So if you missed it I did a post of my Childhood Faves check it if you haven’t already.
I’ve decided to keep the theme going and list some Teenage books that really got me through the awkwardness of puberty and the chaoticness that is highschool. My birthday is this month so it seems appropriate to go through my cringe worthy self and also books that helped me through rough patches.
I’ve always loved to read, my Mum breathes books so it was just a matter of time before I did as well. I’m so grateful to my Mum, she never restricted my reading in fact she encouraged me to read what ever I liked, smut included. She knew my maturity and trusted my picks. I don’t think I would have loved reading as much as I did if I was ever censored and don’t believe in censoring books, if you do that’s fine but I was reading sex scenes and gore at the wee age of 13 and I didn’t turn out too bad in my opinion.
V.C. Andrews
The first book I’m going to start with is the Author I owe it all to and that’s Virginia Andrews. I moved schools at 13 (year 8 for all the Aussies) I was being bullied and felt like the teachers weren’t on my side so I switched school and it was the best call I ever made, bullying will happen everywhere but I’m glad I got out of the toxic environment. When I was at my saddest I would pick up Heaven or Flowers in the Attic and just be transported into the story.
This books are like trashy magazines ; you know there not that well written or even informative but man are they addictive. I’ve reread the Heaven series more times than I can remember and I’m grateful for reading being my chosen escape from reality. Also I cried like a baby at the end of both of these series.
Jackie Collins
Chances is still a book I recommend people, when Jackie Collins sadly passed away me and my mum called each other at the same time. Lucky was the first female character I read that owned herself, she was tough and a lady boss, she wasn’t ashamed of her self and had no filter. Lucky is one of my fave female characters and started my love for kickass proud woman who takes no shit from anyone.
Books that pulled at my heart string and impacted who I was. There’s always those books that have the power to change/shape you these were mine:
The Diary of Ann Frank For obvious reasons, but I was really interested in WWII books at this really opened my eyes.
To Kill A Mockingbird – My first classic read, my favourite book of all time, Scouts innocence mixed in with the gross injustice of the system. This book will always be in my heart.
The Green Mile – Mainly for tearing my heart out but also for igniting love for Stephen Kings books even more.
A Child Called It – a non fiction about one mans horrible journey with child abuse I read a lot of non fiction about these subjects but this story broke me.
Go Ask Alice I read at 12ish and believed it was a true story I adored it at the time and it was the first book I really read about drugs from, I understand now that it’s full of inaccuracies but at the time I loved it.
Another book series I owe a lot to is Twilight, seriously this series was my everything and I was team Jacob(fight me Edward lovers)
People that say Twilight is crap and isn’t for them that’s fine, that’s your opinion but people who put Twilight down and say it shouldn’t have sold as many copies and teens shouldn’t read it blah blah.. No, fuck that noise Twilight sparked 1000’s of teens interest in reading and helped shape young adult books into what they are. It’s all good to hate on the cringefest that is Twilight and sparkly Vampires but recognise the amazing impact it made on the reading and young adult community.
I have a million more books that I feel shaped my reading tastes Karen Rose and her detective thrillers, Stephen King and him being the King of horror, plays like Hamlet, Antigone, and The Importance of being Ernest that piped my interest in different story formats. My teenage years we’re full of cheesy reads and important reads, mixed all together to create the weirdness that is myself and my bookshelf.
adoptabookaus.com 
I loved Flowers in the Attic when I was around 13-14. I read a few of Andrews’ other books, but didn’t enjoy them quite as much as that one. 😛
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Flowers in the Attic and Heaven were my go to, once she passed away and they started being ghost written I felt like I was reading Fan Fiction of her originals 😦
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Omg this is such a good idea – I have so many books from my teen years that I still secretly like but will deny if anyone asks. Definitely Twilight, the Hush Hush books, and the Morganville Vampires!! God I miss these books 😀
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hahaha say it loud and proud, Twilight was such fun as a teen I’ve been wanting to re-read it but i also don’t want to incase I end up hating it DX
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I’ve been wanting to re-read it too! But yeah, I’m sure it won’t have the same effect it did when I was a teenager lol 😀
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I never read any of those growing up, omg!! I did get into Harry Potter (duh) and Narnia. Also Alex Rider and CHERUB, plus as I got older I became addicted to the first few Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books!!! So many good memories, great post. 😀
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I didn’t read Harry Potter until 2015 *runs away* I just didn’t want to pick it up coz of the hype I guess? I loved the movies and wished I had read the books when I was younger. I did read Narnia but it was when I was in primary that and Eragon were 2 of my fave fantasies
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Yes, Eragon was one I read, too! I finished the series (regrettably). Haha but at least you’ve read it now, woo!
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I also read A Child Called It in my teenage years and have never cried so much over a book, I still don’t know what brought me to read it as I’ve never read any book of that genre before or after, I liked this post, haven’t seen anything like it previously
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My mum has a heap of books in that genre so I’ve read a fair few I don’t know why? There so morbid and make me cry but I like that they’re true stories and supporting the author. I’m glad you liked the post!
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I feel like I could have written most of this post myself. My mother and I actually shared the V.C. Andrews books back in the day and she had no problem with what I chose to read either. She wasn’t a fan of Jackie Collins but never stopped me from reading them though. Not to mention reading Stephen Kind and all the gore and scariness and so on and on.
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😀 I’m so glad you loved most of these books too!
My mum loved Jackie Collins she gave me all her copies until I got a job and bought my own XD I don’t know what i would have done if I was told what to read my mum was just happy I was reading anything 😀 plus they were her books so it’s not like she didn’t enjoy them as well.
I read Pet Semetery and it was the first book to truly scare me, I loved it because I didn’t really like horror movies, I cant look past a good stephen king book even his crime thrillers are just so fantastic one of my fave Authors.
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My grandmother really got me to reading when I was barely walking and talking it seemed like. She taught me to sign my name at 3 to get my own library card and from there I read and read and read. But you mentioned a lot of my faves as a teen and thinking back I think my family was just more into being glad I was reading than trying to censor what I picked up too.
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The Green Mile was my first Stephen King book too! I absolutely adore it. My mom practically threw it at me, she likes Stephen King so much. I can only say she’s right.
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Your mum is def right! The Green Mile is one of my Mums faves too, she doesn’t really love his paranormal and horrors coz she thinks they’re too wordy but is all over the crime thrillers 😀
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Haha…my mom likes both. She said she had a lot more before we moved, but she had to get rid of a lot of them. 😢. But she practically threw The Shining at me, lol. So I can say I enjoy both! The books I’ve read I’ve really liked.
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I’m planning on re-reading The Shining soon, I haven’t read it since highschool and I need to read Doctor Sleep already 😀
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I only got to read To Kill a Mocking Bird last year but I agree, its really a wonderful read. Seeng Ann Frank on this list has reminded me that I need to read that book soon. Great post!
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I have re-read it so many times and it continues to be my fave I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 I need to re-read it soon I bought a new copy because my original was falling apart xD
Ann Frank is such an emotional and just eye opening read I hope you love it when you get to it
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I loved to Kill a Mockingbird, it’s still my all time favorite! I also loved The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, and Lonesome Dove!
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TKAMB I think will always be one of my faves it’s just got everything I could ever want and I have re-read it so many times it’s like coming back to an old friend XD I haven’t read The Sun Also Rises or Lonesome Dove I’ll have to check them out!
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I actually discovered The Sun Also Rises in my freshman year at college but it’s definitely a favorite and I’ve read Lonesome Dove quite a few times now since high school it’s a good one!
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For me, Lord of the Rings and John Green’s books really shaped me as a middle schooler and reader in general, especially Green’ Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns. (Also, shoutout to sixth grade me for reading and loving Twilight– although I’m team Edward, so I guess we’ll have to battle it out someday 🙂 ). This is an awesome post!
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You are on with a battle! bahaha I love Looking for Alaska it’s my fave from John Green. I never got into LOTR which is a bit disappointing I hope to pick them up one day but right not it’s just dropped off my radar I feel like i’ve missed the boat 😦 Plus I’ve seen the movies so that ruins my motivation to read too. Thank you Holly! Also sorry for the late reply your comment was in my spam 😦
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Oh my! Go Ask Alice! I totally forgot about that one but it was one of the first books I read in that teen/drama whatever you call it type of genre. After I read that I binged the Crank series by Ellen Hopkins! Also, Twilight. Yeah, I read three of them in 2 days. I was obsessed. I also really loved The Curious Case of the Dog in The Night-Time, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, East of Eden, Catcher in the Rye. I can’t think of others right now.
Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook
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Go Ask Alice was one of my first teen ones as well, that and the lovely bones were probably my main ya before Twilight.
I still have my original copies of Twilight and man are they battered from re-reads XD I never read Ellen Hopkins 😦 so many people loved her though so I have no idea why I never picked up one of her books.
I have Extremely loud and Incredibly close on audio but I wasn’t feeling it I’m planning on picking up the physical instead because I think I’ll enjoy it more. There are so many to think of I had a million more I could add XD
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Oh goodness, I got rid of my copies of Twilight so long ago. I actually regret it now because I kind of want to reread them and see what I think as an adult.
For Extremely Loud, I recommend the physical copy just because when I first read it I tabbed SO MANY QUOTES. There’s some good ones in there!
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They are in every second hand store and library so if you really want to read them again I’m sure you can find a cheap or free copy 😀 I think it would be a laugh to read it again I’m sure I’ve forgotten so many scenes xD
I’ve given up on the audio but def going to get a physical copy as I did like the story line 🙂 (also sorry for the late response your comment was in my spam folder)
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I completely agree with what you said about Twilight. Did I read those books back again in my mid 20’s and think wow Bella is stupid? Yes, but my opinion now doesn’t change the fact that they absolutely appealed to my younger imagination just like it did with so many others. Despite the supernatural themes the relationships between the characters were easy to relate to.
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I think I’d be the same, I’d be able to see its flaws now but I would still love it for my teen fangirl memories XD i may give it a re-read just for fun later on in the year
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There are so many books I’m pretty sure that if I loved when I was 14-16 that I’m pretty sure if I read now I wouldn’t particularly like them. Some of them were series I still have to read the last book for (like the Hush Hush series, Unearthly, Wings, others).
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I had a friend rec me hush hush and I said basically the same thing, I probably would have loved it when I was a teen but I don’t want to read it and end up hating it now xD
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I read a bunch of random V.C. Andrews books when I was like 13-ish because my mum had them all over the house. Looking back now I feel like I was too young to really comprehend them, but I used to think I was Super Cool and Mature™ for reading them 😂😂 Also, I’m so glad you were able to change schools! My entire school experience was really toxic, so I definitely understand how hard it was ♥
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hahaha I thought they were so racey back then too XD
I’m sorry school was toxic for you to
😦 ❤ I'm glad my parents were really supportive of me leaving as soon as I said I was unhappy and not learning because of it they pulled me out had me at home for the 2 weeks left in the term and started the new term fresh at another school.
I kept to myself a lot more at school when I moved which I do kind of regret but I didn't want to get close to new people again in case they turned toxic like my past school relationships, luckily I had a good friend group outside of school and family to support me, also reading helped so much xxxxx
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