The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboksy
I’m not entirely even sure what this book is about. I think it’s a coming-of-age story? And they made a movie that looks pretty good starring Emma Watson? I think I’ve never read it because I don’t really know what it is.
Anything by Sarah Dessen
I know Dessen is incredibly popular and that Netflix has plans to adapt a number of her books. However, I don’t read much YA romance, so I never got around to reading anything by her!
Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber
I admit this trilogy actually looks pretty interesting. I think it was just one of those times when I saw the books EVERYWHERE and somehow the over-saturation made me lose interest.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Contemporary YA is not something I read a lot of–I prefer fantasy. So John Green’s work never really piqued my interest. Then I read one book by him and I didn’t like it.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
It’s probably a good book, but I just don’t read a lot of YA romance.
Legend Series by Marie Lu
What is this series even about? Maybe I should look it up? It’s probably actually really good?
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas
Okay, I don’t really know anything about Sarah J. Maas’ work except that some it caused some controversy for having explicit sex scenes and people thought it should not have been marketed as YA. That’s…not really something that makes me think, “Yes, I need to pick up this book!” Even though it’s not the author’s fault.
Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
Now that there seem to be at least seven books in this series, I have to admit I’m a little afraid to even begin reading it. That’s a lot of books! A lot of commitment!
Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
Because I have never read a Twilight book, I have no comment on the quality of the work. I just didn’t read the series because paranormal romance isn’t a genre I really enjoy.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
The movie trailer looked cute. But, again, it’s a contemporary YA romance, not something I’ve ever felt strongly about picking up.
What do you think? Am I missing out? Should I try some of these popular reads?
Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions 
I tried to read Throne of Glass. I got to book three, and I was so annoyed by everything about it that I stopped reading. I disliked Maas’s writing so much that I decided not to read anymore of her books.
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Well, it’s good to know I’m not missing out!
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Definitely read “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”–it’s one of my favourite books! It’s absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and wholesome all at the same time. And it’s incredibly short too! The film adaptation was pretty good though the book was definitely better! 🙂
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower is actually one I think I will get around to reading–one day! It’s good to know you recommend it! 😀
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I love Sarah Dessen but I haven’t read anything else on the list! I’m so glad I’m not the only one!
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I always think I should read a Sarah Dessen book…and then I just don’t?
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Haha I’ve been meaning to read her latest book for… a few years? I do love the ones I own – would definitely recommend The Truth about Forever if you’ve got some reading space!
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I didn’t really like everything everything but the court of thorns and roses series is one of my favourites. Definitely recommend giving it a try.
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I know she has a huge fan base, but the size of the series is so intimidating!
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I’ve read all of these besides Perks of Being a Wallflower and Everything, Everything. D
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Does this mean I no longer have to read them? Can I contract out my reading? :b
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…Yes.
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Well, I also didn’t read The Twilight Series- don’t like them due to the whole vampire thing.
Another Popular YA I refuse to read it Hunger Games- to grotesque for my test
I love fantasy
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Yeah, I’m not really interested in vampire books in general. I think I may have read…one? Ever?
I do like The Hunger Games, too! It’s an interesting read because the concept is violent, but the violence itself is never graphically depicted.
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I actually saw those two series through the movies- leading me not to read the series
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I’ve only seen the first Hunger Games movie and part of the last Twilight movie. So I don’t know if they are any good or not!
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Don’t like vampires. As for Hunger Games- too grotesque for my test.
Sometimes I feel like my interests in books are quite different from those around my age. I don’t like Marvel, Hunger Games, and Twilight- along with Nicholas Sparks.
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I’ve only read 3 of the books on this list lol. I always wanted to read Caraval because of how pretty is, but I never got around to it!
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Yes, I agree! I sometimes want to read Caraval just for the cover! So shiny and beautiful… 😀
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I’ve read everything except for Throne of Glass and the Sarah Dessen book and … I feel like you haven’t really missed out that much? I enjoyed a lot of those books (namely The Fault in Our Stars, To All the Boys … and even Twilight when I was younger), but I also always felt like a pariah, because I didn’t enjoy the likes of Caraval, Legend and especially The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I failed to connect with that last one on every level haha
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Hyped books are always so tricky because it feels awkward when you just don’t connect with a popular book the same way everyone else seems to! And sometimes I see hyped books around so much, I just lose interest completely.
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I’m SO glad I’m not the only one here who haven’t read The Fault In Our Stars!
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I just have zero interest in John Green’s work for some reason. I read Paper Towns and I REALLY didn’t like it. So that was enough for me.
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I have read several of these, and I did enjoy them all. Guess they were popular for a reason, lol. I need to read the perks of being a wallflower and caraval. The court of thorns and roses is more of an adult book, I think, for a variety of reasons. This was a fun post!
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Yeah, I remember Court of Thorns and Roses being controversial for being marketed as YA….
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I read them after that, but yeah. I was surprised. There is some pretty explicit content in there
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I didn’t realize the Perks of Being a Wallflower was YA? After watching the movie I guess I can see that. It’s on my “eventually” list. It’s kind of about trauma, really. You’re not missing out on Caraval, super over-hyped, medium quality.
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Someone who feels the same about Caraval!!! I thought it was fine, but the lead-up marketing about how it’s like The Night Circus and the most amazing thing ever? No… Very standard YA, in my opinion.
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Not like the Night Circus in ANY WAY, definitely agree. And also agree, standard YA fantasy the relies on an interesting concept to keep readers from noticing the lackluster world building and/or writing. Honestly, this book made me remember why I’d given up on YA fantasy in the first place. Ouch. I didn’t hate it, I swear! lol
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I think Perks was YA before YA was a marketing label? That’s kind of the way I see it, anyway!
I have one friend who really loves Caraval, but we tend to have very different reading tastes, so I’ve always taken that as sort of sign that I wouldn’t be too impressed.
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Makes sense, like The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye.
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The Fault in Our Stars is an amazing book! I can only speak for myself, but I’d definitely recommend it 🙂
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Good to know! 😀
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I have actually read all of these but Twilight. Once I see a film, I won’t read the book. I love Dessen’s books, and Along for the Ride is one of my favorites. The Legend series is one of my favorites, and Laura Jean is on my list of favorite literary characters. I think I read all of these well after they came out, and I enjoyed them.
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I’ve only seen I think the second half of the last Twilight film. It’s kind of weird to contemplate that there’s this huge part of pop culture that I only hazily understand has sparkly vampires and a love triangle with a werewolf. Haha.
Sometimes I think it’s better to read books after the hype has died down. Much less pressure to give it a glowing review like everyone else. You can just enjoy the book on your own terms.
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My daughter was the right age to hope on that fandom, so I saw all the films with her. I always feel like the movies included the biggest things from the books, so I never feel compelled to go back and read the source.
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I only have read 3 books on this list and I would not recommend them at this stage of my life XD read them a long time ago, especially Twilight (I read that one almost 12 years ago).
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So I take it you’re not going to run out and read Midnight Sun? 😀
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Hahaha nop. I don’t even understand why the need for another book 🧐
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i thought i would hate To All the Boys I’ve Loved before, but it was actually SURPRISINGLY good. I’d read it when you’re in a summery mood and you want something fluffy. I haven’t read many of the others, but I will say TFIOS and the Legend series are both kind of overhyped
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I do love a good summery romance!
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I’ve read a few on this list, but the Perks of Being a Wallflower is the only one I can vouch for because it’s the only one I liked. I even marked it as a favorite on Goodreads. I do wonder if I’d feel the same about it if I reread it.
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I am interested in reading Perks of Being a Wallflower… one day! But so true! My reading tastes often change over time.
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Twilight is the only one I’ve read but that was many years ago. I’ve had a few of these on my list for a while but like you I haven’t read the rest of them. Not sure if the hype puts me off further? Great post!
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Yes, sometimes books are EVERYWHERE and I guess I get tired of seeing them and never read them as a result.
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I actually unhauled my copy of Everything Everything, it was okay but once you’ve read it, you don’t feel like rereading it ever again.
I 2 star’d Caraval and dnf’d the sequel Legendary, I just couldn’t stop losing interest in it and just found it boring and I remembered … nothing from it.
Throne of Glass is an AMAZING series, yes it seems pretty ‘okay’ until book three and wow it really does take off. Basically because book one and two is just building up to what’s going to happen, talking a lot about past events and such and just wow, I honestly think you should give it a go. Plus the court at the end, you’ll just love them all!
I also REALLY love ACOTAR, but then I’m a abuse survivor (physical, sexual, emotional, mentally) and really related so much to the characters in the series, plus you cannot help but fall in love with the Inner Circle!
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Well, it sounds like I’m not missing out on Everything, Everything or Caraval, but maybe I should pick up a Maas book!
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Awesome post — I love how direct the explanations are here. XD
I personally find Maas’s writing abhorrent. I just cannot get into it. Her characters are flat and predictable, there are tropes everywhere, and the writing is so simplistic I just get bored. I recognize a lot of people love her books — and I admit, I’ve only read two of her books, but I just can’t. I don’t think you’re missing on much.
I also DNF’d the Legend books. I read the first one, but the writing didn’t work for me. I started the second to see if it improved — nope. So, I walked away at 20% complete. As an adult reading YA I have to feel like the writing is good to keep reading.
I’m with you on Caraval. The hype was so extreme I turned away from it.
When I read your description “Anything by Sarah Dessen” I thought it was a typo. She has a book called Saint Anything and I thought you were referring to that at first! I thought, well, that’s awfully specific. XD
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I just read The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu and while the writing style wasn’t terrible, I didn’t find it as “lyrical” and “magical” as other people seem to. Though I could tell she was trying to be lyrical.
Haha! In fact, I was unaware there was a book called Saint Anything! XD
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The Kingdom of Back is her newest release, right? Her writing MUST have improved. I’m sure I’ll read some of her books again someday– Younger writers deserve grace to grow, particularly if you’re reading their debut works!
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It is her latest publication, though apparently the first book she wrote. I haven’t read anything else by Lu, however, so I can’t say how it compares to her other works.
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