YA Fiction for Christians: A Look at Author Kasie West

If you ever run a search on “clean YA fiction” and at least one of Kasie West’s books doesn’t come up, something is wrong with your search engine. Kasie West is a fixture in the sweet, clean YA romance genre. Her stories are engaging and lighthearted, her characters are full of wit, and her books are the very definition of clean: no sex, no profanity, no violence.

But what if you’re a Christian teen reader? Do Kasie West’s books promote biblical principles or mock them? Are they safe to enjoy or best left on the shelf?

In this post, I lay it all out, from the books you can love to the ones you might want to avoid. We’ll step beyond simply screening for “clean” content and scrutinize these stories with a biblical lens as well.

Let’s see if there is any YA fiction for Christians among the Kasie West shelf in your local bookstore.

Hey, I’m Lauren, author of YA Christian fiction and blogger for teens with higher aim.

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Kasie West, Author of Stories With Heart and Humor

Personally, as a reader, I fell in love with Kasie’s books because of how she tackles friendship, budding romances, and a wide array of issues relevant to teens without resorting to sensuality, violence, or vulgarity. All her YA books are sweet, clean romances, and her characters are both lovable and relatable. Fans of Jenny B. Jones‘ Christian YA fiction will like Kasie West’s style.

These are romances, mind you, so you will encounter some kissing—and not just a chaste peck. Some readers might be uncomfortable with the details given. If that’s you, check out some of my other recommendations on my list of Squeaky-Clean YA Romances or read my FREE Christian YA romance short story The Green Grass Grows Again (which has only brief kissing).

But more than being clean, you won’t find the characters poking fun at God or Christian ideals—which, in my opinion, is a huge point in her favor. In a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity, it’s getting harder and harder to find books (especially YA books) that don’t belittle people of faith in some way. Kasie West walks that fine line of neutrality that makes her books appeal to a wide range of readers, including readers of faith.

Caution for Christian Readers

Christian readers should never accept immorality in fiction because that leads to accepting immorality in life.

While Kasie West continues to put out sweet, clean YA romances with dependable regularity, her more recent books have embraced homosexuality with the inclusion of secondary LGBTQ characters, portraying such a lifestyle as both normal and acceptable. (Is it normal and acceptable? Check out the two nonfiction books about gender identity on my list of 11 Shameless Books On Sex And Gender For Christian Teens.)

Some readers might be able to overlook this. Honestly, I wish I could tell you to brace yourself against the immoral content and simply enjoy the rest because even those stories are sweet reads.

But then, isn’t eschewing questionable content the point of YA fiction for Christians? I wouldn’t tell you to ignore graphic sensuality and frequent profanity in another book simply because it has a great plot, so why should this be any different?

I talk more about this in The Problem With Clean YA Fiction For Christian Teens.

“Not a Hint” Applies to Fiction Too

The Bible leaves no wiggle room. Ephesians 5:3 says, “but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.” I doubt the apostle Paul—or God—would make an exception for fiction.

Christian readers should never accept immorality in fiction because that leads to accepting immorality in life. So while it’s safe to enjoy most of Kasie West’s books, skip the ones that cross this line of morality.

Kasie West Books With LGBTQ Content

These are the books I recommend Christian teen readers avoid:

Places We’ve Never Been (2022) – Skylar’s brother is openly gay
Better Than Revenge (2024) – two of Finlay’s friends are homosexual
Lonely Hearts Day (2024) – contains a platonic same-sex kiss during a game

Five Kasie West Books Christian Teens Can Enjoy

Fortunately, many of Kasie’s books don’t cross this line. I have read all her YA books and have no problem recommending them (minuse the above three) to Christian teen readers. (Again, with a warning that there is some kissing.)

*Note that this post only covers Kasie West’s YA books. Her adult books have more spice, and so are not included in my recommendations. Be sure you know what you are getting when you pull one off the shelf!

Wondering where to start? These are my personal favorites.

P.S. I Like You

After a spontaneous scribble of song lyrics sparks a secret desk-to-desk correspondence, Lily finds herself falling for an anonymous classmate—only to discover that love, like music, doesn’t always reveal its source right away.

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, secret “pen pals”

The Fill-in Boyfriend

After a prom-night breakup forces Gia to fake a relationship with a charming stranger, she unexpectedly falls for him—only to risk losing everything when her ex returns and threatens to expose the truth.

Trope: fake dating

On the Fence

Tomboy Charlie Reynolds can outplay any boy—except when a new job forces her into unfamiliar territory and she starts falling for her best friend Braden, risking everything if she finally lets her guard down.

Trope: friends-to-lovers

Pivot Point

As a future-seeing teen, Addison must choose between two drastically different lives after her parents’ divorce: one in which she’s pursued by the most popular guy in school, and the other, where she falls for a cute, quiet artist. But then the paths turn dark…

Genre: mildly paranormal romance (No worries, there are no ghosts or vampires in this one!)

Borrow My Heart

When a girl overhears a guy getting verbally destroyed by his friends for being catfished, she jumps in to save the day—and pretends to be his online crush.

Trope: fake dating

Read my Christian YA Romance Short Story!

teen boy and girl embracing in field turning green after fire

Seventeen-year-old Karima Hadad had the perfect life until one impulsive decision handed her boyfriend the power to destroy her reputation overnight. Now the girl voted Most Likely to be America’s Next Top Model by her classmates is hiding behind her curtains, watching the world move on without her—and stealing glances at the boy she never should have pushed away.

A tender, honest YA short story about a Christian teen who’s learning that shame is a liar, God’s love is louder than a locker room, and the clumsy-awkward boy next door might be the fresh start she no longer deserves.

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