Welcome back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I’m your barista, along with Gabriela from iggi&gabi. Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.

Today’s Special: Why do you love dark YA?

Continuing our theme of YA appreciation this month, today we’re chatting about why we love dark YA. You know, the books that touch upon serious themes like death, addiction, rape, etc. I’d also include dystopian novels, since they are usually about the dark side of society. Of course, this is just my opinion and what counts as dark and light can vary from person to person.

I have to be honest–I enjoy dark YA (especially dystopian novels) but it isn’t my favorite. I tend to like my YA like I like my coffee – light, with some sweetness added in. I’ve professed my love for contemporary YA many times on this blog. While contemp YA can be both dark or light (or a mixture of both), the ones I love the most are on the light end of the spectrum. (Anna and the French Kiss, for example, is one of my absolute favorites.)

Even my WIP is on the light side. My main character has her own struggles, but generally the book is pretty light. Nobody dies or gets raped or does drugs. I have a few ideas for future books, and all of them are pretty light.

While I’m more likely to read or write a light YA book, I still appreciate dark YA and am glad it exists. The issues presented in them are ones teens deal with, and it’s important for them to feel like they aren’t alone. Plus, you can learn a lot about humanity from these books, especially how people overcome their hardships.

They are also entertaining in a gut-wrenching way. As you read, you live vicariously through these characters and see what darkness is like without experiencing it yourself.

Here are a few YA books I’ve really enjoyed that are on the darker end of the spectrum:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys (my book club discussion on this book is here)

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Matched by Ally Condie

What do you think about dark YA? Are you drawn to it, or are you like me and prefer the lighter stuff? Gabi shares her thoughts about dark YA on her blog so check it out!

Our next YA Cafe Book Club is next Friday! We’re discussing the YA book we’re most thankful for. We hope you’ll join us!