Young adult! Many of us positively associate this genre with nostalgic tales of teenage angst, glittery vampires, and boy wizards. But hearing “young adult” can also send heads shaking. “Oh no! No thanks. Not for me!” I don’t understand what these readers are rejecting – probably because I’m not quite sure what “young adult” is supposed to mean. A more simplistic style? Adult bestsellers like Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist couldn’t feature simpler prose. Length isn’t it either, as J.K. Rowling has proven. So if size isn’t everything, and it’s not what you do with it, what shoves a book onto the YA shelf?

I know what you’re thinking: Young adult novels either feature young protagonists or are aimed toward a younger audience. But what qualifies as young? The United Nations says a young adult is someone between the ages of fifteen and twenty. The World Health Organization is much more generous, extending the range up to thirty-four. And in modern psychology, Erik Erikson cuts out the teen years altogether, claiming a young adult is someone from twenty to forty. So does that mean most of the M/M Romance we enjoy features young adult characters? Depends who is asked, apparently.

Continue reading →