Jenna’s Top 10 YA Releases of 2015

December 20, 2015 by Jenna | Books

top10_2015jenna

I’ve read an insane number of wonderful books this year but today I’m going to share with you my favourite 2015 YA releases! I’ve already done my top 10 reads of 2015 over on my own blog for Top Ten Tuesday this week, so I decided to just share my favourite releases. I’ve got a good mix of both contemporary and fantasy novels on my list and I’m very happy with the quality of books that were released in 2015!! They’ve made me fangirl, scream and cry, and I’ve had an amazing time with all of the characters. I am rambling now, so let’s begin!

finding-audrey  the-boy-most-likely-to  library-of-souls  a-court-of-thorns-and-roses  simon-vs

10. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – Jeann’s Review | My Review

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would! It’s a very funny and lighthearted book about anxiety, with the most adorable and relatable characters! There are some mixed reviews for this book, but I really enjoyed Audrey’s development and her relationship with her family and Linus. For me, it wasn’t a love cures mental illness kind of story at all, which was why I loved it so much!

9. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick  – Review

Huntley Fitzpatrick is one of my favourite (and auto-buy) contemporary authors. The Boy Most Likely To is a companion to My Life Next Door, and features two side characters from that debut novel. I initially had some reservations about The Boy Most Likely To because those characters weren’t my favourite but the story was so lovely and heartwarming that I fell in love anyway. The writing is exquisite and the feels were real.

8. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs – Review

I am so sad that the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children trilogy is over now! I loved all three of the books and I thought Library of Souls was a magnificent finale. I particularly enjoyed the different historical settings that Ransom Riggs took us to and the interesting cast of characters. The ending of Library of Souls was also super satisfying and I hope we get to see more of the peculiar children in future works.

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – Jeann’s Review | My Review

I love retellings and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales! ACOTAR had amazing characters (shirtless, hunky fae lords anyone?). I loved the romance between Feyre and Tamlin and I’m excited to see what happens in A Court of Mist and Fury!

6. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – Review 

This is one of my favourite 2015 LGBTQ+ books. Simon and Blue are just so adorable together and I couldn’t stop feeling all warm and fuzzy inside for weeks afterwards! I enjoyed all of Simon and Blue’s interactions in the book, from their email exchanges to their meeting at the end that had my heart just beating out of my chest. SO GOOD!

the-last-time-we-say-goodbye  queen-of-shadows  six-of-crows  carry-on  winter

5. The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand – Review

I read a lot of novels at the beginning of this year about the topic of teen suicide and depression and The Last Time We Say Goodbye comes out on top. It was emotional and heartbreaking, but what I appreciated most about it was how well the issues were explored and how well depression and suicide were represented.

4. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas – Jeann’s Review | My Review 

My second Sarah J. Maas book on this list. Props to Sarah for writing such amazing books!! I really loved this fourth instalment in the Throne of Glass series. It had everything from a steamy romance to epic action to a FANTASTIC climax and resolution! The characters in this book were perfection and the new friendships and relationships that were formed in Queen of Shadows is mhmm *nods approvingly*.

3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Review

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Even though the trilogy did get better with each book, I thought it was just okay. But Six of Crows blew my mind! The world! The ships! The characters! Kaz! Inej! Nina! The action! The plot! Omg! I loved Six of Crows so much and I can’t believe Crooked Kingdom doesn’t come out for almost another year *collapses from need*

2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – Our Discussion Review | My Review 

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone if you’ve read the discussion review that Jeann, Aila and I did last month. Simon and Baz is my OTP of the year and I have been dying to reread Carry On since I finished reading the last page of the book. SnowBaz was my favourite aspect of the book. The romance and all of their interactions were just perfect! But I also really liked the magic system and Rainbow Rowell’s writing.

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer – Review

My favourite YA release of the year goes to the 823 page finale to The Lunar Chronicles! It had everything I wanted and more. The characters were superb as always and I loved being able to have all of our main cast of characters in the same place at the same time! The Snow White retelling was wonderfully done and I thought the ending was wrapped up so nicely. I am super satisfied with this series and it is definitely my favourite series of all time.

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What are some of your favourite releases of 2015?

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Jenna is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves to indulge in great books and great food. She is a doctor (of philosophy) and can usually be found fangirling about something, devouring delicious food, or taking a nap. You can find her on Twitter @readwithjenna and on Instagram @readingwithjenna.

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55 responses to “Jenna’s Top 10 YA Releases of 2015

  1. I have only read a few of these (ACOTAR and Six of Crows, both of which I enjoyed!) but SO many are on my TBR- actually, on my shelves hahah. I have and need to read The Last Time We Say Goodbye, Queen of Shadows,Simon Vs. , Winter, and The Boy Most Likely To. Actually- the last two I need to read their predecessors first! Great list!
    My recent post Dear Santa, Leave the Books. Take the Cannoli.

    • Ooh! You have great taste in book buying, I guess? XD The Lunar Chronicles is such a wonderful series and Cress and Winter were just perfect!! I also really loved My Life Next Door and The Boy Most Likely To. They'd be the perfect binge for a rainy day indoors.. Or a sunny day outdoors!!

    • Noooo, you should totally pick some of them up, Lexxie!! They were so great and I cannot recommend them enough! Definitely recommend Carry On if you're looking for an adorable but magical standalone!

    • Haha they're telling you to just drop everything and read them! Six of Crows and Winter were truly wonderful and epic and all the good things! I hope you enjoy them when you get to them!

  2. sumlynnnguyen

    2015 was such a fantastic year for books! I second your opinion with Simon, it's such a cute, fast read. And I am even more excited to try Six of Crows after your praise. And I noticed Joey added it to his favorites shelves on Goodreads. Knowing how picky he is (in a good way), it has to be uber good! And oh my gosh, I had no idea Winter was such a whopper. Often times finales can either be a huge letdown or success for me. Glad it was the latter for you!
    My recent post How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

    • Omg yes! I'm excited to see Joey's Six of Crows review (can't remember if it's up yet or not) and check out his rating since he has such a conservative rating system! I actually buddy read that with him and remembered him really loving it. You should totally just go ahead and read it now Summer! I know how much you love Leigh Bardugo!

    • I really, really enjoyed the Miss Peregrine's trilogy! There have been some mixed opinions but I absolutely loved the characters and the whole tone of the books. And Carry On is definitely a winner for me! The relationships in that one are just magical! I hope you get to it soon!

    • Haha I know what you mean about keeping up with series! I prefer waiting until all the books are released and then marathoning the whole series. When they're incomplete series, I sometimes have a hard time keeping up! I hope you get to finish The Lunar Chronicles soon! I loved all of the books but Cress and Winter were just perfection!

    • Yes! Definitely read Simon vs soon! The characters, plot and all the messages in that book were so great! Without a doubt one of the most adorable and heartwarming contemporaries I've read for a while.

  3. OMG QUEEN OF SHADOWS WAS SO GOOD!!! Sarah J. Maas is killing it right now! And I can't believe that in two years, both of her series will be over?!! How crazy is that??!!! What will we do with our lives?… besides reading other awesome books, of course XD

  4. I absolutely loved Finding Audrey as well Jenna, so funny and such a pleasure to read. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the last YA readers who hasn't read Simon vs, I bought it not long after it was released but clearly I need to read it ASAP. I had no idea that he Boy Most Likely was a companion novel, how did I not know this Jenna! Well now I NEED to buy a copy, I loved the original. Awesome list Jenna, looking forward to checking our your reviews for them <3
    My recent post Madame Tussaud's Apprentice

    • Oh no, Kelly! You have to remedy that and read Simon vs ASAP next year!! It was just a funny and adorable as Finding Audrey, but with a lot more oreos! If you loved My Life Next Door, you'll absolutely have to pick up a copy of The Boy Most Likely To! Sam and Jase get some pretty big cameos and omg the feels!! Tim also has some really great character development in the book and is a huge step up from the drug addict that he was in the original! Happy reading, Kelly!!

  5. Looks like we have a lot of the same favourites Jenna! I absolutely LOVED QoS as you know, Carry On, Simon Vs, ACOTAR and Winter. I also enjoyed Finding Audrey. Lots of books I have to read in the new year, including the Miss Peregrine's series!

    • Haha yes, I have had a small sneak peek into your favourites XD Yay, I'm so glad that we liked so many of the same books and got to fangirl about them together! I LOVED Miss Peregrine's so I hope you love them too!!

  6. kynndra

    These all sound so wonderful, I too adored ACOTAR! I haven't read quite a few on your list, I'll have to remedy that!

    • ACOTAR was a fantastic start to the series and now I'm super excited for ACOMAF! I love the Hades and Persephone story so I can't wait to see what Sarah J. Maas does with it!

  7. Jade @ Bedtime Bookworm

    i need to read winter ASAP!! I'm waiting on my library copy… but I might get too impatient and buy it instead haha. I'm reading Carry On right now and I'm not loving it as much as I had hoped 🙁 I'm only about halfway through so I hope it gets better for me, but I'm feeling around a 3 stars right now.
    My recent post TTT: Best Books I Read In 2015

    • Winter will not disappoint! I hope you get to read it soon, Jade! Oh no! I hope Carry On picks up for you. I know that lots of people thought that the beginning was slow but most people do end up liking the second part of the book a lot more. I hope that's the case for you! And if not, I hope you at least love SnowBaz!

  8. danielleisbusyreading

    Great list, lady! Six of Crows, Winter and Simon made my list too, and I enjoyed Carry On and The Boy Most Likely To (though slightly disappointed because I expected to LOVE). I hope to read Finding Audrey in 2016!

    • Ahhh. I had pretty low expectations for The Boy Most Likely To because Tim and Alice weren't really my favourites in My Life Next Door, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed their relationship and I loved Tim's character development! I hope you enjoy Finding Audrey if you manage to get to it! It was really funny and cute and it made my heart all warm and fuzzy.

    • Can't wait to see what's on your favourites list! I also really enjoyed Everything Everything and Mosquitoland. Made You Up has been sitting on my shelf for almost 7 months so I really need to just READ IT.

    • I'm so glad to hear that you're looking forward to The Boy Most Likely To! I love spreading my love for Huntley Fitzpatrick and her books! They're wonderful contemporaries and I hope you enjoy The Boy Most Likely To and ACOTAR when you get to them! Happy reading!

    • I've been hearing about I'll Meet You There non-stop for the last two weeks. It's definitely on my wishlist now! I read the synopsis and it sounds right up my alley so I have a feeling that I'm going to love it too! I recently bought Red Rising so hopefully I can get on the Pierce Brown bandwagon soon too.

  9. AHH I LOVED WINTER TOO!! And I agree, it was an entirely satisfying ending. *nods* It was a little bit predictable? hehhe, but I'm not complaining at all because I LOVED IT. I still need to read Carry On! Zomg, it's staring at me from my TBR but I'll probably get to it next year now. 😛

    • Haha yes, the ending to Winter was sooooo satisfying. I didn't mind that it was a bit predictable either because I just needed my babies to be okay! It probably would've been more realistic if something tragic had happened but WHO CARES?! I don't. And omg, I just want to hug Carry On to my chest and never let go. SnowBaz is so precious!

    • You have AWESOME TASTE too, Emily! Yes yes! Go read Winter because it is absolutely amazing and such a satisfying end to the series! It won't disappoint!

    • Six of Crows is a great one! And the hype is definitely real. I hope you pick it up soon… but at the same time, the wait for the sequel will be torturous!!

    • Yes omg, that cliffhanger is TORTURE! I just need my babies to be reunited! (But knowing Inej, she'll probably be back with the crew within the first 5 pages of Crooked Kingdom haha).

  10. So many wonderful books on this list Jenna! Sarah J Maas is kween, she's my auto-buy author, and I've been following her since her FictionPress days, so I'm so glad that she's found so much success <3 Hope 2016 treats your well reading wise too! xx

    • It's always so nice to be able to follow an author on their writing and publishing journey!! I'm glad Sarah's books are out there in physical form for everybody to read because her series are just the best! Happy reading to you too Joy!

  11. Grace @ RebelMommyBB

    I really enjoyed Finding Audrey and Simon. There are so many here I want to read. Carry On and Winter are two I am really looking forward to. Since I have started the ToG series I now want to read ACOTAR. Great list!!
    My recent post Review ~ This Raging Light

    • If you enjoy ToG, you'll really like ACOTAR too! I hope you can get to it soon and catch up before ACOMAF is released 🙂 And of course, I encourage you to pick up Carry On and Winter since those two are my favourite 2015 releases 😀 Happy reading!!

  12. Yaaas girl!! I see a whole lotta contemporaries I have to add to my ever-growing TBR, but your top 3 are just TOTAL UMF. It's crazy how words can make you want to curl up in a fetal position and cry/laugh for weeks straight.

    • Yes I know!! Omg those top 3… I can't believe I read them all in one week. I literally wanted to curl up and reread all three of them straight afterwards. But duty calls.

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