Any good self-published YA that ISN'T a series or romance?

[Max]

I would strongly prefer books with male protagonists, but I guess those are rare enough in the trade-published world.

I'm not interested in reading a series right now and the romance genre is the opposite of my interests, though I'm open to books outside the genre that feature romance regardless.

Outside of my own WIP, I can't find anything fitting that category, and said WIP is in the 'featuring a romance without technically being one' category anyway.

[olga ✿]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

[Trisa (Absolute Bookishness)]

I can't think of recs that meet all of your criteria at the moment, but I'll keep them in mind. In the meantime, I did think of a few that come close.

How do you feel about novellas? Just came across a few new ones... I guess you could call them ya/high fantasy. They're technically referred as a series in the sense that they happen in the same realm, not that they follow the same MC. Though, it seems, subseries following each character will develop eventually. And I get the impression that the MCs might know each other.

The second book, Rend the Dark, has a male MC. The first, A Reaper of Stone, and third, Best Left in the Shadows, female with some more male influence in the third. The fourth, Faith and Moonlight, (I haven't read yet) has a male and a female MC.

As far as romance... the third and fourth books touch on this a bit but it doesn't seem to overwhelm the story. (I understand how you feel about romance. I prefer not to read stories that focus on it if I can help it. But sometimes, I get caught...darn misleading book summaries. -_-)

Meritropolis is self-published sci-fi ya with a male MC and little romance but is a series.

If you want to reference something more mainstream (by that I mean not self-published), A Darker Shade of Magic is an ya/fantasy option with a male MC and little to no romance but...it is a series.

Whew. This is a bit long-winded but I hope it helps, at least a little. ^_^ *Passes out*

[Lynne]

Integrate by Adele Jones has a male protagonist and isn't really a romance. It recently had a sequel added to it, and that does get a little more romantic, but the first book can stand on its own.

[Max]

Thank you all for your contribution!

I'm open to novellas.

I'd also really appreciate suggestions of contemporary fiction. I like a good SF/F/H, but I mostly read contemporary, magical realism, slipstream, and bizarro. I can only think of one self-published YA magical realism novel (Magic America by C. E. Medford, which is on my to-read list) and none of the following two categories, so I'm focusing on the first.

I'm also open to suggestions from micro presses, though not small presses. I'm just focusing on self-publishing because it's a more direct way to support the author.

[Archie]

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is well written. It has a male protagonist that may not be a typical hero but still a character you want to root for. There is a little romance but it's limited to the main character saying that he likes his friend in the beginning. It doesn't at all come in to play with almost the entire book.

[Booked]

I have one! Beyond the Cabin by Jared Nathan Garrett
Beyond the Cabin
It's about a teenage boy raised in a cult and looking for a way out. Very nicely done. There's a bit of nascent romance brewing, but it's definitely not a romance.

[Storm]

Sorry this breaks the rules a bit but The Monstrumologist by Ricky Yancy is a great book and though it's part of a series it also reads great as a stand alone.