The Contemps

I recently came across The Contemps blog and found the concept noteworthy. The members describe themselves as such:

We're the Contemps, a group of YA authors with contemporary novels releasing over the course of a year. We are passionate about realistic fiction because these are the books that remind us we're not alone in this real world. Our mission is simple - to spotlight contemporary fiction for young adults through blog posts, author events, and (over)sharing from our teen years. From the Contemps blog

With the recent rise in popularity of paranormal, fantasy, dystopia novels it's interesting and nice to see a group dedicated to realistic fiction for teens. Although I am a huge, huge fan of dystopias (now as an adult), when I was a teen I read almost exclusively realistic YA. And my return to YA as an adult was largely due to reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. As a teen I simply couldn't relate to characters in the fantasy and sci-fi novels that my friends loved; I needed characters that I could really see myself knowing and possibly being. I wanted to escape into a world that was similar to mine, not a fantastical one of dragons, vampires, or other mythical creatures or realms. As an adult I think my reading tastes are much more varied, but I still love a realistic YA novel that draws me back to being in junior high and reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the third or fourth time.

So I will be participating in their challenge to read at least 18 of the 21 members' 21 novels. See my challenges page for updates on what my progress and links to my reviews. Check out their site to join in on the challenge and/or spread the word!