Last week I went to the biggest young adult book festival in the United States. It is called YALLFest and it is in Charleston, South Carolina. The best part is that the festival is only two hours away from me! I met so many of my favorite authors and they were all amazing!
The first author I met was Michelle Hodkin and I waited two and a half hours but I was so worth it because Mara Dyer is one of my most favorite book series EVER. (BTW RETRIBUTION WAS AMAZING REVIEW TO COME)
I went to a more intimate signing at the Charleston Public Library where I met a hilarious Jennifer L. Armentrout and a kind Laini Taylor.
Laini Taylor Creeper PIc
I went to the festival last year as well so some of the authors that I saw were a repeat from last year. I saw Lauren Oliver again to get Panic signed, and she was great again.
Lauren Oliver
I saw Kiera Cass in June so I didn’t wait in line for her again but my friends and I did catch her walking around and got this photo!
Keira Cass with me
My friends and I got in line for the opening keynote at 7:30 so we got a good choice of seating and so we sat directly behind the authors! I was sitting right behind Stephanie Perkins and got a blurry selfie (I also waited in her line for two hours to get Isla signed).
Terrible Selfie with Stephanie Perkins
I was also right near Sarah J. Maas at the Keynote and the ending Smackdown. Tragically, I missed her signing. Which only means that if she comes next year I will be first in line!
Sarah J. Maas in front of me at the James Dasher Keynote.
James Dashner. His personality was most surprising to me. I did not expect him to be funny, which he was! I made a comment about being a fan of The Maze Runner before it was popular (Four years ago) I know, I know, hipster please, but whatever. I love The Maze Runner so much and I was ecstatic to finally meet him.
James Dashner Signing
I also got to see E. Lockhart and Jennifer E. Smith. They were both great and I love their books so I loved them!
I went to one panel with many popular authors. I didn’t get to see ever author I wanted to or go to ever panel, but I am very happy with my experience. I want to go again for sure!
A panel I went to with Sarah J. Maas, Kiera Cass, Marie Lu, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Leigh Bardugo, and others.
One of my favorite things at YALLFest is meeting people in line and bonding over shared interests. There were three girls that I saw in almost every line and talking to them was so fun because of the feeling of rapport that formed between us. Everyone in line is very kind because we are all happily meeting our equivalent of rockstars.
YALLFest is chaotic and sometimes a little edgy but I love how it is in downtown Charleston and how kind and hilarious the authors are. I would say every YA fan should try to go because it is once in a lifetime experience.
Who is your favorite author that I met? Did you go to YALLFest or do you want to go? Tell me in the comments below!
Your favorite fangirl,
Sarah!
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
Fangirl Like You Mean It 
I have a couple of titles by some of the authors you met on my TBR. I’m hoping to got Yallfest this year. I actually haven’t been to a book event/festival before, so it should be exciting! I do have a question: Why did you have stickies in your books? Was it to mark where authors can easily sign it? Thanks in advance, and great post! I’m glad you had a nice time!
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The stickies had our names on them so the authors could personalize their signature. It also marked the signing page. They provide you with stickies but if you did them beforehand it might safe some hassle. I would for sure recommend Yallfest but be prepared to have a good attitude and experience chaos. Prioritize authors beforehand. I made a color key with highlighters and organized the authors by MUST AT ALL COSTS, REALLY WANT TO, Would Like To, Maybe, and Not at All.
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Oh! See? I would have had no idea, thanks so much for the tips, Sarah!
And can I ask one more question? Do most people buy there books at Yallfest or do they bring some handy if they already own them? And they don’t have to be hardcover, right? (Maybe these are somewhat dumb questions… now that I think about it.)
Again, thanks so much for answering and the heads up! 🙂
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It doesn’t have to be heard over and most people bring only their own books. Sometimes I would bring up to 40 books. I’d only buy them if I had the ebook version or forgot it.
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Thanks so much for all the advice! 🙂
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