Every Other Weekend

Jolene's parents got divorced because her dad cheated on her mom.  Shelly, their personal trainer got close to Jolene who was neglected by her parents.  That only made things worse when she realized Shelly was just using her to get to her father.  Now her parents are always fighting, and Jolene is their pawn.  She spends every other weekend at her father's crappy apartment he's only renting to hide money from her mother.  Also, he's never there, so she ends up staying with Shelly and hiding in her bedroom.

Adam's parents are newly separated, and he blames his father.  Everything changed when Adam's oldest brother died.  His remaining brother has turned into a total jerk, and his mother is mired in her grief.  His parents were fighting and depressed, and his father decided to move out, maybe temporarily maybe not.  The only place he could find was a crappy apartment complex owned by a friend who agrees to let him stay for free while renovating the building.  Adam and his brother spend every other weekend there.  

They are both a bit jaded when they first meet, but they quickly become friends, and that friendship develops into something more.  That relationship begins to heal both of them, but it doesn't erase the rest of the challenges they face.

Abigail Johnson's realistic romance is a tearjerker about two kids with serious issues.  Adam's grief manifests as anger toward his father, and his mother's depression is so crippling, she can barely function.  But Jolene's issues are arguably worse.  Her parents are both narcissists who ignore her, and her mother is quick to take away any person who Jolene might actually care about.  This is definitely a heavy book, but it is highly readable, and still appropriate for most middle and high school readers.  There is a subplot about an older character who grooms her for an inappropriate relationship, but she is able to defend herself.  Recommended for ages 13 and up.