9 Captivating New Adult Novels For When Life Comes At You Fast

Edited by Ezvid Wiki Editorial on 24 July 2019

It's not always easy to find books you can relate to when you're in your late teens and early twenties. Young adult novels don't really represent you anymore, but you can't quite see yourself as the older protagonists in literary fiction. That's where new adult novels come in. The enthralling works listed here encapsulate what it's like to be newly independent in the modern world, dealing with establishing a career, finding love, and discovering identity. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

New Adult Novels: Our 9 Picks

Title Author
1. Indecent Corinne Sullivan
2. Tell Me Lies Carola Lovering
3. Before He Was Famous Becky Wicks
4. Broken J.B. McGee
5. This Really Happened Annmarie McQueen
6. Twenty-Somewhere Kristan Hoffman
7. The Right Kind of Wrong Jade Eby
8. Me After You Mindy Hayes
9. Attempting Elizabeth Jessica Grey

Life Skills All Adults Should Learn

8 Great Films About New Adults

  1. Post Grad (2009)
  2. Tiny Furniture (2010)
  3. Reality Bites (1994)
  4. Good Will Hunting (1997)
  5. Before Sunrise (1995)
  6. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
  7. Garden State (2004)
  8. Booksmart (2019)

Advice for Entering the "Real World"

In Depth

Life can get overwhelming for those dealing with the pangs of early adulthood, but thankfully there are books that can help show readers they're not alone. Filled with humor and pathos, the titles included on this list empathetically reflect the turbulence of college, careers, and romance. In no particular order, here are nine engrossing new adult novels for when life seems to be throwing fastballs.

At #1 is "Indecent" by Corinne Sullivan. The meek Imogene's lifelong dream of attending a prep school gets partially answered when she is offered a teaching position at one shortly after she graduates from college. The catch is, it's an all-boys institution, and she doesn't have much experience with boys. When Imogene falls for one of her students, the attractive and popular Adam, their relationship turns into a secret affair that threatens to destroy her career.

For #2 we find "Tell Me Lies" by Carola Lovering. Lucy is excited to leave behind her suffocating Long Island home life for college in California. She is soon swept off her feet by cocky upperclassman Stephen. As she gets drawn in by his charms, both lovers grapple with secrets that could consume them. Narrated in the alternating perspectives of the two on-again off-again partners throughout college and beyond, this insightful novel explores questions of love, memory, and letting go.

Lucy is excited to leave behind her suffocating Long Island home life for college in California.

Coming in at #3 is "Before He Was Famous" by Becky Wicks. Childhood best friends Noah and Chloe harbor feelings for each other that they've been suppressing since the day their friendship turned into something more. When Noah is launched to stardom after winning a televised singing competition, Chloe is thrilled to accept the opportunity to join him on tour as a photographer and blogger for a New York magazine. But as their love resurfaces, the media spotlight on them grows more intense and vicious.

For #4 we have "Broken" by J.B. McGee. While her peers seem to be leading happy lives, Gabby is feeling broken. Devastated by the death of her mother as well as her boyfriend's betrayal, she vows to avoid any situation that will cause further emotional pain. But when she finds herself falling for Bradley Banks, a C.E.O. and inveterate ladies' man, Gabby is forced to confront the possibility of more heartbreak to come.

Showing up at #5 is "This Really Happened" by Annmarie McQueen. Erin, who has always been something of an introvert, is drawn out of her shell when she meets her new college roommate Allen. Embodying all the moxie she wishes she had herself, Allen seems to be not only a great friend, but an ideal mate. When he starts going out with their friend Charlotte, Erin senses the feeling isn't mutual. Then, Charlotte is involved in a hit-and-run that leaves her hanging on for dear life. There's more to the accident than meets the eye, but only one person knows what actually happened.

Embodying all the moxie she wishes she had herself, Allen seems to be not only a great friend, but an ideal mate.

For #6 we come to "Twenty-Somewhere" by Kristan Hoffman. New university graduates Sophie, Claudia, and M.J. think they're prepared for life after college, but the adult world proves to be more challenging than they anticipated. Sophie, displeased with her advertising career, quits her job. Discouraged by multiple rejections and a burdensome boyfriend, Claudia doesn't know where to direct her writing passion. Meanwhile, M.J. is more interested in her handsome lab supervisor than her research. Can the girls' close-knit friendship endure so much discontent?

Arriving at #7 is "The Right Kind of Wrong" by Jade Eby. Aspiring journalist Kara is not especially fond of filmmaker Vince, who once almost got them both expelled during a school project they were working on together. In a stroke of rotten luck, the two are paired again for a college competition that comes with a major cash prize. Choosing to make a documentary on Kara's grandfather and his World War II service, they travel to Iowa to do research. But what they end up uncovering instead is a long-buried family controversy.

For #8 we get "Me After You" by Mindy Hayes. After her husband is murdered, twenty-five-year-old Sawyer comes back to her hometown to start fresh, but finds it difficult to forget all the painful memories the place evokes. Included in those memories is her old boyfriend Dean, who left her six years ago and has regretted it ever since. Despite having settled down with another woman, Dean is taken aback by the arrival of Sawyer, and the feelings between them are rekindled. To truly reconcile, however, they'll have to overcome the past events that have wounded them.

Despite having settled down with another woman, Dean is taken aback by the arrival of Sawyer, and the feelings between them are rekindled.

Finally, at #9, is "Attempting Elizabeth" by Jessica Grey. To ease the pain of a recent breakup, bookworm Kelsey Edmundson takes refuge in her most cherished novel, "Pride and Prejudice," imagining herself as the forthright Elizabeth Bennett. Soon after, she meets sexy Australian bartender Mark, whom she keeps trying clumsily to woo. Kelsey once again turns to Ms. Bennett for motivation, and falls asleep while reading. She wakes up only to find herself in an environment that looks an awful lot like Jane Austen's Regency-era England. Is she dreaming, or has she really been transported into the pages of her favorite book?