I hate how self-help books by charlatans have come to dominate bookstores. At least the YA novel craze that Harry Potter started were actual novels.

I would gladly take ten thousand fold YA novels that actually get people reading and talking about to each other (for better or worse) over self-help stuff.

I am in general pro-self-help (so long it's the desire is genuine not this weird modern self-optimization for capital shit), but self-help doesn't really get people talking or connecting. At least people (especially regular people) talked about Twilight, and Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, all them books. People were reading and talking to each other in-person and online about it. Self-help there is no discussion to be had. Sure there is the implementation of the practices and habits or whatever, but there is really no communication to be had, you just do the stuff. At least with YA you can ask someone "what did you think about XYZ", self-help is just do or do not.