Feminist Reflections is a feature I created on my blog to share my personal thoughts.
Why most books in New Adult annoy me?
I love the New Adult sub-genre, but unfortunately, most of the books just annoy me. I like the good girl, bad boy concept.
I feel these "bad boys" in NA books are more violent, reckless and a shame to mankind. The term "asshole" would be better suited.
These are my most disliked NA books, I forgot to mention Wrecked in here. Beautiful Disaster tops my hate list on here and will forever to do so, I believe this was one of the first novels who started the violent bad boy with the doormat heroine trend. Rule.. Aaahh he is one beautiful creature, the model on the cover, however, the book was just so bad. Left Drowning has such a pretty cover, it's a shame the NA angst killed it for me. I would still ask you guys to read Confess though, it wasn't that bad, but the insta love and the female lead annoyed me.
I love the New Adult sub-genre, but unfortunately, most of the books just annoy me. I like the good girl, bad boy concept.
I feel these "bad boys" in NA books are more violent, reckless and a shame to mankind. The term "asshole" would be better suited.
These are my most disliked NA books, I forgot to mention Wrecked in here. Beautiful Disaster tops my hate list on here and will forever to do so, I believe this was one of the first novels who started the violent bad boy with the doormat heroine trend. Rule.. Aaahh he is one beautiful creature, the model on the cover, however, the book was just so bad. Left Drowning has such a pretty cover, it's a shame the NA angst killed it for me. I would still ask you guys to read Confess though, it wasn't that bad, but the insta love and the female lead annoyed me.
Most NA Books are like this:
Enter skinny yet curvy heroine who's most likely "innocent." A good girl, however she has some sad secrets. Enter bad boy who thinks he's invincible, yet the heroine pines over him. He chases her, but bad boy doesn't want a relationship because of HIS secrets now. Good girl is ready to make him his, but bad boy has a violent steak. She now plays hard to get, and now the bad boy chases HER again. Bad boy spills his secrets and they fall in love. Enter Plot twist. Heroine runs away again.. Bad boy "cries." and pours his heart out to the heroine (He's emotionally manipulative) Then they FINALLY get together. THE END.
Concepts I dislike in New Adult Books:
1) NA angst. I am so fed up how the heroine cannot make up her mind about the hero and they play a goose choose or vice versa. They break up, they make up, it's just so annoying. In reality, you hurt someone even once - it's OVER then, they leave and let you rot by yourself.It's very repetitive, and most of the time, the plot offers nothing new.
2) Romanticizing Abusive relationships. If you're so violent that you break things over the littlest things, then you might need help just like Travis from Beautiful Disaster. I don't like how most NA books have men mistreat women, they verbally abuse them - some even physically attack them. If you grab someone by their arm or shoulders so tightly it leaves a bruise, that can be defined as abuse. What bothers me more, how the heroine thinks it's just "jealousy" and she is constantly defending her abusive lover. It shocks me how the bad guy never seeks therapy for his issues, apparently the heroines love is his therapy. Only one NA book I know has a hero who has taken professional help for his issues which is Broken Juliet. I don't see anything wrong if a woman is submissive and prefers a dominating partner. I just have a problem when they let the guy have COMPLETE control and they're treated like a doormat.
3) Slut-shaming. I can handle one-two subtle comments, but when the heroine and hero are constantly judging other women and their choices, it's just sad. It's contradicting when a guy judges a woman for fooling around "too much" when he does the same thing. Double standards. I don't like it either when women judge other women. It doesn't make you any holier than her. There is way too much woman on woman hate. I wish the words "slut, hoe, tramp and whore" never existed. I don't even use these words to my closest friends in a joking manner. They're only used to shame and degarde women which isn't justified. If you don't like the woman, then the correct word you're looking for is "bitch." The book Rule had stupid characters who thought they were better than everyone.
4) Cheating. Most of the time, I dislike cheating in books. A lot of people are capable of cheating, it is reality though. I love a book even more if it has cheating but it's ONE-TIME and the person realizes their mistake before they get caught and they confess. I believe when you confess to your mistakes, that can make your relationship stronger. I hated One Tiny Lie which is just about cheating back and forth with two guys. I don't understand the message that book was trying to portray, Livie wasn't in love with both guys, so she should have left the guy who wasn't making her happy instead of cheating him. If you're going to cheat, own up to it.
5) Insta love/connection: Okay, I'll give lust a free pass since attraction cannot be controlled. If the heroine automatically clicks with someone on an emotional level and has an undeniable connection, it makes me re-evaluate this book such as Confess. Allow me to face palm myself.
I like reading about relationships that grow over time, slow burn all the way.
2) Romanticizing Abusive relationships. If you're so violent that you break things over the littlest things, then you might need help just like Travis from Beautiful Disaster. I don't like how most NA books have men mistreat women, they verbally abuse them - some even physically attack them. If you grab someone by their arm or shoulders so tightly it leaves a bruise, that can be defined as abuse. What bothers me more, how the heroine thinks it's just "jealousy" and she is constantly defending her abusive lover. It shocks me how the bad guy never seeks therapy for his issues, apparently the heroines love is his therapy. Only one NA book I know has a hero who has taken professional help for his issues which is Broken Juliet. I don't see anything wrong if a woman is submissive and prefers a dominating partner. I just have a problem when they let the guy have COMPLETE control and they're treated like a doormat.
3) Slut-shaming. I can handle one-two subtle comments, but when the heroine and hero are constantly judging other women and their choices, it's just sad. It's contradicting when a guy judges a woman for fooling around "too much" when he does the same thing. Double standards. I don't like it either when women judge other women. It doesn't make you any holier than her. There is way too much woman on woman hate. I wish the words "slut, hoe, tramp and whore" never existed. I don't even use these words to my closest friends in a joking manner. They're only used to shame and degarde women which isn't justified. If you don't like the woman, then the correct word you're looking for is "bitch." The book Rule had stupid characters who thought they were better than everyone.
4) Cheating. Most of the time, I dislike cheating in books. A lot of people are capable of cheating, it is reality though. I love a book even more if it has cheating but it's ONE-TIME and the person realizes their mistake before they get caught and they confess. I believe when you confess to your mistakes, that can make your relationship stronger. I hated One Tiny Lie which is just about cheating back and forth with two guys. I don't understand the message that book was trying to portray, Livie wasn't in love with both guys, so she should have left the guy who wasn't making her happy instead of cheating him. If you're going to cheat, own up to it.
5) Insta love/connection: Okay, I'll give lust a free pass since attraction cannot be controlled. If the heroine automatically clicks with someone on an emotional level and has an undeniable connection, it makes me re-evaluate this book such as Confess. Allow me to face palm myself.
Now, I do love some NA books as well, the books below are what keep me still reading this genre. If I hadn't find some of these gems, I would have left NA books a long time ago. The total number of books I like in NA is 18, and I've read about 100 NA books already.The two bad boys on my list below are Jared from Bully and Andrew from The Edge of Never - they weren't violent which I loved. I believe, the words good girl/bad boy are just stereotypes. Having tattoos and fooling around with women doesn't make you bad. That just makes you a heterosexual male and vice versa is true as well.
The books are in order of my all-time New Adult favorites. Now these books actually have a wonderful story. I found Mud Vein to be the most unique New Adult novel I have read, the premise is not what it seems. It's best to go blind in this book as much as possible. I also liked the Addicted series, it's not my favorite but it's actually a really great and moving series. Wallbanger is pretty hilarious, I laughed so much in that book, the plot kind of is typical but I loved this book, it's adorable.
*Updated Note: I was told by my fellow bloggers, Wallbanger is an Adult novel. It's been shelved as NA before so I assumed it was NA but it's not. Becoming Rain is like an Adult novel, but the author writes NA books, so not sure about that one. They're still wonderful novels regardless :)
If you're interested in the full list of my likes and dislikes of NA books, here it is.
Do you guys like the New Adult sub-genre?
Anyone else has similar problems?
Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & drop by :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures..
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron
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Yes to absolutely every single point you made! All the main characters feel like they came out of the same mold and how it's always the secretive bad boy chasing after the innocent girl. So much angst and I hate the romanticizing of abusive relationships (Beautiful Disaster was INSANE!)
ReplyDeleteI really need to check out the NA that you love!
Awesome post! :)
I'm glad you could agree Katie! I would recommend checking out Mud Vein next, the premise might seem weird, but it's nothing like what you would expect! Thank you :) ♥
DeleteThe Edge of Never is the only one of those NA books that I've read. I loved it. Hated book two though. I thought it took everything I loved about book one, erased it, made us start over but took it down a wrong path. Have you read it yet? The Edge of Always or something like that I believe it was called.
ReplyDeleteI think you summed up why I stopped reading NA books that weren't by authors I already love or recommended to me by friends/bloggers whose recommendations I trust. Sometimes NA seems to exist so these good girls and their bad boys can have lots of sex. I love me a bad boy, but some of these guys are just scary.
Dreams @ Once Upon A Dream Books
The Edge of Never was one of the first I've read, the cover is very stunning as well. I haven't read the second book though.. The first book ended on a perfectly great note, so I wouldn't want the second book to ruin that for me :/ As far as I know, Camryn & Andrew are done for me xD & I agree, a lot of these guys are just horrible.
DeleteThis totally makes me realize why I don't read much NA - I am having a hard time with the angst and relationships being so unrealistic - hence Fifty Shades of Grey right?!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Ugh, I hated Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie was better though, Christian wasn't nearly as awful as the book.
DeleteI really like this genre but I admit that I'm pretty burnt out on it. Mud Vein is one of my all time favorites though, I too, loved how unique the story line was and that there was no "bad boy" in it. I never saw Andrew from The Edge, as a bad boy either. I guess maybe he was labeled as such because of the tats? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do love this genre, I am tired of insta-love, and of angst. I get instant attraction and even lust, but not love.
I haven't read all the books you listed but I have read most of them and some I even liked from your hate list LOL! But it just goes to show that another man's trash is another man's treasure. :)
I'm glad you could love Mud Vein as well, it's a very unique novel about self-discovery more than romance ♥ & Yes, I would agree. Andrew wasn't bad for me either. Thank you for you thoughts :)
DeleteI've only read one of the books you've disliked (One Tiny Lie) and though the others are on my tbr I've been hesitant to start because of the rare review stating that the hero went well beyond the "asshole" title. I love the New Adult genre but there I times I just want a sweet guy to win the girl!! And I completely agree with you on the cheating aspect of some novels. If the hero/heroine can own up to their mistake and admit to it, that's good character development in my eyes. The Edge of Never was such a beautiful book!! And Maybe Someday is one of my favs <3 <3. Benish, I think you'd really enjoy the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie if you haven't tried it yet. There's no romanticizing abusive relationships and it doesn't romanticize additions (which is what the main characters in the book are struggling with). It's really about working towards a healthy relationship. The character dynamics in this series is so wonderful and they continue to grow. The story also gives a sad but accurate portrayal of how the media shames women. It's my favorite NA series right now and I find it incredibly inspirational, so I highly recommend it! Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you could agree about the cheating aspect Jae ♥ I agree, character development is a must in novels. Confess wasn't so bad, but the insta love bothered me. Maybe you could like it better? I'm glad we could relate about The Edge of Never and Maybe Someday. I actually have read the Addicted Series, it is pretty amazing, I've mentioned it on this post as well. While it's not my favorite, but I really did enjoy reading it. It's a series worth trying out :) Thank you <3
DeleteThis list is spot on! NA really annoys me for these reasons. I mean, when it's insta-love it's bad writing, and i don't like that but I can handle it. However, when you normalize and ROMANTICIZE abusive relationships? That is a whole lot of wrong. I will have to try out the NA titles you recommended; I do want to try and find the hidden gems of this genre eventually. Fantastic post!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you could agree Gabs! UGH, romanticizing abusive relationships just annoys me so much. Hope you find some gems soon :)
DeleteOh well, it's really not my favorite genre. I used to dislike it very much, but then got used to it - and everything you mentioned about it - after reading a couple of them. But I do always need to prepare myself (get in the right mood) before starting one, ahha! One of my favorites is Hopeless by Colleen Hoover :)
ReplyDeleteI thought Hopeless was a good book, the plot is amazing but Holder annoyed me sometimes - he was shown as a stalker and the heroine was a bit dumb sometimes.
DeleteI have to agree, NA is often similar but I LOVED Beautiful Disaster! lol Becoming Rain and The Edge of Never were really good too.
ReplyDeleteAaah yes, I know some people who loved Beautiful Disaster, guilty pleasures of some :)
DeleteI was nodding my head throughout this whole post! NA is a hit or miss age group for me, and most of the time I'm left wondering why I even gave the book a shot in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe trope I find most annoying is definitely the romanticizing of abusive relationships. There is a different between having a dom/sub relationship and letting your partner step all over you physically, emotionally and mentally. I don't even know how these heroines still pine for the men who've hurt them no less than a million times.
And CHEATING. Holy hell, this is the main reason why I give these books 1 star. I have yet to find ANY book that handles cheating realistically.
Insta-anything kills my brain cells. Even insta-lust. Yep, no thanks.
From your favorites list, I actually really hated Ugly Love (insta-attraction) and Maybe Someday (cheating handled horribly). But I haven't read the others, and I'm hoping they're enough to please a reluctant NA reader like me!
Thank you for your thoughts Aimee ♥ I agree, NA books usually are a miss for me, although I really do love the sub-genre as a whole. It's similar to YA but more explicit in college settings. The insta love in Ugly Love bothered me as well, although I did love the actual plot of that novel, it was very emotional for me. Maybe Someday had cheating, I loved the musical aspect of it, and the deafness aspect, it was very unique. I don't think the novel justifies cheating for me as well, but it makes me want to forgive them though. Mud Vein is the book for you btw! ♥
DeleteUgh, I haven't read much NA (because of those reasons) I can only take so much angst, and I usually like my angst with feeling, not the same yadayada drama. Yeah, romanticizing abusive relationships is the most important and worst part of NA, I can't. I know it happens in real life, but making it into this whole romantic thing? No.
ReplyDeleteI get enough Slut-shaming in some YA, so NA slut-shaming would just piss me off, to be honest, haha.
YES. Slow burn romance wins every time. Hate instlove no matter what it's YA NA or Adult
I agree, slut-shaming and insta love are just so annoying. I'm surprised there still in novels. It would be better if the character had growth and realized what they were saying is wrong. That could send a great message since slut-shaming happens in reality as well.
DeleteThese are the same exact reasons why I am so very picky with NA. It feels like every other NA out there is full of the unnecessary and over-the-top and OVERUSED NA angst with the same innocent girl/bad boy match-up. That's why I go for the more uncomventional ones along the lines of Leah Raeder and Dahlia Adler. Their books are so sex-positive with the most realistic portrayals of teen/adults evaaar. Definitely hits home.
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
I agree, Leah Raeder is a great author as well. Her books are very explicit though, Unteachable had a good story though ♥
DeleteI liked a few that you hated, but most I haven't read it. However we agree on the ones you love. I however categorized Wallbanger as adult. I still need to read the Edge of Never. Great topic.
ReplyDeleteThe Edge of Never is great ♥ & Oh, I always thought Wallbanger is NA since I've seen it as shelved as that, but now that you mentioned it, it does seem more like an Adult novel when I think about it. I made a note of that now, thank you for the heads up!
DeleteI felt the same way about the Crownover series. The girls especially were so judgmental of other girls. I hated it. And Left Drowning was non stop sex. I think they even had condoms lifted up to the bedroom window so they didn't have to lave the room right?? lol
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem with NA is the abusive (IMO) guys and the "I'm not worthy" trope. I get so sick of that. Please do something to make yourself worthy instead of throwing a pity party.
Karen @For What It's Worth
Ahh, yes I actually hate the series. I mean, the guys all sound so dreamy. I still want to read Rome's book but the characters are all so judgmental, not one of them challenges the slut-shaming. Left Drowning was just .. aahh I can't even mention it. It started out so great, but she meets a guy then she finds happiness and a reason to live? RIGHT OKAY lol.
DeleteI definitely do agree with you on some of your points. Some NA just feel way over done or have characters that are two mean in some way as well. I did enjoy One Tiny Lie though, and I definitely saw the insta-love in Confess. I did really enjoy Bully, Maybe Someday, Ugly Love, and The Edge of Never. Wallbanger was so so funny!
ReplyDeleteLiked your post, definitely agree with you on some points! :)
Thank you Magen ♥ Confess wasn't that bad, but the insta love completely annoyed me and it does have a dumb heroine concept as well. I'm glad we like some of the same books though! <3
DeleteI am someone who tries not to read too much NA because of my age really, and I feel a bit young to be reading it sometimes, but then again I am pretty mature in my book choice and usually it's nothing I have heard before. But the concepts you have mentioned here are ones that I don't like much at all either. Which makes it hard for me to find the NA gems that I like. Having something new or different than the usual plot lines intrigue me. For example, Variables of Love by MK Schiller that I know you saw on my blog recently ^^
ReplyDeleteIt does depend on a person's preferences. I started reading romance novels at the age of thirteen though which probably has made me more used to these books. Mud Vein & Unravel are pretty unique new adult books♥
DeleteI just get tired of the same old same old. I am pretty much fed up with NA for the reasons you mentioned, and I get so tired of reading the same story. I haven't read Beautiful Disaster even though I have been tempted, but then I turn away. Colleen Hoover can write some great feels but her books all follow the same predictable route. I personally thought Ugly Love was one of her worst. Every once in awhile one will surprise me, but I am tending to avoid them. I do have an audiobook copy of Becoming Rain so I am glad to see you liked that one. I wouldn't consider Wallbanger NA. That one is adult.
ReplyDeleteHmm, some of CoHo's books can be predictable, I agree. I did like Ugly Love and Maybe Someday. Those are my favorites from her. Becoming Rain is pretty awesome, I hope you do enjoy it :) & I know, a couple of people mentioned that about Wallbanger is adult, I made a note of that :)
DeleteYES YES YES. I loathe the super super angst, and I dislike all the misogyny that permeates the genre. My faves include The Sea of Tranquility - Katja Millay, and Leah Raeder's work. (So not that many, haha.) Not sure I'd classify Wallbanger as NA though? Aren't the characters in the series full-blown adults with jobs, etc? But I did find it a funny, feel good read nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteThank you! ♥ I liked Leah's Unteachable book, although there was a lot of explicit scenes. TOO MUCH lol.
Delete& yes, a fellow blogger mentioned that about Wallbanger as well. I just assumed it as new adult since I've seen it shelved as that. Thank you for letting me know :)
This is exactly why I hardly ever read any NA Benish. There's so much focus on sex and romance, and not enough focus on the actual development of the characters or the plot. However, I'll bookmark this post so I can use it in the future if I ever want to read some well-written NA. Thank you for sharing this Benish!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Zoe, I do hope you find some gems out there! ♥ I would recommend Mud Vein and Unravel. The plots are very unique compared to the usual new adult books.
DeleteI like the NA genre, although like you said it can get repetitive, my solutions is to read other genre sin between and I am still hoping for non-contemporary romance NA book and happy we finally see a bit more of those. My biggest issue is mis communication, I don't mind drama as logn as there is a reason for it. Miscommunication drives me crazy and the obligatory break-up is one of my pet peeves in contemporayr romance and the reason so few ever get a 5 star rating. And I dislike cheatign as well, I prefer if they break up first or are smart enough to stop things before it goes too far. Then again there are some great NA books out there as well. And every genre has some themes and issues that get used too much and don't work if you read too may of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you could relate Lola ♥ & yes, that is true. Too much angst and breaking up just bothers me as well. There are some wonderful new adults books, the exact reason I still stick around to read them :)
DeleteTo be honest this is kind of why I don't read NA much, I've just heard not so good things about the romance, and I'm not a huge fan of romance in the first place. But I shouldn't let that keep me from the genre, so I'm glad you listed out some of the books that avoid the things you listed BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE ANGST or ABUSE, and ugh cheating. Time to go add everything to the TBR :)
ReplyDeleteAww, I do hope you find the right new adult book for you, there are some amazing ones out there. Hopefully you do find them♥
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DeleteYES to this whole post! I agree with you so much. One of the few NAs that I liked was The Edge of Never, so I am glad that made your list too. But UGH, what is with the "innocent" girl and "bad" boy? Why is "bad boys" such a thing? I don't like guys who act like jerks, why do 94% of all NA females seem to adore them? NOPE. And numbers 2, 3, and 5 are deal breakers for me, no question. NA and I don't get along as a rule, but I have found a few gems. But the fact that I don't like the majority of them makes me VERY hesitant to try more. Fabulous post!
ReplyDeleteShannon @ It Starts At Midnight
I'm glad you could relate Shannon<3 The Edge of Never was pretty amazing, I loved that book :) & I agree, most of these guys in NA can't even be called bad boys, these are just reckless, asshole type guys. Thank you for your thoughts<3
DeleteI think one of the first new adult books I'd read was The Edge of Never and found myself crying at the end. Beautiful Disaster is one of the poorest and utterly disgusting new adult books I've read. He was violent, she was a doormat and when they weren't having sex, he was beating his chest. It was vomit worthy and I blame that book too for being the template for new adult authors to make money off that virgin slash bad boy sex addict template. Most of it is just sex with something that's supposed to be a storyline thrown in. Makes me sick to be honest. Even Colleen Hoover, which I used to be such a fan of her Hopeless and Slammed series, her new adult is exactly the same. What is it, as soon as these still teens enter collage, let's have sex with anything that looks at us? Urgh. You're not the only one with issues Benish. It sets a dangerous precedent for young women elevating these asshole characters to god like status. Fantastic topic <3
ReplyDeleteAw yes, The Edge of Never is a pretty fantastic novel. It is one of my favorite new adult books as well ♥ & I agree, new adult books are mostly about sex which wouldn't be too bad if the book had an actual PLOT to go along with it. Most of the time it doesn't which is quite depressing. Thank you Kelly!
DeleteThis is why I don't read a lot of NA, because so far, every NA book I've picked up have all had the same formula, which is just repetitive, boring, and most of the time really unrealistic. I have heard more than I ever wanted to know about Beautiful Disaster and know enough to never pick it up or it'll make my blood boil. Seriously -- how do people find that book romantic?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I know there are some good NA books out there, and Colleen Hoover seems to be one of the leading authors in that area, so I'm not completely giving up on the genre. It's just so clichéd most of the time!
Beautiful Disaster sure is a disastrous book though.. I guess, it's some people's guilty pleasures so they like these books. CoHo's writes some amazing books, especially Ugly Love & Maybe Someday!
DeleteI feel like all NA books are the same. Why does NA ALWAYS have to be some hot romance? YA is not just romance. There are lots of other sects and issues and genres. Why not in NA?! I HATE the angst and the slut-shaming. There is ALWAYS cheating. It's not even a surprise any more. Abusive/dominating relationships is NOT cool, it's not sexy and awesome, it's sick. Also the MINUTE the protagonist meets eyes with her soon-to-be lover, SPARKS FLY. A current runs through her body. They share all their feelings and thoughts in that first glance. *rolls eyes* Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
Aaaah, yes I have noticed that as well, NA most of the time is focused on NA angst. I've heard A Court of Thorns and Roses is an NA book, I think it might be different because the author wrote YA books before so she knows what people like. And yes the insta love is just annoying! It's ridiculous of how it's so common in novels.
DeleteI think we have the exact same tastes when it comes to NA books Benish. I absolutely hate the cliche angsty bad boy storyline and always roll my eyes when the heroine sticks up for them. I just want to slap them lol. I have to be super picky with the NA I read because I can't stand a lot of the cheating and stuff like that. But I do really enjoy Hoover (except for Confess), and I'm looking forward to some of your other recs :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I have noticed that as well Jeann, Book twinnies at our finest :) it's crazy how we like some of the same books or dislike :) I love Colleen's work for the most part, I hope her latest novel November 9 is amazing. You should so check out Unravel and Mud Vein ♥ Wallbanger is pretty cute as well.
DeleteThe NA genre is becoming quite repetitive, it's the same recycled story lines over and over again unfortunately!
ReplyDeleteI have stayed away from Beautiful Disaster, people seem to either love or hate this book but what I've heard about it I would be in the latter ;-) I loved Maybe Someday and I have a few of your faves on my TBR pile. Have you tried Jennifer L Armentrout's NA books? they aren't too bad, also Genna Rulon and Stacey Marie Brown.
A wonderful post! Sharon – Obsession with Books
I haven't read Jennifer L. Armentrout's books before, but I heard much praise about hers. I might just dive into one of her books soon :) I am interested in City of Embers by Stacey Marie Brown, thanks for the recommendations!
DeleteWhen I first heard about the New Adult genre I was all SHOW ME THE WAY because I love YA, but some of it seems a little "young" for lack of a better word. Since I'm the age most NA protagonists are, I thought okay this can be my new jam. Yeah... no. Once I realized what the focus of these books was and read some blurbs and reviews I decided it's really not for me. I mean I'm not saying they're all bad, but in general they don't intrigue me. I'm glad you found some you enjoyed despite your bad experiences with them!
ReplyDeleteAha, I giggled at your comment - I know, I was so excited to read new adult books when I first started it with the book Bully. Now it's just blah.. Although, I have found some gems in them.
DeleteYes to this post Benish! Beautiful Disaster was a DNF for me :-/ I really don't mind possessive characters but when it borders on the abusive...NO. JUST NO. It's so weird but I actually liked Raw but it was almost a DNF for me too...but when I stopped looking at it as a romance, it worked out for me...kinda like watching a train wreck happen. Oh, and I hate slut shaming. Especially when female characters judge another woman because of how they dress. What, just because she wears short skirts she's a slut? Just because she goes after what she wants, she's an easy whore? Girl on girl hate is the worst. Absolutely detest it. And you're right, it is double standards! NA is a hit or miss for me, but there are good ones which is why I still try the genre once in awhile, I haven't read most of your favorites...I'll check them out! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought the beginning of Raw was pretty amazing as well, but then it just went downhill for me when the heroine started a no strings attached relationship with "Twitch" when she didn't even know his real name. SO STUPID & I agree, girl on girl hate is just so sad, there's really no unity most of the time. Hope you enjoy the books I have liked :)
DeleteI mean, I do think that is with anything, there are certain tropes that are popular in the genre (and like the bad boy hero who has a lot of secret pain, and the heroine who despite whatever is going on for her, is very much an innocent, are popular right now, as you note). This story doesn't necessarily bother me (it can be interesting and not problematic in the hands of a gifted writer, I think), I just always want other kinds of stories to be told.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, slut-shaming for me is absolutely always a no! Ditto abusive relationships.
If you haven't read Courtney Milan's new NA, Trade Me, you may want to look into it? (She's a wonderful romance writer, and only getting better, I think. She's also a feminist and very good at articulating consent.) I also liked Robin York's Deeper though it does have the bad boy / innocent girl thing (but in an interesting way).
Anyway, great post!
Yes, that is true. I actually like the bad boy, good girl concept. It's mostly about executing this kind of concept the right way. I haven't read Trade Me, but I shall check it out soon, thank you for the recommendation :) I liked Deeper as well, I thought it was something different and the slow-burn romance was perfect ♥
DeleteYou've made some great points here. Yeah, there are a LOT of NA books like that have those things, maybe because they're popular or trending or whatever. I hope the genre will eventually mature and branch out, because I'd like to see more NA fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, etc. I'm not a big romance reader, so I would like to see the NA age range handling things other than angsty/abusive/etc relationships.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to check out Leah Raeder. She's my fav NA author, and doesn't do any of the things on your list. Her heroines are strong, don't let boys get their way, and are pretty dang awesome.
I heard A Court of Thorns & Roses is an NA novel and it's paranormal romance - I think there are more novels out there with paranormal but they're more underrated. I liked Leah's Unteachable, I find her stories pretty fascinating and the heroines are always badass. Although, there is just way too many explicit scenes in her books. I need more reasonable plot and action </3
DeleteI want to like this genre but I have a lot of the same issues you do. Plus I feel like it's the same story with different details. Maybe if I read the genre more, I'd find a book that I'd actually like, but I keep reading NA books that I hate or really bore me.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do find a good new adult book soon ♥ You should try checking out the books from my favorites :)
DeleteI love this post Benish and I completely agree with you!I have a love hate relationship with NA.And I've only read Beautiful Disaster from your first list but I can totally get what you are saying!Travis was a piece of work!And not in a good way:)
ReplyDeleteI loved The Edge of Never!I cried so hard while reading the book and I think the whole concept of road trip was used beautifully in the story.And Wallbanger was hilarious!I was too young to understand the innuendos when I read it,but I can now understand that book a whole lot more:)
I'd like to recommend Easy by Tammara Webber to you!That story is beautiful!And Slammed by Colleen Hoover.It's a must read!
I'm glad you could agree Mishma! :) Aaah, Beautiful Disaster was probably the worst NA book I have ever read, I didn't even continue with the series. Wallbanger and The Edge of Never were pretty amazing, thank God for awesome books like these! I have read the books Slammed and Easy before, I did like Easy though - it was a cute novel, I wasn't the biggest fan of Slammed although I loved the concept. Thank you for the recommends anyway <3
DeleteI totally agree! I told the same thing to someone else. The main thing I don't like about it is how predictable it is! Like yep we know the ending is going to turn out ok for the characters. I just don't get why NA books are centered around romance, it's like there's some rule that they can't be centered around other things and have romance thrown in. That's a reason I love the Sookie Stackhouse series - yet classified as adult I think reads like fantasy NA. There are a lot of sexual scenes but it has an actual plot.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the romance is just too much at times. I need a better plot than an actual romance. I haven't read the Sookie Stackhouse series, the title makes me giggle *hides* but I shall check it out soon, thank you for the recommendation :)
DeleteI really like the points you have made, I also loved Ugly love and mud vein! I have yet to check out the rest in your favorites list.
ReplyDeleteThank you ♥
DeleteUGLY LOVE! Loved that book. I did like Beautiful Disaster, I don't mind reads like that. I do understand your point though. Great discussion topic!
ReplyDeleteNaomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Aaah yes, Ugly Love was my favorite as well ♥
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