The year's best YA featured love stories for boys, thrillers with fresh takes on tried-and-true tropes, and sweet romances from new perspectives.
Every year the YA genre pushes the envelope on a topic previously unquestioned or unnoticed, and 2024 was the year for some fresh new trends that we hope continue into 2025 and beyond. We’re happy to say that the best YA stories this year featured emotional stories for boys—especially love stories for boys—plus dark-academia thrillers, historical romances, and inclusive takes on beloved tropes like magical schools and teen rebels.
to your Library Collections, or from the Best of 2024.
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s second novel after her bestselling breakout, Ace of Spades, is a thought-provoking whodunit exploring classism and racism in elite schools. The thriller element is there with a hint of the supernatural, carried by the superb narration of Shakespearean actor Natalie Simpson. But more deeply, Àbíké-Íyímídé puts elements of herself into the story that make it truly come alive. Listen in to our in-depth interview with the author. —Melissa B.
With Twenty-four Seconds from Now…, Jason Reynolds rings in a much-needed new era for YA: love stories for boys. This tender novel follows 17-year-old Neon on the cusp of his "first time” with girlfriend Aria. Reynolds, who recently served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, authentically taps into the way teens think to explore the complexities of a young man’s interior life, especially around sex and body image. Neon and Aria’s relationship unfolds in reverse, starting from 24 seconds before the big act to 24 minutes before, then 24 hours before, 24 days before, 24 weeks before, and finally, 24 months before. This unique narrative is joyfully performed by Reynolds's longtime narrator and personal friend, Guy Lockard. Come for the chicken-tenders song, and stay for the funeral scene, trust me. In the same way that Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret revolutionized YA fiction for girls, I expect this warm and heartfelt story to do the same for boys. It’s an instant classic. Listen in to our interview with the author to hear more about how he crafted this story. —Margaret H.
Sabaa Tahir’s previous YA fantasy series, An Ember in the Ashes, is one of my all-time favorites, and knowing that Heir would re-enter that same intense and richly realized world had me giddy with anticipation. Tahir has done what she does best—created layered characters in a high-stakes world, making it nearly impossible for you to hit pause. The full-cast narration, which has always been a feature of Tahir’s audiobooks, only serves to elevate the adventure. —Katie O.
Boasting a truly imaginative take on vampires, Immortal Dark is the dark-academia mystery of the year. We follow ruthless main character Kidan as she attends a school for humans and vampires in search of her missing sister, June. Kidan is willing to go to any depth to find June, and she might go all the way to the bottom. Narrator Jordan Cobb does a great job portraying the barely restrained fury and violence that calls to Kidan and her vampire counterpart, Susenyos. —MB
Within the first few minutes of Anton Treuer’s fiction debut, it is immediately evident what a gifted storyteller the noted Ojibwe scholar truly is. Not only are his characters well-written, complicated, and compelling, but his performance itself lands this listen among the best author-narrated novels I have ever heard. The story begins with a blazing house fire, setting the foundation for this coming-of-age narrative among the shrouds of mystery. Emerging from the smoke and confusion, Ezra Cloud must find his truth while navigating an array of obstacles, from grief to the racial profiling of Indigenous communities by the police. Ultimately, his journey leads him to the Canadian wilderness to work on a trapline alongside his grandfather, where he internalizes generations of cultural wisdom that translates beautifully for listeners. —Haley H.
A new legend unfolds in the first novel from playwright and filmmaker LaDarrion Williams. This fantasy series opener takes us on a journey following teenager Malik, who is searching for his true identity while reconciling with his past, which includes a magical lineage and a secret HBCU his missing mother attended. Jalyn Hall performs this fresh and creative take on the magical school narrative. —Kelley S.
At Audible, we’ve long known Natalie Naudus as a beloved narrator. Now, she’s written and performed her own novel that’s heavily inspired by her own childhood in a religious cult. To write it, she imagined what her life might have been like if she’d discovered her favorite narrated novels as a teen. Listening to Gay the Pray Away, I was struck by how the story was shot through with hope and discovery, and how it only takes one person to pull you out of a difficult path. It’s a YA story for those who are looking for the bright side to the darkness in our world. Listen in to our interview with Naudus to hear more about the origins of this very personal story. —MB
In the middle of filming a true crime documentary about the long-ago disappearance of her mother, Bel and everyone is shocked when the long-lost Rachel Price comes back into their lives. Author of The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, Holly Jackson is no stranger to murder and mysteries. But she’s asking entirely new questions by flipping the disappearance trope on its head, and narrator Sophie Amoss amps up the pace with her insightful, on-point narration. —MB
Listeners are loving this sequel even more than the first book. For one, there are now two narrators performing the story: Jesse Vilinsky for Liz and Charlie Bushnell for Wes. Just when you thought it was all happily ever after at the end of Better Than the Movies, life comes at the happy couple. More grown up than the first novel, and dealing with slightly heavier issues, this love story captures that feeling of falling in love all over again, after your first love, which, it turns out, is even more romantic than the first time. —MB
There’s never been a sequel I’ve anticipated more than the follow-up to Krystal Marquis’s debut YA romance, The Davenports. It was an excruciating 21-month wait—how can you just leave us with that cliffhanger—but thankfully, More Than This picks up right where we left off. Davenport daughters Olivia and Helen are discovering new love after the disastrous ends to their previous relationships, while their friends Ruby and Amy-Rose are learning to prioritize themselves over the men in their lives. Inspired by the family of real-life inventor Charles Patterson, the first African American automobile manufacturer, the Davenports duology is full of romance and heroines rebelling against social constructs, and is a thought-provoking exploration of what it meant to be a successful Black person navigating high society in the early 1900s. Joniece Abbott-Pratt’s narration perfectly captures the energy of the characters and vibe of the time with thoughtful cadences and endearing rasps. I was so delighted to see how the story wrapped up (cliffhanger-free!), which means now I’ve got my eyes peeled for the next amazing series starter from Ms. Marquis. —MH
