Get to Know Your Fave YA Stars This Summer Through These Insightful Memoirs
Soon you'll be receiving your summer reading list for the upcoming school year—and let's be honest, that list doesn't always make it on our personal suggestions of must-read books.
Before you break open your required reading, flip through the pages of some books you won't be able to put down.
While YA fiction provides us the summer getaway from our sometimes tame and predictable lives, memoirs are the perfect pages to make us feel motivated, energized and accepted.
These YA memoirs written by some of our favorite celebs—from YouTubers to Olympians—will give you insight into their fabulous lives while making you feel just as powerful.
1. Unfiltered by Lily Collins
Actress Lily Collins, known for her roles in Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Mirror Mirror, gets real about what it's like to be a young woman in this debut memoir filled with essays that will make you laugh, cry and feel inspired. Get personal with Lily and live your life like she does—unfiltered.
(via Amazon)
2. I Got This: To Gold and Beyond by Laurie Hernandez
Laurie Hernandez won our hearts at the Rio Olympics last summer and we just can't get enough of her—from her crush on Zac Efron to her performances on Dancing With the Stars. This breakout memoir catches fans up on her life before Olympic gold medal fame and how she became the gymnastics star she is today.
(via Barnes and Noble)
3. Note to Self by Connor Franta
If you've read Youtuber Connor Franta's best-selling debut memoir and Forbes Top 5 Breakthrough Books of 2015, A Work in Progress, then you need to put his latest book, Note to Self, at the top of your YA memoir reading list. While Connor's first book took a look at his past life story, this piece digs deeper within the Youtube star in a collection of diary-style essays, letters and poems to bring self-love and acceptance to light.
(via Barnes and Noble)
4. Courage to Soar by Simone Biles
Many of us only dream about what it would be like to be an Olympian—the kind of hard work and dedication it takes to practice until you're perfect, the kind of personal and social sacrifices you make and the way it feels to perform, let alone win gold, in the most respected athlete arena in the world. In this memoir, Simone tells us not only about her life as an Olympian but also how it all started. The only reason you'll put this book down is to get started on your own goals.
(via Barnes and Noble)
5. The Maddie Diaries by Maddie Ziegler
This teen may have started out as a dancer but she's quickly proving to be a triple threat with acting and modeling credits under her belt. This memoir, written like a diary, gives her fans insight into her life, her amazing success at such a young age and the lessons she's learned along the way. Even if you aren't an avid watcher of Dance Moms, you'll want to get the inside scoop of this star whose career is bound to go above and beyond.
(via Amazon)
6. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
It's not every day a fellow teen becomes the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is exactly why you need to pick up this memoir ASAP and read it cover-to-cover in one sitting. Miraculous is the only word that comes close to describing this teen's tale… but you should really just read it for yourself.
(via Amazon)
7. Surviving High School by Lele Pons
I don't need to tell you who Lele Pons is, because you're obviously already familiar with this Vine star and her popular videos. This novel puts the "fiction" in nonfiction, as this semi-autobiographical tale takes us to high school through the lens of Lele herself. The story may not be completely true, but the Vine star's personal experiences shape the plot and themes in this debut novel. If memoirs aren't totally your thing, you'll have fun with this fictionalized true story.
(via Barnes and Noble)
8. Heart to Heart by Britney Spears
Join the club if you had no idea that Brit wrote a memoir back when she was a teen. While our love for the Queen of Pop has never faded over the years, it was definitely recharged after she accepted the Icon Award at the RDMA in May which is why we need to get our hands on a copy of Heart to Heart this summer. Find out the inside info on how the biggest name in pop music today rose to stardom in this heartwarming memoir.
(via Amazon)
9. Odd Birds by Ian Harding
In this debut memoir, Ian Harding works through his struggle of remaining himself in the face of star-status. Wondering where the bird motif comes from? This Pretty Little Liars celeb is actually an avid birdwatcher (who knew, right??) and relates each of his stories to a different kind of bird, whether literal or metaphorical. Fans of both Ian and all things nature will live for this novel this summer.
(via Barnes and Noble)
Looking for some good books with more fictitious plots? Look no further. Click HERE to find the ultimate YA summer reading guide.