What's the Next Big YA Trend?

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Perhaps more so than other age categories like Adult and Middle-grade, YA has been influenced by sweeping trends. One subgenre dominates the scene for a few years before it fades away, making space for the next big thing.

It’s clear to see that the last few years have been dominated by High Fantasy books led by characters who are often thieves, assassins, or otherwise morally grey. Books like Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series and Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology are massive successes from this niche.

But the fatigue is starting to set in. Dozens and dozens of books that fit this premise are released every year. The long and noun-heavy titles are becoming a meme, and readers are wanting something new and fresh for their next book.

The only question is, what is going to replace morally-grey high fantasy? That is what writers, publishers, and agents are all wondering. 

Poster for the Shape of Water. A fish man and a woman in a red dress are shown dancing underwater.

The Shape of Water

The movie about the fish guy that won a lot of awards. Also, a great representation of the “Monster Boyfriend” idea. Retrieved from Wikipedia.

And I think I have the answer for you in two simple words: Monster Boyfriend.

What the Hell Are You Talking About Corrin

 That’s a fair question, dear reader.

Essentially, “Monster Boyfriend” stories centre around⁠—or at least prominently feature⁠—a romance between a relatively normal humanoid and some kind of sentient monster. A great example would be the relationship in The Shape of Water between Elisa and the Amphibian Man. The Amphibian Man is traditionally “monstrous,” but it isn’t a real issue for Elisa and the pair share a romantic bond.

Now, some of you may be thinking:

“Hey, isn’t this just those paranormal novels that were all the rage in the late 2000s?”

To which I would say, yes⁠—but with some differences. That similarity, however, is a big reason I think the “Monster Boyfriend” surge is just on the horizon.

It All Comes Back to Twilight

In case you live under a rock, Twilight is a book series by Stephanie Meyer about a teenage girl falling in love with a vampire. It ignited the paranormal romance boom, and the popularity of said boom didn’t survive long after the Twilight saga released its final movie.

What didn’t die with the end of Twilight was the hate for Twilight. It was one of the internet’s very first punching bags, right up there with prepubescent Justin Bieber. Most criticisms decried it for being girly, boring, and stupid. In the late 2000s, one of the most embarrassing things you could have been was a Twilight fan.

The book cover of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Two pale hands hold a red apple on a black background.

Twilight

Be honest, you hadn’t actually read the book when you were dunking on it in 2011. Book cover designed by Gail Doobinin and retrieved from Wikipedia.

In more recent years, opinions have started changing. There’s been something of a “Twilight Renaissance” with readers openly admitting to enjoying the series. People celebrate and meme about the parts of Twilight they love while also levying actual criticism of the saga⁠: like Meyer’s inappropriate fictionalization of the Quileute Tribe.

This Twilight resurgence is a huge part of why I think the next YA trend is heading in such a paranormal direction.

The Rise of the Monster Boyfriend

It’s not controversial to say these past few years have been turbulent. But many people have faced that uncertainty by submerging themselves in nostalgia. The Twilight renaissance has proved people are ready to return to that series, and I bet many of them would be keen on reading other books like it. In fact, there is already an established community online for lovers of human and monster romance.

So 2022 will give us the return of paranormal romance, but with a modern twist. The esoteric love interests won’t be the same vampires we’ve seen so much of, but instead, a wide range of monsters will get their time to shine. Fish people! Demons! Aliens! Werewolves who actually get the girl! New monsters entirely conjured from the author’s imagination!

Not only that but there will be diversity in the relationships themselves too. That aforementioned established fanbase is predominantly queer. They will not settle for the same cishet girl meets cishet boy plotlines that permeated the late 2000s. Instead, we’ll see #ownvoices books with POC leads, trans characters, and gay relationships. It will be paranormal but more conscious of its readers and characters. And it will, of course, be much more monstrous.

That, dear reader, is where I think YA is going next.

Corrin Lewis

Corrin first picked up a book when she was three years old and hasn’t stopped reading since. She’s a 2nd-year student in Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program and hopes to publish a novel of her own one day. Her favourite way to waste time is by playing video games.