5 YA Books to Read After A Breakup

The Sky Is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson
You love Nelson’s latest, I’ll Give You the Sun, but post-split is the perfect time to wallow in the beauty and melancholy of her debut, The Sky Is Everywhere (recently reissued with a gorgeous cover to match Sun). Because if anything, this book will show you things could always be worse—but that, in the end, they might just get better. Sky deals with love and loss on so many different levels, all of them heartbreakingly, rivetingly real. Lennie’s still mourning the sudden death of big sister Bailey, and turns to her dead sister’s ex, Toby, for comfort and connection. Bad move, I know. But then there’s Joe, bright-eyed, bold-smiled, and a band geek to boot. Can Lennie come up from her grief long enough to grapple with what might be true love? Or is she too far gone for even love to bring her back?

P.S. I Still Love You, by Jenny Han
In To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Lara Jean is naïve and innocent, pouring her heart out in never-to-be-mailed letters to her crushes (who, in a twist of fate, end up receiving them). In the second book, P.S., Lara Jean has experienced her first heartbreak, and not only is it devastating, it’s confounding! What’s the etiquette here, especially when she knows there’s still a spark?And her ex-BFF is on the prowl? And her other former crush might be back in the picture? So. Many. Emotions. The best thing about Han’s loved-and-lost series is that it will definitely get you out of your own head and your own misery as you revel in Lara Jean’s lovelorn confusion.

More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera
Aaron Soto knows what pain is. The Bronx-born teen has seen poverty, lost friends to it, and is mourning the recent death of his father, who committed suicide. But there’s one bright note on Aaron’s horizon: Thomas, a new friends who makes him feel alive again, even though their relationship causes trouble with his old pals and his girlfriend. So much so that Aaron’s considering a visit to the Leteo Institute, an Eternal Sunshine-esque company that allows the troubled to have their memories erased. Because the thing Aaron wants to most forget is the fact that he’s gay. The pain in this book is so real, so palpable, it will make you forget your own worries, but still ends with the kind of gut-wrenching catharsis we all need after a heartbreak.

Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman
The best thing to do post-split? Take inventory. Handler (words) and Kalman’s (pictures) seminal breakup-in-a-box book does just that, laying out what’s left behind in the wake of the split between Min and Ed in an inventive, page-turning read that will have you analyzing your own reasons why, so you can stop your simpering and move on to what’s next. Or save up all your own sweet little mementos for further wallowing. Either way. 

The Night We Said Yes, by Lauren Gibaldi
In just one night, Ella is completely swept off her feet by Matt. But then he leaves without a word, and she’s totally heartbroken. So much so that, a full year later, she still hasn’t moved on. And when Matt returns, hoping to explain and to recapture their explosive chemistry, Ella can’t quite figure out if she can trust him again. This is a book full of heart and heartbreak, of unbelievable highs and incredible lows, of giving—and taking—second chances.