There’s much more to reading than the fluctuation of butterflies in the stomach and heartaches. If you’re up for a heavier side of teen reads, these are the books you should check out.

All the Bright Places 

Author: Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Violet Markey lives for the future. Both of them are suffering from mental illnesses but no one else truly sees it. When the two meet on the ledge of a bell tower, both talked the other out of doing so. If The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park had a baby, it would be this heart-wrenching love story of a girl who learns to live the days from a boy who intends to die. A little bit on the heavy side, the book offers a more realistic plotline about teenage mental illness that will bring you on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the story.

The Lost & Found 

Author: Katrina Leno

Via an anonymous online therapy group, two teens, Frances and Louis, from opposite coasts find themselves embarking on a cross-country road-trip to meet in real life in Austin, Texas. They both have an inexplicable tendency to lose things; well, more like things just disappear. But along their way to Texas, each begins to find important things that the other has lost. The Lost & Found is a reflective piece on connections (lost and found), family (blood-related and those you make for yourselves) and an unexpected journey (of the road and of the heart).

True Letters from a Fictional Life 

Author: Kenneth Logan

James Liddell lives a double life. There’s the James that everyone thinks he is: star athlete, decent student, the happy, funny, carefree boyfriend to sweet Theresa. But every time James sits down at his desk to write letters, which he doesn’t intend to send, he pours out the truth, and the James he truly is inside spills onto the paper. When someone steals his letters and begins delivering them to their intended recipients, James’ life starts unraveling and crashing down on him.

(Read also: Summer teen reads: Love with a dash of geek)

Still Life with Tornado 

Author: A.S. King

Sarah is facing an existential crisis. Her brother is gone, her parents are separating, and she is trying so hard to pull her life together. Although nothing about her pain is original, it still hurts. This heartbreaking story of a talented teenage artist’s surreal awakening to the horrifically-unoriginal brokenness of her family will linger in your heart after reading it.

Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety 

Author: Ann Y.K. Choi

A rebellious young girl struggles through an identity crisis and a conflict between her family’s culture and the society she lives in. Mary’s story spirals into a melodramatic blur, with ill-fate crashing down on her family members one after another. Family secrets, forbidden love and domestic assault soon trap Mary’s family in a web of deceit and violence. This bittersweet coming-of-age story set in the Korean community in Toronto will tug on your heartstrings as you join Mary in her struggle to pursue her dreams while not giving up on her family.

Everything I Never Told You 

Author: Celeste Ng

A profoundly moving story revolving around the Chinese-American Lee family who have to hold onto a delicate balancing act after their daughter, Lydia’s death. Exploring themes of identity crises, family ties and overt discrimination, this tale is set to cause readers’ hearts to pour out into a melting pot of emotions. (sab/kes)