Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Reading YA 📚💫
Post Teaser: Just getting into YA books? Here's what veteran YA readers wish they knew from the start - from series commitments to trope awareness, we've got you covered!
Look, nobody hands you a manual when you pick up your first YA book. You just dive in headfirst and figure things out as you go! 😎
But after reading approximately 10 million YA books (okay, maybe not THAT many, but it feels like it), there are some things I really wish someone had told baby-reader me.
So consider this your friendly neighborhood guide to navigating the wild, wonderful world of Young Adult literature! If you're just starting out, you're welcome. If you're a YA veteran, get ready to NOD AGGRESSIVELY. 📖✨
1. Series Commitment Is a REAL Thing 📚⚠️
What I thought: "Ooh, this book looks good!"
What I didn't realize: I was signing up for a 7-book commitment that would consume my entire life. 😳
Here's the truth about YA series:
What I wish I knew: Check how many books are in the series BEFORE you start. And maybe check if the series is actually FINISHED before you get attached. Waiting years for the next book is its own special kind of torture. 📆💔
Pro tip: Standalones exist! They're your friend when you want a complete story without signing your life away!
2. Not Every Hyped Book Will Be YOUR Book 🌟📖
What I thought: "This book has 5 million 5-star ratings! It MUST be amazing!"
What actually happened: I read it and went "...was that it?" 😐
The hard truth: Hype doesn't equal personal enjoyment.
Just because BookTok is OBSESSING over a book doesn't mean it'll click with you. Just because your friend cried for three days doesn't mean you will. Just because it won awards doesn't mean it's your vibe.
What I wish I knew: Trust YOUR taste, not the hype. Read the popular books if you want, but don't feel broken if you don't love them. Your reading experience is YOURS! 💙
Reality check: Some of my favorite books have mediocre ratings, and some of my DNFs are universally beloved. That's the beauty of reading, it's subjective! ✨
3. Love Triangles Are Everywhere (And You'll Have Opinions) 💕🔺
Ooh, romantic tension!
Ya, no.
The YA truth: Love triangles are EVERYWHERE in YA, especially in older books. You will encounter them. You will probably have feelings about them.
The stages:
- "Oh, two potential love interests? Interesting!"
- "Okay, I'm team [whoever]"
- "NO, SHE'S MAKING THE WRONG CHOICE"
- "WHY IS THIS TAKING THREE BOOKS TO RESOLVE"
- Either satisfaction or betrayal when she finally picks
What I wish I knew:
- It's okay to hate love triangles (many readers do!)
- It's okay to love them (some of us eat that drama up!)
- Some readers will pick a team and defend it with their life
- The author will probably disappoint at least half the readers no matter who wins 😂
Modern update: YA has been moving away from love triangles recently, so newer books might surprise you! But if you're reading anything from the 2010s... 🎢
4. Tropes Are Your New Love Language 🏷️💬
What I thought: I was just reading stories about people.
What I discovered: I was actually reading TROPES in different combinations, and once you see them, you can't unsee them! 🤯
The trope awakening:
- Chosen One narratives
- Enemies to lovers
- Love triangles (we covered that one!)
- The friend who dies to motivate the hero
- Insta-love (don't even get me started on this one 👺)
- Miscommunication that could be solved with ONE conversation
- "I'm not like other girls" (thankfully dying out!)
- The prophecy that's weirdly specific
- Found family 💕
What I wish I knew: Learning tropes HELPS you find books you'll love! You can literally search "YA books with enemies to lovers and found family" and find your next obsession.
The gift: Once you know what tropes you love and hate, book hunting becomes SO much easier! "Give me cozy fantasy with no romance" or "dark academia with morally gray characters" - that's POWER! 🎯
5. You Don't Have to Finish Every Book 🚫📖
What I thought: If I start a book, I MUST finish it.
✨Life's too short for books you're not enjoying! 😌
You know what's worse than not finishing a book? Forcing yourself through 400 pages of something you hate, then being too burned out to read something you'd actually love!
What I wish I knew:
- DNF-ing doesn't make you a "fake reader"
- You don't owe books your time
- Sometimes it's not that the book is bad - it's just not for YOU
- Sometimes it's not the right TIME (you can always try again later!)
- Your TBR is too long to waste time on books that aren't working
The freedom: Once you give yourself permission to DNF, reading becomes fun again! You're only reading books you actually want to read!
My unofficial rule: If you're not feeling it by 50-100 pages (or 10%), it's okay to move on. Your next favorite book is waiting! 📚✨
6. YA Isn't Just One Thing 💫
What I thought: YA = teenage romance and drama
What it actually is: EVERYTHING. Literally everything! 🤯
The reality of YA:
YA isn't a genre - it's an AGE CATEGORY. Which means you can find YA versions of literally any genre you want!
Want contemporary real-life stories? YA has it! 🌟
Want sci-fi space adventures? YA has it! 🚀
Want horror that'll keep you up at night? YA has it! 👻
Want romance that's all fluff and happiness? YA has it! 💕
Want books that make you sob? YA has it! 😭
(You get the point)
What I wish I knew: If you don't like one YA book, try a different subgenre! Just because you didn't vibe with one YA contemporary doesn't mean you won't love YA fantasy!
The beauty: There's truly something for everyone in YA. You just gotta find YOUR corner! 🎨
7. Some Characters Will Feel Like Friends (And You'll Miss Them) 👥💙
What I thought: These are just characters in a story.
The truth about YA characters:
YA does something special - it makes you CARE. Deeply. These characters become your friends, your inspirations, your comfort characters.
You'll think about them randomly throughout your day. You'll wonder what they're doing "now." You'll miss them when the series ends. You'll reread just to visit them again.
What I wish I knew:
- This is NORMAL (we all do it!)
- Book hangovers are real and they HURT
- It's okay to be sad when a series ends
- Fanfiction exists for when you're not ready to let go 📝
- Some characters will stick with you for YEARS
The gift: YA characters teach you things. They show you bravery, resilience, love, friendship, standing up for yourself. They grow, and sometimes you grow with them. 💫
The bittersweet part: Finishing a beloved series feels like saying goodbye to friends. But the beautiful part? You can always revisit them. They're not really gone - they live in the pages, waiting for you to come back! 📖💕
The Bottom Line ✨
Starting your YA journey is exciting, overwhelming, emotional, and absolutely worth it!
Yeah, you'll make "mistakes" like starting a 10-book series or buying every hyped book. Yeah, you'll probably develop unhealthy attachments to fictional characters. Yeah, your TBR will become a monster you can never tame.
But here's what else will happen:
You'll find stories that change you. Characters that inspire you. Books that make you cry, laugh, and stay up until 3 AM because you NEED to know what happens next.
You'll become part of an amazing community of readers who GET IT.
So welcome to the YA reading life! 📚💙
It's chaotic, emotional, expensive, and absolutely magical. And we wouldn't have it any other way! ✨
What do YOU wish you knew when you started reading YA? Drop your wisdom in the comments for the baby readers just starting their journey! 💬
May your bookmark never fall out! 📖✨
The Book Pup 🐾