Top Ten Tuesday | Favourite YA Books Of All Time (freebie)

Hi Everyone!

This week, Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie, meaning we can choose our topics. I wanted to talk about blogging and bloggers, but then realised that I have many posts about that coming. So I decided to talk about my Top Ten Favourite YA Books Of All Time. This is also something I've been wanting to share for a while, so I'm glad I decided to do it! These are in a rough ranking from my favourite YA book of all time to my least favourite favourite, but they are all fantastic!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. The Paper And Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

If you've followed my blog for a while, you will probably know how much I love this book and how much it means to me. I have a bunch of posts about it, all of which you can read by clicking here. If you are looking for some bookish friends to hang out with, laugh with and follow on a journey, then you need this series. These people are my best friends and I love them to bits. This is a book every book lover needs: from the cats, donuts and Shakespeare that makes up Ed, to the squeals and bookish rants about Jane Austen and YA from Olivia, this book will make you laugh, cry and just feel like you have a wonderful group of bookish friends. Please read this especially if you are a teenager and love reading! 

2. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

This is such a comforting book that every teenager needs. It's so full of joy, and has such a healthy look on mental health and relationships and shows what a truly supportive relationship is like. The friends, very similar to The Paper And Hearts Society, that you will make in reading this book are just one of a kind and I love spending time with them. Tara and Darcy have my heart and the main characters Nick and Charlie are just everything. This is a graphic novel, which almost put me off reading it but I am so glad it didn't! This is about Charlie as he meets Nick and falls for him hard, but he's sure that Nick is straight. However, love works in surprising ways and the beautiful (so far) four volume graphic novel series follows them as they figure out who they are, travel to Paris on a school trip and Charlie battles an eating disorder. It's such a positive book though, despite it's tough themes and it's got so much that you can take away from it. They mean so much to me and I can't wait for the Netflix show that is coming out on April 22nd!!! 

(that's not an excuse to not read the books though - books are better, always! Even though I'm sure the Heartstopper show will be incredible!)

3. Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

This was my YA Book Of The Month for February. I think the synopsis is the best way to convince you to read this, and you can read my review here. This is about Ash, who meets and falls in love with Poppy. But on New Year's Eve, Ash is hit by a car and taken to join a fierce clan of girl reapers, who take the city's dead to await their fate. But she can't forget about Poppy and she will do anything for just another day with her...

The ending of this book is SO PERFECT and I just want to scream at you to read this book because it's so good (I mean if you haven't read any of the books on this list then what have you been doing and I challenge you to read at least one of them before the end of the year). It's just a powerful book that will bring you along in a fascinating tale and these characters are just the best! 

4. All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman

This book has many trigger warnings, so please check them out if you consider reading this. 

This is written from the perspectives of three girls who in a moment of desperation sign up for a suicide website. They are paired together but form an unbreakable bond and start to realise that although they are individually going through a hard time, life can be worth living. They want to pull out of the 'pact' which they made upon signing up to the website, but the website won't let them stop and soon they are trapped.

Again, these characters are just so funny, realistic and feel so much like friends. This book approaches so many issues and is told really beautifully and just breaks your heart and at the same time mends it with friendship and true human connection. It is very much about the power of friendship and just having those one or two people by your side. This is such an important book for so many reasons.

5. I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman is truly one of the biggest voices in YA, hence why she is mentioned multiple times on this list! This was my YA Book Of The Month for March and you can see my review here. This is written from the perspectives of Jimmy, one third of one of the biggest boy bands in the world, who is struggling with the pressures of fame and being in the public eye. There is also the perspective of Angel, one of the biggest fans of 'The Ark', Jimmy's band. She is very active in the fandom but soon starts to realise that fame isn't what is seems and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, their lives collide and they find themselves in a very different position to what they expected. 

Such a fascinating narrative on fame and such a gripping and engrossing story, highly recommend for a thought-provoking yet comforting read.

6. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

This was a book I read mainly because of one of Rainbow Rowell's other books, Fangirl, which is linked to this. But I ended up absolutely loving it - even more than Fangirl itself! It's a Harry Potter style book (but in my opinion better, you can read about 7 reasons why I've never reviewed Harry Potter here) about Simon, The Chosen One to defeat a beast that has been sucking magic out of the air and causing havoc in the magical world. He goes to Watford School, a magical school where he shares a room with his nemesis Baz who he is convinced is a vampire. But in Simon's last year, things don't go to plan: his girlfriend broke up with him, his mentor is avoiding him and Baz didn't even bother showing up to school. 

There is an incredible romance, a great plot and fantastic characters. You can read my review here! Please consider reading this book - it sounds weird but IT'S SO GOOD! If you love Harry Potter then you need this in your life, and if you don't (or don't like J.K. Rowling - I direct you to the post linked above) then this is sort of similar, but also different and I prefer it. IT'S AMAZING.

7. Loveless by Alice Oseman

I mean...there's no rule to say I can't feature three Alice Oseman books in a Top Ten Tuesday post, right? This book is just...absolutely mind-blowing. Georgia, the main character, is so relateable and I love her! This follows her as she goes to university and comes to terms with the fact that she's never fallen in love, never kissed anyone, never felt anything for anyone. With new terms thrown at her, aromantic, asexual...she is more unsure of who she is than ever. She meets new people, sets up a Shakespeare soc and deals with her new eccentric roommate, Rooney. This is a truly amazing book - highly recommend!

8. A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

This is one of the best murder mysteries I've ever read. We follow Pip, who is determined to prove Sal Singh's innocence, five years after he allegedly killed Andie Bell and then died himself. The other books in this series all link together and Holly Jackson is so clever in the way they are all intertwined together and she must have had it planned all along! I wrote a review of the first and second books here and the third book here. I think As Good As Dead, the third book is quite controversial, so if you've read it, I would love to know what you think! 

9. Noughts And Crosses by Malorie Blackman

This is a classic of YA, and a series I'm looking forward to continuing. I read Knife Edge (the second book) last summer, and documented it in my "summer diaries". It was quite dark but so powerful. That's the only way I can describe this series: powerful. It's also so heart-wrenching, so soul-destroying and so passionate. I can't recommend giving it a go enough. There is a reason so many people love it and it's just amazing! I reviewed the first book here. I have the next book in the series and I'm hoping to get to it this summer; Knife Edge took a while to sink in!

10. The Tattooist Of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This is also one of the most heart-wrenching and soul-destroying books I've ever read. The sequel is also a favourite of mine, so if you haven't read it and are aware of the trigger warnings, then please give it a try. This is pretty self-explanatory from the title - it is about the tattooist of Auschwitz, Lale Sokolov. This is not only a tale of suffering that must never be repeated, but also a tale of survival and strength and just how strong these people are. It's one of the most important books I've read and I hope the events in this book are never, ever repeated. It's a very personal and eye-opening book, and I highly recommend if you are a historical fiction fan, especially if you enjoy learning about the events of the war and the holocaust. 

I hope you will have got some recommendations, or just enjoyed hearing about my favourite YA books! Make sure to link your Top Ten Tuesday post in the comments if you take part, and if you don't then let me know your favourite YA books! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and tomorrow I am talking about blog hopping and gaining followers! 

Have you read any of these books? Do you want to? What are some of your favorite YA books? Link your TTT below and I'll take a look!

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