Sometimes, I just can’t do a series. As much as I do love my eight book long series with thousands of pages, side characters, and subplots SOMETIMES I just need a single story in my life with one beginning and one end, all there right in front of me. Sometimes I just don’t have it in me to get invested in a gigantic new series. They can be a lot to handle. But, hey! Lucky for me, and lucky for you, there are amazing solo books out there that are just waiting to be read. So, after taking a stroll down my “read books” list I’ve come up with a list of all of my favorite YA standalone novels (and all the reasons you need to read them).
1. The Sound of Drowning by Katherine Fleet
“Meredith Hall has a secret. Every night she takes the ferry to meet Ben, her best friend and first love. Though their relationship must remain a secret, they’ve been given a second chance, and Mer’s determined to make it work. She lost Ben once before and discovered the awful reality: she doesn’t know how to be happy without him…
Until Wyatt washes ashore―a brash new guy with a Texas twang and a personality bigger than his home state. He makes her feel reckless, excited, and alive in ways that cut through her perpetual gloom. The deeper they delve into each other’s pasts, the more Wyatt’s charms become impossible to ignore.
But a storm is brewing in the Outer Banks. When it hits, Mer finds her heart tearing in half and her carefully constructed reality slipping back into the surf. As she discovers that even the most deeply buried secrets have a way of surfacing, she’ll have to learn that nothing is forever―especially second chances.”
Why you should read this book:
- This story is impossible to put down. Fleet has a talent for plot; this book will keep you hooked on a roller coaster of emotions
- All of the characters are wonderfully complex (& the character development is spot on)
- The atmosphere in this book was captivating; The island vibes and community were written perfectly
2. Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund Broka
“Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It’s inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.
So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.
Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.
In their fresh and funny debut, Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka break down the high school drama to find there’s always room for familial love, romantic love, and—most importantly—self-love.”
Why you should read this book:
- This story is loaded with laugh-out-loud humor and wit coming from characters whose banter will leave you wanting more
- Soft boy love interest! I’m talking about a cinnamon roll in the form of a teenage boy. Owen will capture your heart, I promise
- A badass protagonist with some of the best character development I have ever read
3. The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan by Gia Cribbs
“No one wants me to tell you about the disappearance of Sloane Sullivan.
Not the lawyers or the cops. Not her friends or family. Not even the boy who loved her more than anyone. And most certainly not the United States Marshals Service. You know, the people who run the witness protection program or, as it’s officially called, the Witness Security Program? Yeah, the WITSEC folks definitely don’t want me talking to you.
But I don’t care. I have to tell someone.
If I don’t, you’ll never know how completely wrong things can go. How a single decision can change everything. How, when it really comes down to it, you can’t trust anyone. Not even yourself. You have to understand, so it won’t happen to you next. Because you never know when the person sitting next to you isn’t who they claim to be…and because there are worse things than disappearing.”
Why you should read this book:
- This story will blow your mind. It’s as simple as that. The plot twists and depth of this story are masterfully crafted and will hook you from the very beginning
- You’ll fall in love with the characters. They’re all beautifully complex and vividly real
- It is compulsively readable. I can guarantee that you won’t be able to put this one down! Through all of it’s sweet and terrifying moments The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan will keep you hooked
4. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
“Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern-day Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.
But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.
What could go wrong?
With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.
And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?”
Why you should read this book:
- It has an enemies to lovers romance between two childhood best friends (that is so swoony you’ll melt).
- Oh, and did I mention this book features the “two characters trapped together so they have to deal with their problems” trope?
- The main characters are impossible not to love. They’re quirky and have an electric dynamic
5. Save the Date by Morgan Matson
“Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster. There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo. Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractedly cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future”
Why you should read this book:
- Morgan Matson’s classic laugh-out-loud humor is AMAZING in this book
- The family dynamic is so intoxicating you’ll wish you could be part of the Grant household
- Despite it’s intimidating size (417 pages) there is never a dull moment and you’ll be hooked from the first page
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Let me know!
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