A Readers Guide to Finding New Adult Fiction Books

What is New Adult Fiction?

“New Adult” is a term that was coined in 2009 by St Martin’s Press when they put out an ad looking for books that had the same vibe as Young Adult Fiction but would appeal to an older audience. As a result New Adult fiction became a developing genre that bridges the gap between Young Adult and Adult fiction and focusing on twenty to thirty year olds. The genre does this by having a similar pacing and featuring a writing style to that found in YA fiction but deals with bigger themes and topics that appeal more to an older audience. For example, you might find a character struggling with graduating college and dealing with all of the anxiety that surrounds having to enter the workforce and be a “real adult” for the first time in their life. Below are three recommendations that fall into the New Adult fiction category but span three genres.

1. Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston

This novel follows First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz as he juggles his mother’s re-election campaign, maintaining the perfect facade for the press and his last year at university. Things take a turn for the worst when tabloid photos are leaked of Alex and his longtime personal nemesis Prince Henry getting into an altercation at a royal wedding that threatens not only the re-election campaign but AMerican/British relations. The plan? Stage a friendship is between Alex and Prince Henry. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a super cute LGBTQ+ friendly novel that is fast paced and reads like a rom-com. It falls into the new adult category because of the ages of the main characters and thematic elements. Personally, I found this book to be refreshing and a joy to read. Despite the fun rom-com aspects it also dealt with the growing pains that Alex went through really well and kept the story grounded in reality.

2. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Deep beneath the surface of the earth there is a labyrinthian collection of tunnels and rooms simply known as The Library that rests on the shores of the Starless Sea. The entryways to The Library are often hidden but for those who go looking for them, their doors are waiting. We follow Zachary Erza Rawling, a senior video game development major, as he searches for his door and is eventually drawn into the mystery of The Library.

This book is different from the other two on the list in that the plot can be hard to discern at points and it deals with concepts that are much more esoteric. That combined with how old the main character is and the more complex writing style serves to make this book fall in the New Adult fiction category, closer to the Adult side.

3. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern begins her freshman year at Yale with the help of a mysterious benefactor. She is tasked by this benefactor with investigating the inner workings of the secret societies that exist in the background at the university. Things take a dark turn when she discovers that Yale’s rich and powerful are playing with occult activities more sinister and more extraordinary than anyone could ever have imagined.

What makes this book New Adult is the age of our main character, and the fact that she is entering into her first year at Yale. The plot deals with the inner workings of some of the world's elite and as a result deals with the broader scope of topics that come with those people. Instead of high school cliques and their small scale drama, we get things like the stock market, that has the potential for global impact.

What if I can’t find an appealing NA book?

One of the biggest struggles of wanting to read New Adult is that there just isn't the depth and breadth like that found in YA and Adult fiction. As a result, sometimes we have to make do with a book that doesn't quite meet all of the needs to be a New Adult fiction book, but comes close enough. Below are two of my favorite NA fiction dupes.

1. Circe by Madeline Miller

This is a retelling of the story of Circe, the daughter of Helios who was banished to a deserted island by Zeus. On the island, she hones her occult craft and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in Greek mythology like the Minotaur, Medea, and Odysseus. However, being a solitary and powerful woman brings the wrath of gods and men alike and ultimately to protect what she holds dear Circe must choose if she belongs with the gods she was born from or with the mortals she has come to love.

This novel technically falls into the category of Adult fiction due to heavy themes, writing style, and the amount of time the story spans. That being said, the internal struggles of Circe finding her identity and having to make difficult decisions about her future that will ripple effect out into the rest of her life resonates with people who are having to make the same kinds of decisions.

2. The Beautiful by Reneé Ahdieh

Taking place in 1872, this novel follows Celine Rousseau as she flees to New Orleans from her life as a dressmaker in Paris. She is taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline Convent during the middle of the carnival season. As Celine is drawn in by the city and falls in with the glitzy underworld known as La Cour des Lions a serial killer begins to terrorize the city and sets Celine in his sights.

This book falls into the Young Adult fiction category because the protagonist is seventeen years old. However, because it is a period piece Celine reads as being older than she actually is due to her lack of parental influence and her increased sense of responsibility. That being said, she tends to make impulsive decisions and has some coping mechanisms that indicate her lack of life experience.