A Little in Love by Susan E. Fletcher

So... If you love Les Miserables, then this book is for you!  A Little in Love by Susan E. Fletcher has a similar set-up, with France on the verge of a revolution.  Here we have a girl, Eponine, who is born into a poor family.  Both parents are cruel, and they teach her and her sister, Azelma, how to steal and con people.  Eponine wants to be good, to find love, but she is constantly knocked down by the confine and duties of her family.

Eponine learns kindness through Cosette and Marius.  Cosette's mother is desparate for someone to look after her daughter.  She pays Eponine's parents, who own the inn at the time, to take care Cosette while she travels to Paris.  Her family treats Cosette horribly, making her clean after them and sleep on the floor.  When Eponine's brother, Gavroche, is born, Eponine and Cosette are the ones who take care of him.  Then one day a man comes for Cosette.  He whisks her off - away from the nastiness - and Eponine yearns for someone to save her too.  She decides to try kindness, and it works until the family has to flee.  When they get to Paris, Eponine is forced back into a life of crime.  She discovers Marius and falls in love.

Eponine is determined to be "good," but always seems to find herself forced into doing terrible things.  You'll find your heart breaking for her.  Such a great story!  Definitely will be recommending to teens yearning for sad romance!