The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow is one of those powerful novels that will stay with me for a long time. Glasgow is one of my favorite YA authors, and everything she writes is amazing. Her latest is equally wonderful!

If you also loved The Glass Girl and are looking for similar YA novels about teen drinking and alcoholism, here is a list of a few others that you’ll enjoy.

Drive to June by Khristina Chess

“You do realize that a car is a mobile make-out location, right?” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Drive to June.

Eighteen-year-old Adrianna refuses to text anymore.

She doesn’t drive.

And she’s secretly guzzling her dead mother’s wine collection.

With her father traveling so much and her older sister away in college, no one knows about Adrianna’s drinking. She drinks to forget something awful that she did; she drinks to go numb. To avoid her grief. And now she can't seem to stop. Since moving to this new school, she doesn't have close friends or teachers, so there's nothing to stop her free-fall.

But then one night, Ian spots her on the roof and makes an offer she can’t refuse. He comes into her life, and everything begins to change.

Wow, what a ride! Drive to June took off from the start and accelerated all the way to the finish. I had to find out Adrianna’s secret. What makes this book so special is the sweet relationship that develops between Adriana and Ian as he teaches her how to drive and helps her get her driver’s license. Although it starts as a story about alcohol abuse, this is a dreamy and hopeful YA novel with heart.

You won’t want to miss this this surprisingly romantic YA book about teen alcohol abuse and grief. Fans of The Glass Girl will love this one. In fact, Khristina Chess 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!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

“The last laugh, the last cup of coffee, the last sunset, the last time you jump through a sprinkler, or eat an ice-cream cone, or stick your tongue out to catch a snowflake. You just don’t know.” ― Lauren Oliver, quote from Before I Fall

Samantha Kingston is dead.

In this YA-version of Groundhog Day, a “mean girl” gets a chance to relive her last day and the party she attended with her friends before the fatal car crash. She has an opportunity to make the same choices over and over, until she makes different ones.

This beautiful novel is a mystery about redemption. Samantha’s character arc really blew me away, and although I disliked her in the beginning, I was cheering for her by the end, and I love the way Lauren Oliver wrote the ending.

If you loved The Glass Girl and are looking for an atypical book about the consequences of teen drinking, Before I Fall is worth a look.

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith

“No, can’t cry. Because there’s nothing to cry about. Because it was just a dream. A bad dream. A nightmare. Not real. Not real. Not real. That’s what I keep thinking: NotRealNotRealNotReal. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Like a mantra. Like a prayer.” ― Amber Smith, quote from The Way I Used to Be

Fourteen-year-old Eden was raped by her brother’s best friend. In her own room. In her own bed.

Instead of telling anyone, she internalizes the trauma and begins a multi-year downward spiral of acting out, drinking, taking drugs, losing friends, and sleeping around. She’s no longer the “good girl” she used to be.

This book shows how a young girl can stay silent about rape for years, why it can be so hard to tell someone, and what it’s like to try to survive in silence.

The Way I Used to Be is a poignant YA book about alcohol abuse and sexual assault that can be hard to read because Eden’s pain makes her an unlikeable character at times, but this story is worthwhile. Fans of The Glass Girl are sure to enjoy this one.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

“There comes a time when we realize that our parents cannot save themselves or save us, that everyone who wades through time eventually gets dragged out to sea by the undertow-that, in short, we are all going.” ― John Green, quote from Looking for Alaska

A quiet boy at boarding school meets a charismatic girl, then loses her.

Miles Halter goes away to boarding school, where he makes new friends, takes up drinking and smoking, breaks some rules, and meets a hot girl named Alaska Young. She’s the ringleader of the merry group’s adventures. She’s the one who can get alcohol and cigarettes.

She’s a bit wild.

Then one night while they’re all partying, she receives a phone call and takes off in her car. She never returns.

For a cautionary tale about alcohol and drug abuse, this award-winning story is a must-read.

The First True Thing by Claire Needell

“People sometimes go with their instincts. They have sympathy. They care about people. I think Martin learned something when he messed up. Like now he really knows he wants to be here. Like he actually knows why he’s here and what this Group is really for.” ― Claire Needell, quote from The First True Thing

The First True Thing is both a mystery and a book about a teen working through the hard parts of recovery.

The mystery is that Marcelle’s friend Hannah is missing, and Marcelle was the last person to hear from her. What happened? What should she do? And if she tells the truth, the whole truth, what does that mean for her friends?

Working through this dilemma is part of her recovery because lying, hiding, hanging out with people who aren't good for her are all behaviors associated with her drinking.

Books about people in recovery can be hard to read. Addiction and drug abuse makes people choose the wrong thing, and Marcelle does that before she chooses the right thing. Therapy and group can seem dull or even frustrating. However, the ending of her story was satisfying to me because she grew and made the positive steps she needed to make. I felt she was on a good track by the end.

If you loved The Glass Girl as much as I did, The First True Thing is definitely worth a look.

Other YA Books Like The Glass Girl

For more YA books similar to The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow, might be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics for teens.

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