Looking for a heartbreaking collection of YA novels about grief and loss to read next? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade reading, analyzing, and recommending the best fiction to answer that question.
You’ll find detailed reviews of more than fifteen of my favorites in the roundup below. I’ve personally curated this collection from my own bookshelves. These novels explore the sad, gut-wrenching stories about death and dying, especially when young people are involved.
The Delinquent Hero by Khristina Chess
“I stare at my sister in this bed. She is mine. She is here, and I cannot imagine that she is not. That she will never be here again. How can it be true? I see her before me. Her chest is rising, falling, rising, falling. Her hand is warm in mine.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from The Delinquent Hero
I loved the complex and tragic sister relationship portrayed in this YA novel about grief and loss following a sibling’s brain death. If you’re like me and enjoy great “tear jerkers,” The Delinquent Hero offers a raw and emotional exploration of devastating heartbreak.
At its core is Molly, desperate for answers after her older sister, Kat, lands in the hospital. Something is suspicious. 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 of relating to one another.
What made The Delinquent Hero truly unforgettable for me was the heart-wrenching puzzle—not just unraveling what happened that night, but understanding Kat herself in the final months of her life. The novel didn’t just tell a story; it forced me to feel every ache, every unanswered question, every regret, every desperate search for why.
The Delinquent Hero is a perfect match for readers looking for quiet, emotionally resonant stories about death and dying. Don’t miss this hidden gem!
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
“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, quote from The Astonishing Color of After
I discovered The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan after reading an intriguing Goodreads review. The book was shelved under Teen Fantasy, a category where I never shop, so without seeing the reviewer comments I might never have discovered this touching YA magical realism novel about grief, culture, and family secrets.
The premise is that 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.
This book wrecked me in the best possible way. 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 book. I truly can’t say enough wonderful things about it.
Willow by Julia Hoban
“It's hard to keep a secret when it's written all over your body.” ― Julia Hoban, quote from Willow
In this complex novel about coping with grief and guilt through self-harming, I met the wonderful character of Willow. She is an orphan with terrible secrets. Guilt. Pain. Numbness. And love.
I can’t speak about whether or not Willow suffers from a mental illness, or if she’s simply a teenager who doesn’t know how to deal with the terrible things that happened in her life. Cutting seems like an answer. She feels alone and sad. At any rate, the book felt emotional and honest to me. I loved reading her story and connecting with her pain as she journeyed to wholeness.
If you’re looking for more YA books about grief and loss—in this case, the loss of parents—be sure to give Willow a try.
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
“What kind of girl wants to kiss every boy at a funeral, wants to maul a guy in a tree after making out with her sister’s boyfriend the previous night? Speaking of which, what kind of girl makes out with her sister’s boyfriend, period?” ― Jandy Nelson, quote from The Sky Is Everywhere
I love, love, loved this book! The writing is so lyrical, and the story is incredibly sad. It begins with protagonist Lennie, who is grieving the sudden death of her sister. Although Bailey is dead, the relationship between these siblings is very much alive on the pages of this novel. Lennie writes beautiful poems, and she spends time in their room and shares so many memories that I feel I know Bailey.
A charismatic new boy shows up at school, and Lennie ends up entering into 2 romances at the same time. This is the yummy love triangle. One romance is with the new boy at school, and the other is with her dead sister’s grieving boyfriend. Sooner or later, she has to decide which one of these guys is the one she’s going to stick with. Oh, boy.
In my view, all of the characters are vivid, and the story is captivating. The creative visual aspect of the novel is also a nice touch; Lennie writes her poems on scraps and scatters them everywhere, and these appear at the beginning of chapters.
If you’re looking for your next read about grief and loss, Jandy Nelson writes it like nobody else.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” ― Jennifer Niven, quote from All the Bright Places
After re-reading All the Bright Places a second time this year, I enjoyed this profoundly sad story every bit as much as the first time. I loved the writing, the dual character viewpoints, the plot, the language, and the symbolism. I loved everything.
The story is straightforward. Violet Markey wants to escape the grief that lives in her hometown where her sister recently died.
Her friend Theodore Finch has more than a touch of the blues.
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.
Blue is a primary color.
All the Bright Places is one of my favorite picks for sad YA books for teens.
Drive to June by Khristina Chess
“You do realize that a car is a mobile make-out location, right?” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Drive to June.
What kind of girl drinks after a drunk driver kills her mom?
Sixteen months ago, Adrianna lost her mother. Since then, she’s been drowning her grief—one bottle at a time. With her father always away and her sister off at college, no one notices she’s slowly draining the wine collection and numbing herself to avoid an awful secret.
Now, she can’t quit.
Then one evening, a pizza delivery boy finds her crying on the roof of her house and offers to teach her how to drive—and somehow, that changes everything.
What a ride! Drive to June grabbed me from the start and never let go. It’s more than a story about alcohol abuse—it’s funny, romantic, and deeply emotional. I loved the undeniable chemistry between Adrianna and Ian.
What stood out for me is the beautiful way Khristina Chess portrays Adrianna’s sorrow, bereavement, loneliness, and guilt about the accident that changed everyone’s lives. If you’re looking for a great YA book about grief and loss in teens, I highly recommend Drive to June.
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
“It's very hard to think of your parents as people. Full of bad checks and bad decisions, fistfights and broken hearts, all of it. Because if they can't goddamn take care of themselves, how will they take care of you?“ ― Kathleen Glasgow, quote from How to Make Friends with the Dark
After Tiger Tolliver's mom dies of a brain aneurysm, she becomes a ward of the state, an orphan, suddenly faced with an uncertain future. She doesn't have any living relatives. She doesn't know anything about her father. It's just her and her mom--and now just her. A minor.
What Tiger begins to learn is that her mom kept some important secrets from her. For example, she has a living dad. And a sister.
This book is a real tear jerker! Tiger strikes me a sheltered girl with little real life experience; on the day her mom died, she was kissing a boy for the first time. She wasn't prepared for the events that followed as she entered the foster care system. Yet, despite her tragic circumstances, she makes a path for herself. She makes mistakes but doesn't fall off a cliff. She keeps people at a cautious distance, but she does make friends and finds a way to build a new family for herself.
How to Make Friends with the Dark will tug at your heartstrings. Bring extra tissues for this one! If you want to read more stories about grief and resilience, this one is a winner.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
“Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.” ― Alice Sebold, quote from The Lovely Bones
Susie Salmon is dead.
She was raped and murdered in a most gruesome fashion by a most gruesome man, and now she exists in an afterlife, observing her family and her killer.
The story is a bit disorienting, but I think that’s kind of the point. Most of the novel is about Susie’s struggle to come to terms with the fact that she’s dead and move on. The “why?” questions haunt her. Her family and former life haunts her. The desire for justice and vengeance haunts her.
It’s the disquiet that comes when a young person dies tragically, suddenly, whether or not by foul means. There is a profound unfairness. The soul cries out.
Although the scene where Susie is killed is horrific, this one also fits the list of YA books about grief and loss. Everyone in this book is grieving, including Susie herself.
Sacred by Elana K. Arnold
Sacred is a very nice YA novel about grief and eating disorders—along with horses and a boy and a paranormal element as well. Yes, there’s a lot going on.
The main character, Scarlett, is grappling with her brother’s death, and in the heartbreak of this tragedy, she turns to her horse for comfort, as well as developing an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.
The island setting is gorgeous, and although there is a lot of sadness in this book, there is also hope. I definitely enjoyed the story and the way things came together in the end.
If you’re looking for YA books about grief and loss, you should give this lesser-known YA novel a look.
Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Young-Ullman
In this absorbing novel, the 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. 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.
Truly. I don’t want to give too much away. Just read it.
The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow
“Every morning when I wake up, I don’t think I’m going to make it. Or maybe I think that I don’t want to make it. I’m heavy with what I did the night before and I’m heavy with everything inside me and sometimes it is just too goddamn much to carry around.” ― Kathleen Glasgow, quote from The Glass Girl
Everything Kathleen Glasgow writes is pure gold, and The Glass Girl is no exception.
Bella is a 15-year-old girl with a drinking problem. Her parents divorced and put her in the middle, and her 7-year-old little sister needs her more than ever, and her beloved grandmother died, and her boyfriend broke up with her because she's "too much" (his words), and life really sucks except when she's drinking.
Bella hits bottom as most addicts do and finds herself in the hospital and then in rehab. Her journey through recovery and back to real life is not linear, and along the way, I fell in love with her and her pain. She's very authentic and young. There are moments when she shines so, so brightly, and I just wanted to hug her.
Her relationship with her little sister, Ricci, is sweet and integral to the story. The impact of Bella’s drinking and recovery hits Ricci as well.
If you're looking for a wonderful YA book about alcohol abuse during bereavement, you must pick up Kathleen Glasgow's latest, The Glass Girl.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.” ― John Green, quote from The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars is the ultimate YA book about grief and loss. Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace are two teens with cancer, and they fall in love during a sweet time of remission. They talk about literature and philosophy, and they go on a wonderful journey to meet the author of Hazel’s favorite novel. This person is not at all what she expected—a huge disappointment, as a matter of fact—but then, life happens that way.
When the inevitable plot turn comes and twists the knife in your heart, it doesn’t matter that you’re expecting it. Augustus and Hazel are supposed to be together, so every bittersweet moment of their parting is a gasp. Every breath counts. Every syllable.
If you read this classic a long time ago, it’s just as good the second time around. Trust me.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
“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, quote 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 an evocative YA books about grief and loss, you definitely want to add this one to your TBR pile!
The Hint of Light by Kristin Kisska
“Motherhood is not for the weak. In my opinion, it should have a warning label attached to it—only dedicated individuals with boundless energy, unconditional love, and a high tolerance for pain need apply.” ― Kristin Kisska, quote from The Hint of Light
This debut novel is about many things: mystery, redemption, secrets, resentments, innocence, and love. I wanted a faster pace. I wanted a thriller. Kristen Kisska didn't give me that. Instead, The Hint of Light reveals its story slowly, shifting back and forth in time and between multiple character viewpoints:
Kyle, the son who is dead, slowly gives us the backstory of his recovery and new relationship with his recently-discovered daughter.
Ally, the 18-year-old daughter, who tells both before and after versions. She is grieving a father so recently found... and then lost.
Margaret, the mother, who also reveals a then and now story.
There is the story question of how Kyle really died, as well as the secret that slowly becomes clearer as the past and present layers are pulled away.
The Hint of Light is a lovely, quiet, and yet sometimes shocking novel about family and the power of a mother's love. If you’re looking for books about grief and loss, check it out. Even though it’s not “YA",” it’s worth the read.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
“She has compared me to my sister every single day of my life, so why should I expect that to change now that she’s dead?” ― Erika L. Sanchez, quote from I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
I loved the cover on this novel, and with so many stars and enthusiastic reviews, I figured I would love this story. There is an interesting mystery about what happened to Julia’s older sister Olga, who died in front of a truck. There is an interesting view into Mexican culture.
But.
The mother-daughter relationship (which is the title of the book) is not the real focus of the story. The mother is portrayed as traditional and strict, but she’s also mostly a shadow and underdeveloped character. Julia, the daughter, is a hard character to like because she has so many hard edges, and I never reached a point of real empathy or connection with her—even though she is a grieving person. Instead, I felt like the book was a checklist of YA book “issues” without any depth or focus on any of them: immigration, depression, first-time sex, death of a sibling, food, Mexican culture, drug usage, attempted suicide, rape… The list could continue.
You will probably feel differently. Literally thousands of readers on Goodreads loved this book.
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
“We used to be pretty good friends, but fourteen-year-old girls are psychotic.” ― Jesse Andrews, quote from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
How can a book about a teenage girl dying from leukemia be so funny?
Greg and Earl are weird, unlikely friends and amateur filmmakers who manage to fly below the radar at school and enjoy their private world. Then Greg’s mom makes him reach out to Rachel, a childhood friend who has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs a friend.
Earl turns out to be the more compassionate of the pair, and the two of them set out to make a movie about Rachel. Their brilliant idea fails in execution and is the Worst Film Ever Made.
This fun, funny, and all-around wonderful YA book about grief, loss, and friendship is full of crude humor, heart, honesty, and surprises as Greg learns things about his long-time friend Earl, as well as himself, through this journey with the dying girl, Rachel. I can’t say enough good about it. Buy it. Read it. Laugh.
Other YA Books about Grief and Loss
If you are looking other YA books about grief and loss, check out the YA Grief Fiction, YA Death & Dying Books, YA Books Dealing with Grief, and Losing Someone - Grief-themed Books in Young Adult Fiction the lists on Goodreads.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics such as depression and anxiety.
About the Author: Khristina Chess
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.
