I read a lot of young adult fiction. And not only that, but I am someone who keeps up with trends in the genre. I try to purchase as many new releases as I can, and I keep up with BookTube (YouTube for readers) and book blogs. So I am at least familiar with almost all of the popular young adult books from the last six or seven years. That being said, while the "popular" young adult works are great, there are so many books in the genre that are often overlooked. Here are 16 underrated young adult books that deserve more attention than they receive.

1. "Tex" by S.E. Hinton

Most people had to read "The Outsiders"by S.E. Hinton for middle school or high school. It's generally well-received, and for many people, it's the only school assigned book that they enjoyed. I know for me personally, it's still my all-time favorite book. But most people don't know that S.E. Hinton has also published many other books with a similar writing style and similar themes as "The Outsiders." One such book is called "Tex" and was published in 1979. It tells the story of Tex McCormick who lives with his older brother Mason, as their father has been gone for months. They're struggling financially, and Mason makes an executive decision to sell Tex's beloved horse. This leads to a series of events that help Tex to grow as a person and to strengthen his relationships with both his brother and his friends. It's a shame this novel is often overlooked because it's a great coming-of-age novel, up there with "The Outsiders."

Buy it on Amazon.

2. "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Another book that many people had to read in high school is "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles. Quite a few people will say they didn't like this work, but I think a lot of that has to do with them having to read it in a school setting. This is a great book about two friends called Gene and Finny and is set in a New England boys boarding school during World War II. Our protagonist Gene has a tumultuous relationship with his best friend Finny, which ultimately leads him to make a snap decision which he quickly regrets. The great thing about this book is that there are so many levels to it. I notice something new every time I read it. It's great if you want to take your time and closely read it, and it's also perfect if you just want to read it on a surface level. And it doesn't hurt that Finny is one of the greatest literary characters.

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3. "The Wither Series" by Lauren DeStefano

For years the biggest trend in the YA (young adult) genre was dystopian. After the success of "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, people couldn't get enough of dystopian fiction, and so many authors were publishing books within the genre. While everyone knows about "The Hunger Games", "Divergent" by Veronica Roth, and "Legend" by Marie Lu, there is one book that didn't get its fair share of attention. "Wither" by Lauren Destefano is the first book in a fantastic series about a world where men die at the age of 25 and women die at the age of 20, due to a botched experiment to improve the longevity of humans. As a result the world has become unsafe for women, who are often sold to men to be forced into polygamous marriages, in an effort to keep the human race going. Our main character Rhine Ellery is taken from her brother and along with two other girls is forced to be married to a man called Linden. Rhine has to deal with finding a way to escape, while forming a tight bond with her sister wives and finding romance in an unexpected place. "Wither" is hands down my favorite young adult dystopian series. The writing is beautiful and lyrical. Although it isn't action-packed, you grow attached to all the characters, you want to find out what is ultimately going to happen to them.

Buy it on Amazon.

4. "The Spud Series" by John van de Ruit

A popular young adult book a few years back was "Winger" by Andrew Smith. If you liked that book, you are sure to enjoy the "Spud" series by John van de Ruit. This is a series of books that follows a character called John 'Spud' Milton from the beginning to the end of his experience at a boys boarding school in South Africa during the early 1990's. It's written in Spud's point-of-view in a diary format and is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Spud forms a great relationship with his roommates who together call themselves the "Crazy Eight" and are constantly causing mischief and getting into trouble. It's often over-the-top and at times even absurd, but that's what makes this series so great. You grow to love these characters so much that by the end, you might just shed a few tears knowing their time together is over.

Buy it on Amazon.

5. "Belzhar" by Meg Wolitzer

I'm not usually a fan of magical realism, but this book is a wonderful exception. "Belzhar" by Meg Wolitzer is about a girl called Jam Gallahue who is sent to a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont to learn to cope with the death of her boyfriend Reeve. While there she takes a class called Special Topics in English. It's a small class, that you have to be assigned to, you can't request to be put into it. They begin studying the works of Sylvia Plath and are given a journal-writing assignment. She quickly discovers that when she writes in the journal she is transported to another world, one where she can be with Reeve once again. It's a great book that is definitely more than you would expect.

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6. "This is Not a Test" by Courtney Summers

Can you say best, and most underrated, zombie novel ever? Really, anything by Courtney Summers is wonderful and underrated, but this one takes the cake as my favorite of her works. While most zombie novels are all fighting and gore, this book is much more character-driven. It's been described as "The Breakfast Club" of zombie books, and that isn't far-off. Sloane Price already decided she no longer wanted to live before the zombie apocalypse broke out. Somehow she finds herself barricaded in her high school with five other students, five other students with much more of a desire to live than she has. As the days go by the six teenagers begin to open up to each other, and their relationship dynamics slowly change.

Buy it on Amazon.

7. "Say Her Name" by James Dawson

Note: This book was published under the name James Dawson, but the author has recently began transitioning, and now goes by the name Juno Dawson. "Say her Name" is about 'Bloody Mary', need I say more? With October coming up, this terrifying horror novel seems all too apropos. "Say Her Name" is the story of Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe who is dared on Halloween to go into the bathroom of her creepy old boarding school, with her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine, and play Bloody Mary. Nothing happens. But over the next couple of days, the crew start to experience odd phenomenon. It starts with a creepy message on a bathroom mirror and proceeds to them seeing the reflection of Bloody Mary herself lurking in the corner of mirrors. They discover they have five days to stop the malevolent spirit, or they will all die. I'm not easily scared, but this book definitely had me sleeping with the lights on.

Buy it on Amazon.

8. The "Dark Secrets" Books by Elizabeth Chandler

Keeping with the theme of spooky books, this next one is a creepy anthology series. "Dark Secrets" by Elizabeth Chandler is a series of five books, which each tell a different spooky tale. This is perfect for people who loved R.L. Stine books growing up, and are looking for more stories along a similar vein. Each plot is different and follows a different cast of characters. Each will suck you into the story and have you at the edge of your seat.

Buy it on Amazon.

9. The "Heist Society" Series by Ally Carter

"Heist Society" by Ally Carter can be described in one word: fun. Katarina 'Kat' Bishop has decided she's done with the family business of being con artists. She left that world behind after conning her way into the best boarding school in the country. But then her friend, and former co-worker, Hale shows up to bring her right back into her old world. His reason? A powerful mobster had his favorite painting stolen from him, and her dad needs her help to retrieve it. Each book follows a different heist and it's a fast-paced series that is easy to fall-in-love with. it does require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but once you get past that it's honestly a treat.

Buy it on Amazon.

10. "The Gone Series" by Michael Grant

Ever wonder what would happen if all adults suddenly were to disappear, leaving behind only kids below the age of sixteen? The "Gone" series by Michael Grant explores just that. After all the adults in a town disappear, and there is suddenly no phones, no internet, and no television, the kids have to form their own society with no connection to the outside world. The bullies are in charge of the town, they are quickly running out of food and worse, suddenly kids begin forming supernatural powers. This is a young adult series that doesn't hold anything back. Michael Grant has thought of everything that could possibly go wrong. And it all goes wrong.

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11. "Luna" by Julie Anne Peters

If you're looking for a great young adult book that tackles transgender issues, this might just be the book for you. Reagan has grown up with her brother Liam being different, and she is the only person who knows about his true self, Luna. But now Luna is ready to come out to friends and family. We get to see through Regan's eyes both Luna and Reagan's struggles. It's a very emotional read, but also a very important one that I think everyone could benefit from.

Buy it on Amazon.

12. "Radiant Days" by Elizabeth Hand

I've always been a huge fan of the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud, so when I first heard about this book I was ecstatic. This is a book about time travel. In one time period we have Merle in 1978, who is in her first year of art school and has found a very different atmosphere in the art scene from what she grew up with. The other year is 1870, right before Arthur Rimbaud was to find his success. Through the power of their art, the lines of time that divides them begin to blur and the two meet. What's great about this is that there is no romance in this book. Both characters are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and aren't interested in each other romantically. But they form a wonderful bond. At the heart of this story is a message about the power of art, and how art transcends time.

Buy it on Amazon.

13. "The Morganville Vampires" Series by Rachel Caine

Remember when "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer came out in 2006, and then a ton of other vampire books started being published, and young adult paranormal romance became the it thing? Me too. But also, "The Morganville Vampires" series by Rachel Caine is a gem of a paranormal series. I could be wrong, but I find these books to be very different from the typical early 2000 paranormal romance stories, while maintaining that 2006 atmosphere we all know and love. This series follows Claire Danvers who is accepted to college at the ripe age of 16 because she's like, really smart. After being bullied out of her dorm she needs to find a new place to live, and she finds that place in an old house in the middle of town. Her roommates are far from normal though, and so are the residents of the town of Morganville. The town is hiding some deep dark secrets, mainly that many of its residents are actually vampires. I would describe this series as "True Blood" for a younger audience. It's a really fun and action-packed series with a cast of characters that are hard not to love.

Buy it on Amazon.

14. "More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera

This is probably the least underrated book on this list. It got its fair-share of publicity, but I also feel like it has kind of been overlooked because of other new book releases. "More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera is about a boy called Aaron Soto who is dealing with his father's suicide, with the help of his friends and his girlfriend. Then his girlfriend, Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks and he starts to form a friendship with the new guy in town, Thomas. His friends start to notice that maybe he's getting a little too close to Thomas. It gets harder for him to deny the fact that he has feelings for Thomas. Being gay is not accepted where he lives, in the Bronx of New York, and he begins to consider a new medical breakthrough. The Leteo Institute have created a memory-alteration procedure that he hopes can help him to forget about his discovery regarding his sexuality. This book is so much more than you would expect. It really had a big effect on me and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Buy it on Amazon.

15. "Lies We Tell Ourselves" by Robin Talley

"Lies We Tell Ourselves" by Robin Talley takes place in 1959 Virginia, during the time of the civil rights movement and integration. The book is told in two point-of-views. Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to integrate into Jefferson High School. And Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the towns strongest voices against integration. But then the two are forced to work together on a school project and begin to form a friendship. That friendship soon begins to form into something more, and they have to figure out how to survive in a time where being who they are isn't accepted. I'm honestly surprised more people haven't read this book. it's such a great story that makes you reflect on what life must have been like for people in the fifties who weren't straight, white, men. Spoiler: it was hard.

Buy it on Amazon.

16. "Bliss" by Lauren Myracle

This is honestly a gem of a novel. I remember I picked it up one day in Borders (remember Borders?) on a whim in high school. I was hesitant to read it because I only knew of Lauren Myracle because of her "Internet Girls" books, which definitely weren't the type of books I was interested in. I'm so happy I gave it a chance because it's become one of my favorites. It combines some of the things I'm most interested in: the 1970's, the Manson Murders, and hippies. "Bliss" by Lauren Myracle is a horror novel about a girl called Bliss who's hippie parents left the commune, and left her with her grandmother. She is sent to Crestview Academy, an elite academy that is a completely different environment from life on the commune. All she wants is friends, but soon she becomes involved in a power-struggle between three girls, one of which is long dead. This book is truly chilling, there's something about the 1970's that just works for horror stories. And this is one you won't want to miss.

Buy it on Amazon.

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