YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 16 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. Click on the title of each book to be taken to the blog post featuring a review, or browse all blog posts here. You can see previous lists on the YALSA website and on the Teen Book Finder app.
2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominees
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
- The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
- What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
- Rebound by Kwame Alexander
- Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All by M. T. Anderson, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, and Deborah Hopkinson
- The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold
- A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
- The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen
- Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake
- The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker
- Troublemakers by Catherine Barter
- We’ll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss
- A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
- Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
- American Panda by Gloria Chao
- The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
- Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert
- A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole
- Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
- Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova
- Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
- Mirage by Somaiya Daud
- American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott
- Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
- Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia
- Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner
- Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen
- Dream Country by Shannon Gibney
- Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
- Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes
- My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand (et al)
- A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
- The War Outside by Monica Hesse
- After the Fire by Will Hill
- Everything Else in the Universe by Tracy Holczer
- The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
- Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
- Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
- Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
- Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
- We Regret to Inform You by Ariel Kaplan
- Tradition by Brendan Kiely
- Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen
- Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner
- Lifel1k3 (Lifelike) by Jay Kristoff
- Furyborn by Claire Legrand
- Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
- Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
- Sanctuary by Caryn Lix
- Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier
- The Universe is Expanding and So Am I by Carolyn Mackler
- Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mather
- Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
- Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore
- People Like Us by Dana Mele
- From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
- Breakout by Kate Messner
- A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller
- Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
- All Out: The No-Longer Secret Stores of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell
- The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
- The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen
- Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton
- Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Viviana Mazza
- A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman
- Broken Things by Lauren Oliver
- The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
- Dance of Thieves by Mary Pearson
- All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor
- Frankie by Shivaun Plozza
- The Disturbed Girls Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos
- Lu by Jason Reynolds
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
- In Her Skin by Kim Savage
- City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
- The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda Searcy
- Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
- Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
- Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
- The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith
- The Agony of Bun O’Keefe by Heather Smith
- You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Solomon
- What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
- When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A.J. Steiger
- Odd One Out by Nic Stone
- Sadie by Courtney Summers
- Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan
- The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
- When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas
- Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen
- Nightbooks by J.A. White
- The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
- Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
- Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
- Pride by Ibi Zoboi
The 2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults Blogging Team was:
- Lorraine Y. Roussin, coordinator
- Megan Baird
- Cathy DeCampli
- Kimmie DePinto
- Molly Dettmann
- Lindsay Fricke
- Mary Elizabeth Gensel
- Dana Hutchins
- Carol Maples
- Shelbie Marks
- Cate Merlin
- Molly Moore
- Cathy Rettberg
- Celeste Rhoads
- Jenny Zbrizher