Discussion

{DISCUSSION} ‘Young Adult’

Melanie Noell Bernard

Why is YA supposedly only for teens?

This may seem like a silly discussion to many of you, but it’s something I’m quite passionate about. In fact, I’ve honestly gotten into one too many discussions about this particular topic (often on Twitter) despite the fact that I’ve gotten my head bit off every. Single. Time. But I can’t help it because everyone reading this knows I am the Queen of Unpopular Opinions (and Chaos. and Destruction. and Dystopians. :p ) What is that opinion, you might ask, that’s gotten me so thoroughly ostracized from the bookish community?

Young adult fiction should not be intended only for teenagers.

Now what I mean by that is books written in and classified as being in the ‘young adult’ age group are supposed to be and are intended to be only for teenagers (at least according to all the book marketers and these insanely devout readers and authors who apparently didn’t get the memo that, NEWSFLASH, it’s no longer called ‘teen fiction.’)

What? I’m not bitter! What makes you think that?!

But last time I checked, a ‘young adult’ is not a teenager. They are not the same thing. Don’t believe me? Well, then, let’s just consult Merriam Webster, shall we?

Teenage. adjective. of, being, or relating to people in their teens

Teens. plural noun. the numbers 13 to 19 inclusive

Thus, by definition of the English language, approved by Merriam Webster themselves, the word utilized to encompass people between the ages of 13 and 19 actually has it’s own word! And you know what’s really fascinating about that one word? I’ll give you a hint! It’s not ‘young adult!’ Nope! Rather, it’s…

TEENAGERS!!!
*gasp*

I know. It’s such a shocking idea that people who have lived for enough years to be in their ‘teens’ would be called ‘teenagers.’ It’s honestly just mind-blowing, don’t you agree?

Yet, this genre that is supposedly geared towards and written for teens is not, in fact, called ‘teen fiction.’ Yes, it was back in the day. (Not that long ago, either, apparently). However, the big thing to remember in this discussion is that it’s not called that any more. The name has changed. It’s adapted. It’s become something new to be more encompassing and yet many readers, marketers, publishers, and authors continue to believe that young adult fiction is geared not towards and intended for young adults, but for teens.

I do NOT agree!

Now, Merriam Webster sadly does not have a definition for young adult. However, Dictionary.com does. And do you know what Dictionary.com defines ‘young adult’ as? Let’s see…

Young Adult. noun.
1. a teenager (used especially by publishers and librarians).
2. a person in the early years of adulthood.

Now, please note that the first definition does use ‘teenager’ as the definition, but my favorite part is the parentheses. The only people to use ‘teenager’ as the definition of young adult are librarians and publishers. The rest of the world has realized that it’s not appropriate definition.

Additional definitions online define young adults as both teenagers AND those in their early twenties. After all, in order to be a ‘young adult’ don’t you kind of have to be an adult of some type? Tell me, when was the last time a 13-year-old was classified as an adult? *waits and listens to the crickets*

Thus, labeling a genre as YOUNG ADULT, but gearing it towards only HALF of the young adult age group, is a total joke.

But I seem to be the only person who finds the publishing world’s use of the term ‘young adult’ to be absurd. I’m the only one who seems to believe that young adult includes… well, me! I’m 24! I’m a young adult and yet none of these young adult books I read are allowed to have characters that are my age. None of them are allowed to have characters in college or struggling with things like… doing laundry and paying bills. It’s all about applying to college and dealing with bullshit high school drama, which isn’t what I want to read anymore. So, why can’t we just allow books with 20-something main characters to be included in ‘young adult?’ What is SO wrong about that?! HONESTLY! Someone tell me because I’m at a total loss.

But what do you think?
Should YA be geared towards teens?
Leave your thoughts below!

And check out my discussion from last week:
“Review Re-do“

76 thoughts on “{DISCUSSION} ‘Young Adult’”

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  4. I LOVE this post!! I am turning 30 in 5 days….Holy cow…Anyway. I LOVE YA books. They are more imaginative and make me feel more than adult books. I still consider myself a young adult. Hell, we aren’t considered elderly until over 55, so why can’t we say young adult is 18-35 and adult is 36-55 and anyone outside of those ranges can enjoy those books without shame? Some “YA” books ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR TEENAGERS!!! Yes teenagers need to learn about safe sex and need to know that there is violence in the world, but some YA books should not be read by a 13-15 year old, period.If publishers want books geared toward “teenagers” they need to have less mature content and they need to bring back the Teen section and not mix YA with Teen.

    So, with all that said. YA books should have college aged characters. Some of the content in YA books is more suitable for college aged characters, not teenagers in high school. YA books should include characters closer to my age as well. I am still young enough to party and have fun and ignore adult responsibilities from time to time. I go to more concerts now then when I was in high school. I get against the barricade with teenagers! Lol. So, why can’t I read a YA book with the fantasy and imagination I adore, but with a character that is my age?

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    1. YAS! Completely agree with you. There is a lot of growing up and maturity going on in the teens and early twenties. Thus, there may need to be separate age groups for them or at the very least, content ratings for violence, sex, language, etc. That way readers/parents can determine what is appropriate for younger readers.

      Totally understand wanting characters of your age with whom you can relate. We really don’t see that now in YA fiction. I mean, maybe there are teens doing drugs or running away from home or getting involved in nasty things, but that kind of story is VERY different when told from the perspective of a 22-year-old vs a 16-year-old. It would almost make it a different story and including these older characters would expand the plot capabilities because you might have to censor as much as you would with a 16-year-old character meant to be read by 16-year-olds.

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        1. Awww! Thank you, Adrienne! I’m actually quite surprised by the response to this (I was expecting lots of opposition), but I agree! I want to spread this discussion around and get more people thinking about it. Maybe you could host a discussion on your blog, too? More discussions = more awareness! 😀

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  5. I can only speek for what I have seen here at home and the YA section are ranged with book from 12 – 25 which is fun. And I belive as a 27-year old that some YA books are not agedefined at all but can be enjoyed and hit the right feels even at this age xD But maybe that´s just me. I have heard that I´m a bit different haha 😛

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    1. Really?! The books in your YA section range up to 25? YA books where I come from only go up to 20, which is kind of the problem here. I want our YA section to go up to 25 in the sense that the character ages and the things they are facing need to go up to the age, but of course readers of any age can read and enjoy YA. But the characters in the YA stories need to be allowed to be older than just 19. That’s the point I am trying to make in this discussion, but it seems your bookstore already took care of it. Hahaha! 😀

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  6. I would say that YA books are intended to anyone feeling like YA LOL Now the publishers perfectly know adults (and I’m so far from my twenties it’s not even funny) read these books too! What they must avoid is swearing and having sex so they won’t shock the teenager’s parents (not the parents reading the book but the parent of the kid reading the book). I’ve read YA for years now and buy my favorites in French for my kids. It’s a great bonding experience discussing the books. So teenager/YA/NA etc. is just a media packaging for something that can be read by anyone feeling in the mood for.

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    1. I completely agree. Anyone who wants to read YA should read YA. Doesn’t matter if you are 16 or 76 or anywhere in between because I’m pretty sure everyone can relate to and enjoy young adult fiction. However, the big problem is the age of the characters and the content, as you discussed.

      Personally, I think that the characters of young adult fiction need to be allowed to be older than 19. Right now, any book with a character of 20+ is thrown into the adult section without a second thought to the content, which is just dumb. The real problem is that for young adults outside of their teens, it can be difficult for them to find characters they can relate to, the ones that are struggling through college or finding a real job, etc. Or just like… fantasy novels with slightly more mature characters than a sixteen-year-old because let’s be honest. No sixteen-year-old will ever be as mature or worldly or knowledgeable as a 24-year-old. Just doesn’t happen. Thus, I believe we need to either allow older characters in young adult or publishing needs to bring back the ‘teen’ age group for books and keep YA for characters in their twenties. Thoughts?

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      1. Well you have a valid point about maturity. I would classify YA relating to the lack of cursing and explicit sex scenes rather than teenagers. Now I would probably not feature a 30 something under YA but what is a young adult? To me a teenager is NOT a young adult. Young adult begins from 18 to about 25 or somthing in my books. Trust me my sweet sixteen of a daughter is certainly mature but she is not a young adult. My son is now 18 and I have difficulties to consider him YA. I try but he has “young” reactions sometimes. So yes I do agree with you or we need another category featuring YA book’s characteristics sans the age stamp.

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        1. Completely agree on the 30 age. I don’t think that qualifies as young adult anymore. Yes, they’re still young, but… They’ve had more time to figure life out? Hahaha! I don’t know.

          I like the idea of YA being 18-25 and Teen Fic being 13-19 (allowing for some crossover between the age groups based on content and rating and what not.) But I think that is what we need to focus on: the removal of a hard-line. Young adult is definitely different in each person, like you said with your son, and I think being an adult isn’t really an everyday thing. Some days I feel like an adult. Other times, I’m just like… Uh… what am I doing? Haha! :p

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          1. Well Melanie I’m past 40 and I still feel like a teen sometimes! When I was young (like 12) I thought “when I’ll be old” but the thing is I don’t feel old and I don’t think I’ll feel old ever LOL

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  7. My YA Novel professor said that young adult goes up to 22 not just teens because it goes to average year people are graduating from undergrad because then New Adult typically starts after college. Either way I’m 23 and still reading it so whatever!

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    1. YAS! Thank you! I completely agree with the age range and justification of your professor. (Though, I’m 24 and still in college. Bahahaha! But I suppose grad school is a bit different). :p Still, I think publishers need to pay attention to what ages people actually are and when they’re considered adults by society and themselves. What’s strange is that people who work in publishing aren’t old enough to be out of touch with this, you know? Like… they have to remember what their early twenties felt like to determine that they weren’t adulting yet. :p

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  8. I guess I could get rich with my new genre, SOBSYA (Slightly Older But Still Young Adult, pronounced – “sob, say”). It will be aim at 18 – 26 year olds 😉

    Truthfully, I understand what you are saying. You are right, YA is marked for teens but often the themes are for, well, young adults. I don’t read it much, so I really don’t have a strong opinion.

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    1. Hey, that’s okay, Trent! We need all readers to support our cause. Hahahaha! 😀 And at least you can understand what I’m saying even thought you don’t read in the age group. Additionally, I fully support this new age group you are planning to create, but I think we need a catchier name. :p “Adulting” is a pretty popular term at the moment. Perhaps… AA: Attempting Adulting for 18-26. What do ya think? hahahahaha!

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      1. AA sounds pretty good. How about Triple-A – Adventures in Attempting Adulting?

        OK, a little more seriously 😉 Although I don’t read it a lot, occasionally I do read YA. A well written YA book can transcend the age group. I like that complex and subtle issues can be written about in a way that make them easily digestible because of the target audience. It can be comforting to read about these things in terms that are are easy to relate to (“comforting” in the wrong word, but you understand). It has been shown that “true” young adults, i.e., twenty-somethings, are still undergoing a large amount of development, just as the teens are. So, yeah, I can see why the type of writing and themes that are associated with good YA should also be applied to writing for twenty-somethings. It does make a lot of sense. And because this would have more adult situations (I’m talking life problems, not sex (though there could be more of that)), it would also have a much larger cross over audience with OA (old adults 😉 )

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        1. I think the problem is that marketers and many authors believe the only thing that defines twenty-somethings from teens is sex because they already tried to transcend that gap. They made New Adult for the twenty-somethings, but it didn’t have these life problems that we want to read about it. It didn’t deal with the struggles of college or finding one’s way in life or anything like that. All it did was have sex, which is considered taboo in YA fiction (though, I know plenty of people who had sex as teenagers. So, I don’t really think it’s THAT big of a deal to talk about sex in YA.) But they screwed it up because they don’t know what a young adult is and what young adult readers want.

          Also, there is some serious stigma against crossover books nowadays. Because they don’t fit squarely in a particular age group or genre, they can be more difficult to market and therefore avoided by publishers. :/ A shame because young adults are basically the crossover between teens and adults (no old adults. You’re just adults. :p ) And maybe that particular age range is a bit difficult to really understand and put down in writing, which makes it a bit more difficult to determine what all would really go into this crossover age group of books and what would be excluded.

          Either way, this isn’t an issue that’ll be remedied overnight. It will take time. We just have to actually take the time to do it.

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  9. holy crap! 😳 (sorry!) but i have never thought about that 😂 maybe because the term young adult is new to me, since i got actively into the book world one year ago. i just always assumed YA is for younger readers but now that you say it, it’s mostly about high school. crazy, how did i never think about that because i totally agree! there should be characters in college and in the early twenties! these are young adults! wow, alex, now you realize that 🙈 i agree with you melanie, 100%!

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    1. YASS!!! Bringing more people into the belief fold who never even thought about it. Hee hee! Welcome, Alex. :p But yes, it is a big topic, especially for us twenty-something-readers who aren’t finding characters with whom we can relate in an age group of books that is literally about us. You know what I mean? :p

      Hee hee! and it’s okay. I understand that there are topics out there people don’t think about until someone brings them up. I’m just so happy people are responding to this because that’s how change occurs. 😀

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  10. Great review, I totally agree with you as someone who will soon be entering her 20s I would love too read more young adult books with main characters in there 20s. I know a lot of people now argue that we have new adult books we can read but there is only a small percentage of these books and a lot of them contain sex which not everyone wants to read about.

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    1. Oooooo, woman! Don’t even throw that NA-crap at me because it is such a joke and a half! New Adult was the attempt at creating an age group for non-teenagers/non-full-adults yet, but the only thing that was added in these books that wasn’t previously in YA was sex, as you said. Thus, rather than becoming a bridge age group between YA and Adult it became a trashy romance age group that screwed itself over and will never be marketable again. If anyone ever tries to tell you to go read NA, that’s what it’s there for, tell them you’re a prude. :p No, just kidding, but I fully believe we need to make people understand that NA is not an option and not the answer to this dilemma. Make teen fic a thing and give YA their own or give YA teens and make an ACTUAL attempt at giving us twenty-somethings our own age group. And don’t ef it up this time.

      …RAWR!

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    1. Because names are utilized for people to understand what they’re getting, to know what to expect. When I see ‘young adult,’ I don’t imagine stories written solely for teenagers or with only teenage main characters. To me, young adult encompasses a broader array of people and I find it rather frustrating and mildly insulting that publishers and authors are simply ignoring half the people that are included in the name of the age group. Do you disagree?

      Additionally, I am annoyed by this problem as a writer because I want to write characters that are in their early twenties to give them a little more experience, a little more wisdom, but publishers refuse to allow those books in young adult because the main character isn’t a teenager. They would market them as adult or worse, New Adult, which was the previous attempt to differentiate such stories, but the publishing world epically failed because the only thing that actually stood out in those new adult stories was sex. Thus it became a bad romance genre and is currently considered ‘unmarketable.’ Does this make sense?

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      1. I see your points, Melanie, and I did not want to belittle your justified concerns. I guess I don’t pay too much attention to the type of labels attached to books. Maybe because I don’t read too much contemporary fiction, but am focusing on filling my vast gap when it comes to the “classics”.
        But if you try to write for a certain audience, and to sell your writing, those distinctions matter. And for my gut feeling, young adult definitely includes people in their 20s, that’s simply implied in the word.
        Sorry if I ruffled your feathers!
        Best,
        Tanja

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        1. Oh, no no! You didn’t ruffle my feathers. :p Sorry if I came off a bit cross. (Been a rough week. Heh.) I was actually more wondering if you found this debate to be trivial and perhaps you thought so because you didn’t understand why it’s such an important aspect for some readers/writers. So, I just thought I’d offer a little more insight. 🙂 I also got the feeling you might disagree and I am always open to opposing viewpoints so I thought going a little more in depth would open up the debate. :p

          I can totally understand not caring about the age groups of books when reading. I mean, read what you want to read. That’s the important part. 🙂 I definitely think my viewpoint comes more from the writing standpoint on this particular topic because age groups do affect how I will be agented, published, and marketed should I ever get that far with my books.

          Additionally, I know some twenty-something readers are getting frustrated with the lack of college-age main characters. I mean, you obviously don’t find them in YA and you really don’t even find them in adult fiction either. Or it’s few and far between because adult fiction often sees those college-age characters as too young. Thus, twenty-something readers are finding it hard to see themselves in characters, which is becoming a very big thing in the bookish world, you know?

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            1. Hee hee! Thank you, Tanja. 🙂 I’ll work on becoming a well-known author and then be like, “oh but wait. I don’t support the marketing scheme and I’m starting a movement. Deal with it.” Bahahaha! (oh, if only I could have so much power as an author. :p )

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    1. Exactly! Everyone reads YA because everyone can relate to YA, though I will state that you and I may be discussing slightly different topics. While adults are allowed to read YA, this discussion is in regards to for whom the books are written. Particularly, how old the main characters are allowed to be. The publishing world currently believes that any character over the age of 19 is not allowed to be published as ‘young adult’ because characters in their early twenties are not teenagers. They’re apparently full-fledged adults just like that. Poof! Fairy magic. (Being a 24-year-old, I COMPLETELY disagree with this. I’m SOOOO not an adult yet. Bahahahha!) The books with twenty-something characters must either be adult books or worse new adult.

      (New Adult, if you don’t know, was an attempt to remedy this exact discussion, but the publishing world severely goofed because the only thing that really ended up differentiating YA from NA is sex. Thus, NA has become a trashy romance genre instead of a new age group. :/ )

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      1. I get that. I’ve read a few YA books with people in college, but they are usually freshman. I think it’s odd that if they hit 20, they’re automatically not YA anymore. I hardly feel like an adult at times at 39. The age thing is just silly.

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        1. YAS! Exactly! Like, I want contemporary fiction about a 22-year-old who’s hardcore struggling to figure out their life as college ends because they never looked beyond college. I want the 22-year-old with a degree who goes: “Well, fuck. I… can’t do anything with this degree.” Real struggles exist beyond petty highschool drama (you know, besides the fact that people don’t grow out of high school) because that’s what learning to be an adult is about and teenagers are SOOOO not learning to be adults yet. Sorry, but no.

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  13. Wow, you made sure to back up your statement with FACTS! Not many people on the internet do that anymore 🙂 But I agree – YA isn’t just for teenagers. Actually, I tend to rebel against all the genres that are supposedly aimed at a certain age. For example, I’m a big fan of classic children’s books and fairy tales – does that mean I can’t read them because I’m not a child? Nope! I can and I will! 🙂

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    1. Hahahaha! I am a scientist, after all. No one believes you unless you back up/prove your hypothesis with cold-hard facts! :p

      Ah. While I agree with you that anyone is allowed to read YA or children’s fiction or adult fiction (if they believe themselves mature enough for that), I think the real discussion is for what age range these YA books are written, particularly how old the main character is allowed to be. The publishing world currently believes that only characters between the ages of 13-19 are allowed to be published as YA. Once you hit 20 for your main character, it’s now officially off in the land of adult publishing and they won’t touch it with a thirty-five-and-a-half-foot pole. -.-

      But that’s just dumb because there isn’t some magical formula or wicked spell that makes you an adult at age twenty. I mean, socially, you’re considered an adult, but you’re still a young adult. You’re still finding your way. So, I believe that we should allow main characters of young adult fiction to be in their early twenties, as well. Maybe the cut off should be more like 25 instead of twenty. I’m definitely not saying that 30-year-olds are young adults. Sorry to those who considered themselves so.

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      1. Hmm… It’s a bit of a slippery slope. When is someone not a child anymore? Age 13? But then we have the so-called tweens who are approx. age 8-12 – are they young adults too then? And as you say, when does one stop being a young adult?

        To be honest, I think the whole YA category is irrelevant – Yep, I just said that. I can already hear all the horrified gasps of outrage from fellow bookworms… But honestly, the whole notion of dividing books into a specific age group (whether they are based on audience or main characters) with a loose term such as ‘Young Adult’ is flawed. I think, it’ll be impossible for everyone to agree on an age range for YA because we have different views on when one stops being a child and when one stops being a young adult.

        I would actually just scrap the YA category entirely (was that another round of horrified gasps?) and focus on the genre instead, e.g. an urban fantasy with a young protagonist or a sci-fi with a 15-year-old hero… Age is just a number after all, right? But maybe that’s just me 🙂

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        1. AHA! I finally found my antagonist for the discussion. I was wondering when someone would step up to the plate. :p And the thing is, I kind of agree with you. These categories we put stories in are simply defined by certain people, but just as everyone sees one book differently, we all see the age group differently. Thus we will never come to an agreement. And I mean, what happens when twenty-somethings get their own age group, but thirty-somethings don’t? It would be an endless battle.

          However! I don’t believe that we can scrap these types of classifications altogether. After all, they are useful in bookstores for sorting and for readers to easily find books appropriate for their age group or their interest. Categories in general exist for a reason. And what I really want for the YA category is for the publishers to be more lenient on the type of stories they’ll allow in the YA category, particularly the age of characters. I don’t understand why any story told from the point of view of a 20-year-old is suddenly no longer allowed to be YA. I think there is room for some leniency in the category especially since there is no way to really create hard lines for things such as age.

          On the other hand, what we really need for the YA age-group if we make it more inclusive of age is actually a content rating. I think content ratings would be beneficial for swearing, violence, sexual content, etc. Thus we could rely less on the age group defining these characteristics and more on the actual content of individual books. This would allow more freedom for authors and characters and stories. You know what I mean? Agree or disagree? I gotta know! 😀

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  14. Lol no I totally agree. YA is for more than teens. And I think this discrepancy is why there’s the relatively new category of “New Adult” which would be for people our age (aka in our 20s) Although I’ve found that most New Adult books are really just average whatever stories that choose to feature characters in their 20s and more explicit content because apparently that’s enough for readers in their 20s 🙄 GIVE US SEX AND HOT PEOPLE. THAT’S ALL WE WANT. WHO CARES ABOUT PLOT?? I mean is it too much to ask for a GOOD book that ALSO has characters in their 20s and are actual “Young Adults”??

    But I totally agree, publishers and whomever should admit that “Young Adult” includes us. I mean there are so many amazing books under YA that people older than teens love because the story is just that good and often deals with deeper issues than simply high school (any book that takes place in a high school I still deem Teen Fiction because well that IS for teens…usually), but it would be nice to read something with a great YA plot that includes some older ages (what about college? trying to figure out life after college? idk but surely they can write about SOMEthing between high school and having that steady career, can’t they? Or hey even just a fantasy with people above the age of 16 would be nice).

    I’m kind of tired of reading about all these amazing 16- and 17-year olds saving the world…I mean, I love the stories but I just wish there could be some books out there that are just as good AND featuring people our age, ya know? (I think Maas’ books are the closest I’ve found because in ACOTAR Feyre is what? 19? 20? And the general character list are in their 20s…or well actually they’ve lived for hundreds of years but that’s just a technicality lol)

    It’s like the book world goes from teens saving the world (YA) to horny people in their 20s with shit plots (NA) to dull books about the woes of life (Adult/Gen. Fiction). Excuse me, but where do we fit in?? Is it because we’re millennials and the world has some skewed belief that millennials can’t do anything but eat avocado toast and scrape by on rent??

    WOW sorry I just wrote WAY more than intended haha but I started ranting and couldn’t stop lol But yeah in SHORT: YA is for more than teens. 13-year olds are not young adults. People in their early twenties are also young adults…actually in the U.S. ages 18+ are adults soooo why aren’t we in their books?

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    2. YASS!!!! Finally someone who gets what I’m saying about New Adult. That age group is SUCH a joke. Publishers obviously weren’t really caring about doing it right otherwise they wouldn’t have screwed it up so bad. Being a young adult has it’s own set of issues besides sex (which frankly teenagers deal with and figure out too, but we just like to pretend they don’t for some stupid reason.)

      I definitely agree with the notion of bringing back teen fic and making YA about twenty-somethings because a lot of changes still occur in your twenties. It’s not like you hit 20 and suddenly BAM life is AMAZING and you have everything figured out and you’re not eating ramen noodles every night because you either a) can’t afford real food or b) simply don’t have the time to make it. On top of having no idea if you even like your career or knowing where you want to be in life professionally and then your family is getting married and your friends are getting married, but you’re still looking for someone and the pressure there. Bleh! It’s insane just how much changes in your twenties. /rant

      Oh. My. Gosh! YES! All these 16-year-olds saving the world like it’s no big deal? Excuse me?! I don’t think so. Who said the prophecy had to be at 16? Why can’t it be at 24? Why wasn’t the prophecy at 2? Like… I really don’t believe that a 16-year-old can save the world, especially on their own. That’s just garbage. They are not emotionally or physically prepared for saving anything. At least, not in my experience. I want to read about a 24-year-old struggling through college and just trying to start a movement in a fantasy world to change one small thing that will have a huge impact because saving the world is too mainstream.

      OOO! Millenials! And maybe that’s it. Maybe our generation wants to see more of our generation reflected in fiction because our generation is getting dumped on so much in the real world. We aren’t seeing anything to relate to except for our parents telling us how much of a slacker we are because when they were our age, balh, blah, blah. Millenials are struggling because the world is not what it used to be. It’s not because we don’t try. It’s because the game and the businesses have changed and we aren’t enough to keep up. We’re not old enough to even have gained the experience to get a foot in the door. It’s garbage and we need more of that in fiction! could have an entirely different rant about being a millenial :p oops.

      Yeah, America sees 18 as the earliest age of adulthood, but those 18-year-olds are still in college (some of them) and still go home to their parents house for summer vacation and stay there. How is that being an adult? And guess what! They do that until like 21-23 (depending on how long they take to finish college) so are they really even adults yet??? I mean, they haven’t even gotten out of school. They haven’t worked a real job or seen how different real life is from school life. just recently went through a lot of this so I would know :p

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      1. I completely hear what you’re saying nods head fervently in agreement GAH one day…one day we shall exist on the shelves 😜
        Lol I’m relieved I wasn’t just some ranting weirdo in your comments haha! But ugh this is one of those topics that really irks me, particularly now that I’m NOT 16 and I’m almost 24 and flailing around trying to figure out how to “adult” haha

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    1. YAY! I am honestly so excited that people agree with me because I have faced so many opposing opinions to this! But I still fully believe we need to revise what books can be published as YA and I’m fine taking the backlash from the opposing party for my opinion. At least we’re then having a discussion. :p

      And thank you for promoting it on Twitter! 😀

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  16. I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts with authors, and that ones who wrote YA all tended to say the same things. They didn’t write YA, they wrote a story the way the story needed to be written. The writing wasn’t dumbed down, the subject wasn’t geared toward young adults, or teens, or anyone else for that matter. A few of them even eluded that someone else down the line assigns it the YA genre, not because of content, but because that’s where they believe it will find its biggest audience.

    Genre being a business decision to me makes the most sense. Many people, of all ages, know their favourite stories are YA, so that’s the section they browse first, or maybe the only one they browse.

    The stigma that YA is for teenage girls will probably be around for a while, which we’ll all have to deal with. I’m a fan of the genre and I’m not a teen girl. I’m a 30-something fat guy. Do I get my own section of the bookstore, too? What’s that? Sci-fi? Okay, thanks.

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    1. Yeah, I know it’ll be around for a while. That’s the sad part. And I’m not saying that everyone needs to have a genre or age group or whatever, but let me put it this way. Age means a lot more when you’re younger than it does as you grow older. For example, there is a HUGE difference between Kindergartner and 1st grader, but there is very little, if any difference, between 33 and 34. That being said, there is still a difference between teenager and 20-something because it’s in your twenties that most people are figuring out their lives and going off on their own and realizing what it means to be an adult and be independent. I don’t see any teenagers in contemporary working full time jobs on their own and trying to pay rent while figure out the rest of their lives. No. They’re in high school, often under the wing of their guardian still. It’s quite a difference in lifestyle and mindset, in my opinion.

      But yes, there will unfortunately be the argument that if 20-somethings get a genre, then 30-something and 40-somethings should too.

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  17. You said this so perfectly and I can’t agree with you more! Young adult includes more than just a “teenager”. I firmly believe that this includes people in their 20’s who are still technically in the early stages of adulthood. Most books have characters that are in their late teens and early 20’s – as in college age…… is 24 all that different from 20? I think not!
    I’m 35 and still read young adult. Am I wrong in reading YA? No! Perspectives of characters younger than I am is still a learning experience and still interesting. It also helps me reconnect with the person I was at that age and reconsider things from a different perspective now that I’m a little bit older. But I won’t get into that side of the debate. We could be here all day! 😂

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    1. Yes, you’re too old to read YA. You should only read books about World War I and II. Maybe once in a while you can read one or two about ‘Nam, but that’s it. Keep it to books that make you so bored you’d rather go to the dentist. That’s what you SHOULD be reading. #sarcasm #didn’tMeanAWord

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        1. My grandma offered us lemon drops instead of butterscotch. Hee hee! :p She always kept some in the console of her car. Yum!

          But I will DEFINITELY be that ornery old lady yelling at them dang whippersnappers on my lawn. GET OFF YOU! Bahahaha!

          P.s. My favorite is ‘back in my day, pluto was a planet.’ gasp

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            1. Bahahaha! Lemon drops are harder to find, though. My mom gets me a bag every time she finds them somewhere because she knows what they mean to me. 🙂

              HAHA! I have tooooo! Pluto is a planet. I don’t CARE what the professional scientists say… should care because I’m a scientist and am trying to promote listening to scientists dies from laughing

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        1. You don’t hate going to the dentist? This is supposed to be a universal thing. The whole planet had a vote, and we voted, ‘we don’t like it, but we’ll do it anyway.’ Also, exercise and eating healthy not that popular. Surprise, surprise.

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          1. Hahahaha! I know, but Queen of Unpopular Opinions over here. :p (And I was genetically gifted with perfect teeth. So, a dentist visit for me is literally just a overpriced teeth cleaning. 😀 )

            And… I kind of like running, too… >.> But the eating healthy thing I can totally get behind hating.

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            1. You’ve got a point there. I do enjoy a good run. Well… I enjoy running once I’ve started. I hate the idea of STARTING a run though. Meanwhile, the idea of sitting inside my house all day eating junk food, reading, and watching movies doesn’t bother me one bit (except for the fact that it’ll never happen!)

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    2. I’m completely agree with you about the age range. I am 24 and I soooo don’t feel any more adult than when I was 20. I mean… I’m still in college (grad school, but you know), and I’m still trying to figure out insurance and rent and utilities and like… oh, I don’t know. Life? So, I’m not a full adult yet. I barely keep my dang plants alive! Hahahaha!

      And I fully support everyone reading YA. No one should be excluded from or discouraged from reading any books that they want to read. Though, that is kind of a different debate from who YA is geared towards, you know? I mean, YA isn’t geared towards 30-somethings even if they do enjoy reading it because the main characters and their plights aren’t that of a 30-something-year-old, you know what I mean?

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      1. I’m 35 and I’m still trying to figure out life! I know that’s not encouraging words but it’s the truth lol. There’s always something that hits your adulthood and you’re like DAMN IT! Adulting sucks. And that’s why I read YA. I may be an adult but I don’t want to read about cheating husbands, money problems, family problems, blah, blah, blah. I have enough of those problems on my own (ok not the cheating husband!) so I don’t want to read about it too! 😂

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        1. Hahahaha! My biggest problem with adult books is that… I don’t have kids! I don’t know anything ABOUT kids. I’m that person where someone’s like: “Want to hold my child?” And I’m like: “Do you want it broken?” So I like reading books where the MC still feels like a child (sometimes) because I still feel like a child (sometimes.) ;p

          I definitely agree that there is something to be said about reading about another person’s problems for a while. Kind of strange since it doesn’t help us figure out our problems. Hmmmm

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