Find your next great read for Loneliness Awareness Week by exploring my reviews of these wonderful YA books about loners and outcasts.

In some ways, loneliness has become an epidemic among young adults as well as old. People of all generations feel disconnected from communities and a sense of isolation from human interaction. These feelings can lead to depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.

Reading stories about misfit characters who also feel like outcasts can be a way to see ourselves and find hope. Through the power of story, readers sometimes recognize something that is happening in their own life or in the lives of one of their friends, and this can lead to change. Maybe a phone call.

Here is my list of wonderful YA books about loners and outcasts that you should read next. It’s an eclectic list. Several characters are outcasts as a result of terrible circumstances. You’ll need a tissue for some of these novels. Prepare yourself.

Property of Nobody by Khristina Chess

“No one is coming for you. No one is missing you. And no one will mourn you if you’re killed.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Property of Nobody

Freedom is not free.

Wow! Property of Nobody hooked me from the first page and never let me go!

Teódulo is a compelling and resonant male voice in a genre dominated by female characters. What makes Property of Nobody so special is the gripping, slow-boil depiction of how he falls into the trap of debt bondage and can’t escape. I worried about him. I loved seeing his journey and choices as he befriends various characters. This is the kind of thrilling, authentic novel that really shows the dark underbelly of immigration, human trafficking, organized crime, and the desperation of children caught in this web.

If you are looking for YA books about loners and outcasts, this one is definitely a page-turner! In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.

After by Amy Efaw

“I'd rather be lucky than good. Good is just so overrated. Bad girls have the most fun.” ― Amy Efaw, quote from After

What kind of girl leaves her infant to die in the trash?

Devon Davenport is a “good girl” whose one misstep leads to an unplanned pregnancy. She’s so filled with denial about her entire situation that she cannot even admit to herself that she’s pregnant until she gives birth. The depiction of her detachment is incredibly real and heartbreaking.

During her stay in the juvenile detention center, Devon must face facts about herself and her situation. Her lawyer plays an important role in drawing the story out of her and helping to build empathy for this girl who has committed such a horrific act.

Devon’s transformation from the beginning to the end of book is heartfelt and moving. I couldn’t put it down.

Don’t miss this poignant and wonderful YA book about loners who commit terrible acts. It will especially appeal to fans of Jodi Piccoult because it reads like a crime novel at parts.

How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

“You are carrying so many heavy feelings. There just isn’t enough room for them all.“ ― 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 YA novel about death and dying 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 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 is an evocative and wonderful YA book about loners and outcasts that will tug at your heartstrings. Bring extra tissues for this one! And if you like it, be sure to check out my post on Which YA Books about Mother-Daughter Relationships Best Depict This Loving But Painful Dynamic for similar books.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This novel is beautiful, thrilling, sad, surprising, and engrossing. Kya Clark is a resilient child who is abandoned by her mother at six. Her alcoholic father is barely a parent, and he soon leaves her as well. Somehow, she finds a way to survive on her own, even thrive, despite an aching loneliness.

But a beautiful young girl who lives in solitude in the woods is destined for danger. And heartbreak.

Most people in the town call her “Marsh Girl” and ostracize her. She’s an outcast from society: poor, uneducated, and strange.

The mystery surrounding the death of Chase Andrews is the inciting incident of the novel, and it's soon clear that he was not such a swell guy. Foul play is suspected. Is Kya a murder? Or someone else?

There's plenty to love here, and the pages definitely turned quickly for me. Kya’s character and voice is compelling.

If you’re looking for a wonderful coming-of-age YA book about loners and outcasts, you won’t want to miss Where the Crawdads Sing. The movie is also great.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Everybody told me to be a man. Nobody told me how.” ― Laurie Halse Anderson, quote from Twisted

I could totally see Twisted as a teen movie. Tyler has a crush on the high school popular girl, and after a summer of mandatory community service and a growth spurt, he’s suddenly “hot.” A dream come true, right? But Tyler has a lot of family and personal problems that are the reason behind his poor life choices. He was in trouble for a reason.

The plot is complex and nuanced, and there are so many things about this book that I love. Tyler has to figure out how to be a normal guy even though he comes from such a messed up family. I was rooting for him!

If you’ve missed this one, Laurie Halse Anderson has written a powerful YA book about loners and outcasts. She’s also on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited.

Some Boys by Patty Blount

“Brave. The word hangs in the air for a moment and then falls away, almost like it even knows it has no business being used to describe me.” ― Patty Blount, quote from Some Boys

In this book, Grace was raped by the “golden boy” student and star athlete at their school named Zac, and she does speak. But no one believes her. Instead she is bullied and ostracized for daring to accuse the prince of such a heinous crime.

Zac’s best friend is Ian. Although he has a major crush on Grace, he no longer feels he can follow-through on that because the whole school is slut-shaming her.

Grace sets on a plan to prove to everyone that Zac isn’t the perfect son everyone believes him to be, and she’s the kind of fighter to make that happen. Instead of a depressed and withdrawn rape survivor, this character is a middle-finger-in-your-face girl who goes after her rapist despite nearly everyone being against her.

This YA book about loners and outcasts takes a look at how girls are labeled by how they dress or act. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one.

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.

I’ve included it in this list of wonderful YA books about loners and outcasts because both characters are misfits in the story until the moment when they meet, and then their relationship saves them from their loneliness for a while. They’re still outcasts, but they’re outcasts together.

Other Wonderful YA Books about Loners and Outcasts You Should Read

If you are looking for some other wonderful YA books about loners and outcasts, check out the Outcasts Books list on Goodreads. 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.