Books like 'If It Makes You Happy'
Readers who enjoyed If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance lgbtq realistic poc-mc season-summer wlw family friendship culinary
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Bronxwood by Coe Booth
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe acclaimed author of TYRELL and KENDRA returns to PUSH to continue Tyrell's astonishing story. Tyrell's father is just out of jail, and Tyrell doesn't know how to deal with that. It's bad enough that his brother Troy is in foster care and that his mother is no help whatsoever. Now there's another thing up in his face, just when he's trying to settle down... -
![The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough]()
The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA funny and heart-warming queer Indigenous YA novel, set in a rural Australian community, about seventeen-year-old Jackson finding the courage to explore who he is, even if it scares him.'I don't paint so much anymore,' I say, looking to my feet.'Oh. Well, I got a boy who needs to do some art... -
![Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough]()
Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA remarkable YA love story between two Aboriginal boys -- one who doesn’t want to accept he’s gay, and the boy who comes to live in his house who makes him realize who he is.It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out, and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town... -
![What Happened After... by Nicole Pyland]()
What Happened After... by Nicole Pyland
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDo you ever read a story, fall in love with the characters and wonder what happens to them after the book ends? Epilogues are nice, but they’re a snapshot in time. Maybe it’s a year after the end of the book or even just six months. Maybe there’s a proposal or a wedding. Maybe a character announces she’s pregnant. Maybe a character just got their dream job... -
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![Die Sonne, so strahlend und Schwarz by Chantal-Fleur Sandjon]()
Die Sonne, so strahlend und Schwarz by Chantal-Fleur Sandjon
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsEin sprachgewaltiger und überraschender Coming-of-Age-Roman für Jugendliche, voller Tiefgang und Gefühl, neu und aufregend.Seit ihrer ersten Begegnung ist Nova völlig fasziniert von Akoua. Ihre Gedanken kreisen nur noch um dieses Mädchen, das mit ihrem Strahlen Novas Welt zum Leuchten bringt. Es ist Liebe auf den ersten Blick und der Beginn einer aufregenden Zeit voller erster Male... -
![If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So]()
If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsElsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they've never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it's now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life... -
![Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk]()
Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFive starred reviews! From New York Times bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk, Nothing Burns as Bright as You is an impassioned stand-alone tale of queer love, grief, and the complexity of female friendship. Two girls. One wild and reckless day. Years of tumultuous history unspooling like a thin, fraying string in the hours after they set a fire. They were best friends. Until they became more... -
![This Is Our Place by Vitor Martins]()
This Is Our Place by Vitor Martins
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThree teens -- in three different decades -- navigate life, love, and family in Vitor Martins's heartfelt new novel that spans generations. Perfect for fans of Tales from the City and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.If the walls of Number 8 Sunflower Street could talk .. -
![The Year of Chasing Dreams by Lurlene McDaniel]()
The Year of Chasing Dreams by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Readers will swoon over this story of love despite impossible odds."--Romantic TimesFrom the author of Don't Die, My Love comes this young adult novel that intertwines a family saga with a grand love story. This novel stands alone or can be read as the companion to The Year of Luminous Love and Wishes and Dreams. For fans of Sarah Dessen's The Moon and More and Ann Brashares's Forever in Blue... -
![Falling for Korea by Piper Jean]()
Falling for Korea by Piper Jean
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAmerica meets K-drama in this rollercoaster plot with a fresh take on romance and what it means to be family.When Sydney is sent to Seoul to live with a family she’s never met, she encounters unexpected chemistry with their son, but must fight to unravel the mystery of why she was sent away... -
![Afterglow by Phil Stamper]()
Afterglow by Phil Stamper
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter a summer of life-changing, these four friends are finally ready for senior year.Gabriel is thrilled to create his school's first LGBTQ+ advocacy group, but his long-distance relationship is fading from summer love to something else... Heath feels secure for the first time in years, but with his future riding on a baseball scholarship, each pitch triggers his anxiety.. -
![Queerceañera by Alex Crespo]()
Queerceañera by Alex Crespo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis irresistible and hilarious rom-com from acclaimed author Alex Crespo is a whirlwind of telenovela-level drama and hijinks when Joaquin Zoido finds himself fake-dating his childhood crush and newly minted date to his queerceañera.Joaquin Zoido is out and proud of it... -
![Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley]()
Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt sixteen, neurodivergent Peta Lyre is the success story of social training. That is, until she finds herself on a school ski trip - and falling in love with the new girl. Peta will need to decide which rules to keep, and which rules to break…'I'm Peta Lyre,' I mumble. Look people in the eye if you can, at least when you greet them. I try, but it's hard when she is smiling so big, and leaning in... -
![Summer and July by Paul Mosier]()
Summer and July by Paul Mosier
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the critically acclaimed author of Train I Ride and Echo’s Sister comes a moving story of friendship between two girls looking for some happiness in a world that can be a little cruel. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Ali Standish, and Erin Entrada Kelly.Twelve-year-old Juillet is preparing for the worst summer ever... -
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![Wish I Might by Coleen Murtagh Paratore]()
Wish I Might by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the Life of Willa Havisham--the next story! Willa Havisham is Cape Cod's summer girl, and this summer brings new things for everyone. Most notably, a long-lost brother Willa never knew existed... -
![The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman]()
The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe last thing Elise wants is to start her senior year in a new town. But after her brother’s death in Afghanistan, she and her mother move from San Francisco to a sleepy coastal village.When Elise meets Mati, they quickly discover how much they have in common. Mati is new to town too, visiting the U.S. with his family... -
![The Blue-Haired Boy by Courtney C. Stevens]()
The Blue-Haired Boy by Courtney C. Stevens
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSet before the events of Courtney C. Stevens's debut novel, Faking Normal, this digital short story focuses on Bodee Lennox, otherwise known as the Kool-Aid Kid.Bodee Lennox has secrets. About where he got the four-inch scar on his leg. About the bruises on his back. About what it's really like to live in the Lennox household. These are things he doesn't share with anyone . . -
![Now I'll Tell You Everything by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
Now I'll Tell You Everything by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's Alice—for the rest of her life! Yes, the very last Alice book, and it reveals every last bit you'd want to know about Alice, including whether she spends the rest of her life with Patrick! "This is the book where Alice, every girl’s girl, turns into every lady’s lady" (VOYA).Alice McKinley is going to college! And everything, from her room to her classes to her friends, is about to change... -
![Camp by Lev A.C. Rosen]()
Camp by Lev A.C. Rosen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the acclaimed Jack of Hearts (and other parts) comes a sweet and sharp screwball comedy that critiques the culture of toxic masculinity within the queer community.Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It's where he met his best friends. It's where he takes to the stage in the big musical... -
![Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole]()
Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhat if you don't follow the rules and it radically alters the course of your life?What if you get kicked out of the house and lose all your friends and everyone you love? Will you turn the corner into a world filled with unusual friends and create a new kind of family... -
![Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer, Karissa Vacker]()
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer, Karissa Vacker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Heartbreaking, painfully romantic, and deeply human." --Stephanie Garber, #1 bestselling author of CaravalFrom bestselling authors to booksellers and librarians, early readers are obsessed with this debut YA romance pitched as Sarah Dessen meets Adam Silvera, told in alternate timelines and perfect for fans of messy, complicated relationships... -
![Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden]()
Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAll it takes is one missed step for your life to change forever.Luca Mason knows exactly who he is and what he In six months, he’s going to be accepted into the Australian Ballet School, leave his fancy private high school, and live his life as a star of the stage―at least that’s the plan until he falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his foot in a way he can never recover from... -
![Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp]()
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Emergency Contact in this stunning Pura Belpré Honor Book about first love, familial expectations, the power of food, and finding where you belong.Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening her own pastelería next to her father's restaurant, Nacho's Tacos... -
![How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters]()
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEveryone on campus knows Remy Cameron. He's the out-and-proud, super-likable guy who friends, faculty, and fellow students alike admire for his cheerful confidence. The only person who isn't entirely sure about Remy Cameron is Remy himself... -
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![Whisper by Chrissie Perry]()
Whisper by Chrissie Perry
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI'm always trying to figure out what's really going on. Always having to fill in the gaps, but never getting all the details. It's like trying to do a jigsaw when I don't even know what the picture is, and I'm missing one of the vital middle pieces... -
![Full English by Rachel Spangler]()
Full English by Rachel Spangler
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAfter a publicly humiliating divorce, best-selling author Emma Volant runs away to hide in the seaside English village of Amberwick, where she doesn’t know another living soul. She wants nothing more than to surrender to her broken heart in private... -
![This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow]()
This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt doesn’t matter what the prize for the Sun City Originals contest is this year.Who cares that’s it’s fifteen grand? Who cares about a gig opening for one of the greatest bands to ever play this town?Not Dia, that’s for sure. Because Dia knows that without a band, she hasn’t got a shot at winning Sun City. Because ever since Hanna’s drinking took over her life, Dia and Jules haven’t been in it... -
![The Perfect Fit by Erica Lee]()
The Perfect Fit by Erica Lee
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAshton Levengood has never felt like she fit in anywhere. After coming out, her overbearing, but loving, family suggests a Pride tour - a different Pride event every weekend of June. Ashton reluctantly agrees but worries she won’t even be able to find her place at Pride.When she meets Dakota Douglass, it seems too good to be true... -
![Don't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens]()
Don't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Hazel Clarke is no stranger to heartbreaks, and being sent to live with a father she’s never met is the latest in a string of them. Even the beauty of eastern Australia isn’t enough to take her mind off her mother and the life she had to leave behind in England... -
![Crushing It by Erin Becker]()
Crushing It by Erin Becker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn the soccer field, Magic Mel is in her element. She's ready to lead her team to victory at the city championship in her new role as captain. Off the field, however, is a totally different story. Mel can't get a handle on her class presentation, her friend group has completely dissolved, and her ex-friend-current-teammate, Tory, is being the worst... -
![Outrunning The Darkness by Anne Schraff]()
Outrunning The Darkness by Anne Schraff
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThemes: Hi-Lo, High school, neighborhoods, family, loyalty, friendship, urban teen fiction, self esteem, teen relationships, unrequited love. Written for young adults, the Urban Underground series confronts issues that are of great importance to teens, such as friendship, loyalty, drugs, gangs, abuse, urban blight, bullies, and self-esteem to name a few... -
![Teenie by Christopher Grant]()
Teenie by Christopher Grant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHigh school freshman Martine (Teenie for short) is a good student, with a bright future ahead of her. She's desperate to be accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in Spain so that she can see what life is like beyond the streets of Brooklyn. She wouldn't mind escaping from her strict (though lovable) parents for awhile either... -
![How to Live without You by Sarah Everett]()
How to Live without You by Sarah Everett
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this heart-wrenching, coming-of-age story about family, grief, and second chances, seventeen-year-old Emmy returns home for the summer to uncover the truth behind her sister Rose’s disappearance—only to learn that Rose had many secrets, ones that have Emmy questioning herself and the sister Emmy thought she knew... -
![Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra]()
Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGraduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years...Categorized as:
coming-of-age realistic season-summer family poc-mc romance young-adult contemporary -
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![Noah Goes Nuclear by Simon James Green]()
Noah Goes Nuclear by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNoah Grimes is back, in a new, original short story!Noah is v excited: his class have been shipped off to a hotel in the Lake District to study a nearby Nuclear Power Station! On arrival, all Noah wants to do is settle in to his crisp hotel sheets and get proper rest, but his conniving secret half-brother Eric Smith has other plans... -
![All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews]()
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGraduating into the long maw of an American recession, Sneha is one of the fortunate ones. She's moved to Milwaukee for an entry-level corporate job that, gruelling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India... -
![Alice in the Know by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
Alice in the Know by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's the summer before junior year, and Alice is looking forward to three months of excitement, passion, and drama...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic season-summer book contemporary female-author -
![Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor]()
Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFreedom! It's the moment Alice has been looking forward to for years -- her sixteenth birthday is coming up, and that means getting her driver's licence, with the freedom that entails. And before that important milestone, there's another delicious taste of freedom awaiting Alice and her friends -- a class trip to New York City, promising some serious partying once chaperones have gone to bed... -
![Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith]()
Something Like Gravity by Amber Smith
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor fans of Love, Simon and Eleanor and Park, a romantic and sweet novel about a transgender boy who falls in love for the first time—and how first love changes us all—from New York Times bestselling author Amber Smith. Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start. A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better... -
![Going Off Script by Jen Wilde]()
Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA TV writer's room intern must join forces with her crush to keep her boss from ruining a lesbian character in this diverse contemporary YA romance from the author of Queens of Geek.Seventeen-year-old Bex is thrilled when she gets an internship on her favorite tv show, Silver Falls. Unfortunately, the internship isn't quite what she expected.. -
![The Color Project by Sierra Abrams]()
The Color Project by Sierra Abrams
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBernice Aurora Wescott has one thing she doesn't want anyone to know: her name. That is, until Bee meets Levi, the local golden boy who runs a charity organization called The Color Project. Levi is not at all shy about attempting to guess Bee’s real name; his persistence is one of the many reasons why Bee falls for him... -
![Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett]()
Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's too late for a Sweet Sixteen but what if Mahalia had a Coming Out Party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, black joy and queer pride. Mahalia Harris wants.She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi. She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back... -
![Water Balloon by Audrey Vernick]()
Water Balloon by Audrey Vernick
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMarley’s life is as precarious as an overfull water balloon—one false move and everything will burst. Her best friends are pulling away from her, and her parents, newly separated, have decided she should spend the summer with her dad in his new house, with a job she didn’t ask for and certainly doesn’t want. On the upside is a cute boy who loves dogs as much as Marley does . . -
![Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale]()
Beauty and the Besharam by Lillie Vale
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHeated competition leads to even hotter romance in this YA summer rom-com for fans of Sandhya Menon, Emma Lord, and Wibbroka. Seventeen-year-old, high-achieving Kavya Joshi has always been told she's a little too ambitious, a little too mouthy, and overall just a little too much. In one word: besharam... -
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![Start Here by Trish Doller]()
Start Here by Trish Doller
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo teens go on a life-changing sailing trip as they deal with the grief of losing their best friend in this heartwrenching, hopeful novel from the author of Something Like Normal and In a Perfect World .Willa and Taylor were supposed to spend the summer after high school sailing from Ohio to Key West with their best friend, Finley... -
![Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi]()
Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, this is a riveting and irresistible take on love, life, and identity -- both online and off.CeCe Ross is kind of a big deal. She and her girlfriend, Silvie, are social media influencers with zillions of fans and followers, known for their cute outfits and being #relationshipgoals.So when Silvie breaks up with her, CeCe is devastated... -
![We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis]()
We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPart Coming-Out Story.Part falling-in-love story.Part falling-apart story.Harvey's dads are splitting up. It's been on the cards for a while, but it's still sudden. Woken-by-his-father-to-catch-a-red-eye sudden. Now he's restarting His Life In A New City, Living Above A Cafe With The Extended Greek Family He Barely Knows.Sotiris is a rising star... -
![The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox]()
The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“A writer to be reckoned with.” —Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces and You’d Be Home NowA heartbreaking, hopeful, and timely novel about facing family secrets, healing from trauma, and falling in love, from the award-winning author of How It Feels to FloatGeorge’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent... -
![Totally Worth It by Maggie Cummings]()
Totally Worth It by Maggie Cummings
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWelcome to the world of Bay West Social. Twenty-something Meg McTiernan is all about her career when her house hunt unexpectedly lands her at Bay West—a lesbian mecca tucked away in the suburbs of NYC—and her social life is given a turbo boost. There’s a pool, a softball league, even a nightclub practically in her backyard... -
![Indestructible Object by Mary McCoy]()
Indestructible Object by Mary McCoy
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPerfect for fans of What If It’s Us and Mary H. K. Choi, this stunning coming-of-age novel from Printz Honor author Mary McCoy follows a Memphis teen whose quest to uncover the secrets of love reveals new truths about herself...
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