Books like 'Veronica'
Readers who enjoyed Veronica by Mary Gaitskill also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Healed: Stone and Pepper by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's Cliffside Bay and beyond in this heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romantic adventure from USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson. Stone Hickman is the last of a dying breed. The former Marine believes in integrity, service to his country, a hard day's work, and taking care of his loved ones... -
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA sensitive and reassuring story about what to do when a worry won't leave you alone. Meet Ruby—a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger... And a little bigger... Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about... -
One Moment by Linda Green
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFinn and Kaz are about to meet for the first time. Ten-year-old Finn, a quirky, sensitive boy who talks a lot and only eats at cafes with a 5-star hygiene rating, is having a tough time at school and home. Outspoken Kaz, 59, who has an acerbic sense of humour and a heart of gold, is working at the café when Finn and his mum come in... -
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsJude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook book -
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The Innkeeper by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt was supposed to be a night to forget. After a night of sizzling passion, they agreed to never contact each other again. Fate disagreed.Jamie Wattson has no use for men who leave and as far as she’s concerned, they all do. She’s focused on running her inn and spending time with girlfriends. Life is simple and she wants it that way...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary epic -
To Live by C.G. Cooper
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElmore Thadeus Nix, it's retirement time. You're sixty-five and ready. Take that final physical and then it's adios to your old life and hello to the new. Not so fast. Sorry, Elmore. Your plan's about to change. It's Elmore's last day of work. As part of his retirement, he heads to the family doctor for the follow-up to a routine physical. That's when the universe shifts on its axis. Cancer...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary -
The Aftermath by Gail Schimmel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree women: a mother, a daughter, a friend. Can they save each other from the past?It’s been twenty-six years since the accident, but Helen still lives on autopilot, going through the motions of work and motherhood. Her one wish is for her daughter Julia to settle down with her own family—so Helen can let go... -
The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the outside, Alice’s marriage looks successful. It’s true that Ken was never her first choice, but four decades in, she’s learned to tolerate him. Their two sons have chosen their own paths, Tim as a successful banker and Matt a carefree globetrotter she can’t keep up with... -
Everything Calls for Salvation by Daniele Mencarelli
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWINNER OF THE 2020 YOUTH STREGA PRIZEFrom one of the most exciting voices in a new generation of Italian writers, a powerful and moving novel that explores both the darkest recesses and the most luminous regions of the human heartJune 1994. Twenty-year-old Daniele wakes up in a hospital room, confused and surrounded by strangers... -
Let the Light Shine by Nick Alexander, Penelope Rawlins
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom Nick Alexander, the number one best-selling author of The Photographer's Wife and The Other Son.Penny and Victoria are about as different as two siblings can be, one with a smart London lifestyle, the other struggling to make ends meet. But they are joined by more than blood, and their shared tragic past is affecting the present more than they realise... -
The Girl in the Comfortable Quiet by Susan Ward, Andrea McKay
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Some secrets are meant to be kept forever. What no one ever tells you is that secrets hurt you and never the ones you lie to. They are your solitary hurt and shame. The people you withhold them from go on with their lives. They live. They fuck. They love. They are unharmed by your silence and the words you haven’t yet shared.” ~Chrissie Parker “We have a perfect life together... -
The Truth She Knew by Andrew Brown
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me. For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love. But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc literary-fiction university adult anthologies contemporary epic -
Prove Me Right by Anna Brooks
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne weakness can change everything. Meara and Liam were friends before they could talk, in love since they could drive, and planning their future before they graduated high school. In order to start the life they’ve always dreamed of, Liam just has to finish his tour with the band. He doesn't want anyone else. Liam's only ever had eyes for Meara, and he can't wait to finally get home to her...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc friendship literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library... -
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A Life Worth Living by Louise Guy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAre some white lies simply too big to forgive?Eve and Leah are identical twins—but beyond that, they’re polar opposites. Struggling journalist Leah envies Eve’s seemingly perfect life—the loyal husband, the beautiful twin daughters, the stellar career—little knowing that what Eve longs for most is Leah’s independence... -
The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA gripping, openhearted novel about family, reconciliation, and bringing closure to the secrets of the past.Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWinner of the Campiello Prize. A pitch-perfect rendering in English by Ann Goldstein, Elena Ferrante’s translator. “I was the Arminuta, the girl returned. I spoke another language, I no longer knew who I belonged to. The word ‘mama’ stuck in my throat like a toad. And, nowadays, I really have no idea what kind of place mother is... -
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsHere is what happens when your mother dies.It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. It’s dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart.That’s how it feels for Tiger. It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger’s mother dies. And now it’s Tiger, alone... -
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratings"When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, determined to persist in the routines of his daily life...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction realistic university 20th-century adult -
Alice on a Friday Night: A Novel of Addictions and Dreams by Dessi Nikko, Diana Naneva
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNational Award for Debut Fiction (Bulgaria) * Eastern European Bestseller * Deliciously Illustrated She is youwhen youwere lost...Love is an addiction. Trying to understand people is an addiction. As are drugs, alcohol, and eating disorders. And every addiction is a whole new world worth exploring.So Alice explores... -
Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom acclaimed author Jeanne Thornton, an epic, singular look at fandom, creativity, longing, and trans identityGala, a young trans woman, works at a hostel in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. She is obsessed with the Get Happies, the quintessential 1960s Californian band, helmed by its resident genius, B—-...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction historical-fiction realistic fiction trans-mc contemporary audiobook -
The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHave you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise"...Categorized as:
realistic friendship children-books fiction bullying children psychological contemporary -
Lark Song by Jane Bailey
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThey want to move on—but one terrible truth could shatter it all.As a widowed mother of three, new love seems impossible for Freya—until she meets Duncan, and suddenly she feels alive again. But there are secrets afflicting Freya’s family, some more sinister than others, that could destroy their relationship before it has a chance to flourish... -
Love & Ruin by J.A. Owenby
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe shadows have always been my safe place. I prefer to hide, stay under the radar.In a rare burst of bravery,I decide to go to college far away.But people are cruel everywhere, and even though I’m far from home, I still want to hide.Until Hendrix.He sees me. Defends me.At first he seems too good to be true, but he wins my trust, makes me feel safe in his presence...Categorized as:
university female-mc coming-of-age literary-fiction romance contemporary new-adult fiction -
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Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom two-time Caine Prize finalist Elnathan John, a dynamic young voice from Nigeria, Born on a Tuesday is a stirring, starkly rendered first novel about a young boy struggling to find his place in a society that is fracturing along religious and political lines.In far northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree... -
Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings'An up-lit treasure' Red magazine Life can change in a heartbeat... When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers... -
Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Storyteller and My Sister’s Keeper, comes a gripping and beautifully written novella, now available exclusively as an eBook. Set in the wilds of Africa, Larger Than Life introduces Alice, the unforgettable character at the center of Picoult’s anticipated new novel, Leaving Time...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic action-adventure adult animals -
The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne' launched Brian Moore's distinguished literary career and also – because of his sensitive portrayal of her – enshrined Judith Hearne in the gallery of literature's unforgettable women. A penetrating, comic, tragic tale of a plain woman, it is a novel that occasionally sings with the lilt of the Irish greats...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century adult book -
Metamorphosis and The Judgment by Franz Kafka, Steven Berkoff
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGregor Samsa is a man dedicated to industry, self-sacrifice, and survival. On waking one morning, he finds that he has been transformed into a gigantic insect. Being trapped in this alien body is a fate that he passively accepts, just as he accepts the fact of his inevitable death... -
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsAt Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love...Categorized as:
bildungsroman coming-of-age friendship lgbtq literary-fiction realistic university 21st-century -
The River Home by Hannah Richell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom beloved international bestselling author Hannah Richell comes a spellbinding novel about the secrets brought to the surface when a large family gathers for a wedding... -
Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters by Anita Kushwaha
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor readers of Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s "Secret Daughter" and Nancy Richler’s "The Imposter Bride", a breathtaking novel from Anita Kushwaha about the ties that bind mothers and daughters together and the secrets that tear them apartVeena, Mala and Nandini are three very different women with something in common...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic coming-of-age female-mc fiction contemporary family audiobook -
The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn a train filled with quietly sleeping passengers, a young man’s life is forever altered when he is miraculously seen by a blind man. In a quiet town an American teacher who has lost her Japanese lover to death begins to lose her own self. On a remote road amid fallow rice fields, four young friends carefully take their own lives—and in that moment they become almost as one...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction realistic adult anthologies contemporary epic fiction -
The Other Half of Me by Katherine Slee
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe ran from her past, abandoned her dreams. But is it too late to start again?Since the death of her big sister, Beth has felt lost, a shadow of her former self...Categorized as:
female-mc literary-fiction friendship coming-of-age fiction contemporary family audiobook -
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Exposure by Ava Dellaira
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA life-changing moment encompasses conflicting truths that echo across time, in this powerful, provocative debut.One night, two people, four sides of a story.In 2004, Juliette Marker, a white college freshman, and Noah King, a Black high school senior, are two lonely souls who enter each other’s orbit, forge a connection, and, after a chance meeting, go home together...Categorized as:
literary-fiction lgbtq friendship coming-of-age fiction audiobook contemporary season-spring -
The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, a novel about a lost girl and her horse, the enduring strength of friendship, and how even the smallest choices can change everythingWhen Sarah's grandfather gives her a beautiful horse named Boo--hoping that one day she'll follow in his footsteps to join an elite French riding school, away from their gritty London... -
The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the male-dominated field of animation, Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses are a dynamic duo, the friction of their differences driving them: Sharon, quietly ambitious but self-doubting; Mel, brash and unapologetic, always the life of the party...Categorized as:
bildungsroman coming-of-age female-mc friendship lgbtq literary-fiction realistic university -
Triangles by Ellen Hopkins, January LaVoy
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn this first adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the unforgettable Crank trilogy, three female friends face midlife crisis in a no holds-barred exploration of sex, marriage, and the fragility of life... -
The Women's Room by Marilyn French
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe bestselling feminist novel that awakened both women and men, The Women's Room follows the transformation of Mira Ward and her circle as the women's movement begins to have an impact on their lives...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction realistic university 20th-century -
Father of the Rain by Lily King
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn her most ambitious novel to date, critically acclaimed author Lily King sets her sharply insightful family drama in an upper-middle-class East Coast suburb where she traces a complex and volatile father-daughter relationship from the 1970s to the present day...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook book contemporary -
Putney by Sofka Zinovieff
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the spirit of Notes on a Scandal and Zoe Whittall's The Best Kind of People, an explosive, powerful and timely novel about the far-reaching repercussions of an illicit relationship between a young girl and a man twenty years her senior... -
The House of Memories by Monica McInerney
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSometimes the hardest lessons to learn are those that matter most. Following a tragic accident, Ella O'Hanlon flees to the other side of the world in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoilt half-sister... -
Saving Grace by Lee Smith
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSurrounded all of her life by zealous religious figures, Florida Grace Shepherd recounts a story that begins with her father's revival meetings and ends at Uncle Slidell's Christian Fun Golf course... -
Dog Days by Ericka Waller
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEricka Waller's Dog Days is a debut novel about the way dogs can bring out the best in us in the face of life's challenges.George is a grumpy, belligerent old man who has just lost his wife. She has left him notes around the home and a miniature dachshund puppy called Poppy. But George doesn't want a dog, he wants to fight everyone who is trying to help him...Categorized as:
lgbtq realistic friendship literary-fiction fiction contemporary animals mental-illness -
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On Little Wings by Regina Sirois
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a story of the countless ways we get love wrong. And why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right. Jennifer must do the impossible – bring her mother home. When a family is torn apart by death, two sisters take violently divergent paths and the story of their family appears to end terribly and abruptly...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc friendship literary-fiction realistic book contemporary drama -
Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn NPR Best Book of 2015Love and sacrifice intertwine in this brilliant debut of rare beauty about a girl dealing with her mother’s schizophrenia and her own mental illness.Fig’s world lies somewhere between reality and fantasy.But as she watches Mama slowly come undone, it becomes hard to tell what is real and what is not, what is fun and what is frightening...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age literary-fiction historical-fiction north-america usa arkansas kansas -
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsOne school. Twenty voices.Endless possibilities.There's the girl who is in love with Holden Caulfield. The boy who wants to be strong who falls for the girl who's convinced she needs to be weak. The girl who writes love songs for a girl she can't have. The two boys teetering on the brink of their first anniversary. And everyone in between...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship lgbtq realistic university 21st-century anthologies contemporary -
The Gates of Ivory by Margaret Drabble
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Gates of Ivory is a vibrant, mesmerizing novel that juxtaposes the cynical, sophisticated realm of London against the dreaded world of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot’s Cambodia. In London, psychiatrist Liz Headleand receives an unexpected package, containing, among other things, a laundry bill from a hotel in Bangkok, old newspaper clippings, and two human finger bones...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book contemporary -
One Night by A.J. Pine
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen she lost it all, Jess decided to cope by living a lie. But you can’t keep on pretending forever…Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning... -
Pieces of You by Mary Campisi
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsQuinn Burnes's mother disappeared when he was only fifteen leaving him with a despondent father, a little sister who suffers panic attacks, and eight notebooks containing the truth about his mother. He guards this secret for eighteen years, until on an otherwise normal day, his mother re-enters his life, pleading for his help...
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