David Yoon Books in Order

How to Read David Yoon: Standalones and Genre Paths

Unlike many authors in the young adult and speculative fiction spaces, David Yoon does not write long, interconnected series. Instead, his bibliography consists of distinct standalone novels that span two very different audiences: heartfelt, humorous contemporary young adult (YA) fiction and tense, high-concept adult speculative thrillers. This means you do not have to worry about strict chronological timelines or missing major plot threads if you read his books out of order. You can easily choose a starting point based on the genre and age group that appeals most to you.

Young Adult Contemporary Novels

David Yoon first made a name for himself in the YA contemporary romance space. These stories are celebrated for their sharp wit, authentic teenage dialogue, and deep exploration of cultural identity, family expectations, and first love.

• Frankly in Love (2019): Yoon's bestselling debut follows Frank Li, a high school senior caught between his traditional Korean immigrant parents' expectations and his love for a white classmate. To satisfy everyone, Frank enters into a fake-dating pact with Joy Song, another Korean-American teen in a similar predicament, leading to complex and emotional consequences.
• Super Fake Love Song (2020): His second YA novel introduces Sunny Dae, a self-proclaimed geek who accidentally convinces his new cool classmate that he is the front man of a rock band. What starts as a small lie snowballs into a full-scale masquerade, forcing Sunny to confront who he really is.

Adult Thrillers and Speculative Fiction

For adult readers, Yoon shifts away from teenage romance into dark, tech-focused, and post-apocalyptic settings. While still maintaining his signature focus on identity and human connection, these books explore much darker and more philosophical themes.

• Version Zero (2021): An adult tech-thriller that tackles the ethics of the modern internet. It follows Max, a data analyst who gets fired after raising concerns about user privacy. He joins forces with a group of like-minded twentysomethings and a charismatic tech mogul to launch a campaign to dismantle the internet's most predatory companies.
• City of Orange (2022): A post-apocalyptic survival story. A man wakes up alone in a barren, dangerous landscape with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As he struggles to survive and piece together his past, the novel transforms into a poignant study of grief, memory, and hope. Yoon has noted that while this was published after his other works, it was actually the first novel he began writing.

Recommended Reading Order and Starting Points

Because all of David Yoon's novels are standalones, your reading path depends entirely on your reading preferences. Here are the three best ways to approach his work:

Path 1: The Contemporary Young Adult Route (Highly Recommended)

If you enjoy witty, character-driven romances with deep emotional stakes and cultural insights, start here. This path highlights the books that put Yoon on the bestseller lists.

1. Frankly in Love (2019)
2. Super Fake Love Song (2020)

Path 2: The Speculative and Thriller Route

If you prefer suspense, dystopian settings, or critiques of modern technology, jump straight into his adult fiction. These books can be read in any order, but starting with the tech-thriller is the most common path.

1. Version Zero (2021)
2. City of Orange (2022)

Path 3: Strict Publication Order

To watch Yoon's evolution as a writer—transitioning from YA coming-of-age stories to adult speculative fiction—read his books in the order they were published:

1. Frankly in Love (2019)
2. Super Fake Love Song (2020)
3. Version Zero (2021)
4. City of Orange (2022)

The Arc of a Scythe Connection: "Gleanings"

If you look up David Yoon's catalog in online databases, you may notice him linked to the popular Arc of a Scythe series. It is important to clarify that Yoon did not write the core Arc of a Scythe trilogy (consisting of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll), which is entirely the creation of author Neal Shusterman.

However, David Yoon is connected to this universe through the 2022 anthology Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe. Yoon co-authored the short story "The Mortal Canvas" alongside Neal Shusterman. The story follows a student at an art academy and explores how the concept of art changes in a world where death has been conquered. While the story is set within Shusterman's universe, it can be enjoyed as a companion piece and does not require you to have read the main trilogy to appreciate its themes, though reading it after the main trilogy provides a richer experience.

Key Caveats & Mistaken Identities

When searching for David Yoon's books, there are a few common points of confusion that readers should keep in mind:

• Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality (2023): Many book databases attribute this non-fiction academic volume to the novelist David Yoon. However, this is a case of mistaken identity. The book was actually written by a different David Yoon, who is a numismatist and curator at the American Numismatic Society. The YA and adult novelist David Yoon has no connection to this publication.
• Everything, Everything: David Yoon is married to the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicola Yoon. While he did not write her hit novel Everything, Everything, he did provide the illustrations for the book, making it a unique collaborative effort between the literary couple.
• Joy Revolution Imprint: David and Nicola Yoon co-founded Joy Revolution, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. The imprint focuses on publishing young adult romance novels starring characters of color, written by diverse authors. While David Yoon helps curate and champion these books, he is not the author of the imprint's titles (such as Talia Hibbert's Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute).