It’s high time we talked about Dos and Dont’s for autism rep in YA books!

Also when I say “high time” I just go straight to thinking about high tea, which is really British of me despite me not being British. But what can I even do?! (I’m Australian so I guess I can claim heritage??) I just need scones and jam and tea right now, so please appreciate my suffering right from my very first intro sentence. #TheBloggerLifeIsHard

Anyway.

Sometimes when we read books that represent a minority we’re not part of, we have noooo way to know if it’s accurate representation or not. And it’s DOUBLY hard to figure it out anyway because = one minority experience does not equal every experience in that minority. But I thought I would try to be useful for once instead of writing a post sorting different breakfast cereals into Hogwarts Houses (this would be exciting tho) and help out by talking about:

how to tell if autism rep is getting it right

But I have Things™ to say before we get onto my lists (I love lists! You love lists! Lists are GREAT!) And they are:

• Autism is a spectrum!! So while I’m going to say “these are good vs bad tropes” they are just my opinion as an autistic. Another autistic individual might have a different opinion. I respect that.
• My opinion on autism is still never going to be universal. (TRUE FOR ANYONE’S OPINION ON ANYTHING.)
• April is Autism Awareness Month…which is good! And also bad.
• It’s bad because it was started by Autism Speaks and please please please do not support them. They endorse super problematic “therapies” for autism and want to cure instead of aid. They want to make a way to test for autism pre-birth so people can specifically abort autistic kids. Plus they talk a lot of trash about autistic people being “locked inside themselves” or having “pieces missing”. So just N O.
• So don’t wear blue.
• However autism does still need awareness. And understanding. And discussion. Especially by autistics!
• It’s not a bad word, it’s not an illness, it’s not broken.
• So here is this post. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• I also admit to being frustrated at how wildly the YA community champions diversity…except for disability. It’s like that just gets forgotten?! We need to do better.
• And on THAT note, there’s an #ownvoices Autism anthology coming soon which you can find out more about here! The creator got in touch to ask if I’d spread the word, and I think it sounds fantastic!
• I am excited to talk about something personal to me today so I hope you enjoy this too!

…remember to talk about ALL types of Autism! Because the stereotype is basically: an autistic white little boy who’s a math genius and has no social skills. Those boys exist but, um, so do hundreds of other types of autism. Books are way way more likely to rep high functioning autistics (HFA), but please don’t forget those with learning disabilities and executive function issues and who never speak or never live independently. It’s a huge huge spectrum! I’m not asking books to list every type of autism ever, but the fact that it’s so hard to find ones with lower-functioning individuals is downright sad.

…make autism the SOLE PERSONALITY of the character. Being autistic definitely impacts every part of your life, but it’s NOT the only thing we think about or act on! Autism is part of your identity, how you function, and your culture. You can’t remove it and still be the same person! But there’s still more to you than your autism, same as being Australian effects my whole life but I’m not JUST an Australian. If a book reduces a character like that, then it’s saying: “This character is a DIAGNOSIS” instead of “This character is a PERSON.”

…give autistic characters A PLOT!!! It’s fine to have “issue books” where the autism is the big topic. But holy heck, we want to be in sci-fi adventure and fantasies too OK!? We want contemporary romances and roadtrips and mysteries. Plus if the autistic character actually has a plot, you see how being autistic affects your life. We actually, ya know, do things and have dreams and ambitions.

…make the underlying theme be self-hate, looking for cures, or needing to fixed to be happy. Autism has a lot of stigmas around it and it IS okay for books to address these. And yes, of course autism is frustrating and horrible at times. It can be full of anxiety and isolation and confusion and overwhelm. A book should include the meltdowns and shutdowns and miscommunications and opportunities missed because of disability. But none of that equals broken. Plus a lot of autism struggles come directly from trying to be “normal” because society is terrified of differentness and would rather miserably crush autism into a normal-shaped-box than be uncomfortable by its existence. Hence depression. Anxiety. Self-hate. So let’s STOP putting messages of autism being brokenness in books, thanks. Not to mention how triggering it is to have a book say TO YOUR FACE –> “you need to be fixed.” (I’ve had panic attacks reading this.) No more neurotypical (non-autistic) characters saying things like “I feel so sorry for them never being able to live a good life”. Functioning differently doesn’t mean you can’t be happy! And I believe that’s for high and low functioning autistics, although obviously it’s important to point out that life is a lot harder for people with severe autism. But if a character wishes an autistic person cured, this basically translates to: “Your way of functioning makes me uncomfortable.” If someone is uncomfortable by autism, they’re the problem.

…talk about positive traits! Autistics can be really dedicated and hyper-focus on a job. Our obsessions can make us experts on a topic. We also can really really intensely LOVE things and this is so fun and exciting. We think outside the box. Autistics are inventors and dreamers and discoverers (HISTORY PROVES SO). Books should not solely zero in on the hard parts. If they do, it’s pretty much coming from a viewpoint where autism is only a burden.

…talk about ableism and fight stigmas! Books aren’t problematic if they use problematic language! But show other characters fighting back. (Either the autistic character or supporting cast.) One thing books NEED to fight is the thinking that “autism” is a bad word. It’s nOT. So you know it’s problematic rep if they do everything they can to avoid the word “autism”.

…make autism the catastrophic finale. This can be done well??? But usually it’s depressing to read. Like if the autistic’s big “finale” is a meltdown…SIGH. Don’t make a disaiblity be what ruins everything in the end. Instead HAVE the Bad Thing for the finale and then show how autism affects how the character reacts to it.

…talk about the autistic character’s feelings. I read this a lot (and see it in everyday life) but an autistic character will have a meltdown and the first reaction of others is to say “Oh that poor mother dealing with this.” Instead of thinking about the autistic and why they’re in pain. Autism has a ripple effect and this can’t be ignored. It’ll impact supporting characters negatively and positively, and there’s a LOT of drain on a carer of a low-functioning autistic. Books should talk about that! But they should also talk about the autistic’s viewpoint and feelings way way more than they do. (PS. WE HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS. We might just not express them how is expected.)

…dramatise traits ridiculously so. You know rep is off when you have a high-functioning autistic character who MISUNDERSTANDS EVERY. SINGLE. SOCIAL. INTERACTION. It’s never a 100% of the time thing! Especially for HFA teenagers/adults! It’s like saying autistics are incapable of learning and we’re not. (Although sometimes we’re too tired or don’t feel like the effort lol lol.) And even if we don’t understand a social situation, we won’t always massively mess it up. Faking is a big part of how we (have to) live. Books that make ALL symptoms hyperbolic are insulting. 

…put humour in the book! But don’t make autism the joke. I know there’s a huge stigma that autistics don’t understand sarcasm (it’s because of literal thinking). And this is true for a LOT…but not all. And even literal-thinking-autistics can be funny?! Let there be humour around autism (IT’S NOT A DARK THING) but just don’t make the autistic teen’s social mistakes the butt of the joke.

…confuse “character development” and “fixing”. If a book includes the autistic character having to “get over it” or “get better enough” to give someone a hug or eat the food they hate or stop an annoying stim (repetative motion). THIS ISN’T OK. An autistic character can grow and change and conquer and improve without stopping being autistic. (Also I HATE the “autistic kid finally gave their parent a hug” trope. It’s like what if you hate bees and the finale of your character arc was sitting in a field of bees? Seriously.)

…includes more than the average stereotypes! Stereotypes are OK. They exist because they’re somewhat true. But (a) an autistic character is never ALL the stereotypes, and (b) it turns them into real people if they have less-known autism traits as well. Like echolalia (repeating what others say), sensory processing disorder (something weirdly absent from most ASD stories by non-autistic authors), sensory seeking, stimming, low executive dysfunction (actual inability to do simple things like self-care, especially when overwhelmed), specific and intense routines, shutdowns as well as meltdowns. Books should dig deeper than solely the stereotypes!

So in case you’re now sitting here, mumbling into your popcorn, that you wish you had some autistic-book-recommendations…I AM HERE FOR YOU.

Yes I know you’re so lucky to have me, bless us all.

The covers all link to my reviews!

QUICK NOTES:

• Afterwards has really good autism rep BUT it is unfortunately affiliated with Autism Speaks arghh. So it has underlying problematic thinking…but is also one of the very few books I’ve read that features a low-functioning autistic and did it really well.
• The Art of Feeling does NOT explicitly say Eliot is autistic so it’s a head-canon from me lol looool. But I put it on the list because Eliot is one of the best autistic characters I’ve read…despite maybe it not being intentional?!
• Made You Up again is NOT an “on-page-autistic-reference” but the love interest, Miles, reads as an autistic and my friend asked the author and she confirmed he is undiagnosed!

The covers all link to my reviews!

QUICK NOTES: In my opinion these ones harbour general views that autism is either a burden, something to overcome, or it’s just one big STEREOTYPE, or they’re full of ableism that isn’t fought against by any character.

hey hey have you read many books about autism?! (i’d love recs if you have them too!) if you belong to a minority, do you struggle to find good representation in books?? tell meeee all the things!

If I could only list two things I’m very very proud of, they would be: (1) my ability to forget a character’s name 3 seconds after I read it, and (2) my entire bookshelf.

I love my bookshelf. It is my actual pride and joy, my smol nest, my long-suffering pile of wood, my visual representation of all my hopes and dreams, and also BONUS: it hasn’t fallen over and killed me yet!! I acknowledge its kindness!

So today I want to give you a lovely bookshelf tour! And fun story: while planning this post I thought, “Oh it would be cool to do a Bookshelf Tag or something, right?!” So I googled for questions and HA, CAIT, HAAAAAA…the first two posts to come up on google were mine. Right. OK. So I’ve done a bookshelf tag in 2014 and 2015. But bookshelves, like small children and cakes left out too long, are apt to change! And many of you are NEW so I figure a new tour is still in order.

Plus, let’s be real, my shelf is freaking fantastic and we should all just admire it for a while and then admire me for my fantastic curating abilities.

ME THO

The first order of business is definitely too look waaaaay back to when dragons were still household pets and helped grill our toast — to when I first bought my shelf!

Now fun story: this is the very very first piece of furniture that I owned myself. I’m the 2nd youngest of 6 kids, so basically everything is 3rd or 4th hand by the time it gets to me. BUT NOT THIS, SIR. THIS IS MINE. It’s just an IKEA shelf and I coveted it for many many years.

Also I’d like you to note that in 2014 that was ALL the books I owned. Someone has developed hoarding tendencies. But we won’t name names.

2014

2015

2016

2017

HOW MANY BOOKS DO YOU OWN:

After I moved in June this year, I counted 600 that I packed. I’ve maybe added 40 since then?? Look I could count again but I can’t squeeze that into my busy day of existential crises and writing books where everyone you love dies. Excuse me.

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BOOKS FROM:

I’m going to calculate my book-acquiring-ship in my stats this year for a definite number! But I estimate that about 60% are sent from publishers. I’m extremely lucky I KNOW. And extremely grateful because I can’t afford to buy many books. I’d say 20% are from library sales and thrift stores, so we’re talking $2 for a book or less. Then the other 20% are books I buy myself! Most of those too actually payment for a freelance blogging job I have for an Aussie bookstore.

WAIT, SO CAIT, YOU ARE NOT AN EXTREMELY RICH PERSON?

I do get a few snide comments on bookstagram about my collection and how “rich” I must be. But eh. People can say and judge how they like. I am lucky and blessed and I appreciate how lovely publishers have been! But last year, no joke, 65% of my books came from libraries too. VIVA LA LIBRARY.

BUT YOUR SHELVES ARE COLOUR-CODED…HOW DO YOU FIND ANYTHING????

Look I remember the colour before the title anyway. I can tell you where EVERY book is immediately. It’s my only talent in life besides being super good at eating brownies.

DO YOU SPLIT UP SERIES?

Sometimes! Other times I use my two other very very smol shelves or the other side of this shelf but shhhhh. I’ll show you soon.

While we’re here, I might as well walk you around my evil lair too.

I did this earlier this year but I MOVED HOUSE UGH. (Forever displeased.) Now my room is half the size of my old one, much like a cosy shoebox. And I just killed a spider with my bare hand. Either I’m the Chosen One or the next Spiderman or about to be dead. We don’t know. Exciting.

So first you walk into my room and are greeted with:

Now in an ideal world my shelf is supposed to be screwed to the wall. I’m letting it live its life in freedom now, because (A) I want it to experience life to the fullest and not be held back by hardware, and (B) I can now use both sides. #GENIUS My room is smol so I do what I must.

AND NO IT WON’T FALL OVER ON ME. I CLIMBED IT AND IT DIDN’T EVEN WOBBLE.

Also my bed is on the floor??? Because the frame didn’t fit with my shelf. Obviously I have priorities here.

This is my new TINY shelf! Which is like two shelves in a trench coat.

My mum just came in 2 minutes ago and leaned on the little white one and it nearly fell over so THAT’S FUN. Honestly I’m just trying to live life to the fullest and take risks and etc. etc.

It’s also mostly empty because it’s for transferring books from my TBR to my shelf.

DON’T JUDGE HOW MANY COPIES OF CITY OF BONES I OWN. SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAPPEN.

Now this is the top and other (less pretty) side of my bookshelf.

I mean obviously I hide the ugly things. Would we pick visual honesty over visual prettiness? OF COURSE NOT. So the other side of my bookshelf is for most ugly things and the colour overflows and the top of my shelf is my TBR of shame.

Sometimes I lie under on my carpet and look at up at my TBR and think about mortality.

Slightly daunting.

LOOK I’LL GET TO IT??? IT’S NOT LIKE I’M BUSY OR ANYTHING. [insert me screaming under 901 commitments]

And lastly, these are my hardcover shelves…which I…um…stole… from my sister that one time.

You know what if you leave stuff lying around, you should expect it to go missing.

Also please view my STIEFVATER SHRINE. It doesn’t even fit The Scorpio Races OR All The Crooked Saints and I’m a little bit distressed.

Now as an author, it’s obvious I need space to work. It’s also very obvious I have no desk in this room. So I have three options for writing and they are:

#1 = SITTING ON THE FLOOR

I actually want to shout out to Owlcrate right now because I use one of their boxes as a desk. 10/10 recommend.

Also Red Rising is everywhere in this post because I’m currently reading it and it’s also very attractive. The ugly notebook beneath it is my bullet journal that died about 3 weeks after I started it. Now it just contains list of books I can’t buy but I appreciate its effort.

#2 = A TINY SQUARE OF FLOOR

I mentioned this recently in my monthly recap post, but I also tend to fold myself into a tiny huddle between my bed, bookshelf, and beanbag. On the floor. Not, you know, anywhere comfortable. I get very hyperfocused, okay?!? But sometimes I do also sit on the beanbag but then my dog gets offended because he thinks it’s his.

Could I actually sit somewhere better and more logical?

#3 = MY ACTUAL GENERAL BED

And don’t look @ me wanting a photo. Do you think I was going to make my bed for this. Hilarious.

I’m extremely professional. YOU WANT TO BUY MY BOOK. 180 days to go.

1. LASTEST BOOKS YOU ACQUIRED.

2. BOOK SERIES YOU WISH YOU HADN’T TRIED.

3. BOOK YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU’D LIKE BUT YOU DID!

4. FAVOURITE COVERS YOU OWN.

5. LAST BOOKS YOU’VE READ LATELY.

• DIVIDING EDEN: Look I was whinging that I hadn’t read this last week AND THEN I READ IT!! So proud. Pity it wholly sucked but oh well. ★★☆☆☆
• AMERICAN STREET: This was really brutal and gritty and amazing! Let’s lowkey ignore the fact that I got a whole lot of racists commenting on my Goodreads review. Ugh. People. Why. ★★★★☆
• THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE: Yes I’ve read this twice this year and I shall not stop. It is my favourite. My favourite. ★★★★★
• THE LOVE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND LILY: Look it was good? With #ownvoices ADHD rep! Which I thoroughly appreciated. Buuut the ending left me feeling very sour and the autism rep was not…great. ★★★☆☆

And because you shouldn’t have to put up with a post from me without A PUPPY PICTURE…here’s my dog, Atticus.

He’s poking his tongue at me and then looking very very very tired about my life choices, which is basically his entire aura. Also YES I bribed him with a treat to actually sit on my bed for a photo. I’m that kind of low species but don’t judge me because at least you get a photo!!

And thus concludes my bookshelf tour!

Yes I just said “thus” because I’m slightly pretentious.

I am basically one smol bean surrounded by a lot of books and the ultimate aim is, obviously, to become a book. I’m not even sure how to exist if there aren’t books in every direction. Also shoutout to my parents and I as we managed to fit this many bookshelves in this room. Wizardry was involved. Probably the darkest kind.

Ah how my books have grown in 4 years. Just think! In 4 more years you probably won’t be able to see me as I’ll be living in a book igloo. #Goals

#ATTRACTIVE

tell me about your bookshelf! do you have the shelf of your dreams? how do you organise it? (pls tell me there are some other rainbows out there???) also while we’re here, tell me what you’re currently reading!!

The bookworm life is fraught with peril. Anyone who denies this fact is either a) not deep enough into the dark jungle that is bookworm culture, or b) in denial, or c) trying not to scare you away. But will I cushion the hard, cold truth for you? NO, I SHALL NOT. I am here to give you FACTS and tell you how it IS and warn you of aaaall the dreadful things that are likely to happen if you read too much.

“What do you define as ‘too much’, Cait?” you ask.

Which is an excellent question so my lordliness will allow it. According to the internet, the average person (I think this is actually an American statistic, tbh) reads 6 books a year. So if you’re reading, like, even just 7 books a year — YOU ARE AT GRAVE RISK.

1. YOU DEVELOP A TERRIBLE HABIT OF THINKING.

The unfortunate part of submitting your little grey brain to tons of author’s ideas is — you’ll think about them. IT’S REALLY RATHER HORRID IF YOU COME TO CONSIDER THIS DASTARDLY PHENOMENON. People who think too much always die. They do. Look at history. Tons of marvellous, innovative thinkers who changed the world. And where are they now? DEAD.

Plus thinking too much is rather stressful because you notice people who don’t think and it bothers you a lot. You can’t stand people who don’t think for themselves. You end up throwing books at them and — GASP — risk damaging books. (Maybe risk damaging people? But let’s face it, that’s not a really worrisome issue.)

2. YOU ARE DEVELOP A HORRIBLE HABIT OF HAVING OPINIONS.

This is directly related to thinking too much. Don’t do it. No one is kind to those who have copious opinions on all the things. I mean, how dare you really.

3. BOOKS OFTEN CRUELLY TRICK YOU INTO BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYDAY ISSUES.

If you are a perceiving of bookworm, you’ll notice how books often subtle critique society in the form of an exciting fantasy story. So you might be reading along, enjoying a dragon eating a village or girl kissing a frog … and then suddenly — BOOM — you’ve been knocked in the teeth by real feelings about real issues. Discrimination. Sexism. Normalising violence. Wars and genocide. Slavery. Plagues. Illness.

BOOKS WILL MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT DEEP ISSUES WHETHER YOU ASKED FOR IT OR NOT. #rude

4. BOOKS COMPROMISE YOUR SAFETY AND GENERAL HEALTH.

This is a rather obvious one, but it bears saying copiously. Because you know that harmless looking to-be-read pile you have? HAHAHAH. NO. It’s most likely plotting your demise. And even if it’s not gotten to the animated state yet (it will), then you’re still at risk from the mountains of unread books just spontaneously falling on your head.

Bookshelves could topple in the night. You could get a papercut. You could drop a book on your foot. You could try to lie on your bed only to realise it’s covered in books and therefore get a backache.

Books are BAD for general health.

5. TBRS GROW WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Have you ever seen ONE book? No. Books do not live solo. They are pack creatures and they specifically go around hunting for more of their kind to join them. WORSE: they force us into helping this pack-mentality.

At first you’re like, “Well it’s a series, so I really ought to buy the entire set.” And it’s all fun and games. And then — BOOM — 2 years later you have 500 books and MORE BANGING AT YOUR DOOR SCREAMING TO BE LET IN.

6. YOU WILL WILL ALMOST ENTIRELY DEFINITELY LOSE SLEEP.

“One more chapter?” the book whispers deviously. You give in. You are in its clutches till 2am.

And even staying up late aside, what about those times the book just gets into your brain and you can’t stop thinking about it? And you end up thinking about it FOR DAYS AND NIGHTS AND YOU DON’T SLEEP ANYMORE BECAUSE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THIS LIFE DESTROYING BOOK.

7. ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE.

Your fictional friends, definitely. No bookworm can stand before me without battle wounds and emotional scars from losing a BFF (best fictional friend).

But also your actual-flesh-and-blood friends? They’ll probably die too. OF NEGLECT. Because of the 9383 times you said “You know, Marge, I’d really love to have coffee with you, but there’s this book I have to finish…” Whilst poor Marge withers and dies with no coffee. #PoorMarge

8. YOU WILL MAKE BAD LIFE DECISIONS WITH YOUR MONEY.

At first it’s simple things like “I don’t need that $30 shirt when I could by that $30 book…I mean, I already have one shirt? How many more do I need?”

Then suddenly it’s all “I DON’T NEED A HOUSE. I CAN JUST LIVE IN A BOOK IGLOO.”

Some people find themselves even sacrificing food money to use it for more books. I would like to inform you that I wouldn’t fall to this. You need cake to survive, people.

9. YOU WILL HAVE A LIFE CRISIS OVER SMALL BUT HIGHLY STRESSFUL THINGS.

For instance:

• Whether your series are matching.
• Should eat and read? Because food = yum. But potentially getting crumbs on your book = no.
• Ebook vs physical?
• Can you still socialise with people who dog-ear books or must you kill them and bury their body under the full moon of the autumn equinox?
• Can you buy that bag? Is it big enough for books?
• If you go to an author signing, how do you function? Do you take flashcards to remember WHAT WORDS ARE?
• What do you do when your bookshelves are full?
• How tall can you stack your TBR before you risk Eiffel Tower height?

The stress levels of the bookworm life are astronomically dreadful.

10. YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY FALL IN LOVE WITH PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT DON’T EXIST AND THIS THE MOST DREADFUL OF THEM ALL.

I mean, raise your hand if you TRULY have never wanted to go to Hogwarts? Or Narnia? Or Wonderland? Or Neverland? Or Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory?? BECAUSE I CAN SEE THE WANTING IN YOUR EYES.

And how about the terrible, horrible moment when you relate to a character so so much that you either want to be their best friend, marry them, or adopt them (or all three, like, simultaneously) only to be punched in the feels with the realisation that THEY’RE NOT REAL, KATNISS. NONE OF THIS IS REAL.

(Cue gross sobbing.)

However! No matter how AWFUL and DREADFUL these things are…you can definitely avoid them.

Just don’t read too much! Simple! Be very careful about how many books you read and try not to be too emotional. Probably be a Vulcan. Take up another hobby too, like crocheting winter mittens for sharks. That’ll be best.

Safety first, fellow bookworms! Don’t let the books win this war or crush you flat!

care to add to my list? what are some other NASTY side effects of reading too much? have you ever experienced any on my list? do you need to cut back your reading habits, hmm?? stay safe, pineapples! don’t be a thinker!

I often hear fellow bookworms raise their voices in the agony of despair over how YA books focus on romance so much. We do have rights to whine because — YES, most YA books do feature a romance and a lot of time it is the focus.

But not “all YA books”. NEVER ALL OF THEM.

If anyone says “all YA books do [insert cliche/trope here]” then I honestly believe they have not read very many.

I am not a monstrously romantic person myself. Although I do like to ship* and I often find romances entertaining or squishily nice to read about. I also laugh at them a lot. I also yell at the book “YOU’RE 16 FREAKING YEARS OLD, CALM DOWN” because I’m an old hermit and have legal right to say these things now.

* The term “ship” unfortunately does not mean to captain a crew and become pirates. It means to root for two characters to have a “relationship“. See? SHIP.

So for those of us who are after a YA book that is devoid of the romance category — I AM HERE FOR YOU. I have a glorious list.

(There may be hints of romance. Attraction? But nothing develops into a full fledged googly eyes fest.)

• THERE WILL BE LIES: This is about a…a lot of things. All of which are basically spoilers to say. BUT. There are illegal activities and a deaf protagonist and kidnappings and roadtrips. Zlich on the romance.

• DEMON ROAD: Technically there is a secondary character who’s “in love” wiht the protagonist. But she a) doesn’t love him, b) NEVER loved him, c) in fact she detests him. Ergo, I don’t call it love. Demons and roadtrips and killer cars and friendship — and THAT IS ALL.

• MAGNUS CHASE AND THE SWORD OF SUMMER: After the squishy cuteness that is Percabeth, I honestly expected Magnus and his sidekick, Samirah, to get together. BUT NO. Sam loves someone else! Magnus loves nobody! IT’S A MIRACLE.

• IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY: The focus is basically depression and recovery and while there’s a girl in there alongside the narrator, Craig….it just isn’t a romance.

• CHALLENGER DEEP: This one is about schizophrenia. There is absolutely NO romance in there…which I found really refreshing, because for once it focused on recovery and family and self — instead of smooching your problems away.

• JACKABY: While the protagonist, Abigail, makes googly eyes at a local constable…their relationship never evolves past there. I would say zlich to the romance. Unless you count Jackaby, who is basically a Sherlock Holmes character, being romantically attracted to a duck.

• SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE: This is about a blind girl who “kidnaps” her little brother to fly overseas and find their father. It’s an incredible book!! Also no romance! Because they’re finding their DAD.

• MESSENGER OF FEAR: This book has no time for romance because it’s too busy creeping you out. No complaints, folks, noooo complaints.

• THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO: There is a boy and a girl in this story and I see potential. But they’re like 14 and sort of trying to live. There is no romance. They’ve got priorities.

• CHARM & STRANGE: It’s a confusing mess of a boy who has….eh, who even knows. He is definitely mentally ill. But there is no romance here. Just howling.

• EON: Fantasy, dragons, girl-posing-as-a-guy…you know the drill. Plus Eona has no time for boys when she’s got DRAGONS.

• THE GIRL FROM THE WELL: There are ghosts. GHOSTS. And they kill people and there’s blood everywhere and the protagonist has exactly no love interest. NOT EVEN WITH THE GHOST.

• THE MAZE RUNNER: People might argue that there is a romance…but I honestly don’t think so. In later books — yes. In the first book? Nada. Thomas and Theresa have history but that doesn’t equal attraction.

• ROSE UNDER FIRE: BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS CRY WHILE YOU READ THIS BOOK. THERE IS NO TIME FOR ROMANCE. ONLY DROWNING IN TEARS. I highly recommend this book. Go read it. Feel pain. Hate me for my recommendation. But secretly be grateful.

Because we need to ask the important questions here. Why? WHYYYYYYY. As an unromantic bean I do ask myself this copiously. For every 30 YA books I read, maybe 1 will have no romance. And as I’m reading, I’m so much more likely to care more about a) Katniss saving Prim instead of whatever-she-feels-for-Peeta, b) for Cinder to rule the moon, c) for Saba to rescue her brother Lugh.

DON’T GET ME WRONG. I do like those romances (particularly Saba and Jack…squeak!) but I’m not sure that every book needs a romance on top of the adventure.

SO I MADE A LIST OF HYPOTHESIS TO WHY ROMANCE IS SO PROMINENT IN BOOKS:

• The author really wishes they’d found a Nice Adorable Person when they were 16 so they’re writing in their own dreams. Total legit. Do you know how often I write about cake? A. lot. 
• It creates tension. Tension is good for books. It’s great that the protagonist is fighting zombie sand stuff physically…but how about giving them tension emotionally? Good writing tip, dudes.
• A lot of teenagers think about romance. I mean…I THINK??? I’VE HEARD???? When I was 16 I wrote an epic fantasy with man-eating-horses and murder and torture and bleeding and fun stuff like that. I’m sure that’s…normal too.
• Publishers want what will sell. Which makes sense because they’re earning a living too, right? And people have snabbled up romances since forever. THEY SELL.
• People like to read about other humans’ lives working out. It’s like the most basic story telling! Protagonist defeats the bad guy! Saves the girl/guy! Rides into the sunset! Lives happily ever after with a small herd of babies to raise and name alphabetically! IT’S HAPPINESS. Storytelling has told us this since Eve met Adam, okay? Although they sucked at the whole “ride into the sunset happily” and instead cursed of all mankind. Plot twist.

I, personally, do not have a problem with YA books being romantic. Even if it’s not my favourite thing! I do think it’d be nice if non-romance-orientated books weren’t so blindingly hard to find. I do think it’d be nice if more books promoted the fact that you can be happy without a significant other.

BUT NOT “EVERY” YA BOOK HAS ROMANCE. HA! I just proved it.

how do you feel about romance in YA books? do you enjoy it? do you wish there were more non-romance focused books? ADD TO MY LIST OF NON-ROMANTIC BOOKS!!