#IreadYA - Part 2

This week is #IreadYA week. It's a time to tell everyone why YA fiction is such an amazing genre to read. I spent a lot of time thinking about why it is exactly I love these books so much and I came up with two very different and very important reasons. 1. Because YA novels have the most amazing book boyfriends! & 2. These books, no matter what sub-genre of YA, are full of first. Full of discoveries.

So lovelies, as part of YA Week I'm going to write two posts that show you exactly what I mean!
Don't forget, as always, click on the book covers and it will take you straight to my reviews for each swoon worthy book!

To read the first post CLICK HERE.

#IreadYA because they're full of firsts & discoveries.
— Emily (@TheYANightstand) May 19, 2014

I was having a discussion last night on twitter and we were trying to figure out what YA actually is. I personally don't think it's about the age of that characters because in a lot of YA's even though the main protagonist may be in her late teens the love interest tends to be in his twenties. But the conclusion I came to was that what makes a book YA is the way in which its written and the topics it deals with. Young Adult books are about firsts and finding yourself. They're rife with discoveries and that wonderment of all the new experiences this world has to offer.
Here are a couple of books I loved that show you just that. These are my recommendations for all the FIRSTS you need.

First Love

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

This is a quintessential 'first love' story with a twist. It's the whole boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they have some awkward moments then admit they're feelings for one another - accept in this after the whole first encounter they start moving in opposite directions. It's a first love story with the ultimate obstacle - distance. 

First Time in Human Form

Since the beginning, two entities have had complete, unquestioned control over Thea: the Earth and God.

But when Thea suddenly figures out that the Earth has  trapped her within a forest, she discovers that the only way to set herself free is to break God's one rule; she must forsake her animal form and become human. 

The result is nothing she could ever have expected. Lost within the torrent of human emotions, Thea starts to lose who she is and even begins to fall in love with the one thing she always hated: a hunter.

As her act against God proves more problematic than anticipated, it is only a matter of time before her punishment may prove to be worse than Earth's entrapment.

So this one isn't a traditional first but it's definitely a big one. Thea has spent the last couple of millennia - give or take - in animal forms. From a doe to a owl to a mountain lion and just about everything in between. But in this book she takes a human form for the first time. It's a quirky little twist on the whole coming of age story and a fun read. Thea is dealing with every human emotion for the first time and it's about to get interesting. 

First Kiss

Sixteen-year-old Lily O’Brien has one goal in life—to sing. Her dream is to get into a topnotch college vocal program, but the summer before her junior year, her high school cuts their awarding-winning vocal ensemble. She might as well kiss her dreams goodbye.

When the snobby new neighbours move into their mansion up the hill, Lily is positive summer can’t get any worse, and she’s determined to hate and ignore them—until she meets Aiden. 

He’s broken and beautiful, and they become reluctant friends. Through her newfound friendship, she finds the strength to step outside the comfort of her plan and follow her dream. 

But when Lily’s family is about to lose their home, she puts her wishes aside and finds the answer to save their generations-old ranch in the last place she expected.

Now my full review for this isn't up until June 7th but to see my mini review on Goodreads click on the cover. I have so many mixed feelings towards Aiden I can't even start to tell you but both of Lily's first kisses were quite special - yes I said both. In fact I think it was one of my favourite scenes from the whole book. 

First Time Away From Home

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

I know I used this one for my first #IreadYA post but it's such a great book and it falls into both of the reasons I adore the YA genre. When Anna moves to Paris for school it's her first time away from home. It's her first time in a new country and it's her first time falling in love. Real love. It's full of firsts and set it one of my favourite places to read about! 

So that's it! That is why I love YA fiction and why you should love it too. Tell me why you read YA in the comments bellow, do you agree with my reasons or is there something else entirely that grabs your attention?