New adult is a trend in fiction that has caught fire in the past year or so. The first new adult romance I read was J.A. Redmerski’s book, The Edge of Never. I absolutely loved the story of Camryn and Andrew and am eagerly awaiting the release of The Edge of Always which will be told primarily from Andrew’s point of view.
But, what is new adult? Even many writers are still asking this question. Many have said it’s simple YA with sex. Not true. New adult fiction targets college-age readers and has a heroine about the same age, while the hero is sometimes a little older. The books deal with very adult themes and the sensuality level gets pretty hot. In fact, many could be categorized as erotic romance. The genre also doesn’t hold to the more rigid restrictions of romance. Many opt for a happy-for-now (HFN) ending, rather than a happily ever after (HEA) one. Also, since many of these top new adult authors published their books as indies, they aren’t bound by many of the rules that publishers and editors often impose on writers. Many writers–and obviously readers–find this refreshing.
Below is a video from Nightline in which Juju Chang talks to new adult fiction fans, and three new adult indie authors who’ve made a huge splash in publishing, including Colleen Hoover, the author of Slammed.
Have you read new adult? What do you think of the trend? Is it here to stay? Who are your favorite new adult authors?