Top 10 YA Romance Novels of the 2010s
#10: “Everything Everything” (2015) Nicola Yoon
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Teenage Maddy has spent most of her life stuck within the confines of her house. Since she is being treated for severe combined immunodeficiency, Maddy must stay indoors or risk getting deathly sick. For the most part, this hasn’t been a problem for her, but when Olly and his family move in next door, Maddy finds herself with a friend who is willing to brave the wrath of Maddy’s mother and hang out with her. Faced with either giving up her new relationship or plucking up the courage to go out into the world though it might kill her, Maddy makes a decision that changes her whole life.
#9: “When Dimple Met Rishi” (2017) Sandhya Menon
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For most people, an arranged marriage isn’t exactly something to get excited about. And Dimple, your average Indian-American teenager, is no exception. When her parents send her off to web development summer camp, she eventually realises the whole thing is a set up to meet Rishi, a boy who actually likes the idea of being arranged. What ensues is outright hilarious and the two characters have to learn to balance tradition and parental expectation with the pursuit of their own dreams as well as how those things all coalesce into a feeling something like love.
#8: “Just One Day” (2013) Gayle Forman
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Life after high school can be quite the adventure. For some people, like Allyson "LuLu" Healey, that involves travel. She heads off to Europe where she meets the hypnotic Willem, who spends a whirlwind day with her in Paris. Just as Allyson is ready to stand up and declare her undying love for this boy that she’s known for all of a day, Willem disappears. In what could be a cautionary tale against falling for strangers, Allyson instead decides after a few months back home that she will put everything she has into tracking Willem down. It’s a book that explores the uncertainty of romantic feelings and how they can lead to you finding yourself.
#7: “Everything Leads to You” (2014) Nina LaCour
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Emi has a dream. She wants to break into the world of Hollywood films, and in the first major step towards her goal, she becomes a set designer for a small but important production. The longer she is involved in the film world, the more she realises that onscreen romance is just that - onscreen. Struggling with her love life, she keeps going back to the same girl who keeps breaking her heart. But she eventually meets Ava, who shows her that love is a messy and complicated thing. With huge importance also placed on family, this book juggles so many plot threads and ideas that it is worthy of its Hollywood setting.
#6: “Anna and the French Kiss” (2010) Stephanie Perkins
If you didn’t already want to move to Paris, this book will make you start packing your bags! Anna, much to her disgruntlement, is forced to go to boarding school in the famed French capital, leaving behind her best friend... and her crush. A devastating thing for any teen, things are made worse when she begins to feel like a bit of an outsider with her new friends who all have a history with one another. But cue cute boy Étienne St. Clair. Sparks start to fly and the move to Paris suddenly doesn’t seem that bad to Anna. With his stunning looks and charming personality, it’s no wonder that Anna falls hard for him.
#5: “I’ll Give You the Sun” (2014) Jandy Nelson
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This book sure has a lot going on! The complexity makes the relationships that twins Jude and Noah have with their crushes all the more intense. Jude likes the attention of her peers while her brother Noah is ashamed of being gay. Later, after the death of their mother, the twins completely change. As the story progresses, secrets start to spill out and it makes the romances all the more sweet when they happen. Noah finally gets to be with the boy he likes, and Jude finds that art and love are easily intertwined. It’s beautifully written and so vivid that it’ll stick with readers long after the last page.
#4: “The Fault in Our Stars” (2012) John Green
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This novel made such a splash in the world of YA fiction that the genre hasn’t been the same since. Easily one of his best books, John Green sets the bar high with the story of star crossed teens Hazel and Augustus, who meet at a cancer support group. It’s a book that could easily have been a difficult and depressing read, but with its humor and sense of adventure, it turns out that the story of Hazel and Augustus is anything but. With a trip to Amsterdam, a love of reading, and a “pre-funeral”, Hazel and Augustus share an incredible few months that prove that anyone can find love, even in the darkest of places.
#3: “Eleanor & Park” (2013) Rainbow Rowell
Riding the bus to school every day is hell for bullied teen Eleanor. She comes from a poor family, she is chubby, and she looks odd in her patched up clothes. When Park, a quiet kid, offers her a seat on a day the bullying is particularly bad, it changes both of their lives forever. Connecting via comics and mix tapes, the two begin to see beyond stereotypes and expectations, making this a persistent romance that proves that teenagers are willing and able to go above and beyond for the people that they love. Broaching subjects like domestic abuse, and body image, it’s a book worth reading for much more than just the romance.
#2: “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” (2015) Becky Albertalli
Filling a gap in teen LGBT romances, this book is sweet and awkward and crazy relatable. Having a secret crush is bad enough, but Simon finds himself in a terrible situation when a classmate finds out about his sexuality and online relationship with a kid called “Blue” and blackmails him. It’s a coming of age novel that focuses on someone’s right to come out how and when they want to. It also keeps readers entertained with the cute emails between Simon and Blue and the often philosophical questions they ask each other. Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions: “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” (2012) Jennifer E. Smith “Saint Anything” (2015) Sarah Dessen “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” (2014) Jenny Han
#1: “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” (2012) Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Written in a series of short chapters, this book follows the story of a pair of Mexican-American boys who struggle with their identities. Whether it’s about their race, or their sexuality, the two must face certain truths about themselves and each other. With its astonishingly beautiful prose and themes that border on being too big to grasp, this novel deserves its many accolades. An important step in diverse representation in young adult literature, it’s an exploration of two boys who are best friends, who try new things, and who, together and apart, begin discovering the secrets of the universe.
