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Joined: 3/1/2015
Posts: 4
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I've been thinking about this a TON lately. Romance seems to be the main push in NA, but there's so much more to explore. I'm wondering what everyone else would like to see in New Adult. Personally, I'd love a great coming of age story that centers around a character really finding herself (romance not included).
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Joined: 4/7/2014
Posts: 141
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Interesting question. I think if a novel was like that, it would probably not be marketed as New Adult because romance is such a major selling point. There are New Adult novels that do explore other issues, like EASY by Tammara Webber.
It would be great to see more socioeconomic and racial diversity in NA.
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Agree and agree!
When I first heard of New Adult, I got so excited because I thought it was a genre that would have the capacious-ness of Young Adult but with more mature themes. I love a good romance, but I heartily support NA's expansion into other areas of a young person's life.
I read an interesting book a couple years ago called COLLEGE GIRL that was brutally honest about a college relationship. It definitely had a lot of sex in it, but it was not a romance. It was like nothing I had ever read before, and for me, that is definitely a draw.
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Joined: 6/10/2015
Posts: 26
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Thanks for this topic! I have been wondering about this same question! I've noticed that most NA books are about sex or romance, but as a twenty-something myself, I'm not particularly interested in that. I am more interested in NA with fantasy or sci fi themes (like Hunger Games/Harry Potter) but with a little bit more mature approach. By that, I mean, deeper questions about ourselves and our realities than the questions asked in YA, but with the same excitement that is in YA (and I find is missing in most adult literature). Of course, I like characters in their twenties (I'm a twenty-something myself) because I find them more relate-able than teenagers (16 seems like centuries ago... I can't relate much to any 16 year-old these days).
Is NA + adventure (like fantasy or sci fi) a popular genre? Or should I stick to YA if I want that sort of book and leave NA to the romance and sex?
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Hey @JP!
Yes, I love the idea of the NA genre expanding to include all kinds of types of tales. I have heard rumors about NA Fantasy becoming a thing but I haven't actually heard of one being published, nonetheless finding a big audience. I would love to see more writers try for this.
One book I did like that you might, too, was called THE OFFICE OF MERCY. It was a dystopian adventure story and the main character was around 24. I am about to start reading one called STATION ELEVEN. Have you read either of those?
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Joined: 6/10/2015
Posts: 26
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No, I haven't heard of either of these books. Thanks for the tip! I've been reading THE NEVERLAND WARS by Audrey Greathouse here at Book Country (it's YA) and I really like the story and writing, but I don't connect with the 16 year old main character. I think I'll try the other books that you recommended. I'm actually quite interested in distopian novels so it sounds perfect for me 
Another question, what do you think is the future of NA as a genre? Is it just a fad that publishers aren't very interested in, or should I give it a try? I have a WIP that could either go YA or NA and I can't decide which genre to go for. I'm also a first time writer so I don't want to try to do anything too risky that will get me passed over by agents or publishers.
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