Young adult romance literature

Young adult romance literature is a genre of books written for teenagers. As defined by Romance Writers of America, a romance novel consists of a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending.[1] Early young adult romances feature a teenage protagonist, who is typically female, white, and middle-class,[2] while books in the twenty-first century include a wider variety of protagonists.[3]

Young adult romances were very popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, but were supplanted by more realistic young adult novels in the late 1960s and 1970s. Romances became popular again in the 1980s, although the trend at that time was toward series by publisher brand rather than individual authors. Subgenres for young adults, such as paranormal romance, evangelical romance, and dystopian romance, became popular in the twenty-first century. Parents and educators often criticized the reading of romances, but at their best, young adult romance novels celebrate relationships.[1]

  1. ^ a b Gillis, Bryan; Simpson, Joanna (2015). Sexual content in young adult novels: Reading Between the Sheets. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 101–124. ISBN 9781442246874. OCLC 965782772.
  2. ^ Carpan, Carolyn. (2009). Sisters, schoolgirls, and sleuths: girls' series books in America. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 84–128. ISBN 9780810857568. OCLC 245021822.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference cart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).