Last Updated Date: January 4, 2026
Photo by Dan Meyers
Looking for an unforgettable collection of YA books about suicide? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade analyzing and recommending the most authentic YA novels about characters who take their own lives or loved ones left behind to grieve.
You’ll find detailed reviews of many of my favorites in the roundup below. Some are hopeful, even humorous. Some people are saved, and some are not. All of these compassionate and emotional stories portray complex themes associated with this tough topic. I’m confident that you’ll find something new to read for Suicide Prevention Month.
Straight A’s by Khristina Chess
Suicide Themes
Support systems
What It’s About
After her parents divorce, a high-achieving teen secretly plans to end her life if she earns a B in calculus—until someone unexpected reminds her she’s more than a grade.
Why I Love It - Review
“I'm going to do it. November 4 is the last day of the grading period, and if I don't make perfect straight A’s, it's all over.“ ― Khristina Chess from Straight A’s
For readers drawn to emotional stories about characters grappling with mental health issues, Straight A’s offers a hopeful story that shows the importance of support systems—including parents, teachers, and classmates—in saving a life.
Kim was supposed to be valedictorian. The top of her class. The girl with a future.
Then her parents split, and everything unraveled. She’s caught in the crossfire—bouncing between households, shouldering their meltdowns, and suffocating under expectations she can no longer meet.
The only thing to do is end it.
Raw, unflinching, and ultimately hopeful, Straight A’s is a frank YA book about suicide, academic pressure, mental illness, and the invisible weight teenagers carry. If you’ve ever searched for a story that truly understands the darkness—and dares to find light—this is it.
Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Young-Ullman
Suicide Themes
Self-discovery
What It’s About
A complex and beautiful story about a girl in a wilderness program for at-risk teens who comes to terms with her complex relationship with her famous diva mother.
Why I Love It - Review
Bring your tissues for this one!
In this absorbing novel, a broken mother-daughter relationship drives everything that’s happening, both in the present and in the past. The present is awful. Ingrid has been sent away to a 3-week wilderness program for at-risk teens, although she didn’t realize what she was signing up for at the time, and now she’s wet, miserable, mosquito-bitten, and trapped with a misfit group in the middle of nowhere. But she’s determined to see things through to prove something to her mother and earn the carrot, which is permission to attend a music school abroad.
The past is a complicated story about her mother’s beautiful opera voice and depression and its impact on Ingrid. There is a strong codependency relationship between the mother and daughter, since the mother is a depressed diva. From an early age, Ingrid took care of her mother since no father was in the picture.
I loved the mystery about how Ingrid ended up in the wilderness, and I was rooting for her to make it out.
If you are looking for a frank YA book about suicide with real character depth and heartbreak, this one is one of my new favorites.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Suicide Themes
Support systems
What It’s About
A humorous and hopeful novel about a boy whose suicidal episode sends him on a very interesting journey through an adult psychiatric ward in a New York City hospital.
Why I Love It - Review
“Tentacles is my term—the Tentacles are the evil tasks that invade my life. Like, for example, my American History class last week, which necessitated me writing a paper on the weapons of the Revolutionary War, which necessitated me traveling to the Metropolitan museum to check out some of the old guns, which necessitated me getting in the subway, which necessitated me being away from my cell phone and e-mail for 45 minutes, which meant that I didn’t get to respond to a mass mail sent out by my teacher asking who needed extra credit, which meant other kids snapped up the extra credit, which meant I wasn’t going to get a 98 in the class, which meant I wasn’t anywhere close to a 98.6 average (body temperature, that’s what you needed to get), which meant I wasn’t going to get into a Good College, which meant I wasn’t going to have a Good Job, which meant I wasn’t going to have health insurance, which meant I’d have to pay tremendous amounts of money for the shrinks and drugs my brain needed, which meant I wasn’t going to have enough money to pay for a Good Lifestyle, which meant I’d feel ashamed, which meant I’d get depressed, and that was the big one because I knew what that did to me: it made it so I wouldn’t get out of bed, which led to the ultimate thing—homelessness.” ― Ned Vizzini from It’s Kind of a Funny Story
That is the wonderful, funny, and utterly unique voice of the narrator of this novel, Craig Gilner, who has ambitious goals for his life but who also suffers from anxiety and depression. He’s trying. Really. But things like The Tentacles get in the way.
I loved this book! Buy it. Read it. Ned Vizzini’s writing is masterful. It’s so incredibly sad that the author died from an apparent suicide.
The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger
Suicide Themes
Grief & loss
What It’s About
A teen must come to terms with his girlfriend’s suicide.
Why I Love It - Review
“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 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 want to read this frank YA book about the way suicide impacts people who are left behind. Ray is a character worth knowing and listening to.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Suicide Themes
Grief & loss and complex relationships
What It’s About
After the death of her father, a young girl isolates herself in her grief.
Why I Love It - Review
“She peels an orange, separates it in perfect halves, and gives one of them to me. If I could wear it like a friendship bracelet, I would. Instead I swallow it section by section and tell myself it means even more this way. To chew and to swallow in silence here with her.” ― Nina LaCour from We Are Okay
I wanted to read this book for many years on the basis of its cover alone. Look at it! I didn’t even know what the story was about, but it must be beautiful with artwork like that, right?
The book blurb doesn’t prepare you for what this story is about. The plot meanders between present and past. In the present, Marin is staying in her freshman dorm room alone over Christmas break because tragedy has occurred. What tragedy? Well, that’s the big mystery. Her best friend Mabel from California shows up to try to talk her into coming home, and oh by the way, the two of them were romantically involved in the past.
But not anymore.
Mabel doesn’t understand why Marin left without speaking, what happened in the interim, and why she is refusing to come home. Finding out these answers is the main story, but what this book is really about is grief, loneliness, betrayal, longing, being orphaned, and growing up.
I liked We Are Okay. It’s quiet. It’s understated and lovely. I really felt Marin’s sorrow.
If you are looking for a frank YA book about suicide, you definitely want to add this one to your TBR pile!
This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell
Suicide Themes
Grief & loss
What It’s About
A heartbreaking and beautiful mystery about a boy who went running one night and never came home.
Why I Love It - Review
Chris is missing.
While he’s gone, his girlfriend Jessie decides to write letters to him, so the entire book is a series of scenes narrated to Chris. The mystery of his disappearance deepens as more of the bullying and racism that Chris had endured unfolds.
Heartbreaking, beautiful, and powerful, Jessie’s letters are her way of coming to terms with Chris’ depression and her helplessness from being able to ease his suffering.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Suicide Themes
Grief & loss
What It’s About
A grieving girl goes on a search for her mother, who she believes has turned into a bird.
Why I Love It - Review
“Whose fault was it? That’s the question on everyone’s mind, isn’t it? Nobody will ever say it out loud. It’s a question people would call inappropriate. The kind of thing where everyone tells you, “It’s nobody’s fault.” But is that even true? It’s only human nature to look for a place to lay the blame. Our fingers are more than ready to do the pointing, but it’s like we’re all blindfolded and spinning. What makes a person want to die?” ― Emily X.R. Pan from The Astonishing Color of After
A young girl, Leigh Chen Sanders, is grieving the death of her mother, who committed suicide. Leigh believes that she turned into a bird, and she goes on a journey to visit her grandparents in Taiwan in search of her mother, the bird, and other family secrets.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan is one of my top favorite YA reads. I discovered the novel after reading a Goodreads review so intriguing that I went hunting for the title during my next Barnes & Noble trip. The Astonishing Color of After was shelved under Teen Fantasy, a category where I never shop, so without seeing the great reviewer comments I might never have discovered this touching book about grief, culture, and family secrets.
This book wrecked me. The writing is so beautiful. Whether it’s the love story, the voice, the mystery, or the family culture aspect, there’s plenty of reasons why fans connect with this YA classic. I truly can’t say enough wonderful things about this amazing novel.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Suicide Themes
Self-discovery
What It’s About
In their shared grief and sadness, a boy and a girl form an unlikely relationship that ends badly
Why I Love It - Review
“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” ― Jennifer Niven from All the Bright Places
Theodore Finch has more than a touch of the blues.
Violet Markey wants to escape the grief that lives in her hometown where her sister recently died.
Violet and Theodore are an unlikely couple, paired together on a school project to explore the natural wonders of their state. At first, Theodore seems to be the one helping Violet with her sadness, but Violet doesn’t have any understanding about the depth of Theodore’s despair. Along their journey, they make several unexpected discoveries about one another.
After re-reading this book a second time, I enjoyed it every bit as much as the the first. I liked the writing, the dual character viewpoints, the story, the language, and the symbolism.
Blue is a primary color.
This lovely YA book is about suicide, depression, and loss, and Niven handles all of these difficult topics with honesty and resonance. All the Bright Places is one of my all-time favorites.
By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
Suicide Themes
Support systems
What It’s About
A bullied girl who failed her first suicide attempt intends to get it right the next time with the help of a website named Through the Light.
Why I Love It - Review
I want to tell them, "Chip, Kim, there is no way to suicide-proof a person.” ― Julie Anne Peters from By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead
Daelyn is going to kill herself in 23 days.
A website named Through the Light provides support to wanna-be suicide “completers” like Daelyn, and she spends a lot of free time there. Counting down the days.
Then she meets a boy. She tries to ignore him, but he’s pushy. Persistent. Charming, even.
But is he charming enough to keep her from going through the light when the countdown ends?
This short, brutal novel is a fast read. It’s not easy, happy, or hopeful, but it’s a raw and real look at suicide and the sometimes deadly impact of bullying on teens. If you are looking for a frank YA book about suicide, this one is a must-read!
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Suicide Themes
Self-discovery
What It’s About
A girl commits suicide and leaves a series of tapes that reveal the bullying that ultimately led her to kill herself.
Why I Love It - Review
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything… affects everything.” ― Jay Asher from Thirteen Reasons Why
When Clay receives these tapes and the ominous letter, he goes on a journey to understand why Hannah Baker took her own life. It’s a terrible story involving bullying and crimes, and with every tape, there is suspense in wondering how Clay contributed to this girl’s death.
Clay is a nice guy. He has a thing for Hannah. It doesn’t seem he could have anything to do with it, but this story shows how you often don’t know what another person is going through.
Jay Asher’s popular novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, is one of the best YA books about suicide, and it’s one of the most popular YA books about bullying. It became a super-popular series on Netflix; there’s a reason it has become a #1 New York Times and International Bestseller. If you somehow missed it, you should definitely check it out.
Other Frank YA Books about Suicide You Should Read
Because this is such an important topic impacting many people, Goodreads has several popular lists, including: YA Books About/Mentioning Depression, Self Harm, and Suicide, Goodreads Depression Book Lists, and Goodreads Popular YA Suicide Books.
You might also be interested in my post Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books.
Author Bio
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of more than a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Her novel about eating disorders, Hollow Beauty, was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, dystopian, and adventure.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
