Books

11 Anthologies All YA Lovers Should Add To Their TBR Pile

by Kerri Jarema

Whether you're already well-versed in the world of young adult literature, or are wanting to start slow with your introduction to the massive world of YA, anthologies can be a great next place to turn when you're adding more to your TBR.

These collections of YA short stories, all written by a compendium of popular authors, not only give the reader a theme to sink their teeth into, but offer a taste of what a writer's style is like. Chances are, if you love a short story they've written you'll adore a full-length novel even more, so anthologies like this are a great way to discover new favorites, encourage you to pick up more from authors you might have forgotten, or make you look at authors you might have overlooked in the past.

The 11 picks below are all varied in subject matter, from stories of badass broads to vexing villains; seasonal love stories to perplexing love triangles, so there is something to love for every kind of reader out there. Whether you're a YA reader wanting to try out some new authors, someone who loves short story collections and need to add a few more to your stack, or someone interested in learning more about YA authors, there's a book here for you.

'Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet' by Various Authors (January 2, 2018)

Whether you believe in fate, luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. Meet Cute is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors, including Nina LaCour, Nicola Yoon, and Emery Lord.

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'A Tyranny Of Petticoats: 15 Stories Of Belles, Bank Robbers And Other Badass Girls' edited by Jessica Spotswood

Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join 15 of today’s most talented YA writers, from Marissa Meyer to Marie Lu, on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. And they all have a story to tell.

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'The Radical Element: 15 Stories Of Daredevils, Debutantes, And Other Dauntless Girls' edited by Jessica Spotswood (March 13, 2018)

The follow up to A Tyranny of Petticoats, The Radical Element features stories from authors including Mackenzi Lee and Dhonielle Clayton, in an anthology of revolution and resistance,shining a light on a century and a half of heroines on the margins and in the intersections. Whether that means secretly learning Hebrew in early Savannah, using the family magic to pass as white in 1920s Hollywood, or singing in a feminist punk band in 1980s Boston.

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'Three Sides of a Heart: Stories about Love Triangles' edited by Natalie C. Parker

The anthology explores the myriad tragic, frustrating, humorous possibilities of the teen love triangle, and it features 15 new stories by authors including Sabaa Tahir, Lamar Giles, and Veronica Roth.

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'Welcome Home: An Anthology' edited by Eric Smith

Welcome Home collects a number of adoption-themed fictional short stories, and brings them together in one anthology from a diverse range of celebrated young adult authors, including Mindy McGinnis, C.J. Redwine, William Ritter, and more.

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'Because You Love To Hate Me: 13 Tales Of Villainy' edited by Ameriie

In this unique YA anthology, 13 acclaimed, bestselling authors (including Adam Silvera, Susan Dennard and Victoria Schwab) team up with 13 influential BookTubers (from Ameriie to Regan Peruse) to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view. These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage — and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on.

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'My True Love Gave To Me' edited by Stephanie Perkins

If you love holiday stories, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by 12 bestselling young adult writers, including Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman, and Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone.

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'Summer Days And Summer Nights' edited by Stephanie Perkins

The follow up to MTLGTM, Summer Days and Summer Nights features stories from the likes of Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, and Libba Bray all about the long, lazy days of summer... the perfect time for love to bloom.

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'Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World' edited by Kelly Jensen

Here We Are is a scrapbook-style guide to understanding what it really means to be a feminist. It’s packed with essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations from a diverse range of voices, including TV, film, and pop-culture celebrities and public figures such as ballet dancer Michaela DePrince and her sister Mia, politician Wendy Davis, as well as popular YA authors like Nova Ren Suma, Malinda Lo, Brandy Colbert, Courtney Summers, and many more.

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'Kisses And Curses' edited by Lauren Burniac

From Marissa Meyer to Marie Rutkoski, this anthology includes handpicked short stories, both a mix of original content and popular favorites, and will often feature characters or worlds from existing series like The Lunar Chronicles and The Winner's Trilogy. Extended, personal introductions from each author will make this a must-read for fans as well as a fantastic portal for engaging new readers with their work. With a wide range of genres and subject matter, there will be something here for everyone.

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'Slasher Girls & Monster Boys' edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

A host of young adult authors from Nova Ren Suman to Jay Kristoff come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by April Genevieve Tucholke. Each story draws from a classic tale or two — sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not — to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

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