Next of Kin

Hannah Bonam-Young self-defines as an author of “romances featuring a cast of diverse, disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQIA+ folks” (“Author Hannah Bonam-Young). With her novels, she sets out to show that anyone can have a happy ending and find love, even when the world tells them otherwise. Many of her novels fall into the category of new adult romance, a subgenre of romance between young adult and adult fiction. New adult romances feature the coming-of-age and finding-yourself struggles of the young adult age range, but they revolve around slightly older characters (typically in their twenties) and often include on-page sex. Chloe (age 24) and Warren (age 23) face appropriate challenges befitting a new adult novel, namely gaining custody of their siblings, living independently, and falling in love. Chloe’s tendency to downplay her problems and Warren’s anger management issues are carried over from their teen years, showing that both characters still face the types of challenges centered in young adult books. By the end of Next of Kin, Chloe and Warren have made progress on their personal issues, learned to work together to make their lives easier, and gained custody of their siblings, meaning that both have faced and conquered adult-level problems.