HomeBest OfBest YA Books of 2017
♥ EDITOR'S TOP 15 PICKS

Best YA Books of 2017

The best young adult books published in 2017.

15books ranked
6,667total pages
0.2avg spice
THE FULL RANKING
15 books, ranked by our editors
Every book read cover to cover. Ranked by vibe, prose quality, emotional impact, and re-readability. — compatibility-checked, not just star-sorted.
👑#1
Lord of Shadows cover
EDITOR'S PICK

🥇 #1 Match
Lord of Shadows

🌶 1/5 720 p ★ 4.39
YA Fantasy
👑#2
The Hate U Give cover

🥈 #2 Match
The Hate U Give

🌶 0/5 444 p ★ 4.35
YA ContemporarySocial Justice
👑#3
Strange the Dreamer cover

🥉 #3 Match
Strange the Dreamer

🌶 0/5 536 p ★ 4.2
YA FantasyLiterary Fantasy
#4
In Other Lands cover

#4
In Other Lands

🌶 1/5 448 p ★ 4.12
YA FantasyPortal FantasyComedy
#5
Warcross cover

#5
Warcross

🌶 0/5 353 p ★ 3.98
YA Science FictionThriller
#6
Renegades cover

#6
Renegades

🌶 0/5 556 p ★ 3.98
YA Science FictionSuperhero
#7
History Is All You Left Me cover

#7
History Is All You Left Me

🌶 0/5 294 p ★ 3.85
YA ContemporaryLGBTQ+
#8
Turtles All the Way Down cover

#8
Turtles All the Way Down

🌶 0/5 286 p ★ 3.84
YA Contemporary
#9
Caraval cover

#9
Caraval

🌶 1/5 407 p ★ 3.79
YA FantasyMagical Realism
#10
King's Cage cover

#10
King's Cage

🌶 0/5 507 p ★ 3.74
YA Fantasy
#11
Daughter of the Pirate King cover

#11
Daughter of the Pirate King

🌶 0/5 311 p ★ 3.74
YA FantasyPirates
#12
Wayfarer cover

#12
Wayfarer

🌶 0/5 532 p ★ 3.68
YA FantasyTime Travel
#13
Flame in the Mist cover

#13
Flame in the Mist

🌶 0/5 393 p ★ 3.64
YA FantasyJapanese Fantasy
#14
Carve the Mark cover

#14
Carve the Mark

🌶 0/5 480 p ★ 3.6
YA Science Fiction
#15
Wonder Woman: Warbringer cover

#15
Wonder Woman: Warbringer

🌶 0/5 400 p ★ 3.56
YA FantasySuperhero
HEAT CHECK
Spice breakdown
How spicy is this list? Here is the full distribution.
Clean
12 books
🌶 1/5
3 books
🌶🌶 2/5
0 books
🌶🌶🌶 3/5
0 books
🌶🌶🌶🌶 4/5
0 books
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 5/5
0 books
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQ

This curated list features 15 books, totaling 6,667 pages. Every book has been read and rated by our team.

Rankings are based on our read-through ratings, reader community feedback, and how well each book delivers on the promise of its genre and mood. We cross-reference BookTok discussions and Goodreads data.

The average spice level across this list is 0.2/5. Individual books range from clean to scorching — check each book’s spice rating for details.

We update our best-of lists quarterly to include new releases and adjust rankings based on ongoing reader feedback and our own re-reads.

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Editorial note: Every book on this list was read cover to cover by our team. Rankings reflect our honest assessments of quality, emotional impact, and re-readability. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports our ability to keep reading and reviewing. See all ranked lists →

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See the Full Ranking ↓