This is one of the lists that I was most excited to to talk about! YA contemporary has such a huge spot in my heart! I love it so much, and there’s just something so nostalgic and heart warming about it. I’ve read so many, and I mean SO many young adult contemporaries! I’ve narrowed it down though and these are a few of my all time absolute favorites and I recommend them 100%! If you’re looking for a well rounded YA contemporary, you’re in the right place! After the first one these are in no specific order I love them all almost equally!
1. On The Fence by Kasie West
This is my all time favorite YA contemporary! I feel like it’s so underrated too! It has a low four star rating on Goodreads and I’m SO surprised! Also I feel like when people talk about Kasie West’s work they never really mention this one. Which speaking of her work, she’s one of my favorite YA authors. Everything she writes is enjoyable and I know I’m in for a good time! A few things contribute to this being my favorite YA. I love the best- friend-boy next door-love trope! It’s my absolute favorite trope to read about, and when it’s on a first love basis there is just something SO cute about it. The two main characters have known each other their whole life and it just adds so much to the story! I’ve reread this book so many times, and that’s how I know it’s one of my favorites! I actually had so many emotions during this book! I felt the tension and I wanted them to be together SO bad. When an author can make you feel what you think the character is feeling then you know their writing is phenomenal! If you want a feel good romance then definitely check this out, you won’t regret it! 
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.
This was my first Morgan Matson book, and I fell in love! I adored these characters, the friendships and especially the romance! This book is so much more then a YA contemporary, it’s packed full of emotions you wouldn’t expect in a YA book! Like I said the best way to describe my feelings for this is legit slowly falling in love with everything about it! One of my favorite parts of this book was seeing our main character Emily complete the summer bucket list her friend leaves behind, and also growing and trying things she never would have before! And the romance was so well crafted! It’s a slow burn, and it’s built up so nicely that when thy finally do get together it’s so realistic and sweet, and it just feels right! Morgan Matson does such a good job smoothing the plot together and creating a story that’s enjoyable not just for romance lovers, but for everyone! Friendship is a huge part of this book and I was so grateful we got to see a realistic friendship, and the struggles that friends do go through. This book is one of the best experiences and I recommend it to anyone!
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.
2. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
This was my first Morgan Matson book, and I fell in love! I adored these characters, the friendships and especially the romance! This book is so much more then a YA contemporary, it’s packed full of emotions you wouldn’t expect in a YA book! Like I said the best way to describe my feelings for this is legit slowly falling in love with everything about it! One of my favorite parts of this book was seeing our main character Emily complete the summer bucket list her friend leaves behind, and also growing and trying things she never would have before! And the romance was so well crafted! It’s a slow burn, and it’s built up so nicely that when thy finally do get together it’s so realistic and sweet, and it just feels right! Morgan Matson does such a good job smoothing the plot together and creating a story that’s enjoyable not just for romance lovers, but for everyone! Friendship is a huge part of this book and I was so grateful we got to see a realistic friendship, and the struggles that friends do go through. This book is one of the best experiences and I recommend it to anyone! 
It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?
This book was a huge hit when it first came out, and for a while after that too. Now people either really love this book or absolutely hate it. I love it. I will say this book isn’t for everyone, but if you can overlook the one problem most people have with this book then you’ll love it! Really what I’m trying to say is that romance lovers will love this. Now this book has a lot of tropes I love, and man do you feel the TENSION the entire time during this book. Our main male character does have a girlfriend and let me just say..yes there is cheating, but it’s towards the very end and Etienne and his girlfriend do break up like right after. I feel like most people who have a problem with this book say that having feelings for other people is still cheating, and yes it is.. but this is a book. I don’t condone these things in real life, but do I enjoy reading about it? Yes, nothing wrong with that. So go into this book with an open mind and you'll love it! There are so many positives. I loved the Paris setting, the friendships, the side characters, and the romance of course. I loved how the author makes Etienne and Anna feel like soul mates, an they’re just so perfect for each other. This book is one of the first YA contemporaries that I really fell in love with and I recommend this to all of my friends and family who love romance books!
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?
3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This book was a huge hit when it first came out, and for a while after that too. Now people either really love this book or absolutely hate it. I love it. I will say this book isn’t for everyone, but if you can overlook the one problem most people have with this book then you’ll love it! Really what I’m trying to say is that romance lovers will love this. Now this book has a lot of tropes I love, and man do you feel the TENSION the entire time during this book. Our main male character does have a girlfriend and let me just say..yes there is cheating, but it’s towards the very end and Etienne and his girlfriend do break up like right after. I feel like most people who have a problem with this book say that having feelings for other people is still cheating, and yes it is.. but this is a book. I don’t condone these things in real life, but do I enjoy reading about it? Yes, nothing wrong with that. So go into this book with an open mind and you'll love it! There are so many positives. I loved the Paris setting, the friendships, the side characters, and the romance of course. I loved how the author makes Etienne and Anna feel like soul mates, an they’re just so perfect for each other. This book is one of the first YA contemporaries that I really fell in love with and I recommend this to all of my friends and family who love romance books! 
Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.
But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?
This. Book. Though. This is the only book I’ve read by this author which is crazy because I loved this one so much. Jase and Samantha were so cute together, and I especially loved Jase’s character. He’s so much fun! The dynamic between the two families reminds me so much of Romeo and Juliet, if Juliet’s mother hated his family because they were loud and messy (a normal family, lol). Seeing Samantha become part of this huge family is so heart warming, and we also get to see Samantha and her mothers relationship grow as well. Throughout it all though Jase and Samantha’s relationship is an anchor that holds steady and I felt like even though the characters are young I feel like they have the kind of relationship that will last. Maybe that’s just the author doing her job, because I was blown away by this book. If you want a book that has a little bit of everything then check this one out!
"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.
As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
Everyone knows about this book. So it’s no surprise it made my favorites list! Let me tell you, this book definitely lives up to the hype. Cath is so relatable and let me just say that Levi, well get ready to swoon. I don’t know why I loved him so much. He’s just different from most male characters and I loved how he builds a friendship with Cath and is so understating with what she’s going through, and really just loves her for who she is. A freaking fangirl! I really loved how Cath had only a few friends, and also how cool is it that Rainbow Rowell gave us a character that writes fanfiction? Like I said, our girl is so relatable! If I could just say one thing, it would be to read this book. JUST DO IT. You’ll want a Levi for your own, I promise!
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.
But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?
4. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
This. Book. Though. This is the only book I’ve read by this author which is crazy because I loved this one so much. Jase and Samantha were so cute together, and I especially loved Jase’s character. He’s so much fun! The dynamic between the two families reminds me so much of Romeo and Juliet, if Juliet’s mother hated his family because they were loud and messy (a normal family, lol). Seeing Samantha become part of this huge family is so heart warming, and we also get to see Samantha and her mothers relationship grow as well. Throughout it all though Jase and Samantha’s relationship is an anchor that holds steady and I felt like even though the characters are young I feel like they have the kind of relationship that will last. Maybe that’s just the author doing her job, because I was blown away by this book. If you want a book that has a little bit of everything then check this one out! 
"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.
As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Everyone knows about this book. So it’s no surprise it made my favorites list! Let me tell you, this book definitely lives up to the hype. Cath is so relatable and let me just say that Levi, well get ready to swoon. I don’t know why I loved him so much. He’s just different from most male characters and I loved how he builds a friendship with Cath and is so understating with what she’s going through, and really just loves her for who she is. A freaking fangirl! I really loved how Cath had only a few friends, and also how cool is it that Rainbow Rowell gave us a character that writes fanfiction? Like I said, our girl is so relatable! If I could just say one thing, it would be to read this book. JUST DO IT. You’ll want a Levi for your own, I promise! 
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan..
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan..
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
These are all wonderful books and I hope you find one that you love out of these options! If you have any YA books you love definitely let me know! xo
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