Find your next great read for Valentine’s Day by exploring my reviews of these tragic YA books about star-crossed lovers.

“Star-crossed lovers” is a phrase from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to describe the tragic love story, and so you should bring your tissues and be prepared to grieve when you read about the characters in this list. These relationships are doomed. These relationships will not survive. Spoiler alert.

Yet stories of star-crossed lovers are some of my favorites. In Dirty Dancing, there is a point when we know Baby and Johnny are not going to end up together, but yet their brief summer love was totally worth it, right? Or Rose and Jack in Titanic. Everyone kept hoping that it would turn out okay in the end, even though we knew it wasn’t in their stars.

Here are my personal recommendations for some amazing YA books about star-crossed lovers that provide that wonderful mix of compelling love story and heartbreak that will sweep you away. Enjoy!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

“But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.” ― John Green, quote from The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars is the ultimate YA book about star-crossed lovers. 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’re looking for the sweetest and most heart-wrenching star-crossed love story, pick up this classic. If you read it a long time ago, it’s just as good the second time around. Trust me.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

“What a terrible feeling to love someone and not be able to help them.” ― Jennifer Niven, quote 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 is a tragic YA book about star-crossed lovers that stayed with me for a long time. All the Bright Places is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, Jennifer Niven 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!

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippencort

“If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.” ― Rachael Lippincott, quote from Five Feet Apart

Stella and Will are two kids with cystic fibrosis who literally have to stay away from one another to survive. Infections are bad, possibly deadly, and Will is like kryptonite to Stella, who doesn’t want to lose her place on the transplant list.

But the heart wants what the heart wants—even when the lungs are failing.

Stella and Will disobey all kinds of orders in their love pursuits and put their lives at risk. They have so much positive energy that you want them to beat the odds. Tragedy won’t touch them.

Don’t miss this popular YA book about star-crossed lovers. You will love Stella and Will’s story. The movie was pretty great, too!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

“I just can’t believe that life would give us to each other,” he said, “and then take it back.”
“I can,” she said. “Life’s a bastard.” ― Rainbow Rowell, quote from Eleanor and Park

It's been a long time since I've encountered a novel that I literally couldn't put down. Eleanor & Park was one of those books. I loved every minute. I sat on the porch, on the couch, on the floor by the window... and devoured this book. It was a wonderful reading experience about first love. Sweet and heartbreaking and everything I wanted. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, romantic young love story.

The story unfolds from alternating points of view, both Eleanor and Park, as they fall in love over the course of one year. The dialog is witty, snappy, and fun.

As a super-dreamy YA book about star-crossed lovers, it will give you all the feels about falling in love.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

“The trouble with getting your hopes too far up is: it's a long way down.” ― Nicola Yoon, quote from The Sun Is Also a Star

I loved Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything, so when The Sun Is Also A Star released, I couldn’t wait to read it. This novel is a star-crossed love story between two teens of different backgrounds: Daniel Jae Ho Bae (a middle-class US citizen of South Korean descent) and Natasha Kingsley (a Jamaican girl who is being deported at the end of the day).

The timeline of the novel is 12 hours, and in that time, the characters fall in love. With every page, I kept hoping that something would change and something would stop the inevitable from happening. Because it wasn’t fair. Daniel and Natasha just found each other.

You won’t want to miss this heartbreaking YA book about immigration and doomed love.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

"We keep thinking there are only these two choices: We either grow apart or grow together. But maybe we can just kind of each grow on our own, and see how it goes. And then later, if it's right, we'll come back to each other and start again." ― Jennifer E. Smith, quote from Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

In another “novel in one night” book, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between explores the relationship of Clare and Aiden as they prepare to separate before heading off to college. Along the way, they spend time with a cast of friends and visit places where they enjoyed some of their most memorable moments. I didn’t love-love the story and characters the same way that I did some of the other novels here, but there were sweet and romantic moments that kept me invested.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between definitely belong in this list of YA books about star-crossed lovers. If you missed it, you definitely need to check it out!

Other YA Books about Star-Crossed Lovers

If you are looking other YA books about star-crossed lovers, check out the Star Crossed Lovers list and YA Star-Crossed/Forbidden/Enemy Loves on Goodreads. 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.