I was super excited about this book the moment I heard about it – books about books are always fun, plus this is about teen fiction! While I haven’t read as much as the author, I’ve read my fair share of Judy Blume, Sweet Valley High, and even Sweet Valley Kids.

Paperback Crush takes us through the history of YA literature in the 80s and 90s. The book isn’t a comprehensive look at the genre, rather, it subdivides the books into the following seven categories and gives us an overview of each: Love, Friends, Family, School, Jobs, Danger, and Terror.

As the author notes in the introduction to the books, these YA books are often about the same set of people (i.e. rich, white). But as the book shows, there is some diversity within the series – you just have to look a little harder for it. These books were also useful in explaining zeitgeist of the time, by looking at what people wanted to read.

It was so fun to see books that I recognised here! One was You, Me, and Gracie Makes Three. The author’s synopsis doesn’t sound like the book I read, but it makes me want to hunt down my copy and reread it!

Tone-wise, I thought the book was slightly more snarky than it needed to be. I’m all for unabashed fangirling, and I thought this book was going to be an appreciation of the genre (which has been overlooked and looked down upon by many), so the snarky tone was a bit of a surprise and disappointment.

Overall, this is a charming look at the history of YA literature geared toward girls. There are lots of nostalgic covers in here and it provides a great overview of the genre, covering both some of the more widely read books as well as a few, slightly more obscure titles.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.