Notice for Review Requests

I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Q4U: What is your opinion on sex in YA novels?

Q4U (Question 4 U) is a feature on Stop, Drop, and Read! that appears on random days. A question is asked for you to answer, where it could range from getting feedbacks for the blog to a start of a fun topic!

Sex. Yes, a topic that could stimulate conversations easily among teens. Nowadays, they are seen more often in YA novels than ever. Some hints around it, while others give you all the details. So...

What is your opinion on sex in YA novels?

I don't mind them at all, but I generally prefer my YA novels without. I rather read them in adult novels because for some reason, I always felt that the sex scenes are placed in a way that disrupts the flow of the novel. Maybe once in awhile it's well incorporated into the plot, but I rather just read about teens living life without the sex stuff for now. Because I find it that teenagers have so much ahead of them, therefore I want to see them do other things other than sleeping with each other.

So what are your opinions on it?

Watch these videos, hilarious and she gives great tips on how to add sex into a story properly.

Part 1


Part 2

post signature

7 comments:

Orchid said...

I prefer my YA books to be smut free. I just find it sad that authors have to resort to putting those kind of scenes in their books, because it sets a bad example for those who read said book. Hope I haven't offended anyone. :)

Sara said...

And I prefer my YA to have some sex scenes. Obviously, it depends on the plot and the characters, but I think it's realistic to include sex. No, not all teens are having sex. Half of my friends lost it in high school, the other half waited: I don't have a problem with either choice. And for that reason, I think that including sex in YA depending on the characters in the novel... because, just like in real life, not all people/characters are ready for sex and some are.

I just read THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger which has many sex scenes and I think it is done wonderfully and very realistically. And it also ended up being one of my all time favorite novels!

P.S. I hate fade to black sex scenes... HATE.

Ren @ All By Myshelf said...

I completely agree with Orchid. I hate smutty books, and I don't think stuff like that belongs in YA books.

Bethany said...

I really don't care if it's a good book ( I would give some examples but it would ruin the books ;)

Mandy Hubbard said...

Orchid,

It's totally cool to choose books with the sort of content you prefer. That's why the sheer variety of books available is awesome.

I've written clean books (Prada & Prejudice, You Wish) and not-so-clean books (BUT I LOVE HIM, which comes out in 2011). The not-so-clean book has sex scenes, cuss words, and physical violence.

I did not "resort" to adding those scenes. I purposefully put them into the book becuase there was simply no other way to tell the story. It's a dark book about a girl in an abusive relationship. I'm showing all of the emotions and darkness that goes with that. There was just no way to skip over that part of the relationship without making people scratch their head and wonder why I showed everything but that.

Some stories, if told honestly/correctly, simply need those scenes. And you may disagree, and that's totally your right, but saying that its "sad that authors resort to that" isn't correct.

Also? Smut is defined as pornography or obscenity. Sex scenes don't have to be either.

jenniferlaurens said...

Don't worry about offending anyone. PLEASE. There's enough sex out there on the shelfs, on the TV and film screens....I, for one, prefer zero in YA lit. That's one of the reasons I started writing :)

Bookworm said...

Yeah, I'm getting a little sick of all the sex in YA lit. When not tastefully written or trying to portray a message (like in Mandy's upcoming book, see her comment above), it can come off as trashy (ie Gossip Girl).