Young Adult Fiction is about 30% of my reading each year, and I love the character depth and coming-of-age growth. Below are 7 Young Adult Fiction novels that broke my heart, in the best possible way.
I’d recommend these books for readers who enjoy:
- diverse characters and authors
- heartbreaking scenarios
- non-angsty teen and young-adult emotions
7 Young Adult Fiction Recommendations
An absolute gut punch of a story, Monday’s Not Coming crushed me. Tiffany D. Jackson is in my top 5 authors of all time and she builds characters so well.
This is about a missing teenage girl and her best friend’s perseverance to find her. I recommend this book for high schoolers and older, and caution that it is heavy.
Another from Tiffany D. Jackson, Grown also focuses on a teenage girl who falls into a relationship with an older, famous musician who grooms and abuses her. I recommend this for highschoolers and older, though it is less heavy than Monday’s Not Coming.
I have yet to meet someone who read Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield and didn’t fall in love with it. It follows a teenage girl from Canada to her father’s home in Jamaica for the summer, where she has an epic coming-of-age experience. It broke my heart and made me want to wrap her in a huge hug.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is a book that has stayed with me for years. It dives into Indigenous culture, teenage coming-of age, and the way that drugs can tear through a community. It’s emotional, tense, beautiful, and I highly recommend it.
In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn was a tough read, told so beautifully. As a parent, this was a heartbreaking scenario and I teared up a few times. It’s told from the perspective of a teen who dies in a car crash, and is stuck between worlds watching her loved ones scramble for safety. It’s sad, but also full of love, reflection, and joy.
The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon is not as heavy as the other books on the list, but still deals with the serious topic of immigration and how deportation can upend the lives of many in a family. There is a cheesy teen love story that warms the heart, along with a terribly sad immigration battle.
Dear Martin is one of the most popular books by a favorite author, Nic Stone. It’s the first in a two-book series and often finds itself on the banned book lists in towns that attempt to erase racism from history and present-day. It’s a fantastic novel, an important perspective, and feels like required reading for teens.