way. This is not something that ever goes away.

Deeper is not a fast paced read. It’s a slow character-oriented story that…

Ruined Dream Cast by Jus Accardo + Giveaway!

Ruined Dream Cast by Jus Accardo + Giveaway!

Posted by on 01/15/2014 • 32 Comments

I’ve got the lovely Jus Accardo joining us on the blog today for a guest post and then you can enter for a chance to win! Have you checked out this book yet? Here’s what you’re missing:

Dream Cast, by Jus Accardo Like a lot of authors, I feel like it helps to have visual stimulation when creating my characters. Sometimes it helps to have physical features to help put descriptions onto the page. It can help with expressions and scene description, and makes the pictures in my head flow just a little bit smoother. A lot of work goes into this portion of writing a book. It took me long hours of grueling research to find the perfect Jax. Really. It was horrific and I in…