JANDY NELSON meets JOHN GREEN grounded in a world of rock climbing.

Not every loss comes with an ending. How do you hold on—and let go?

“When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.”

Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by her fingertips.

Raised by mountaineering parents, she’s grown up roaming the world, making the natural landscape her playground and the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her guides. But when tragedy interrupts an expedition on an Ecuadorian mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic life is abruptly upended. Sent to live with her grandparents in suburban Detroit, Cara begins a year of unexpected discovery—finding friendship, first love, humor, and moments of joy alongside grief. As she navigates what she may have lost, Cara learns that healing doesn’t require certainty, and that love, connection, and even home can take shape in surprising ways, with moments of sparkle along the way.

THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO is a lyrical, high-stakes coming-of-age novel about a teenage elite climber forced to confront the limits of control—on the rock, in competition, and in love—when the people she trusts most disappear. It blends the physical intensity of competitive sports with the emotional interiority of literary YA, offering readers a story about courage that isn’t just about strength, but about learning when to grip tighter—and when to release. Perfect for readers navigating ambition, fear, and the limits of control.

For readers who are drawn to the lyrical grief of THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, the emotional honesty of LETTERS TO THE LOST, and the tender character-driven loss narratives of IF I STAY and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.