At TLT, the YA trend watch includes:

Reality Bites
Finally, thanks in no small part to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, contemporary fiction is returning in popularity.  Some of the hot titles include In Honor by Jessi Kirby, The Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez, Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson and Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams.  Dying, especially death by cancer, seems to be a prevalent theme in the current crop of titles that I have been reading.

So glad to hear that contemporary realism is making a comeback! I love fantasy and dystopian novels, but I think there’s a lot to be said for realism, and for a while the buzz in the YA community was that realistic novels just weren’t selling. I hope this move toward realistic teen experiences continues.