New Adult books are my guilty pleasure. I always considered myself an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance reader. Until I picked up a little book last year titled, "Beautiful Disaster." After I fell in love with Travis Maddox, I knew there was no going back. I began devouring New Adult novels and today, I read as many NA's as I read UFs.
The first thing that comes to mind is angst. New Adult novels are full of it. The keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, knot-in-your-stomach, making-you-feel-queasy kind of angst. This is one of the reasons these books are so addictive and what keeps me turning the pages.
New Adult books tend to feature early-20-something heroines and all of the issues people face at this juncture in their lives. It is very easy for me to relate to these issues, even though I am well outside of my 20s.
Yummy men! The men in this genre are always swoon-worthy. Who wouldn't want a little bit of Travis Maddox, Caleb Drake, Rush Finley or Ian Sterling, even if they're all a bit crazy?
Characters in this genre tend to be damaged. Whether it's a convoluted past filled with alcoholic parents, teen pregnancies, premature family deaths or drug-filled parties, New Adult books tackle some very heavy issues.
Picking a good NA book has become difficult, only because the market is flooded with this genre. I tend to either pick authors that have a good track record, like Abbi Glines or Colleen Hoover, or new, independent authors that are recommended from friends and other authors. For example, I am a huge fan of Tarryn Fisher's Love Me with Lies series. Due to her pimping efforts, I found a winner in Willow Aster's True Love Story. Word of mouth is still the best way to find new adult books. There are a slew of excellent independent authors writing books in this genre, you just have to do a bit of research and ask your friends for some good recommendations.
If there is one thing I'd like to see more of in the New Adult genre it is more paranormal New Adult books. D.T. Dyllin has a good one with her P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy, as does S.L. Jennings with her Dark Light series, but there is definitely room for more novels on the urban fantasy side.
See what the other Coffee Shop girls have to say about the New Adult craze!