What is the difference between adult fiction and new adult fiction?

“New Adult” as a genre is generally seen to fall somewhere between young adult fiction and adult fiction. The main indicator for whether a novel is a new adult or not is the age of the protagonist; if the main character is in his early twenties, this is probably a new adult novel.

That being said, there can be a bit of an overlap between the new adult and the young adult, depending on the themes the novel explores. For example, you can have a new adult novel with a protagonist who is only 19 years old and explores more mature themes than your typical YA novel would.

This is often the reason why books of this genre sometimes have conflicting classifications, or if your local bookstore does not have a specific “new adults” section, these novels can be put aside in other places.

If you’re looking for novels that are a bit more sophisticated than your favorite YA tales but aren’t quite ready to dive into the broad genre of adult fiction, here are some solid recommendations to get you started.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is the first novel in a new series from the creator of Shadow and bone. This dark fantasy novel follows former Galaxy addict “Alex” Stern, who is offered a place as a freshman at Yale – and in the college’s secret occult society. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and Alex is quickly drawn into more dangerous and sinister events on campus.

One last stop by Casey McQuiston is one of the most anticipated releases of 2021. This Sapphic romance follows the cynical 23-year-old August, as she falls in love with Jane, who is actually a misplaced time traveler. This new LGBTQ + adult novel effortlessly combines contemporary romance with sci-fi that will have everyone else watching twice on your morning commute.

Beach reading Emily Henry follows this subtle enemies-to-lovers romance between bestselling authors January Andrews and Augustus Everett. They dare each other to write novels outside of their typical genres in a summer without falling in love (no, really, why would they?).

Truth by Colleen Hoover is just one of Colleen’s amazing new adult novels. This title follows struggling author Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired to sort the notes and outlines for acclaimed novelist Verity Crawford to write the rest of her hit series. But when Lowen finds an unfinished autobiography with dark details and a soft spot for Verity’s husband, she doesn’t know what to do.

The Poppy War by RF Kuang is the first novel in this historical military fantasy trilogy. This title follows Rin, a peasant girl from the south, who passes the Empire-wide test known as Keju, securing a place in one of the top academies. When she finds out that she has a special affinity for shamanism, she becomes a key role in stopping the looming Third Poppy War.