Whether your dating or single, in love or fresh out of it, love has a place in your heart and God has a desire for you to share your love with others. Scour through these book selections and find the best fit for your affectionate heart. This list includes fiction, true stories of the ups and downs of a love life, factual information on not only a broken heart, but the pains of a body broken by loving too deep and too early.
Feels Like Home
As a teenager, Izzy had the biggest crush on Evan, so she was thrilled when a change encounter occurred on the beach in Galveston. But, Evan had just lost his brother. In the midst of this huge deviation, Evan’s life seemed bleak.
Fast forward one year, when the two reunite again. Both Izzy and Evan are convinced that God brought them back together. At this second change encounter, Evan realizes that it was Izzy who had helped him hold onto hope after his brother’s death. With this fact realized, he refuses to let her go. As a result, an unforgettable relationship sparks.
Before You Meet Your Future Husband: 30 Questions to Ask Yourself and 30 Heartfelt Prayers
By: Robin Jones Gunn, Tricia Goyer
30 Devotionals followed by journaling prompts help you reflect on the desires of your heart, the intention of your head and the actions of your hands. Each devotion walks you through a prayer assisting you in practical ways to build a stronger relationship with the Lord as you prepare your heart for your future husband. This incredibly beautiful book is interactive and hands on, so get your pen out and be ready to enjoy some quiet time with the Lord.
Cherish: Cultivating Relationships with Parents, Friends, Guys, and More
Relationships define the teen years. Your social status define your every waking moment, so why hold onto relationships that have lost meaning? In her book, Cherish, Vicki Courtney encourages readers to cherish their various relationships. With beautiful pictures throughout the book and various checklists, her book becomes a practical guide for defining healthy and helpful relationships.
Sweethearts
By: Sara Zarr
If you have ever had a friend who moved away or a boyfriend that is no longer in your life this is a story that will touch you heart.
When Jenna Vaughn’s childhood sweetheart unexpectedly comes back into her life during her senior year of high school, she is forced to confront her past. This is a story about the bond of friendship, the power of memory and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.
You might also be interested in reading How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr.
And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity
Could you imagine every page of your journal turning into a book? What would you do if the truth about your insecurities, sexual desires, struggles and longings for God to reveal were out in the open for all to read. That’s exactly how Dannah Gresh approaches And the Bride Wore White. Each chapter opens with a journal entry narrative or open letter which unfolds into a life filled with healing and contentment. Gresh’s book leads young women in a journey toward purity.
Pretty in Punxsutawney
By: Laurie Crompton Boyle
Everyone can relate to Andie in one way or another. Longing for the perfect relationship, Andie moves to Punxsutawney, PA her senior year. Stuck in her own Groundhogs Day, she finds herself stuck in an endless loop of her first day at her new school. As she searches for a way out of this repetitive 24-hour cycle, she learns that the people who seem completely different often have the same hopes and dreams as you. Unexpected occurrences with blissful connections can actually occur when the same day is lived over and over again.
Sexy Girls
By: Hayley DiMarco
Almost every teenage girl wants to be sexy, wants to be noticed, wants to be pretty. But what is “sexy,” really? Do you know what you are saying about yourself by the way you dress? This book hopes to help you figure it out in an honest and helpful way. From the way you dress to the way you act, how to know what others see you as and how God thinks about the way you dress. There are quizzes and questions to get you thinking and help you figure out what image you’re presenting.
The Naked Truth
By: Lakita Garth
Lakita Garth is very open and forthright as she discusses the dangers of sex outside of marriage. This author cuts no corners and makes no excuses when dealing with this subject. In fact some of it’s very much “in your face.” When talking about why older boys pick up girls who are much younger, Garth uses statements like, “Ladies, your ability to relate to an adult male in this situation is not a reflection on your maturity, but a reflection of his lack thereof.” Garth firmly states that if you don’t have sex, you won’t get pregnant – this is an honest and to the point book.
The Four Loves
C.S. Lewis wrote many deep and thought provoking books about Christianity and the truth of the Bible. One of his classics includes The Four Loves which looks at the four Greek words expressing a different kind of human love:
- Affection – the most basic form of love we can have toward someone.
- Friendship – companionship and connection with likeminded people.
- Eros – passionate love between individuals.
- Charity or Unconditional – the love that only God can give.
BONUS: Girlology App
By: Melisa Holmes, M.D. & Trish Hutchison, M.D.
Life is complicated and this app helps you to understand it. Girlology is a culture that preteen and teen girls know and love and turn to for honest true-life advice on everything that matters most–friends, guys, body changes, dating and sex. Girlology originated as a book (Girlology: Hang-ups, Hook-ups, and Holding Out) which followed the true stories of four girls and their choices– good and bad.
In the app, you receive answers to the questions teen girls are asking every day, like;
- What’s up with this acne? Will it ever end?
- Is it ok to shave my hair down there?
- If I keep looking at other girls in the locker room, does that mean I’m gay?
- Am I the only girl who isn’t having sex?
- Is oral sex really ‘sex’?
- If I’ve only had oral sex, then I’m still a virgin, right?
- There’s a guy at school who says he wants to hook up with me. What does he mean by ‘hook up’?
