16 YA Books That Will Make You Cry

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books that hurt us™

we know them. we love them. we don’t get tired of them.

Sometimes, you want a book that fills you with happiness and comfort and a generally hopeful view of the entire world. buy sometimes? you want a book that completely destroys your emotions, but leaves you much better off. And trust us when we say we have the perfect book for you.

Below is a list of some of our favorite books that have brought us to tears in public. happy reading, book nerds. And don’t say we didn’t warn you!

16 heartbreaking books

Guaranteed to make you cry ugly

1. just breathe for cammie mcgovern

This book is five feet away if I stay, so there’s no chance you won’t be sobbing at some (or many) points. The slowly building connection between David and Jamie will leave you desperately hoping that they will both find healing and happiness.

David Scheinman is the popular president of his senior class, battling cystic fibrosis.

jamie turner is a quiet sophomore struggling with depression.

The pair soon realize that they can be more of themselves with each other than with anyone else, and their unlikely friendship begins to turn into something much more.

but neither jamie nor david dare reveal the secrets that weigh dearest on their hearts, and their time for honesty may be running out.

buy just breathe now!

2. early departures of justin a. reynolds

This book was written because Justin can’t let go of his friend. You can read more about Justin’s story here, but don’t forget your tissues.

What if you could bring your best friend back to life—but only for a short time?

jamal’s best friend, q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he is about to die. . . again. he doesn’t know that jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents.

but what if jamal could get a second chance? New technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies. . . permanently. and q’s mom isn’t about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling q about his imminent death. So how can Jamal fix everything if she can’t tell the truth?

buy early departures now!

3. who went with her by nita tyndall

“”I’m reading your book! it’s so sad.” – nita tyndall’s grandmother

There are two things that Corinne Parker knows to be true: that she is in love with Maggie Bailey, the captain of the rival high school’s cross-country team and her secret girlfriend of a year, and that she isn’t ready for anyone to know she’s bisexual.

But then Maggie dies, and Corinne quickly learns that the only thing worse than losing Maggie is being heartbroken over a relationship no one knows existed. And to make matters even more complicated, the only person she can turn to is Elissa, Maggie’s ex and the single person who understands how Corinne feels.

As corinne struggles to understand her pain and what she really wants from life, she begins to have feelings for the last person she should be falling in love with. But in order to move on after losing Maggie, Corinne will have to learn to be honest with the people in her life…starting with herself.

I bought who I was with her now!

4. thirteen doors, wolves behind them all by laura ruby

This book is set during World War II and narrated by a ghost, so you know you’re in for a very emotional journey. but this masterfully told story will leave you feeling not only sad, but also outraged, comforted and inspired by the strength of women.

When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, it was supposed to be only temporary. That’s why Frankie’s not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket. Now Frankie and her sister are abandoned alongside so many other orphans—two young, unwanted women doing everything they can to survive.

And as the embers of the Great Depression ignite in the fires of World War II, and the shadows of injustice, poverty and death walk the streets in broad daylight, Frankie will have to find something to live with. worth holding on to. in the ruins of this shattered america, every minute of every day he spends wondering if the life he is capable of carving out will be enough.

I admit I don’t know the answer. but I’ll be watching, waiting to find out.

That’s what ghosts do.

buy thirteen doors now!

5. how to make friends with the dark by kathleen glasgow

have plenty of tissues on hand for this story of a girl who somehow finds resilience while in the depths of grief.

Here is what happens when your mother dies.

It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. it is dark in your house, dark in your room and dark in your heart. you feel that the darkness is going to divide you.

this is how the tiger feels. it has always been a tiger and his mother against the world. then, on a day like any other, the tiger’s mother dies. and now he’s a tiger, alone.

This is how you learn to befriend the dark.

shop how to befriend the dark now!

6. opposite of always by justin a. reynolds

jack and kate have the perfect meeting, cute, and you think everything is going to be perfect and happy, but then kate dies and jack gets stuck in a time loop and we’re not okay. yet somehow through it all, will you laugh too? Honestly, this is the funniest and most charming sad book you’ll ever read.

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.

but then kate dies. and her story should end there.

however, kate’s death sends jack back to the beginning, the moment they met, and kate is right back there. she healthy, happy and lovely as always. jack isn’t sure if he’s going crazy.

Still, if he gets a chance to prevent kate’s death, he’ll take it. even if it means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when a choice turns deadly for someone closest to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.

buy the usual opposite now!

7. the how & the reason for cynthia’s hand

cynthia hand is known for writing the best tearjerker movies (like the last time we said goodbye) and how & The story of why adoption, love and family is no exception!

Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.

but eighteen years ago, someone wrote cass a series of letters. and they may only contain the answers cass has been looking for.

Alternating between Cass’s search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who gave her up for adoption, this emotionally resonant narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina Lacour and Jandy Nelson.

shop how & why now!

8. three things i know to be true by betty culley

Yes, this story deals with some very serious themes, but the beautifully honest and moving verses will break your heart and make it whole again.

Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay’s father’s gun. Now Jonah needs round-the-clock care just to stay alive, and Liv feels like she’s the only person who can see that her brother is still there inside his broken body.

with liv’s mother suing clay’s family, there are divisions in the community that liv knows not to cross. But Clay is also her friend, and she refuses to walk away from him, just like she refuses to give up on Jonah.

This powerful novel in verse is a breathtaking exploration of tragedy, pain, compassion, and forgiveness.

I bought three things that I know to be true now!

9. they both die at the end by adam silvera

You already know that this book has broken our hearts into a thousand little pieces over and over again.

on september 5th, shortly after midnight, death-cast calls mateo torrez and rufus emeterio to give them some bad news: they are going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are complete strangers, but for different reasons, both are looking to make a new friend on the day of their end. the good news: there’s an app for that. it’s called the last friend and, through him, rufus and mateo are about to meet for one last great adventure: to live a whole life in a single day.

In the tradition of Before I Fall And If I Stay, You Both Die In The End is a tour de force from acclaimed author Adam Silvera, whose debut, happier than not, the New York Times called “profound.” /p>

buy now they both die at the end!

10. all the bright places by jennifer niven

love. loss. beauty. heartbreak we’re obsessed with this one for that. Many. reasons.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

violet markey lives for the future, counting down the days until graduation, when she can escape her hometown of indiana and her grief over the recent death of her sister.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they come together on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: Only with Violet, Finch can be himself: A weird, funny, noisy guy who is not so weird. after all. And it is only with finches that Violet can forget to count the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s world begins to shrink.

buy all the bright spots now!

11. mindy mcginnis heroine

a heartbreakingly powerful book from the one and only mindy, the heroine rips us apart every damn time.

When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she’s ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed can help her get there.

the pills do more than take away the pain; they make her feel good.

with a new circle of friends (fellow injured athletes, others with little time to kill), mickey finds peaceful acceptance and people with whom words come easily, even if it’s just the pills that loosen his tongue.

but as the pressure of being mickey catalan increases, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about desire, something that could make her lose control.r

buy heroin now!

12. sorry for your loss by jessie ann foley

honestly? Jessie writes to make the puppies’ pain our pain, and this is definitely one that made us cry ugly in public.

As the youngest of eight, painfully average Pup Flanagan is used to flying under the radar. He’s barely passing his classes. He lets his longtime crush walk all over him. And he’s in no hurry to decide on a college path.

the only person who made him think he could be more was his older brother patrick. But that was before Patrick died suddenly, leaving the pup with a family who wouldn’t talk about it and acquaintances who only said “I’m sorry for your loss”.

When the pup excels at a photography assignment he thought would fail, things begin to come into focus. the girl of his dreams shows her true colors. An unexpected friend exposes the pup to a whole new world, right under his nose.

and the photo that was supposed to show the pup a way out of his pain finally reveals someone else still stuck in his. someone with a pup of secret regret that he could never have imagined.

buy sorry for your loss now!

13. history is all you left me by adam silvera

as if the “now” chapters weren’t heartbreaking enough, flashbacks to theo and griffin’s time together will make it all that much better/worse. Throw in some bittersweet humor, double-crosses, and some classic Adam Silvera twists, and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to emotional devastation.

When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make matters worse, the only person who truly understands her heartbreak is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. he’s getting lost in his obsessive compulsions and destructive decisions, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.

If Griffin wants to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, down to the last harrowing piece of the puzzle of his life.

buying history is all I have left now!

14. like a love story by abdi nazemian

Smart, hot and true, Abdi’s love story will transport you straight back to the 80’s, completely break your heart and put it back together again.

It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.

Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. he is terrified that someone will guess the truth that he can barely recognize about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows about gay life is the media images of men dying of AIDS.

judy is an aspiring fashion designer who adores her uncle stephen, a gay man with AIDS who dedicates his time to activism as a member of act up. Ella Judy never imagined finding romance…until she falls in love with Reza and they start dating.

art is judy’s best friend, the only proud teenager in her school. she will never be who her conservative parents want her to be, so she rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through photographs of her.

As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart and destroy the most meaningful friendship she’s ever known.

buy now as a love story!

15. we’re fine by nina lacour

Faced with tragedy, Marin tries to leave her entire life behind. but you can only run from your past for so long, it all has to come out eventually. replace “past” with “tears” and that’s exactly how you’ll react after reading this beautiful heartthrob.

You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…

until you leave with just your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mom.

Marin hasn’t talked to anyone about her old life since the day she left everything behind. no one knows the truth about those last few weeks. She’s not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles from the California coast, at New York University, Marin still feels the pull of life and the tragedy she has tried to overcome. Now, months later, alone in an empty bedroom for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel comes to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything she hasn’t said and finally face the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

well, we’re good now!

16. far from the tree by robin benway

Far from the tree are three brothers who were given up for adoption and have never met…until now. Their reunion will strike a chord with you and bring tears to your eyes.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

if it weren’t for grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, finding out she’s the middle child is a whole different journey. after giving his own baby up for adoption, he seeks out her biological family, which includes —

maya, her younger and louder biological sister, who has a lot to say about her new family ties. Having grown up a sarcastic brunette in a house full of perky redheads, she is quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite strangers. And when her adoptive family’s long-buried problems begin to surface, she can’t help but wonder where exactly she belongs.

and joaquín, his stoic older biological brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in foster care, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and that secrets and fears are best kept secret, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

shop away from the tree now!

what books always make you cry? Let us know in the comments below!

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