5 YA Books I Loved and 5 I Hated

Hi. So turns out, I was able to post, after all. It’s just a little late. Sorry about that.

Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of YA fiction, but I have a few books that I really liked, and some I really hated so I thought I’d share them with you [I almost said y’all. Am I turning Southern or something?].

Ack. I got distracted again. On with the list.

Loved: The Lunar Chronicles 

For those of you who haven’t read them, The Lunar Chronicles is a fairytale retelling series. It kinda kicked off the fairytale trend, I think. Anyway, this series had great pacing, and great character development. It’s awesome, and I highly recommend them. Also, this series has THE BEST characters. There was just a lot of variety, which is always fun.

Hated: When Dimple Met Rishi

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit too harsh on this book, since it’s a contemporary, and a romance, two genres I usually don’t like. I did actually finish this one. Anyway, I really, really, really, really despise Dimple, the main character. She was a huge jerk, and was always whining, plus she was always mentioning that she liked STEM, and computers, and hated makeup, and oh, wasn’t she so much better than other girls. Like, yes, science is important, but art and reading are important, too, and I really don’t see the problems with makeup [I personally don’t wear it very much, but there’s nothing wrong with someone who does]. Oh, and Rishi couldn’t take no for an answer, and he was bland, so I didn’t like him either.

Loved: The Magnus Chase Series

I count this as a YA series, and it was great. The quest, the excitement, the humor, PERFECT.

Rick Riordan really knows how to make a book exciting. Also, this book had some great diversity. Hearthstone is deaf, and Samirah is Muslim. So, not much more I can say other than it was great, and I highly recommend it.

Hated: Twilight 

I’ll admit, I didn’t even finish Twilight. I read about 150 pages. It was just a bit too slow and romance-y for me.

Second of all, it was the most boring book I have ever read. Basically, a girl moved to a small town where it rained a lot, and there was a dude with sparkly skin. I’ve also heard that it glamorizes abuse, so, yeah, not something I’d want to read.

Loved: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

This…...does not seem like my type of book, at all. Seriously, it’s a coming-of-age story, and has no robots, explosions, serial killers, spaceships, or spies. I liked it anyway. It’s kind of a sweet story, although I found a few of the girls kinda annoying. Lena was sweet, Carmen was a little whiny but alright, ditto for Tibby, and Bridget is quite obnoxious. 

Hated: Fangirl

Am I way, way, way too hard on romance books? Yes. Am I going to stop? No.

First of all, I absolutely hated the way geeks/nerds/fangirls were portrayed. Yes, lots of people are shy, but you can be a geek and not be shy [like me] or you can be shy and not be a geek.

Also, I just felt like it dragged on, and almost all of the characters were extremely obnoxious. The only part I liked was Cath’s fanfiction.

Loved: The Maximum Ride series

These were the first YA books I read, I think, and I liked them. The writing style was sort of similar to Rick Riordan’s [these books are by James Patterson, btw]. They’re action-packed, and hilarious, and very sci-fi-y. Also, there’s a Tricia Helfer reference. I actually had to read that again to make sure I got it right. So, I love these books.

Hated: Insurgent

It was just boring. The first one was a bit cliche but still cool. The finale was great, too. The middle book was sadly lacking.

Loved: Pretty Little Liars

These books are insanely addicting. Basically, it’s a thrilling mystery with lots of plot twists. I was confused part of the time, but it ended up being a very interesting mystery. Also, I’ve heard there’s a TV show but it doesn’t sound as good as the books.

Hated: The Princess Diaries

Yes, there are books, too. The first one was great, and actually the first three were pretty good but after that it got boring and kinda dragged.

So what are your favorite and least favorite YA books? Thoughts on this list?