15 Teen Books that will Make You Cry

Books has the ability to touch our heart like movies do. Very few books stays with us, especially when it comes to contemporary young adult fiction. Here is a list of 15 teen books that will make you cry. These books are heart-breaking, well written, fictional story that will not only make you feel the emotions but also won’t let you go when the book is over.

The Perks of Being Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being Wallflower has a special place in contemporary young adult fiction. It is more intimate than a diary and closer to the heart. The story is about Charlie, a wallflower, and his journey in high school, with his two new best friends and the past that traumatizes him. Sex, drugs, music, family drama, mixed tapes, finding faith, and more. This coming-of-age story is one of the best stories as it deals with mental health and reality brilliantly.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns from school and finds a package with his name on his porch. There are several cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush Hannah Baker who committed suicide two weeks ago. Her voice tells him that she had thirteen reasons to kill herself, and Clay is one of them. If he listens to these, he will understand why. What he discovers, will change his entire life.

Your Voice is All I Hear by Leah Scheier

April would do anything to keep Jonah safe. But April is torn when Jonah gets into a dark depression while trying to escape his haunting and traumatizing past. April risks her family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school, and everything to protect him. Will she be able to protect him after everything?

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

There are three different lives on three different roads but to the same destination – Aspen Spring. It is a psychiatric hospital for all who attempted suicide. Vanessa is smart and pretty but her secrets kill and overpower her mind sometimes. Conner seems to have a perfect but is strangled by a difficult life with his parents and himself. Tony finds peace in pills after a painful childhood. Maybe they will have a better life with the help of each other.

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Imagine Me Gone is an unforgettable tale of love and faith. When John gets hospitalized for depression, Margaret was left with two choices back away from the relationship or stay. She decided to marry him. Now their son Michael, a music fanatic is a bit of a task. Margaret and his two siblings Alec and Celia struggle to care about the developing precarious and troubled existence of Michael. It is a story of relationships, motherhood, love, and faith in each other.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

It is Leonard Peacock’s birthday and the day when he conceals a P-38 pistol in his backpack. Today is the day he will murder his ex-best friend and then himself. However, at first, he must wish goodbye to the only four people who matter to him: next-door neighbor Walt, Christian homeschooler and his crush Lauren, his classmate Baback, and Herr Silverman. While speaking to each of them he reveals his secrets as the clock keeps moving.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glassgow

Charlotte Davis is scattered like broken glass. At 17, he has lost more people than most people do in their lifetime. She has learned how to forget. Every new scar hardens her. She doesn’t have to think of her father, best friend who is gone, and mother who has nothing to offer her.  This contemporary story is about self-harm, abuse, and suicide.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Neslon

Lennie’s life is perplexed after the sudden death of her sister Bailey. She finds herself torn between Bailey’s boyfriend, seductive Toby, and the new boy in town, musical genius Joe. Each of them offers Lennie something she needs. The story is about Lennie’s journey through grief, mad love, mistakes, and discoveries.

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

When Adam meets Robyn at a support organization for kids coping with OCD, he is immediately drawn toward her. He is determined to protect her at all costs. But, as a fourteen-year-old, dealing with divorced parents, step-siblings and, OCD, it is hard to even think of another person. How can a person have a normal relationship in this suffocating situation, especially, when his mother has started to receive threatening letters?

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

In this book, Silvera reminds us that there is no love without loss and eventual departure. September 5 – a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Rufus Emeterio and Mateo Torrez to let them know that they are dying today. Both of them are total strangers but for distinct reasons, they are looking for new friends on their last day. Through an app called the Last Friend, they meet up for one last adventure to live a lifetime in one day, their last day.  

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Andy struggles to get away from the thoughts that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. For this reason, Hayley Kincain and her father Andy are always on the road. They never stay in one place for a long time. Now, they are back in their own Hayley grew up in, so she can attend school now. Perhaps, after a very long time, Hayley can have a normal life. She will get into a relationship with Finn who is concealing his secrets. Will this help Andy’s PTSD or drugs will overpower him as a way to escape his thoughts?

When We Collided by Emery Lord

This book gives an authentic account of a girl suffering from bipolar disorder and getting into a new relationship. Vivi is an artistic and eccentric girl who has problems that she would much rather ignore. Jonah is a caring person who lost his father a few years ago and his mum is in depression. He takes care of his family by working at the restaurant his father started. Jonah and Vivi both didn’t expect to meet each other. But, one unexpected simmer would rewrite their futures.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

When given the assignment to write about a dead person, Laurel chose to write about Kurt Cobain who was loved by her sister May. They both died young. Very soon, Laurel has a notebook where she writes letters to people like Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse, and more. She never gives these to her teacher. Laurel writes about school, falling in love for the first time, new friendships, living with her rupturing family, and more. And, yes, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to look after her. Only after writing, she begins to understand May and herself better.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Craig Gilner, an ambitious NYC teenager resolute to be successful in life. To do that he has to get into the right school and get the right job. Once Craig gets in Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School, the study pressure becomes unendurable. He stops sleeping, eating, until one night he almost killed himself. Due to this suicidal episode, he gets checked into a mental hospital. His neighbors in the hospital are a girl who scarred her face with a scissor, self-elected President Armelio, and a transsexual sex addict. Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his situation and anxiety.

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Sam knows a few things – a party, a fight, and the next morning his best friend Hayden died. Hayden left him a playlist of songs and a note saying he committed suicide. But, Sam doesn’t know the reason. So, to figure out what happened, he relies on their memory and the playlist. The more Sam listens he realizes that he didn’t know Hayden as well as he thought. Especially, when someone claiming to be Hayden begins to send him cryptic texts and violent attacks begins on the bullies who made Hayden’s life hell. To get into the core, he needs to remove the earbuds and be observant of everything and everyone around him.

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