Sally Rooney is the queen of the 'sad girl' aesthetic for a reason. This isn't a beach read where everyone ends up happy; it’s a clinical dissection of how people hurt each other while trying to be 'modern.'
If your teen is into literary fiction or wants to feel like they’re reading something 'grown-up,' this is the gold standard. Just know that it deals with infidelity and self-harm head-on. It’s not 'brain rot,' but it is definitely emotionally heavy lifting.






