10 Best Psychological Young Adult Books that Delve Deep into the Human Heart
Venturing into the mind never gets old; let's face it, we're all fascinated by the complex, intricate web of feelings, thoughts, and motivations that steer our lives. The genre of psychological young adult literature delivers just that – deep dives into the human heart and mind, revealing layers of dysfunction, resilience, growth and raw emotions in captivating narratives that leave readers breathless. There's nothing quite like a novel that takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, exploring themes of identity, mental health, and the anxieties of coming of age. They're provocative, they're dramatic, and they pull no punches. Psychological YA books have the power to make readers question their own feelings and actions, all while immersing them in a world of suspense, drama, romance, or horror. Whether you're a teenager seeking solace in the printed words, or an adult looking to experience the world through the hypersensitive lens of adolescence, our top 10 psychological young adult novels promises an adventure into the hidden depth of human psyche. Fair warning, though – this genre is not for the faint of heart. Prepare to navigate the tumultuous terrains of the human heart. Buckle up, it's going to be an intriguing ride.
『Darius the Great Is Not Okay』
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award “Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.” —Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab. Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
Author | Adib Khorram |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Aug 20, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『More Happy Than Not (Deluxe Edition)』
In his twisty, gritty, profoundly moving New York Times bestselling-debut—also called “mandatory reading” and selected as an Editors' Choice by the New York Times—Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx. In the months after his father's suicide, it's been tough for sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again—but he's still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he's slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely. When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron's crew notices, and they're not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can't deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. Why does happiness have to be so hard? “Silvera managed to leave me smiling after totally breaking my heart. Unforgettable.” —Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda "Adam Silvera explores the inner workings of a painful world and he delivers this with heartfelt honesty and a courageous, confident hand . . . A mesmerizing, unforgettable tour de force." —John Corey Whaley, National Book Award finalist and author of Where Things Come Back and Noggin
Author | Adam Silvera |
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Price | $8.99 |
Publisher | Soho Press |
Release Date | Jun 02, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Between the Bliss and Me』
Acclaimed author Lizzy Mason delivers a moving contemporary YA novel about mental illness, young romance, and the impact of family history on one teen’s future, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Robin Benway, and Kathleen Glasgow. When eighteen-year-old Sydney Holman announces that she has decided to attend NYU, her overprotective mom is devastated. Her decision means she will be living in the Big City instead of commuting to nearby Rutgers like her mom had hoped. It also means she’ll be close to off-limits but dreamy Grayson—a guitar prodigy who is going to Juilliard in the fall and very much isn’t single. But while she dreams of her new life, Sydney discovers a world-changing truth about her father. She knew he left when she was little due to a drug addiction. But no one told her he had schizophrenia or that he was currently living on the streets of New York City. She seizes the opportunity to get to know him, to understand who he is and learn what may lie in store for her if she, too, is diagnosed. Even as she continues to fall for Grayson, Sydney is faced with a difficult decision: Stay close to home so her mom can watch over her, or follow her dreams despite the risks?
Author | Lizzy Mason |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Soho Press |
Release Date | Apr 06, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『Challenger Deep』
National Book Award * Golden Kite Award Winner * Six Starred Reviews A captivating novel about mental illness that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman. Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench. Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior. Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence to document the journey with images. Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head. Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn. Challenger Deep is a deeply powerful and personal novel from one of today's most admired writers for teens. Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak, calls Challenger Deep "a brilliant journey across the dark sea of the mind; frightening, sensitive, and powerful. Simply extraordinary."
Author | Neal Shusterman |
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Price | $12.49 |
Publisher | Harper Collins |
Release Date | Apr 21, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Turtles All the Way Down』
The critically acclaimed, instant #1 bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars A NEW FILM, COMING SOON TO MAX “A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control.” —People “A sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating, glimpse into how it feels to live with mental illness.” – NPR John Green, the award-winning, international bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed, returns with a story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
Author | John Green |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Jun 11, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『All the Bright Places』
NOW A NETFLIX FILM, STARRING ELLE FANNING AND JUSTICE SMITH! The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge. And don’t miss Take Me with You When You Go, Jennifer Niven’s highly anticipated new book with bestselling author David Levithan! Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches for—and manages to find—something to keep him here, and alive, and awake. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground— it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. . . . “A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe.” —Justine Magazine “At the heart—a big one—of All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers.” —The New York Times Book Review “A heart-rending, stylish love story.” —The Wall Street Journal “A complex love story that will bring all the feels.” —Seventeen Magazine “Impressively layered, lived-in, and real.” —Buzzfeed
Author | Jennifer Niven |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Ember |
Release Date | Sep 13, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『History Is All You Left Me (Deluxe Edition)』
A special deluxe edition featuring an introduction by Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda; discussion questions; a new postscript from Griffin; and a letter from the author about the heartbreak that started it all. From New York Times bestselling author Adam Silvera comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past. When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course. To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Theo's new boyfriend, Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart. If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.
Author | Adam Silvera |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Soho Press |
Release Date | Jan 11, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Cost of Knowing』
Four starred reviews! Dear Martin meets They Both Die at the End in this gripping, evocative novel about a Black teen who has the power to see into the future, whose life turns upside down when he foresees his younger brother’s imminent death, from the acclaimed author of SLAY. Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short. It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life. And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes. With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.
Author | Brittney Morris |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Apr 06, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『Villette』
When I was a girl I went to Bretton about twice a year, and well I liked the visit. The house and its inmates specially suited me. The large peaceful rooms, the well-arranged furniture, the clear wide windows, the balcony outside, looking down on a fine antique street, where Sundays and holidays seemed always to abide -- so quiet was its atmosphere, so clean its pavement -- these things pleased me well. One child in a household of grown people is usually made very much of, and in a quiet way I was a good deal taken notice of by Mrs. Bretton, who had been left a widow, with one son, before I knew her; her husband, a physician, having died while she was yet a young and handsome woman. . . .
Author | Charlotte Bronte |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Wildside Press |
Release Date | Feb 01, 2004 |
Source | Google Books |
『Great Expectations』
I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.' Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encoutering a variety of extraordinary characters ranging from Magwitch, the excaped convict, to Miss Havisham, locked up withher unhappy past and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella. In this compelling story, Dickens shows the dangers of being driven by desire for wealth and social status. Pip must establish his own sense of self against the plans which others seem to have for him, and thus discover afirm set of values and priorities. Whether such values will allow one to prosper in the complex world of early Victorian England is, however, the major question posed by Great Expectations, one of Dicken's most fascinating, and disturbing, novels. This edition use the text of the Clarendon edition, with a new Introduction and Explanatory Notes. The Appendices give the original, discarded ending, Dicken's brief working notes, and the serial instalments and chapter divisions in different editions.
Author | Charles Dickens |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
Release Date | Jan 01, 1998 |
Source | Google Books |
In conclusion, the psychological aspect of Young Adult literature is crucial in shaping and contextualizing the diverse experiences of adolescence. These ten novels uniquely confront this challenge, using narrative tools not just to tell a tale but to pull readers beneath the surface, into the complex depths of the human heart. The heroes and heroines in these stories grapple with serious issues far beyond their years - trauma, mental health, identity, and loss, to name a few. Through their eyes, we come to understand these issues in new, heartbreaking, and sometimes hopeful ways.
These stories are powerful. They provoke thought, generate empathy, and open a dialogue. They give readers the chance to step into someone else's shoes, to walk an unfamiliar path and understand feelings or circumstances unlike their own. They peel back the layers of the psyche, exploring vulnerability, resilience, and everything in between. Plus, they're impossible to put down!
In essence, these ten books are more than just thrilling reads; they're a deep dive into the tumultuous sea of the young adult mind. They're a beacon of light in the dark waters of adolescence, offering guidance, understanding, and above all, the comfort in knowing you're not alone.
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