Find your next great read for Self Injury Awareness Day by exploring my reviews of these YA books about self-harm and cutting.

Nonsuicidal self-harming is often misunderstood by family members and friends, which can only add to the sense of isolation, shame, and pain for the person who harms. Reading YA books about self-harm and cutting can be helpful for a person struggling to find a way to cope with pain, as well as someone who loves someone who self-harms. Storytelling can be the bridge that leads to trust and understanding.

Here are my personal recommendations for a few amazing YA books about self-harm and cutting that have changed my heart forever. These characters, their stories, their strength, and their scars are beautiful and inspiring. A couple of the books include eating disorders as well, which is more of an inadvertent method of self-harm.

The Cutting Edge of Friendship by Khristina Chess

“Sometimes my inside hurts so bad that I need to make the outside hurt worse so the inside will stop.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from The Cutting Edge of Friendship

Sadie and Elana are keeping dangerous secrets.

Best friends since elementary school, they know everything about each other, but on the night of the fireworks, something terrible happened to Sadie that she hasn’t told anyone. She can’t even say the word to herself. Instead, she’s started cutting to deal with the pain.

Elana has a secret of her own; she’s texting Hunter and making plans for a clandestine meeting with him. She doesn’t know what he did or why he really wants to keep their relationship secret.

To end this dangerous cat-and-mouse game, Sadie must reclaim her courage and rescue Elana before a rapist can attack again.

So powerful! The Cutting Edge of Friendship instantly drew me into the tangled conflict, and I couldn’t look away until the girls were safe.

What I love most about The Cutting Edge of Friendship is Sadie’s fierce and resilient character and the raw and authentic emotion as this painful story escalates toward its thrilling climax. This is the kind of novel that really shows how someone self harms to cope with pain in the aftermath of sexual assault. You won’t want to miss this powerful YA book about cutting that explores the complicated nature of friendship. Fans of Girl in Pieces will enjoy this one.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow 

“People should know about us. Girls who write their pain on their bodies.” ― Kathleen Glasgow, quote from Girl in Pieces

This wonderful novel about self-harm was the kind of story that kept pulling me away to a quiet room to curl up with a cup of tea and a lamp until I finished. I had to know what was going to happen to Charlie. I had to know whether or not she was going to be okay in the end. Because although she seemed to be making progress, this guy in her life wasn't a good choice for her. And then her friend from the hospital shows up, and she doesn't seem to be a good direction either. And if you've ever known addiction or seen someone struggling with recovery from anything, you know that the line is so easy to cross.

For Charlie, crossing the line might have devastating consequences because she has her tender kit, and it's full of glass. It's not tender but slashes and cuts.

So I read and worried and loved this young girl, who was so alone and hungry and living on the edge. I wanted someone to help her. Someone good.

This YA book about self-harming and cutting―and this girl―will stay with me for a long while. 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!

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

“They tied me back together, but they didn't use double knots. My insides are draining out of the fault lines in my skin, I can feel it, but every time I check the bandages, they're dry.” ― Laurie Halse Anderson, quote from Wintergirls

Readers consistently mention Wintergirls as a favorite in YA lists about self-harming—and for good reason! In addition to her severe eating disorder, Lia cuts herself.

This book is stark, beautiful, and also painful. Laurie Halse Anderson writes about many different tough topics, and Wintergirls addresses eating disorders, self-harming, friendship, grief, loss, and recovery. One girl is dead. The other one suffers from guilt, self-harming, and anorexia.

At times the book is disorienting and confusing, but this seemed to align with Lia’s state of mind. I was often uncomfortable while reading this story—which was the point, I think.

If you are looking for an intense YA book about self-harm and eating disorders, you won’t want to miss this one.

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 stopped!

This YA is a raw and unforgettable story about a complicated sisterhood, eating disorders, and loss. The present story line is an investigation of the odd circumstances and events that landed Kat in the hospital on a ventilator, but as the hours and days unfold, the close relationship between these sisters becomes more and more apparent, and Molly finds herself connecting with her older sister in their same old way:

"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."

Physical cutting is not present in this novel, but in her attempt to deal with grief and what’s happening with her sister, Molly stops eating. Through this behavior, she tries to reconnect physically with her sister, who is slipping away, and for this reason, I’ve included The Delinquent Hero in this list of YA books about self-harm. Sorrow becomes physical pain in this book.

In fact, Delinquent Hero is one of three novels by Khristina Chess in the top 100 Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Self-Harm and eating disorders.

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 self-harming and grief, 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 deep self-harming 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.

Be sure to check out this thought-provoking and heartbreaking YA book that wrestles with cutting, grief, and the healing power of love.

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

“Other times, I look at my scars and see something else: a girl who was trying to cope with something horrible that she should never have had to live through at all. My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They're part of my history that'll always be there.” ― Cheryl Rainfield, quote from Scars

Wow! What a powerful, thrilling, emotional, heartbreaking book. Scars packs a real punch, touching on multiple tough topics, including cutting, sexual abuse, and relationships. Kendra was raped at a very young age by a man whose face she cannot remember. The story opens with her in therapy with a counselor who is helping her to cope with the painful memories that have started to surface, but the plot accelerates quickly as Kendra feels her abuser is stalking her. She copes with her pain through self-harming and also in her art, which is both beautiful and darkly disturbing. Descriptions of her art in this book are very vivid.

The revelation of her abuser is both a shock and a non-shock, and I was rooting for her to confront him and find a path to justice and healing. Scars is a great read if you’re looking for a YA book about self-harm and cutting.

Other YA Books about Self-Harm and Cutting

If you are looking other books about self-harm and cutting, check out the YA Self-Harm and Cutting Fiction (25 books) and Books about Cutting Yourself (78 Books) on Goodreads. For other books on mental health issues, including suicide or depression, you might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics for teens.

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.