Top Ten Contemps You Must Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend for Someone Who Doesn't Read Contemporary:

1. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - The name says it all. This book is so raw, so emotional and so powerful that I cried for at least three chapters straight. There's a beauty in the stark honesty of this one.

2. Between by Jessica Warman - I don't care if there was a bit of predictability to this one. It's so beautifully written, and there is power behind the words. I loved it in its entirety.

3. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - This one, though triggering, is amazing. I wouldn't recommend it to those necessarily recovering from an eating disorder because I saw a lot of tips I probably should forget, but it's incredibly powerful.

4. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden - It grapples with issues I haven't really explored before in YA fiction, and the reality of it is beautiful...and dangerous. It's complex and phenomenal.

5. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles - I've said it time and time again that this book is incredible. The story of Maggie and Caleb leaps from the pages with raw emotion and complexity. I really wish there wasn't a sequel because it didn't live up.

6. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - Written as a letter from a brother to his younger sister, this one was heart-wrenching from start to finish, and though I wasn't sure how I felt about it right away, I continue to re-read it to this day.

7. Stay by Deb Caletti - The author certainly knows how to paint her characters in a light that is so real that you feel you know them. I loved this book, and though I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, I have a very worn out copy on my shelf now.

8. Dark Song by Gail Giles - I'll be honest - this one isn't for the faint of heart. It's brutal, and it's a story of addictive personalities, rebellion, lies and abuse (both emotional and physical). Part of me loved it, and part of me felt physically ill. That's the beauty of it.

9. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - I put this one off for so long because I thought the title sounded slutty, but it turned out to be a beautiful story of overcoming loss and tragedy. It was a bit blunt, but it was real, and it was rich.

10. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - I was on the fence about this one for a long time. It's a fast read, but it's intense. It's definitely nothing like I've ever experienced before, but the story of bullying is relevant, and it's powerful.