8 Young Adult Books That Will Make You Cry

YA books are often underappreciated in that people think they are superficial and meant for children. However, the truth this, this genre has a lot of meaning and depth to offer. Time and again, authors of this genre have proven their prowess at their craft by making people cry literal tears because of their words. Because such books deal with a very sensitive time period in the human lifespan, they are particularly conducive to creating emotional, heart-breaking, touching stories. Here are 8 Young Adult Books That Will Make You Cry.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The quintessential tearjerker that tore the hearts of millions, this is the story of Louisa Clark and Will Traynor. Louisa is an ordinary girl with a stable life and no desire for stimulation. After losing her beloved and comfortable job, she is forced to work for Will, a quadriplegic who lived a life full of adventure and intensity before becoming confined to his wheelchair. As Will struggles with his new life, Louisa brings a fresh burst of liveliness into it. In turn, he pushes her to do things outside her comfort zone – to do all the things he can’t. And the end, well, let’s just stay without spoiling anything that it will make you cry for weeks after reading it.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

In this book, we follow a high schooler who is grappling with the suicide of her beloved sister. When a school assignment requires her to write letters to express herself, she thus chooses to write letters to the dead, in order to forge a connection with her sister. In the process, she ends up writing to music artists and actors the like of Kurt Cobain who have made an impression on her. Through these letters, vignettes of her life emerge, like her isolation in her new school, her developing feelings for a boy and her family life as her family collectively copes with enormous grief.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This stunning exploration of mental health and the place love has within it is not your everyday YA read. It is deep, moving and earth-shattering. Disguised as a “meet-cute” story of Violet and Theodore, two suicidal strangers, this novel grapples with huge themes such as grief, death and solace.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sanz

In this piece of Latin American young adult fiction, two boys develop an unlikely friendship over the course of a summer. What follows is a bittersweet coming of age story. Together, these boys probe into the heart of the universe in their own boyish ways. Their friendship because increasingly deeper and more endearing for us. The twist in the story will definitely leave you with a smile on your face. However before that, you might just have to deal with a bunch of tears, because of the sheer poignance of the story.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

In this piece of YA literature, a young girl commits suicide. But there is a twist in the tale. Hannah leaves thirteen tapes behind, for thirteen people she holds responsible for her suicide. This dark, psychologically complex yet beautifully tender YA book discovers how the smallest of our actions can impact others in potentially fatal ways. It is an urge to reflect on our speech and behaviours and assess the threat potential of our ways.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The protagonist of this famous book is perhaps the most endearing person ever – with the wonderful innocence and naïve way of looking at life. This book follows his coming of age – his introduction to alcohol, drugs, girls and more. But this story is also about something much more – sexual abuse, and how the trauma of childhood manifests as adults. It also has a bunch of impactful dialogues, which hit the target perfectly.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

This is the third and final book in the Divergent trilogy. Here, we follow a dystopian world where the population is divided into factions based on their most powerful qualities. However, there exist a group of people whose most powerful qualities are more than one, and these people are termed Divergent. As the story unfolds, murky things come to light and the end of the series is devastating for many.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is perhaps the quintessential tear jerker for the young adult generation of the 2010s. The book basically follows Hazel Grace, a cancer patient who has come to terms with her lot in life. When her mother forces her to join a cancer support group, Hazel goes only hesitantly. But there she meets Augustus, whom she eventually falls in love with. Gus and Grace spend a lot of time together and enter into a relationship despite her trying to evade him because of her inevitable future death. What emerges is a beautiful relationship which will make you sob because of its sad ending.

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