Which Unforgettable YA Books about Separation and Divorce Should You Read Next?

Find your next great read for National Reading Month in these unforgettable YA books about divorce and separation.

Teens have enough trouble in their lives, and when parents split, the change can be too much. On the outside, young adults may look like they’re holding it all together: They’ve “got this.”

But on the inside, they really don’t.

How could they? They’ve only been on the planet for 15, 16, or 18 years. Not even two decades. The brain doesn’t even reach full development until around age 25, and now the two people who were supposed to be their tour guides on Earth have abandoned them.

Here are my reviews of a few unforgettable YA books about separation and divorce that I think are just great. I think you’ll love them too. These teens are resilient despite huge changes happening in their lives. I rooted for them all the way.

Straight A’s by Khristina Chess

“Dad didn’t ask about my grades or anything else about my life—which was good, in a way—and after awhile, I told him I had to go home and study. ... I worried about leaving him alone in that big empty house with his shiny guns and his terrible anger and sadness. But I didn’t know what else to do.“ ― Khristina Chess, quote from Straight A’s

Separation and divorce plays a central role in this YA novel about a teen who struggles to find a path out of a downward spiral of despair.

Kim was supposed to be valedictorian of her class. Then her parents split, and everything went wrong. She’s bouncing between them and trying to carry the weight of their emotional meltdowns, and it’s too much. Too much!

Now she’s planning to kill herself.

With time running out in the semester and academic pressures mounting, depression threatens to overwhelm her. Being valedictorian means everything: scholarships, acceptance to top schools, everything! A B in calculus is unacceptable.

Wonderful, a real page-turner! Straight A’s grabbed and held my interest all the way. What I love most about this book is Kim’s resilient character and her emotions as events escalate toward the story’s climax. It’s a great positive message for youths. This is the kind of authentic novel that really shows how someone can fall into a downward spiral of despair and see no way out of their own circumstances.

Don’t miss this ultimately sweet, hopeful, and unforgettable YA novel about separation and divorce that depicts one teenager’s struggle with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Fans of All the Bright Places will enjoy this one.

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 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.

If you’re looking for a wonderful YA book about separation and divorce and its devastating impact on young people, you must pick up Kathleen Glasgow's latest, The Glass Girl.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

“I call it Mim’s Theorem of Monkey See Monkey Don’t, and what it boils down to is this: it is my belief that there are some people whose sole purpose of existence is to show the rest of us how not to act.” ― David Arnold, quote from Mosquitoland

I loved this book! I’ve included it in my list of The Best YA Book Recommendations for All Ages (And Why), and one of the reasons is that the lyrical and often lough out loud funny voice of the narrator.

Mosquitoland is the story is about a girl named Mim Malone, whose parents have divorced. She’s living with her dad, who has custody of Mim and has remarried, but Mim runs away and rides a bus to Ohio to return to her mom.

This is a long journey where Mim (a young girl on her own) encounters a cast of diverse characters, dangers, and adventures. If you are looking for an unforgettable YA book about separation and divorce and how that impacts young people, let Mim tell you in her own voice. She has a lot to say.

If you are looking for an unforgettable YA book about separation and divorce and how that impacts young people, this fun coming of age novel belongs in your TBR pile.

One Big Mess by Melody Loomis

What happens when tragedy strikes, parents divorce, and children become caretakers of one of the adults? That’s what you’ll find in One Big Mess.

Gracie is a teen living with her mom who is grieving the loss of a child and copes through hoarding. The mess is overwhelming. Gracie is such an optimistic and hopeful girl who devises a plan to help her mom by trying to get her onto a reality TV show for hoarders. She's convinced that the show has the resources to provide therapy and cleanup that her mom won't take from Gracie and her sister.

I loved Gracie's character and her relationships with her friends, sister, and her parents. I was rooting for her and her mom to find some way to clean things up.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful and unforgettable YA book about separation and divorce, as well as mental illness, you should definitely pick up this one.

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

“All these words and stories. My mom calls them the color of a human life: those little moments that are so uniquely ours.” ― Jennifer Niven, quote from Breathless

I might love this book even more than Niven’s All the Bright Places—and that's saying a lot!

Breathless is the story of Claude's trip to a remote island off the coast of Georgia after graduation with her mom following the sudden separation of her parents. She meets a boy and falls in love. So simple. Yet Jennifer Niven beautifully captures that lovely, breathless feeling of first love. Passionate kisses. Romantic trysts. Mosquito bites on sunburned skin.

There is so much growing up packed into this brief summer for Claude. She learns that parents have secrets and tell lies. She and her lifelong best friend grow apart even as they prepare to truly separate for fall college classes. And she has this deep relationship with Miah on the island that changes her in fundamental ways.

Jennifer Niven is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited, so if Breathless is one of the unforgettable YA books about separation and divorce that belongs on your reading list, you might check out her others too.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

“One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn’t hover.” ― Stephanie Meyer, quote from Twilight

You may be wondering why it’s included on my list of unforgettable YA books about separation and divorce. However, the Twilight saga opens with Bella leaving her mom and moving to Forks to live with her dad Charlie. She doesn’t want to go there, but her mom has a new husband, a baseball player, and Bella feels she’s in the way. So, she goes to live with Charlie, which is a strained relationship, and this tension continues to play between them throughout the books. Ultimately, Bella and her dad develop a very close father-daughter relationship over the duration of this series.

Sure, Twilight is a story about vampires, werewolves, and a romantic love triangle, but there’s a whole lot of family stuff going on here too. If you’ve never read it—or if you haven’t read it in more than a decade—maybe this is the year to visit this amazing series again. 

Other Unforgettable YA Books about Separation and Divorce

If you are looking for other unforgettable YA books about separation and divorce, you might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books.

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.