As kids, we were forced to read in school. Many times, it was books we weren’t interested in but we had a test or paper on them so you had to read them. But as we grow older, many people start to enjoy reading books for leisure, especially if it is ones they enjoy.
As young adults, sometimes life can be frustrating so getting lost in a good book is a nice escape. Many books have been turned into movies, but to get the best understanding of them, book readers know you have to read the book before seeing the movie.
Here are the top 5 must read young adult books.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (series) – Jenny Han
Lara Jean Covey is a teenage girl who has written love letters to her crushes over the years. They were never mailed, and the boys never knew until one day, they did. She has to juggle dealing with the old crushes again all while battling high school, her ex-best friend, and her sister living in another country for college. If you have ever attended high school, you can definitely relate to this series. The series was turned into movies, which are available on Netflix, with “Always and Forever, Lara Jean,” released in February of this year.
One of Us Is Lying (series) – Karen McManus
Karen McManus only has a few books under her belt but has slowly become a New York Times Bestseller and an amazing author. The ‘One of Us Is Lying’ series is what happens when five high school seniors walk into detention and only four walk out. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. The sequel is called ‘One of Us is Next’ and follows the students and their families and friends after a copycat accident occurs. If you like mystery and a bit of murder, this is definitely the series for you. The streaming service Peacock is picking up the series for a TV show.
Midnight Sun – Stephanie Meyer
If you are/were a fan of the ‘Twilight’ series, you must check out ‘Midnight Sun.’ This book tells the story of ‘Twilight’ but from Edward Cullen’s perspective, instead of the regular narrator, Bella Swan. Also, if you can’t get enough of the ‘Twilight’ world, ‘Life and Death’ is a reimagining where the character’s genders are reversed, so the vampire is now a girl, and the human is a boy.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
If you are a fan of the ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy, then you must read ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ This novel takes fans back in time to when President Snow was a child and was a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games. It depicts his life as a child and many other relatives of characters in the original series. There are talks of turning the prequel into a movie, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Chaos Walking (series) – Patrick Ness
‘The Knife of Never Letting Go,’ ‘The Ask and the Answer,’ and ‘Monster of Men,’ are the three books in the Chaos Walking series. There are also three short stories. It is a young adult science-fiction story that is set in a dystopian world where all the living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds. The movie is now out on streaming platforms and theaters and stars Nick Jonas, Daisy Ridley, and Tom Holland.