I love reading, but I don't really consider myself a wide reader. I'm trying to widen "comfort zone" so to speak and I'm interested in learning more about YA books. What would you recommend for a newbie like me to sort of test the waters for this genre? Thanks in advance.

First of all, you need to figure out which genre you're into. Are you interested in adventures, magic or real-life problems?

I'm into contemporary stories(both dark and fluffy), magical realism, really dark thrillers and sci-fi. Here are some of my favorites in each genre
contemp: Jellicoe Road, The Storyteller, Anna and the French Kiss, Stolen, Afterworlds
magical realism: The Diviners, Every Day, The Raven Cycle, Shades of Magic, Vicious
thrillers: Dangerous Girls, The Female of the Species, The Naturals series, Mara Dyer series
sci-fi: Red Rising, The Illuminae Files, The Bone Season

Even though I love all these genres, my favorite book is Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. It's the second book in the Shatter Me trilogy which is a dystopian (very romanticized) version of X-Men.

These are just my preferences. My suggestion is-check out this Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/young-adult I think you'll be able to find awesome books there. Take it slow. Read a bunch of different genres until you find what works for you.

I just read Bright Side by Kim Holden and soo recommend it!

I would recommend you to start with Stephanie Perkins' books if you're into those fluffy YA. For books with a little more substance, Emery Lord has written some beautiful books.

Few other authors:
- Morgan Matson
- Jenny Han
- Meg Cabot

[silver01]

YA is too broad,, do you like fantasy,scifi,romance, contempory,historical, theres Yong Adult and even New Adult, I dont care for sci/fantasy and im into Ya modern stories/romances and can give some great suggestions if interested