Guest Post - Favourite YA Authors

Today I've got a different kind of blog post for you. My friend Steph has excellent taste in books and writes the most entertaining blog posts. You can check out her blog here.

Now it's time to hand over to Steph with all of the amazing books. Enjoy!


Hello! I’m Steph! I blog at A Little But A Lot and Amy has invited me here today to talk about my favourite YA authors – she’s done the same for me, over on my blog… check it out here if you fancy it.

Now, this is where it gets tough. I love books. ALL OF THE BOOKS. I don’t tend to DISLIKE books. I might like some books more than others but I don’t tend to, or I haven’t come across any, hate books. They’re wonderful things that mean something to someone. The authors have poured their hearts and souls into this creation, this 80000 words, so I’m in no position to come along and hate on it. I hope if you were to come along to my blog that you’d see that my posts are on the whole very positive. That’s my stance on books. I LOVE THEM. ALL OF THE BOOKS. ALL OF THE LOVE.

So here goes… my favourite YA authors.

(Disclaimer, I love all wonderful authors of the world)

Melinda Salisbury: for those who know me, know I am a massive fan of Mel. She writes such incredibly beautiful stories and I am sure she is destined to take over the world (or the Underworld) one day. You should go and read The Sin Eater’s Daughter trilogy now, because it’s incredible. Then come and talk to me about it when you’re done. I’ll be over on twitter just waiting!

Katherine Webber: Wing Jones had such an incredible message and when I read it I knew it was something special. I loved every second of it. I’ve met Katherine herself and she is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what comes next, I know it’ll be just as amazing as Wing.

Sara Barnard: A Quiet Kind of Thunder had a profound effect on me. I’m not sure why and it came out of left field for me, but it did have quite an immediate impact on me in quite a massive way. I will forever champion this book. It inspired me to teach my kids sign language and taught me to listen just as hard as I talked. Beautiful Broken Things is also an incredible story that is written, just as AQKOT is, in such a way that they appeal to teenagers – they’re relatable and real.

Alwyn Hamilton: Rebel of the Sands blew me away. Here comes this story about a badass young lady, who wields guns and can fight like the best of them, who goes on an adventure and she won’t put up with anyone’s crap. Then there’s the heart throb of the books. She’s such a brilliant story weaver with this incredible world and characters who are just exceptional. I’m ready for the last book to be out now, but I’m not ready for the trilogy to be over.

Patrick Ness: I’ve only recently become a Ness fan but now wonder WHERE HAVE I BEEN FOR SO LONG? Reading A Monster Calls was a massive kick in the face. Here’s this incredible story about a young boy and 3 stories within it and BOOM, make sure you have tissues ready. It’s so sad, so heart-breaking but so brilliant. I’m lucky enough to have met Patrick recently and he’s so frank and witty. I can’t wait to read more now that I’ve started.

Holly Bourne: what can I say about Holly that probably hasn’t been said 6000 times before? She writes contemporary fiction SO WELL. The Spinster series was such an excellent portrayal of teenagers today, with such a brilliant set of messages – dealing with all kinds of issues from OCD, feminism to sexuality – that everyone needs to get them read now. She’s a great person to have on our side and for teenagers to read.

Honourable mention to Rainbow Rowell: Eleanor and Park was one of those exceptional books that I devoured and have reread a few times since. I can’t recommend this book enough. Everyone needs it in their life. Love needs to be portayed in all of the ways – not just one. Everyone needs representation.

So there we have it! Some of my favourite YA authors in the world today. I have so many other authors that I respect and admire; these ones though have a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf!

I’d love to know if you have any recommendations based on these authors, or even ones which come out of left field! Let me know on twitter (@eenalol) and if you’d like to see more then come over to my blog – I’m always open for a chat!

Thank you so much Amy for having me!

S x

Thanks so much for your post Steph! We share a lot of the same favourite books and I love Steph's writing style so much. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did.