You're Breaking my Heart

You're Breaking My Heart is a powerful young adult novel exploring profound themes of grief, guilt, and the yearning for redemption through a speculative lens. Harriet Adu is convinced her brother's death is her fault, leading to deep depression and isolation. Her world shifts when a mysterious new friend introduces her to a hidden New York beneath the subways, a place where the lines of reality might be bent to offer a second chance. This book is ideal for ages 12-18, offering a nuanced look at processing loss, self-blame, and the courage it takes to heal, all wrapped in an intriguing, atmospheric mystery.

Harriet Adu knows that her brother’s death is her fault. I mean, it’s not actually her fault, but it still kinda is, isn’t it? She would do anything to live in a world where she could take back what she said that morning. Then a strange girl shows up at Harriet’s high school – a girl who loves the same weird books Harriet does, who doesn’t vibe with anyone at school the same way Harriet does – and that different world suddenly seems possible. The girl speaks of a place underneath the subways of New York, where people like them can go and find a home. A place away from the world of high school, grief, cool people, and depression. A place where one may be able to bend the lines of reality and get a second chance at being a better person. Will Harriet open the door? With You’re Breaking My Heart, award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich offers a remarkable speculative novel that will hit home for anyone who yearns for that one chance to do things over. P R A I S E “In this moving work, Rhuday-Perkovich has created characters whose internal struggles are palpable and an intriguing narrative with both tension and introspection that delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the possibility of second chances.” –Horn Book “Her world is recognizable and utterly believable, but there’s a hint of the strange and fantastic shimmering at its edges that will pull readers onward as they try to figure out what’s really happening to Harriet, and whether reality is something that can—or should—be changed.​" –LitHub “Powerful and moving.” –Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Raw, intense, and utterly unique exploration of grief and guilt.” –Booklist