Welcome to Texas Reads YA! As a teen who loves to read YA, I sometimes have a hard time finding quality YA novels.  

One of my favorite genres is Realistic Fiction with a hint of Romance. Not only do these books satisfy that genre, but they also feature kick-ass female characters who are fighting for what they believe in. These novels have also been turned into Netflix Originals based on their popularity.  

Dumplin’ 
 

The #1 New York Times bestseller and feel-good YA of the year—about Willowdean Dixon, the fearless, funny, and totally unforgettable heroine who takes on her small town’s beauty pageant. 

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. 

With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. 

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does. 

Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all. 

Dumplin’ is funny, complex, and captivating! Will’s story is one that you don’t see all that often and is an inspiration to teens who have never seen themselves represented in this way before. Dumplin’ is a fun read, but also contains topics such as body positivity, societal views on women’s bodies, and expectations of how fat people will react to certain circumstances.  

Julie Murphy is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’, Puddin', Ramona Blue, and Side Effects May Vary. She lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cats who tolerate her. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, traveling, or hunting down the perfect slice of pizza. Before writing full time, she held numerous jobs, such as wedding dress consultant, failed barista, and, ultimately, librarian. Learn more about her at www.juliemurphywrites.com. 

Moxie 

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with an administration at her high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules. 

Viv's mom was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution. 

Moxie is a book about high school life that will make you wanna riot! 

Moxie will leave you feeling empowered and ready to take on anything! Mathieu shows the complexity of relationships when there are differing views on hard topics such as gender inequality and sexualization of women.  

Jennifer Mathieu is the critically acclaimed author of seven novels for young adults including Moxie, which is now a major motion picture directed by Amy Poehler (Netflix). Her first novel for adults, The Faculty Lounge, is published by Dutton/Penguin Random House. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. A former journalist, Mathieu is a graduate of Northwestern and has been a teacher for nearly twenty years. She lives with her family in Houston.