Welcome! Thanks for joining us in our quest to find clean reads for tweens, teens, and young adults. If you’re having a hard time finding books without all the language, sex, or mature situations for you and your teens, you’re not alone. Lots of kids and parents are looking for them, and we’ve found some great suggestions. (Scroll down if you want to know more about our search for clean books.)
-Sara & Stacy
Website owners
**This newsletter is part of the section of our website called “Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone.” Sign-up to receive our updates if you haven’t already! (This list is different from our general Book Series Recaps newsletter.)
Looking for clean books for teen Christmas gifts in 2025? I’ve got you covered.
A note from Sara:
Hello! I’m Sara, one of the owners here at Book Series Recaps, and I curate the clean book lists on this website. I’m also a writer and a part-time high school teacher.
If you and your kids are looking for clean book recommendations for the holidays, I’ve got you covered.
In this newsletter, you’ll find:
- 24 completed YA series for holiday binge reading
- Clean Christmas romance books for teens
- A few new titles you will love
- Non-book gift ideas for the readers in your life
- Popular lists – New and Old (scroll)
- A note/warning for parents and educators
- A note to new subscribers
And you’ll find even more clean teen reads for young teens and older teens here: Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone.
Happy reading! -Sara
24 completed YA series for holiday binge reading
I love a good series. If you want to dive into a completed series this Christmas, try some of these titles! Take me to the list…
Clean Christmas romance books for teens
Cozy up with a no-spice YA Christmas romance for teens. These suggestions are the perfect clean read for your holiday break. Take me to the list…
Four new clean books for teen Christmas gifts:
Here are a few clean titles I recently found! Check out Becky Dean’s latest teen travel romance, the final book in Candace Kade’s sci-fi trilogy, a fairytale retelling by Melanie Cellier, and an awesome Christmas fantasy take on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol by Cynthia Hand. Any of these would make great clean books for teen Christmas gifts this year.
Love Unmasked by Becky Dean
I recommend all of Becky Dean’s teen travel romances!
From Goodreads: “A swoony mystery-filled romance in which a girl on a school trip to Venice gets swept off her feet by a mask-wearing stranger.”
Augmented by Candace Kade
Book three is The Hybrid Series. I recommend starting with Enhanced if you haven’t read it.
From Goodreads: “Lee Urban must win to survive.”
The Princess Companion by Melanie Cellier
A retelling of the Princess and the Pea. I’ve heard from many that Melanie Cellier’s books are all clean. FYI.
From Goodreads: “Danger and romance await a woodcutter’s daughter in a royal palace.”
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
A great Christmas read with a great message and a bit of teen romance. (A tiny bit of language in this one.)
From Goodreads: “A contemporary YA reimagining of A Christmas Carol.”
Non-book gift ideas for the readers in your life
Eva Austin put together a cute list of gift ideas for all the avid readers in your life. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something to add to YOUR Christmas wish list! Take me to the list…
Popular Book Lists:
Clean fantasy romance books
Clean YA rom-com for teens
Best clean romance books for 12 to 16-year-old girls
No-spice Christmas romance for adults
Clean books for boys (or girls!)
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out our master list: Clean YA Books for Teens, Tweens, or anyone
A Message/Warning for Parents and Educators:
I want to tell you about something circulating in the book community. An author I’m familiar with posted her frustrations in a video after ALL the editors at a particular book festival told her agent they’re only interested in young adult books (YA) WITH on-page sex scenes. Yikes! YA books are those marketed to teens. The books these publishers are acquiring now will hit the shelves starting in 2027. I’ll keep trying to find more book suggestions to send your way. Here are links to her video on Facebook and Instagram. (I think she also posted it on TikTok.)
More info for new subscribers:
Does it surprise you that thousands of parents, educators, and readers have signed up to receive clean reading suggestions from me, both on Book Series Recaps and other websites I manage? If you’re looking for clean reads for yourself or your kids, you’re not alone.
I haven’t been happy with some of the books big publishing companies are printing for teens, so I started searching in smaller publishing houses and from indie authors. I’ve found some great reads this way. Because of this, some of these may not be at your local library, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them there. In fact, if you want your library to offer more clean books, you should request more clean books so they’ll know what their community wants. You can request books at your library on their website, in person, or over the phone.
Also, I’d love your feedback and suggestions. You can reply to your email or comment below with your recommendations. Keep in mind that I’m looking for more recent releases of clean books for teens.
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That’s all for now. We’ll write again soon, and thanks again for your valuable suggestions.
Until next time,
~ Sara and Stacy