Books like 'The Stars and the Blackness Between Them'
Readers who enjoyed The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance lgbtq wlw magical-realism realistic poc-mc coming-of-age friendship sad
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A Change of Heart: A Christian Romance by Kimberly Rae Jordan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis Christian romance novel of 80,000 words is the second book in The Callaghans & McFaddens series from author Kimberly Rae Jordan. A HANDFUL OF FLOWERS (ASIN: B01APAIXM6) is the prequel to this series. NOTE: This book is also part of the boxed set, WHISPERS OF LOVE (ASIN: B01DMH1FME) which release June 2016. Makayla McFadden has been part of her family’s business since it started... -
Long Way Gone by Charles Martin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.” At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish... -
Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHannah wants to spend her senior year of high school going to football games and Mardi Gras parties with her tight-knit group of friends. The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a girl--especially when that girl is her best friend, Baker. Hannah knows she should like Wally, the kind, earnest boy who asks her to prom... -
The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOriginally published in 2008. How do you walk away from love? Katie's bio-mom is fresh out of prison and wants to start a new life with her daughter--in a new town. Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving the family she loves, an endangered town drive-in, and a boyfriend who can't take his eyes off his ex... -
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Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe second novel about a preacher's daughter in small-town Texas and her journey toward loving herself and her body.Monique is a preacher's daughter who detests the impossible rules of her religion. Everyone expects her to wait until marriage, so she has no one to turn to when she discovers that she physically can't have sex.After two years of trying and failing, her boyfriend breaks up with her... -
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems... -
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA razor‑sharp debut novel of three best friends navigating love, sex, faith, and the one night that changes it all. It’s always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their parents, aunties and uncles, they’ve learned to live their own lives alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women... -
The Geek and the Sheikh by S.E. Smith
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe was born on the streets; he was born to rule…Sheikh Jameel Saif-Ad-Din is in love. The problem is that he doesn’t know the identity behind the fascinating hacker he only knows as Bugs. There are two things he does Bugs is a woman and she is going to be his one day... -
Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSure to Be a New Favorite, Tagg's Latest Checks All the Right Boxes for Romance Fans Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered, but her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the paper is bought out by a chain that plans to incorporate it into a regional paper... -
Always and Forever by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSixteen-year-old Melissa Austin has always worked hard to get what she wants. As the school year begins, her work is paying off: Her grades are up and she’s landed a coveted spot on the Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever. Then Melissa receives devastating news about her health... -
Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Glass Girl is a story of mercy…vast and unending. Delicately powerful.” –Darby Karchut, author of Finn Finnegan and Griffin Rising “First love, family ties, authentically imperfect characters... -
Baby It's You by Belle Calhoune
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChristian Romance. Seven boys adopted from the foster care system by Alec and Maggie Donahue, a loving Irish couple living in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Now grown men, the brothers are making their way in the world in their chosen professions, each hoping to find a love to last a lifetime. Faith. Family. Honor. The ties that bind them together. And an abundance of love... -
Love Me Tender by Belle Calhoune
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeven boys adopted from the foster care system by Alec and Maggie Donahue, a loving Irish couple living in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Now grown men, the brothers are making their way in the world in their chosen professions, each hoping to find a love to last a lifetime. Faith. Family. Honor. And an abundance of love... -
Dreaming About the Boy Next Door by Sarah Sutton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIs being voted Most Likely To: Never Have Their First Kiss by the popular crowd at school the end of the world? Probably not, but I’m still not convinced.Does it mean that I have to find someone to kiss to ditch myself of the label? No, but I do it anyway.Is choosing my best friend’s twin brother as my first kiss the best choice? Ha, not in the slightest... -
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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... -
When A Man Loves A Woman by Belle Calhoune
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeven Brides, Seven Brothers series Seven boys adopted from the foster care system by Alec and Maggie Donahue, a loving Irish couple living in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Now grown men, the brothers are making their way in the world in their chosen professions, each hoping to find a love to last a lifetime. Faith. Family. Honor. And an abundance of love... -
After All by Deborah Raney
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEighteen months after the Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then Susan discovers that David carried a secret to his grave. A secret that changes everything she thought their marriage had been... -
The Boy Who Steals Hearts by Emily Lowry
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery girl at Hallisburg Prep has a crush on Arie Jensen.But no one has a bigger crush than me.I’ve been hopelessly head-over-heels for the star basketball player since freshman year.Too bad he barely even notices I exist.Until a midnight run-in reveals his biggest secret… and I’m the only one who knows.Suddenly, the school’s biggest flirt is showing up at my window after curfew...Categorized as:
realistic friendship high-school religion spirituality young-adult contemporary fake-relationship -
In Your Dreams by Robin Jones Gunn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Christy Miller Series, this series centers around Christy Miller's friend Sierra Jensen. Sierra is a spunky and bold sixteen-year-old with big dreams and unconventional clothes. Today's teens can truly relate to what is going on in Sierra's life -- whether it's friendships, dating, or learning to trust in God...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic religion spirituality action-adventure book -
Kill Your Darlings by MesserMoon
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKill Your Darlings: To remove or refrain from using something in spite of one's affection for itYears after Regulus loses his brother they're reunited, and as he struggles to figure out where he fits in Sirius's life he also struggles not to get lost in the impossible feelings he has for Sirius's best friend... -
My Mistletoe Mix-Up by Judy Corry
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe was supposed to kiss her crush under the mistletoe. She didn't expect to kiss his bad-boy twin.When Raven Rodgers finds out her longtime crush is back in town, she's convinced her bad luck with guys has finally changed. That is until she mistakenly kisses her crush's twin brother, Logan Carmichael, who has been her sworn enemy since childhood...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school book contemporary fiction womens-fiction -
Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA sparkling queer YA romance set in Brisbane, Henry Hamlet’s Heart follows one guy and his sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking journey to love.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len... -
Missing Angel Juan by Francesca Lia Block
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLonely CityA tangly-haired, purple-eyed girl named Witch Baby lives in glitzy L.A. She loves a guy named Angel Juan. When he leaves for New York she knows she must find him.Looking For LoveSo she heads for the city of glittery buildings and garbage and Chinese food and drug dealers and subways and kids playing hip-hopscotch... -
To Live Again by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDawn Rochelle looks like any other seventeen-year-old girt, but looks can be deceiving. At the age of thirteen, Dawn was diagnosed with leukemia. Now almost three years into remission, Dawn is a senior in high school and looking forward to college. But her plans are disrupted when she suffers another medical crisis that causes partial paralysis... -
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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... -
Like Moonlight at Low Tide: Sometimes the Current Is the Only Thing That Saves You by Nicole Quigley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"...a darkly poignant inspirational romance that will linger in the mind well after reading it." -USA Today For Missy Keiser, returning to Anna Maria Island, Florida, means two things: her mother made another poor decision with men, and Missy will have to reenter a world where she’s known as “Messy,” a social pariah who dared to have a crush on Sam King, the most popular boy in school... -
If The Broom Fits (Love in Fenton County) by Sarah Sutton
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBlaire has a bad attitude. At least that’s what everyone tells her. It could be because it’s days before Halloween, literally the worst holiday on the entire planet. And it doesn’t help that her super-hot ex-boyfriend, Lucas, is determined to convince her otherwise by making her take part in “festive activities... -
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... -
Dylan Ramirez is My Forbidden Boyfriend: A Sweet YA Romance by Emily Lowry
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe’s her brother’s best friend. Which makes her the only girl entirely off limits to him. Until a summer of forbidden love threatens to change everything...Jordyn Jones is a sassy tomboy sick of living in the shadow of her twin brother, the All Star Quarterback. All she wants is a summer job that will get her away from her constantly fighting parents...Categorized as:
poc-mc high-school realistic friendship religion spirituality contemporary young adult -
Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final book in a young adult romance series about a small town football team and the girls who win their hearts. Tyler Schumann has always been known as Nelson High’s goofy clown, the guy with the big mouth... -
In the Role of Brie Hutchens... by Nicole Melleby
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIntroducing Brie Hutchens: soap opera super fan, aspiring actor, and so-so student at her small Catholic school. Brie has big plans for eighth grade. She’s going to be the star of the school play and convince her parents to let her go to the performing arts high school... -
As You Walk On By by Julian Winters
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Breakfast Club meets Can't Hardly Wait with an unforgettable ensemble cast in another swoony YA contemporary from award-winning author Julian Winters! Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out... -
The Healing Summer by Heather B. Moore
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSummer 1981 At the age of ninety-four, Maggie Howard’s final wish is to return to San Francisco and find out what happened to the young man who saved her life in 1906 after the disastrous earthquake and fires that devastated the city. They’d been trapped beneath a collapsed roof for hours, injured and unable to call for help... -
Stop! by Alison G. Bailey
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery life has a different path full of sharp turns, smooth curves, and steep drop offs. Hollis Murphy has a plan—college, career, boyfriend, love, marriage, family. A predictable, normal life. She’s on track until an outside force causes her to crash and burn. They call it an accident, because that’s the only word they know to explain what happens to her... -
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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 . . -
The Truth Project by Dante Medema
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Cordelia Koenig was sure of many things going into her last year of high school. For one, she wasn’t going to stress over the senior project all her peers were dreading—she’d just use the same find-your-roots genealogy idea that her older sister used for hers... -
Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFans of Jandy Nelson and Marieke Nijkamp will love this deeply moving novel in verse about the aftermath of a gun accident. Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay’s father’s gun... -
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDel has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge.His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe any girl is worth the long game... -
Taking Flight by Siera Maley
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Lauren Lennox is a city girl at heart... -
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe rock in the water does not know the pain of the rock in the sun.On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S... -
The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Evan Panos doesn’t know where he fits in. His strict Greek mother refuses to see him as anything but a disappointment. His quiet, workaholic father is a staunch believer in avoiding any kind of conflict. And his best friend Henry has somehow become distractingly attractive over the summer... -
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... -
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story by Jason Reynolds
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJason Reynolds tackles it—you know…it—from the guy’s perspective in this stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first.Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria... -
Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEveryone has a story to tell ... Dirk McDonald's life was almost perfect. He lived with this grandmother, Fifi, in a beautiful gingerbread cottage in Hollywood. He had the beach, and his surfboard, and Fifi's red-and-white 1955 Pontiac convertible. But Dirk wasn't happy. Inside, he was harboring a deep, dark secret... -
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Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThere are two monsters in this story. One of them is me.Ask anyone in Winship, Maine, and they’ll tell you the summer camp Quinn’s family owns is a magical place. Paper wishes hang from the ceiling. Blueberries grow in the dead of winter. According to local legend, a sea monster even lurks off the coast. Mostly, there’s just a feeling that something extraordinary could happen there... -
All the Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsOut of control - that's how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There's nothing she can do about her parents divorce, there's nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there's nothing she can do about having diabetes - that's what Lacey believes. After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her... -
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... -
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFourteen-year-old Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to homecoming in this heartfelt and outright hilarious debut.Parvin Mohammadi has just been dumped--only days after receiving official girlfriend status. Not only is she heartbroken, she's humiliated. Enter high school heartthrob Matty Fumero, who just might be the smoking-hot cure to all her boy problems... -
Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA wry, heartfelt tale of a teen who's taking her church camp by storm—one deadly sin at a time. Riley quietly left church a year ago when she realized there was no place for a bi girl in her congregation. But it wasn’t until the pastor shunned her older sister for getting an abortion that she really wanted to burn it all down... -
The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsTeenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up.“What’s done is done.”Unless, of course, it was done by my brownies. Then it’s getting undone.Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking...
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