Find your next great read for National Reading Month in these overlooked YA books about emotions and feelings.
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, and other bookstores have a category for YA contemporary fiction labeled “emotions and feelings. Some of the books shelved here are romantic, while others are modern classics. I see fantasy, too. What is this?
Ah, books about being human. Got it. :-)
Here’s an opportunity to suggest some overlooked YA books about emotions and feelings that you may have missed. I’ve included a couple oldies but goodies (out of print) that will be worth the hunt. I hope you love all of the novels here as much as I did and that you feel all the feels!
The Delinquent Hero by Khristina Chess
“It’s easier to think about food and the physical pain inside my body from not eating than the other pain of not having Kat. My sister would totally understand this. She would. As long as I’m connecting to her this way—our familiar, hungry old way—she’s with me.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from The Delinquent Hero
Wow! The Delinquent Hero grabbed me from the first page and never let go!
Pitched as an action-packed murder mystery, this gripping YA novel is so much more—a raw and unforgettable exploration of sisterhood, eating disorders, and devastating loss.
At its core is Molly, desperate for answers after her older sister, Kat, lands in the hospital. The investigation unfolds in real time, peeling back layers of secrets, regrets, and the painful bond they’ve always shared. For Molly, reconnecting with Kat means slipping into their old patterns—the kind that consume and starve in equal measure.
"I'm not very hungry. I am, and I'm not. I am hollow, but this feeling seems less about food and more about Kat. At any rate, I do not want to eat."
What makes The Delinquent Hero truly unforgettable is its heart-wrenching puzzle—not just unraveling what happened that night, but understanding Kat herself. This novel doesn’t just tell a story; it forces you to feel every ache, every unanswered question, every desperate search for why.
A tragic and beautifully crafted novel, The Delinquent Hero has sparked conversations across book clubs and reader communities—solidifying its place as one of the most talked about and memorable YA books of the decade. If The Fault of Our Stars left you breathless, The Delinquent Hero is an absolute must-read YA book about emotions and feelings.
Be sure to bring a box of tissues!
Wonder When You’ll Miss Me by Amanda Davis
“I'd lost forty-eight pounds and my skin had mostly cleared up. I'd missed a whole semester of school and disappeared for seven months. It seemed like no one had even noticed I was gone.” ― Amanda Davis, quote from Wonder When You’ll Miss Me
In Wonder When You’ll Miss Me, sixteen-year-old Faith Duckle still talks to The Fat Girl. She sees her too. Usually The Fat Girl is eating something and offering snarky commentary or advice. Sometimes Faith tells her to go away. Sometimes she listens to her.
Faith was sexually assaulted by a group of boys who made sport of her as the fat girl, and then she tried to kill herself. Then she ended up in a hospital, where she lost the weight but not The Fat Girl. She’s still hanging around.
This is the beginning of the story.
The real story is Faith’s journey when she runs away to join the circus, takes a new name, gets a tattoo, and becomes a handler of elephants. The real story is how Faith and The Fat Girl found healing after such a terrible event.
I loved this book when I read it twenty years ago, and I love it still. Amanda Davis was a gifted author, and you don’t want to miss this out-of-print and overlooked YA book about emotions and feelings about a teen who finds a path through trauma to redemption. Sadly, this author died in a small plane crash at the age of 32, and Wonder When You’ll Miss Me was her only novel.
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
“How long will you keep me?" I asked.
You shrugged. "Forever, of course.” ― Lucy Christopher, quote from Stolen
What a beautiful, unsettling, thrilling, complex, and emotional novel! I was mesmerized by the characters and the slow-boil situation. The author did an amazing job of making me emotionally invested in the outcome. I could feel the heat and dryness of the desert. The camel was a creature I could see and smell, and I love the way Lucy Christopher draws a parallel between what happens to Gemma and the camel. Wonderful! I have a very vivid impression in my mind of the setting.
I can’t say too much without giving spoilers, so I will only urge you to read it if you’re looking for YA books about emotions and feelings. I loved it!!!
Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler
“I didn't want to be all she had. I didn't even want to be her daughter. My blood, poisoned with our family sins, turned hot, scorched my veins. Breathing was getting difficult.” ― Connie May Fowler, quote from Before Women Had Wings
I read this book years ago when it released and was a hot title on Oprah's Book Club. I picked it up again, remembering that I enjoyed it and wanting a good read. I didn't remember what it was about.
Bird is a young girl in a terrible situation. After her father commits suicide, her alcoholic and abusive mother relocates Bird and her sister to Tampa, FL, where they live in a motel in poverty. As things worsen at home, Bird finds a safe haven in spending time with Zora, a strange woman who also lives on the motel property.
The book is a fast read, and I couldn't help cheering for Bird and hoping for her to have a happy ending. Or at least a path to a happy ending.
Be sure to also check out this out-of-print and overlooked YA book about emotions and feelings about generational abuse. And how to stop it.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.” ― Nicola Yoon, quote from Everything, Everything
This lovely YA book is an all-the-feels love story about a girl locked in a tower and the prince who rescues her.
Actually, they are two ordinary teenagers. Well, Maddie is not ordinary. She has a rare immunodeficiency disease that makes her allergic to the whole world, so she lives inside a bubble. It’s not a literal plastic bubble, but she can’t go outside. She has an airtight, clean, totally isolated life in an allergen-free environment.
Until a boy moves in next door.
They meet electronically, and their relationship develops with all that emotional falling-in-love-for-the-first-time wonderfulness. Nicola Yoon writes it beautifully. The story is unique, and the sweet love story gives all the feels.
But, there’s more. Much more. Because teenagers press boundaries. They must kiss, even if that could be deadly.
If you overlooked this YA book about emotions and feelings, be sure to pick it up. In fact, Nicola Yoon 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!
Junior Missing by Khristina Chess
“He kissed me again and again, and I began bargaining once more with the wind. I vowed to do better and try harder to keep this Quentin who loved me and kept me safe. The Quentin who I loved. Who loved me. Who didn’t treat me badly. Sex was the one place where he was always himself. His very best self.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Junior Missing
Love shouldn’t take prisoners.
Sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world with a bright future, is missing. At first, police assume she ran away. But when they find her abandoned phone along the highway, the truth becomes far more terrifying.
No one knows about Quentin Brock—the older musician she met online. He’s charming, funny, and perfect. Until he isn’t. Until she’s trapped in another state with no way out.
She doesn’t even have shoes.
What makes Junior Missing so special is the gripping, slow-boil depiction of how Grace falls into the trap of an abusive relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go. I worried about her. This is the kind of thrilling, authentic novel that really shows how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in this kind of situation.
Dark, gripping, and impossible to put down, Junior Missing is a slow-burn psychological thriller that unravels the chilling reality of physical and psychological violence. If you’re looking for YA books about emotions and feelings, this book is an absolute must-read.
Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick
“This is a fairy tale with teeth and claws.” ― Ilsa Bick, quote from Drowning Instinct
And speaking of twisty thrillers with inappropriate relationships, how about Drowning Instinct, with a teen girl and her teacher?
I didn't know what to expect when a friend loaned this book to me, but wow! This book has layers. The way the author wove the "drowning instinct" theme throughout the story was really well done, and I loved the complexity of the characters and the plot twists. The pacing kept getting more intense and compelling as I read further. Addictive.
I don’t want to give too much away. Readers looking for overlooked books about emotions and feelings should definitely check out this one.
Breathless by Jennifer Niven
“All these words and stories. My mom calls them the color of a human life: those little moments that are so uniquely ours.” ― Jennifer Niven, quote from Breathless
I might love this book even more than Niven’s All the Bright Places—and that's saying a lot!
Breathless is the story of Claude's trip to a remote island off the coast of Georgia after graduation with her mom following the sudden separation of her parents. She meets a boy and falls in love. So simple. Yet Jennifer Niven beautifully captures that lovely, breathless feeling of first love. Passionate kisses. Romantic trysts. Mosquito bites on sunburned skin.
There is so much growing up packed into this brief summer for Claude. She learns that parents have secrets and tell lies. She and her lifelong best friend grow apart even as they prepare to truly separate for fall college classes. And she has this deep relationship with Miah on the island that changes her in fundamental ways.
Jennifer Niven is another author on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited, so if Breathless is one of the top YA books about emotions and feelings that belongs on your reading list, you might check out her others too.
We Walked the Sky by Lisa Fiedler
“The show must go on, even when it's not the show you expected to be in.” ― Lisa Felder, quote from We Walked the Sky
Fiedler's multi-generational novel really captured and held my interest. Two parallel stories are running: the grandmother, Victoria, is a 16-year-old who runs away and joins the circus in 1965, and her granddaughter, Callie, is a teen who has followed in her circus footsteps, but now finds herself in a new place.
There are mysteries to unravel and friendships to develop. I loved all the circus lore and animals and characters. Really, it was an enchanting story. I want to read more by this author.
When compiling the list of overlooked YA books about emotions and feelings to read next, be sure to add this one near the top.
In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira
“Maybe it's true that there are no happy endings. But, right now, Angie is grateful to be at what feels like a beginning.” ― Ava Delliara, quote from In Search of Us
The love story between Marilyn and James is so compelling and sweet. I wanted to stay with them for the whole book, and I wanted to know what happened to them, why Angie was searching for the truth about his death. Maybe he was still alive. If her mom had lied about the accident, couldn't she hope to find him and bring him back into their lives? This hope made her reckless and selfish.
That search was the only part that made Angie's story engaging for me. Her unanswered questions about her parents were also mine. I cared less about what was happening in her present with Sam and whether or not that might work out.
I sort of liked that Angie didn't really see her mom and dad as young people just like herself, full of love, dreams, hopes, and passions. But as a reader, I saw that. Marilyn as a mom was also Marilyn as a teen, and because of what happened to her, I was able to see it in her mothering. Her character arc was beautiful.
In Search of Us is definitely one of those overlooked YA books about emotions and feelings that fans of contemporary YA fiction will want to read.
The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger
“And most of all, Jane, f*#!ck you for leaving me here alone. For showing me happiness and then taking it all away.” ― Michael Belanger, quote from The History of Jane Doe
I picked up this book because I saw a positive review on Goodreads, but I didn't have any real idea what it was about except "read this book." The back-and-forth in time was confusing at first, but it seemed to adequately reflect Ray's state of mind and how he was dealing with his grief and the events after his girlfriend committed suicide. The book does a great job of exploring the helpless and unanswerable questions that someone like Jane leaves us with. I felt empathy for her parents, for Simon, for Ray, for Ray's parents, even the counselor. History shows that she touched everyone deeply and differently.
She will not be forgotten.
You will definitely want to read this overlooked YA book about emotions and feelings because of its portrayal of the way suicide impacts the people who are left behind. Ray is a character worth knowing and listening to. If this one sounds interesting, you might also check out Which YA Books with Teen Boys as Protagonists You Should Read Next.
Twelve Steps to Normal by Farrah Penn
This overlooked YA book was less about recovery from alcoholism and more about emotions, feelings, and healing for the family (specifically the children) since not much about the father's recovery struggles was shown. At times Kira seemed like a real brat in her reactions to things, but this seemed entirely normal for the grief and change she was experiencing in her life. Her ongoing efforts to focus on social life, relationships, and even love rather than really reconnect and reconcile with her father spoke to the depth of her hurt.
Kira's "12 Steps to a Normal Life" are really goals, and she doesn't work them in order or accomplish everything she sets out to do. Things don't go as planned, and in that respect, that's how normal life works.
Other Overlooked YA Books about Emotions and Feelings
If you are looking for other overlooked YA books about emotions and feelings, check out the All the Feels Book list on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books.
Do you have any personal favorites to recommend to me? I’m always looking for another great read in this category.
Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several YA novels about troubled teens turning corners. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter as an active daily contributor in the #5amwritersclub.