Looking for an unforgettable collection of YA books featuring characters dealing with substance abuse? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade analyzing and recommending the most impactful YA novels about opioid addiction and other drug usage.
Top Three Recommendations
Recovery and Hope: Swallow the Rainbow by Khristina Chess - she survived the worst tornado in history—but now Savannah must survive what comes next: withdrawal, guilt, and the long road back to herself.
Family Impacts: You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow - a gripping YA story about substance abuse, siblings, unrequited love, bullying, finding one’s voice, friendship, hope, and so much more.
Consequences of Abuse: Heroine by Mindy McGinnis - a powerful story of addiction and recovery after a teen girl wakes up to find all of her friends dead.
You’ll find detailed reviews of these and many other favorites in the roundup below. I’m confident that you’ll find something new to read for National Substance Abuse Prediction Month. Be sure to bring some tissues!
Swallow the Rainbow Khristina Chess
why you’ll love it - Recovery from opioid abuse
“That’s the thing about addiction. Now that I’m hooked, nothing else matters. Nothing. Not my mom, not Mr. Purrty, not the power outage, not my lack of clean clothes or showering, not the disaster surrounding us, not these kind people taking care of me, not my friends, nothing but the addiction”― Khristina Chess from Swallow the Rainbow
If you’ve ever loved someone with opioid an addiction—or suffer from one yourself—Swallow the Rainbow is for you. Savannah’s sharp, darkly unique perspective makes this more than just another teen addiction story—it’s raw, emotional, and beautifully crafted.
After the tornado, nothing is where it should be—not the roof, not the cat, not Savannah Young’s mother.
But that’s not the worst part.
The worst part is the empty pill bottle.
With roads blocked and power out across multiple counties, Savannah has no way to get more painkillers—and withdrawal is worse than any storm. As her neighborhood bands together to rebuild, she fights a more private war against opioid addiction, survivor’s guilt, and the wreckage of a past she thought she’d buried with her brother.
Wow—this book is unforgettable. Swallow the Rainbow grabs you from the first page and never lets go. If you’re looking for YA books featuring characters dealing with substance abuse, Swallow the Rainbow is an absolute must-read.
You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
why you’ll love it - family impacts of opioid addiction
“Someone I used to know said that’s the problem with adults. They just see kids as they want them to be, what they aren’t, and not as they are. I think about that all the time. Like, how much time and pain and suffering could be eliminated if you just accepted the kid in front of you and stopped trying to fix them. Maybe there is no “fixing.” Maybe there is just heartbreak and love and trying to help them stay alive, whatever it takes.” ― Kathleen Glasgow from You’d Be Home Now
Kathleen Glasgow knows how to make me cry.
You’d Be Home Now is a YA story about substance abuse, siblings, unrequited love, bullying, finding one’s voice, friendship, hope, and so much more. I couldn’t put it down.
Emory’s older brother Joey is struggling to recover from opioid addiction. Her overbearing mother assigns her the task of monitoring his progress, and when he stumbles, Emory tries to cover for him. Meanwhile, Emory is hooking up with the baseball star next door, and things have gone too far. She finds herself in a storm where everything—everything—is wrong!
I loved this book. I love all Kathleen Glasgow’s book. If you’re looking for a great read about siblings and substance abuse, this one’s for you. In fact, Kathleen Glasgow is such a great author that she’s on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she’s all-around amazing!
Heroine by Mindy McGinnis
why you’ll love it - consequences of heroine addiction
“When I wake up, all my friends are dead. I don’t know when they stopped breathing, or how long I slept while they dropped off one by one.” ― Mindy McGinnis from Heroine
Those are the opening words of Heroine, the compelling novel about the slow slide of Mickey from Catalan from her position as a star student athlete to heroin addict. It begins with a terrible car accident and pain. Determine to make it back on the field, she uses the prescription painkillers to accelerate her recovery.
But then she’s out of pills and needs more.
What’s so compelling about Heroine is Mickey’s slow slide into addiction and her denial about her situation. She justifies every step of the way. The means justifies the ends, every time.
I did not watch my friends die.
I did not leave their bodies cooling in a basement.
I am not an addict.
Heroine is one of the best YA books featuring characters dealing with substance abuse that I’ve ever read. It’s real and raw, and I couldn’t look away. I really rooted for her to find a way to health.
The First True Thing by Claire Needell
why you’ll love it - hope and recovery
“People sometimes go with their instincts. They have sympathy. They care about people. I think Martin learned something when he messed up. Like now he really knows he wants to be here. Like he actually knows why he’s here and what this Group is really for.” ― Claire Needell from The First True Thing
The First True Thing is both a mystery and a book about a teen working through the hard parts of recovery.
The mystery is that Marcelle’s friend Hannah is missing, and Marcelle was the last person to hear from her. What happened? What should she do? And if she tells the truth, the whole truth, what does that mean for her friends?
Working through this dilemma is part of her recovery because lying, hiding, hanging out with people who aren't good for her are all behaviors associated with her drinking.
Books about people in recovery can be hard to read. Addiction and drug abuse makes people choose the wrong thing, and Marcelle does that before she chooses the right thing. Therapy and group can seem dull or even frustrating. However, the ending of her story was satisfying to me because she grew and made the positive steps she needed to make. I felt she was on a good track by the end.
If you’re looking for YA books featuring characters dealing with substance abuse issues, The First True Thing is definitely worth a look.
Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr
why you’ll love it - personal struggles
After reading Heroin by Mindy McGinnis, I wanted to find more YA novels about drug use, but this book isn't about that. Despite the title, this book really isn't about drug use at all.
Seventeen-year-old Riggle is living with his uncle and uncle's girlfriend in Indiana because both of his parents are dead. Riggle is definitely dealing with lingering grief and trauma resulting from the ways each of his parents died, and now his uncle--his only remaining relative--is also missing.
Riggle has a great voice and viewpoint. His story is short and tragic, but it ended leaving me with the feeling that something was missing. I wish the book had a different title, or I'd come to it with different expectations.
Other YA Books Featuring Characters Dealing with Substance Abuse
In addition to these recommendations about YA books featuring characters dealing with substance abuse, you can also find YA Drug & Substance Abuse Novels on Goodreads, but those lists are broad and do not necessarily focus only on viewpoint characters wrestling with addiction.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books by type of tough topic, including eating disorders, substance abuse, mental illness, and others.
Author Bio
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
