To people saying that YA is purely a marketing strategy and it’s silly to distinguish it…eeehhhh I mean yes and no. It definitely started as a marketing thing, but has flourished into its own mega-genre with its own pretty clear tropes. Authors have been writing specifically with these tropes in mind, very intentionally writing books that are specifically YA in the same way that mystery writers adhere to mystery tropes to fit in with the mystery genre, etc. I get that sometimes the term is used unfairly with certain books and authors, but usually it’s fairly easy to pick up on “YA vibes”.

To people saying that YA is purely a marketing strategy and it’s silly to distinguish it…eeehhhh I mean yes and no. It definitely started as a marketing thing, but has flourished into its own mega-genre with its own pretty clear tropes. Authors have been writing specifically with these tropes in mind, very intentionally writing books that are specifically YA in the same way that mystery writers adhere to mystery tropes to fit in with the mystery genre, etc. I get that sometimes the term is used unfairly with certain books and authors, but usually it’s fairly easy to pick up on “YA vibes”.

Nope, my English teacher was excellent and gave me more of an appreciation for books I would have otherwise found boring.

You should read both fun garbage like Fourth Wing for fun and the social community that sort of pops up around those works, and also you should read actually thoughtful works with skillful writing and important themes because it’s good for your brain, and also fun in its own way. Variety is the spice of life. As long as you’re not like that meme of the possum viciously defending its garbage, why would you worry? Just balance out some of the trash with something that makes you think, it’s what I try to do.