I’ve been reading about the trends in young adult fiction. According to my research, today’s teens experience storytelling in a way that is different than it was even five years ago. TikTok, YouTube, fan fiction, manga, anime, video games, and so on all influence how people experience story now. Expectations and tastes are being shaped by strong visuals, interactive features, and quick, fast-paced narratives.
Scene-first writing is popular, with iconic settings, visual entrances, and dramatic reveals. Readers want immediate immersion, almost as if they are watching a movie. Another trend gaining popularity among teens is interactive novels. All of this makes sense, given that books are competing with an abundance of visual entertainment and media.
The demand for certain types of books always fluctuates, changing as the world changes due to social pressures and events of the times. I read that right now young audiences are looking for more cozy fantasy and gentler stories, such as those with fairy tale elements, found families, or low-stakes adventures. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are also concerned about AI, the climate, social problems, which explains the interest in dystopian fiction addressing those kinds of issues. There were more trends. These are just examples of what I found.
All of this felt overwhelming to me at first, until I realized a common thread, with certain things being emphasized over and over. Readers want absorbing, emotional resonant fiction with strong visuals…just like they always have.
Market trends are more like weather than climate. They can be a useful starting place and help authors understand their audience, but to build a loyal readership over time, stories that touch the heart will form that connection. This made me think of old favorites that stand the test of time. Would the well-loved classics draw today’s young book lovers? Some would, and do. To be honest, if those old favorites were freshly written today they might require a bit of condensing to succeed in the current market, but what consistently draws fans across decades and genres is much more stable than a trend.
Emotional Truth and Connection
Readers keep coming back to stories that feel emotionally real and characters who want something deeply and struggle in recognizable ways. Whether it’s mythic fantasy, contemporary romance, or sci-fi epic, when people care about a character they will follow them through almost any plot. That hasn’t changed.
Narrative Momentum
When a narrative has momentum, it pulls the reader forward. While fast pacing may be on trend, (and a preference today’s authors need to consider), what propels a story should hinge on questions being raised and answered and stakes evolving. The story must matter in some way, either intellectually or emotionally. Another tried-and-true hallmark of good writing.
Immersive Fiction
Immersion can come in many forms. In Tolkien, it’s deep world building and language, but in some modern young adult fiction, it might be atmosphere, voice, cinematic scenes, engaging action, deep connection to the character, psychological depth, or a combination of these.
Voice
A distinctive narrative voice, whether lyrical, funny, or otherwise unique in some way, often does more to keep readers’ attention than any trend alignment. Voice is what makes a story feel like it could only have been written by that one person.
Trends can help a book find its moment, and we should pay attention to what readers are hungry for. But emotional truth, character depth, momentum, immersion, and voice are what consistently make those readers return to a favorite author again and again.
Perhaps, as a writer, I’m asking the wrong question. Instead of asking what’s popular, I should ask what would make my target audience care deeply about the particular story I feel called to write, and how I can create such a world and characters.
That kind of research can only set me on the right track to producing an engaging story that aims for timeless appeal.
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre author. She writes contemporary young adult, historical fiction, and southern fiction. Many of her novels are about tough issues, but she always ends her stories on a note of hope. Finding the faith to carry on through hard battles in a common theme in Donna Jo’s books. Her novel When the Wildflowers Bloom Again is a 2025 ACFW Carol Award Winner.
Her contemporary young adult novel and 2025 SCWC Notable Book, Promise Me Tomorrow, is available in ebook, print, and KU. For the latest news on upcoming releases and other author news, sign up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at donnajostone.com.
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