Top 5 Tuesday – Contemporary YA/Adult Fiction

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. This week the topic if top 5 contemporary fiction, looking at both YA and adult fiction. I don’t read a huge amount of contemporary fiction but I have enjoyed some really great novels in this genre. So, just to make my life that little bit harder, I’ve decided to look at my top 5 adult contemporary fiction and my top 5 YA contemporary fiction!

 

Contemporary YA Fiction:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Somehow this book manages to make its way onto almost all of my lists. This is my all-time favourite contemporary fiction novel for so many reasons. It’s such a poignant novel that really captures teenage struggles. I owe a lot to this novel.

 

The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

The Fault in Our Stars may also make its way onto lots of my lists but it deserves it, too. I still remember the emotional rollercoaster I was thrown on whilst reading this novel. John Green managed to write a powerful novel that could have you laughing one minute and crying the next.

 

One Of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus

Whilst this is clearly a murder mystery novel, I believe it fits into the YA contemporary genre, too. This is a good example of a contemporary novel that beat all of my expectations and showed me that I can love the genre.

 

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

Whilst I might not remember many specifics from this book, I do remember really enjoying it as I read it. I probably liked this book because it’s the only book I’ve read about university (or should I say college). I love reading about young adults but it was refreshing to read a book that reflected my educational circumstances, and not just my emotions.

 

The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

I’ve decided to finish off my YA list with one of my favourite classic novels. Whilst this was technically written as an adult’s novel, YA wasn’t even a thing back in the 50s and I totally believe it is regarded as young adult fiction now! I fell in love with this novel, unreliable protagonist, controversy, and all.

 

Contemporary Adult Fiction:

Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult

I went through a huge Jodi Picoult stage as a teenager and really adored her books. This was probably my biggest dive into contemporary fiction and Nineteen Minutes was a particular favourite. It’s such a gripping book about a school shooting, and is clearly still important given today’s climate.

 

Life of Pi – Yann Martel

Life of Pi is still one of my favourite contemporary novels I’ve ever read. This was such an exciting and unexpected read and is a truly groundbreaking novel. I wish I could forget all about it just so I could have the incredible reading experiences all over again.

 

The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

This was a really beautiful novel that I truly enjoyed reading. It was warming, sad, funny, and everything in between. I wasn’t sure whether to include it on my list at first, given the huge sci-fi aspects, but it appeared on lots of contemporary fiction lists online so I couldn’t resist!

 

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is an incredible novel, and the first I read of its kind. I loved the raw and painful story that gave you insight into another life. Houseeini’s confronts you with things you might not want to think about, which I believe is one of the great uses of good contemporary fiction.

 

Keeping Faith – Jodi Picoult

I couldn’t help but finish my list with another Jodi Picoult book (I really wasn’t lying when I said I had a Picoult binge!). Keeping Faith is my favourite Picoult book I’ve read so far and tells the story of a child who believes she is seeing God. It’s such an interesting concept and truly brilliant book.

 

And that’s a wrap! I’ve really enjoyed highlighting my favourite contemporary fiction novels, both adult and YA. I don’t read contemporary fiction a lot, favouring fantasy almost all the time, but thinking about these outstanding books has made me want to read a lot more. I certainly can’t wait to check out your T5T posts to find some brilliant contemporary fiction recommendations!

Happy reading!