Why I Love NA + Some Recommendations


The genre and category of New Adult literature is somewhat neglected around the blogosphere and booktube. I feel like it's all about YA books and authors right now because those are where the most intriguing and futuristic stories lie. But have we really been avoiding NA, or is it just something else? That's what I've gathered here to discover. 

**Disclaimer: Everything said is my opinion and you might not agree with it. Please don't shame my opinion but rather, you can comment and tell me yours :D**

You may all know me as the girl who loves YA literature, and you're not wrong. I prefer YA over anything. But hold up, I do read NA. The problem I just don't like to talk about it or blog about so you guys are accustomed to hearing about some of the NA authors I've recently been getting into! Today's post is going to be about why I absolutely love the genre of NA. With this in mind, I set out to encourage all you YA readers who love YA and haven't tried NA, to give this genre a chance. 

1. NA is more mature than YA

NA is called New Adult for a reason. There is a line of maturity that falls between these two genres. YA is a little bit underneath this line, while NA is above. We all know that NA is geared towards older audiences, and they are not wrong. Even the subject matter of NA is much more mature and there is less action than in an YA novel. 

2. Less love triangles

Because there is more maturity to most NA romances, there isn't any room for silly love triangles. Most of these books are composed of serious romances where the guy spends the entire book pining over one woman. Love triangles tend to mess things up (i.e. make it more complicated for the author to tell a simple love story or romance between two characters). Therefore by eliminating love triangles, the author can focus on that element of the book and build it up to be its best. 

3. A lot more romance 

NA revolves around romance! I don't think I've ever read a NA book without a romance. That's not possible. Anyways the NA genre of romance is far more intimate than just any YA contemporary YA romance. That's the best part, I believe. If you've been yearning for a more complicated romance with a little bit more intimacy, some NA wouldn't hurt at all! Especially if you're reading Jennifer L. Armentrout's NA novels. 

4. Older characters

NO, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ELDERLY PEOPLE. The main difference between NA and YA is the characters. Instead of having teenagers who are experiencing their first kisses or making their way through high school, you'll most likely read about characters ages 18-22, and it would be about more serious relationships that have developed way after the first kiss. I've always like the aspect of characters in college or some with jobs already. 

5. Reading from authors with a lot of experience

When you read a NA book, the story might possible be inspired by the author's personal experience or someone else's experience that they are awfully familiar with. I consider this a pro rather than a con because then the story just becomes 100x more real and relatable. It comes from true and pure experiences that have made their way from beginning to end. 


Personal NA Recommendations

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Jennifer L Armentrout
Jennifer L. Armentrout, one of absolute favorite authors, sometimes goes by the pen name J. Lynn to indicate that her book is geared towards NA audiences. Her books never disappoint and I loved this series! Definitely check her out if you've been wanting to start some of the NA genre. 

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Colleen Hoover 
I read my first ever Colleen Hoover book this year and was so impressed by her writing that I plan on purchasing all her books and reading them in one sitting. OMG she is amazing and her writing is similar to Jennifer L Armentrout's. My review of Confess is in the review directory. 

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Jamie McGuire
I haven't read anything by her but my friend loves her and swears by it that she's one of the greatest authors ever by bringing her best book boyfriend to life. I really want to read some of her work since I met her at ApollyCon and she was such a sweetheart. She's also really pretty :P 

Honorable Mentions...

Abbi Glines
Tammara Webber
K.A. Tucker
Jay Crownover 
Cora Carmack 
Tarryn Fisher 


Have you ventured through the NA genre yet? Tell me your thoughts! 

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25 comments

  1. I really like your points and recommendations, actually I didn't even know Jennifer L. Armentrout writes NA, must check it out very soon!
    I think the problem most people have with NA is that it involves a great deal of erotica and well that is not something wants to read when looking for a rich story itself. I personally have asked people on Goodreads for recommendations and that was the main problem mentioned there too. Anyways, I like you also enjoy NA, tho have not read much of it. Have you tried Fangirl? It is actually really good :)

    HannahCassie @ http://psilovethatbook.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. DAMMNN You've made two great points in which I left out. I know that sometimes this genre does include erotica but I think it really depends on the book you choose to read. The books I've recommended there don't have much erotica. I loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I also totally forgot that Rainbow Rowell writes NA!!

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    2. Yes of course, I didn't mean all NA is erotica (obviously Fangirl wasn't :D). Only that some of them are and I find that annoying. But I really want to read more of NA and I love your recommendations!

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    3. Thanks hun. LOL I knew what you meant and totally understand :D

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  2. Wonderful post, Alex! I really enjoyed NA novels nowadays and I love them to be honest. Despite of the mature content (which I don't mind), the conflicts in NA is pretty much enjoyable and more intense. I've read some books by these authors you have mentioned, except JLA, KA Tucker, Cora Carmack and Jay Crownover. (I'll be reading their works soon)

    Some NA authors I really enjoyed: J.A. Redmerski, Penelope Douglas, Leisa Rayven, Amy Harmon, Mia Sheridan, Lisa De Jong, Mia Asher and Rachel Van Dyken.

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    1. Heard of Rachel Van Dyken!! Can't believe I forgot to add some of these authors. Glad you're enjoying the genre!

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  3. I haven't read a lot of NA yet, but what I have read, I've hated. To me, it seems like a lot of authors take the older age range and run with it as a way of writing really raunchy novels, and I'm just not into that. I like the more mature themes, but the amount of sex just makes me feel like it's turning into erotica. I'd rather read YA or adult fiction.

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    1. I totally understand where you're coming from and know a lot of fellas that started to hate NA because of the amount of erotica. It really depends on the NA book you choose to read and the author. But glad you made a decision to stay with YA for a while :D

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  4. What a great post Alex!! I am becoming a big fan of NA myself as I love the fact there is far less amount of love triangles :) xoxo

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  5. I love the sexiness of NA. It takes the romance to another level without it being outright smutty. I love how there are less love triangles. THANK GOSH. The romance is usually a bit steamier, the characters snarkier, and usually they're battling some insecurities or bad past events. I love to see the character growth. And they are usually a bit older, somewhere in their twenties. Great post!! I'd like to add to your list Krista and Becca Ritchie, authors of Addicted to You (series). It's amazing, I highly rec it!!

    Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books

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    1. Yes yes!! Heard of them before I've just never read anything by them. I'll have to give them a try if you seem to love them!

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  6. Fantastic post, Alex! I have not read a lot of NA, however there are quite a few NA authors' books that I've been wanting to try (like Jennifer L. Armentrout's, K.A. Tucker's, etc.) Thank you so much for sharing!! Your reasons for liking NA will definitely persuade me to read more from the genre in the future! :D

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    1. JENNIFERRR... SHE'S A MUST! LOL Do you see my fangirling? Aww no prob I just hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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  7. I agree with your points. I conform to NA once in a while because I need more tension, sexiness and more romance (shocking cause I root for the fantasy elements more than the romance in YA). Love triangles are no problem in NA because it usually just evolve into one pair and if there's a love triangle, it's still futile because we all know who she's going to end up to anyway hahaha. I've read Hoover and Armentrout's books and I liked them.Great recommendations and post, Alex! :D

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    1. You made great points. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for something more intense and smoky. Thanks!

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  8. I'm a YA fan through and through, but I do read NA. Rarely though, because like you said, there's more romance and I'm not much of a fan of the romance genre. :) But among the few NAs I've read, my favorites are Easy by Tammara Webber and Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. Love those books! :)

    Julie @ Books and Insomnia

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    1. I'm definitely keen on picking up more Colleen Hoover so thanks for the wonderful recommendation of Maybe Someday. Hope you find more NA books coming your way!

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  9. Great post on NA and I totally agree with you re: all reasons to read it! CoHo and Tarryn Fisher are two of my favorites!

    Here are some of my favorite NA books. I love Jessica Park and Jen Frederick are two greats!

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  10. I've only read a few books that would be considered NA. I'm not all that enamoured with contemporary, and at this point, that seems to be mostly what NA is all about. Where are the great NA fantasies and sci-fi stories?

    Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is one of my favourite NA books (I'm guessing it's NA, based on the ages of the characters, though it usually seems to be stuck in the YA or adult categories). It's a zombie romance, which is a bit different. I recently read a book called Freak of Nature by Julia Crane that was a NA sci-fi story, but it was so bad that I'd rather forget about it.

    I might like to read more NA but, like I said, I'm not a huge fan of contemporary... so until authors start writing more NA books in other genres, I'll probably be sticking with YA for the time being.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your view. Warm Bodies is definitely on my TBR and I've heard of Freak of Nature! I hope that you read more NA and definitely try some of the authors because they're awesome. Thanks for the recommendations!

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  11. Hmm, I am not the hugest NA fan. I do like some of it, when I am in the mood for a good romance especially, but I feel like a lot of it gets the same-ish feel for me. BUT there do come some times where I stumble across some wonderful NA's that I just love. I have three that have proven to me NA is worthwhile and well, sometimes I dabble in reading it. One is Blogging, Books and Reality by Ryan Ringbloom, and another is Variables of Love by MK Schiller - which includes a lot of culture in there as well, which was lovely!

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    1. I'll have to check out those recommendations. I'm in kind of an NA spree and will do anything for a good NA read :D

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  12. I love NA!! I have come across the problem of too much erotica in my search for great stories, but overall the NA genre is pretty amazing! I think people are scared off by their preconceived notions of what NA is. Great recs! We actually posted today about contemps, both YA and NA. Love them!! Great post! :)

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