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Wednesday 12 February 2014

New Adult - A New Stage In Life (?)

I'm not sure when this became a new genre in the reading world, but I'm only just beginning to explore it now.

If you don't know New Adult is a genre that aims to cover the transition from Young Adult to Adult fiction. In a typical plot, it'll combine a passionate love story with deep and emotional topics such as rape, family problems and other scarring issues you can think of. Not so explicit as adult Erotica, New Adult does expose readers to sexual intimacies between characters of the novel.

I really do want to find a concrete definition but apparently there isn't one yet, and I'm not willing to believe Wikipedia (yet). You just need to understand that's it people in 20's beginning to explore "adult" things. Think Twilight fiction, only better written and thought through and I guess thats it. Another way to think about it is "College Romance".

Doesn't sound that exciting right? The hype around it begs to differ. More and more readers are now delving into the genre, seeking a little more excitement than the usual YA but not really ready for whats in store with Adult function. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea but I can see why it's so addictive for many people.

Firstly, it gives teenagers the ability to read mature content that's appropriate (enough). Erotica is always such a taboo, especially during the teen years but New Adult makes it possible for readers to do some further exploring. Although I do know a couple of people who have freely admitted to liking Ffity Shades of Grey. And secondly, it's different. Whilst romances in YA novels are cute and sweet, there's nothing as thrilling as reading about a passionate relationship. Especially if there's been an immense amount of tension that's built up till the right moments.

I have to admit, I was really hesitant with this genre. I had no idea what it is so I had to do some research and then I looked up novels that have been popular. I actually think the front covers exaggerate the story a lot. They all don't leave much to the imagination and look controversial, but the stories are a lot more than just sex.

In the end, I had to read it for myself. I'm actually surprised by how much I did enjoy the novel. It's not the best type of story, but it was entertaining. I managed to finish off the novel in 3 hours because I was pretty much captivated by the stereotypical love line between the characters who couldn't admit to their attraction for each other. Now that I think about, it's actually quite relatable. The characters go through most things that people in their 20s do, including emotions that a lot of us try to hide.

I'm not sure I'll continue to read New Adult novels. It was great while it lasted but there are other novels I'm a lot more interested in reading. Still, if I ever feel the need to get a little excited over somebody's love life, I know where to go.

Popular reads include:

  • Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire

  • Ten Tiny Breaths - K.A Tucker

  • Pushing The Limits - Katie McGarrie

  • The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines


If you've ever read anything from New Adult, tell me what it was and if you enjoyed it or not!

 

1 comment :

  1. […] week ago, I had written a post explaining the hype around the up and coming genre: New Adult (read here). Besides just doing some google searches as my research, I also managed to read a few books in […]

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