It’s time for another Bookish Discussion Sunday already, and this is a topic that used to come up regularly in the bookish community. I haven’t seen it resurface recently, but I have been limiting my time on social media as much as I can. I’d also like to give credit to Cheila @ Pink for Days for suggesting adults reading YA as a topic, because it’s a really good one, and she’s got a wonderful blog. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I strongly suggest visiting her page and checking it out.
When it comes to reading, I’m a big fan of letting people read what they want. Telling people they shouldn’t read YA books is gatekeeping, and I know so many adults who enjoy reading YA. I personally read primarily YA fantasy for years, and I credit that with igniting a passion for reading fantasy.
I have noticed in the last year that I’m reading fewer YA books, but it has nothing to do with the books. It’s more a personal preference for darker and more involved, complex storylines, which tend to be found in adult fantasy books. However, I’ll jump at the chance to read a YA book from one of my favorite authors, or if the synopsis sounds intriguing to me.
After reading so many YA books (and adult books), I can promise you that a good YA story can offer readers a plot that is equally intriguing, characters who are similarly multilayered and demonstrate growth, and world building that is as complex and fascinating as what you’d find in a book geared for adult readers. In fact, all that you’ll really find in an adult book that isn’t in a YA book is explicit spice, excessive profanity, and serious gore, kind of like the difference between a PG-13 movie and an R-rated movie.
In fact, I recently learned that more than two-thirds (68%) of people who read YA books are age 18 or over, according to a Penguin Random House survey from May 2021. This is even more pronounced in the UK, with research showing 74% of adults accounting for YA readers. So it looks like the publishers are aware that the majority of the audience for these book is not young adults, and may adjust the type of books being put out to reflect that.
What do you think about adults reading YA? Do you read YA books?
Categories: Sunday Bookish Discussion
Leah's Books 
I’m in my mid-thirties and read more YA now than I did as a teenager. 🙂
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We didn’t even have any YA books when I was a teenager! I was stuck reading VC Andrews, Jean M. Auel, and Mary Higgins Clark, so I think that explains a lot. YA started to be a thing when I was in my 20s, and although I’m reading a bit less of it now, I definitely read way more YA as an adult than as a kid.
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Let adults read what they love- when it comes to YA, not a big fan of dystopian or romance
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That’s how I feel – people can read whatever they want. Why do people feel the need to try to gatekeep what makes people happy, especially when it isn’t hurting anyone?
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I’ve definitely drifted away from YA as I’ve gotten older, but if one of my favorite authors releases a new YA book you better believe I’ll be reading it! I do think YA is super accessible and is great for getting adults back into reading 😀
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Yes! This is exactly what I think (but you’ve said it much more eloquently than I did). I also read some graphic novels in the last few years, and love how they make reading feel more accessible for young people or adults who don’t enjoy or connect to reading in traditional formats.
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I’m a big believer in letting people read whatever they want on read. I can see the appeal of YA for adult readers for sure, as sometimes you just want something cozy and not as serious/complicated/grimdark as adult literature. For me though, I struggle immensely with YA in general for multiple reasons, such as the age of the protagonists (I don’t enjoy reading about teenagers), or the plot, or the style. Which is a shame, because I love the concepts of many YA books, and just think that the story would have been stronger if the author gave permission to themselves to be mature about its execution (e.g. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo). On the reverse side, I sometimes read adult fiction and think that it would have been better as a YA book if the author wasn’t so desperate to jam-pack it with edgy scenes and swear words while also somehow being incredibly juvenile (e.g. Artemis by Andy Weir). But a lot of that comes down purely to personal taste!
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I agree with you about letting people read whatever they want to read. But you make a really great point about how YA books often have a really great concept but don’t give themselves the room to really expand on them.
On the other hand, sometimes I just want something easy and simple, and that’s when I’ll go for a cozy mystery or a light YA read. You’ve summed up my feelings exactly.
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This is such a good discussion topic. I also have noticed that I read less and less YA and am drawn to more “timeless” stories – if that makes sense. Overall, people want to read more wholesome and low-concentration, maybe even nostalgic books. Most of my re-reads are YA, though.
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Yes, THIS! For a few years, I read mostly YA, but now it’s like I’m drawn to more adult stories, or what you’d probably call “timeless stories.” I do have a nice collection of YA books that I adore though, and will absolutely reread them too.
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