Books like 'What Can (t) Wait'
Readers who enjoyed What Can (t) Wait by Ashley Hope Pérez also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic high-school family poc-mc coming-of-age
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![November Blues by Sharon M. Draper]()
November Blues by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever, and now she's faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more... -
![Bronxwood by Coe Booth]()
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... -
![Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle]()
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... -
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![Today. Tomorrow. Always by Raven St. Pierre]()
Today. Tomorrow. Always by Raven St. Pierre
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvents and decisions of the past almost cost her everything, but she was given a second chance. He marvels at the beautiful life he almost missed out on, vowing never to let anything come between them again. The memory of being apart lingers with both Sam and AJ, but those days are long gone... -
![Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys by Kelsie Stelting]()
Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys by Kelsie Stelting
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn arranged marriage and a bad boy who breaks all of the rules…My father’s been planning my wedding day for longer than I have. Since I turned seventeen, he’s sent me on date after date with people from the film industry–producers, directors, actors… I’ve dated–and turned down–them all.But Ryde Alexander is the worst... -
![Contessa by Lori L. Otto]()
Contessa by Lori L. Otto
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBook one of the YA/New Adult Choisie series by the author of Emi Lost & Found! When she was four, a generous couple welcomed orphan Olivia Sophia into their lives. As she grew up, her parents made good decisions for her, raising “Livvy” to be an intelligent and creative young girl...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family high-school book contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers new-adult -
![Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest]()
Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhere You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age family high-school romance young-adult disability contemporary -
![The Sister Switch by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines Stephens]()
The Sister Switch by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines Stephens
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAndie and Caitlin are identical twins who couldn't be less alike. Fed up with being lumped together, the girls can't wait to start junior high. There, they'll finally be able to pave their own way. But it turns out that being mistaken for each other might work in their favor... -
![Denim Diaries 1: 16 Going on 21 by Darrien Lee]()
Denim Diaries 1: 16 Going on 21 by Darrien Lee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnother great book in the Denim Dairies... -
![Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett]()
Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s not about the rules anymore. It’s about the sacrifice. She’s already given up too much to lose faith now. Gabe has walked away, and Mandy’s fate with the Raddick Initiative is hanging in the balance. Media attention has the whole town talking. Friends are making wild assumptions, and one of her own teammates has turned on her... -
![My Mistletoe Mix-Up by Judy Corry]()
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 high-school book contemporary fiction friendship womens-fiction -
![Who Am I Without Him? by Sharon G. Flake]()
Who Am I Without Him? by Sharon G. Flake
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThere is "The Ugly One," whose only solace comes when she is locked inside her own head. In "Wanted: A Thug," a teenager seeks advice on how to steal her best friend's bad-guy boyfriend. And then there's Erika, who only likes white boys. Sharon Flake takes readers through the minds of girls trying to define themselves while struggling to remain relevant to the boys in their lives... -
![Love is Blind by Shayna B.]()
Love is Blind by Shayna B.
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHailey Baker was a normal teenager- friends, the occasional party and a great boyfriend. But that all changes one night when an accident kills her parents and leaves Hailey with a serious back injury. Seven months after the accident, Hailey has struggled to learn to walk again and is now about to start at a new school after moving in with her uncle...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary disability fiction womens-fiction -
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![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... -
![Carter's Unfocused, One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford]()
Carter's Unfocused, One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter an eventful freshman year and disastrous summer, fifteen-year-old Will Carter returns to Merrian High none the wiser. His sophomore year will present a host of new problems: the return of Scary Terry from juvie, the pregnant presence of Amber Lee, friends-with-benefits negotiations with Abby, prom night expectations, and the ever-constant harassment from his boys... -
![Dare You to Kiss the Quarterback by Lacy Andersen]()
Dare You to Kiss the Quarterback by Lacy Andersen
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA little dare never hurt anybody...I’m ready to rock my senior year. So what if my parents are recently divorced, the captain of the cheerleading team hates me more than tan lines, or that I’ve been forced to wear the school’s smelly mascot costume? Those things I can handle... -
![Troubled Waters by AnnaLisa Grant]()
Troubled Waters by AnnaLisa Grant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCollege life for Layla Weston isn’t starting the way she’d intended. She’s revisiting the plans she once had to be the reclusive girl she wanted to be at Heyward Prep, and Layla is more than confident in her ability to succeed this time. After all, she’s got a whole new bag of secrets to keep. Still reeling from Will’s disappearance, Layla is doing her best to adjust to life back in Florida... -
![Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin]()
Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary female-mc -
![Float by Kate Marchant]()
Float by Kate Marchant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA heartfelt summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han about holding on and letting go.Waverly Lyons has been caught in the middle of her parents’ divorce for as long as she can remember. This summer, the battle rages over who she’ll spend her vacation with, and when Waverly’s options are shot down, it’s bye-bye Fairbanks, Alaska and hello Holden, Florida to stay with her aunt...Categorized as:
high-school realistic coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary fiction season-summer -
![Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story by Jason Reynolds]()
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... -
![A Year In Europe by Rachel Hawthorne]()
A Year In Europe by Rachel Hawthorne
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMEET THE GIRLS of "A Year in Europe, "a collection of three interconnecting novels about the adventures of traveling abroad. Robin: Her junior year abroad in London takes a surprising turn when she falls for British hottie Kit. Dana: Paris is the City of Love, and Dana's on a mission to find a gorgeous French boyfriend. Carrie: She's crazy about Antonio, her Italian dream guy... -
![The Trove of the Passion Room by Marcia Lynn McClure]()
The Trove of the Passion Room by Marcia Lynn McClure
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSharlamagne Dickens cherished her family, was intrigued by the past, adored antiques, and enjoyed working at the antique store owned by her parents. Her life, like most, had been touched by tragedy and loss, yet she was happy. Though her life was not void of romance, it was void of a certain emotional passion... -
![Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi]()
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... -
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![The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes]()
The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA shy, rule-following teen joins a local rock band and finds herself caught between staying on the path she’s always known and straying off-course to find love, adventure, and danger in this novel that’s perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell.Victoria Cruz inhabits two worlds: In one, she is a rock star, thrashing the stage with her husky voice and purple-streaked hair... -
![Surviving High School by M. Doty]()
Surviving High School by M. Doty
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat's the secret to surviving your freshman year of high school? Emily Kessler thinks she has it all figured out. She eats, sleeps and trains for competitive swimming. All she has to do is keep her grades high and swim times short -- short enough to live up to her sister Sara's. But walking the crowded maze of unfamiliar high school hallways is like diving headfirst into shark-infested waters... -
![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... -
![Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega]()
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWinner of the Colorado Book Award for Young Adult fiction, Cybil nominee. Fact of Life #129: Some people put you where they want you to be, not where you actually are.16-year-old Kat Flynn believes in going with the flow. She practices yoga, works with her mom at Abra’s Midwifery, and watches the Perfect Couple in the hall at school...Categorized as:
realistic high-school family romance young-adult contemporary fiction womens-fiction -
![Access Denied: And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages by Denise Vega]()
Access Denied: And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages by Denise Vega
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsComputer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age family high-school romance young-adult middle-grade contemporary -
![The Comeback by Marlene Perez]()
The Comeback by Marlene Perez
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA novel about ruling high school, being exiled, and fighting your way back to your rightful throne.Sophie Donnelly is one half of the most popular and powerful couple in school, until new girl Angie Vogel shows up and compromises everything. Angie steals Sophie's starring role in the school play, and, worse, her super-popular boyfriend...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary fiction friendship womens-fiction -
![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... -
![Rose by Diane Schwemm]()
Rose by Diane Schwemm
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is me and my three younger sisters. Being the oldest has never been easy, but it was especially hard the year I turned sixteen. That was the year that the things I thought would always be the same changed forever. After Dad died, Mom needed me to pitch in more--get a job and help take care of my sisters. I was working so hard to care for my family, I forgot to look out for myself... -
![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... -
![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... -
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![Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins]()
Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSet at a luxe, aspirational boarding school inspired by the author's beloved alma mater Spelman College, this debut is a captivating celebration of the friends we choose, the family we protect, and the love we owe ourselves.It's fourteen-year-old Avielle "Avi" LeBeau's turn to do what everyone in her family has done: leave home to attend Briarcliff Prep―a Historically Black Boarding School (HBBS)... -
![Dessert First by Dean Gloster]()
Dessert First by Dean Gloster
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUpbeat--that's Kat, the girl in the family who everyone turns to when things get difficult. Especially now, when her beloved younger brother Beep is in his second leukemia relapse, and a bone marrow transplant from Kat may be his only chance...Categorized as:
realistic family high-school coming-of-age romance young-adult middle-grade contemporary -
![Shipped by Meredith Tate]()
Shipped by Meredith Tate
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan two IRL enemies find their happily ever after online?Stella Greene and Wesley Clarke are Gene Connolly Memorial High School's biggest rivals. While the two have been battling it out for top student, it's a race to the bottom when it comes to snide comments and pulling the dirtiest prank. For years, Stella and Wes have been the villain in each other's story, and now it's all-out war...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family high-school book contemporary enemies-to-lovers fiction young-adult -
![Love in English by Maria E. Andreu]()
Love in English by Maria E. Andreu
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSixteen-year-old Ana has just moved to New Jersey from Argentina for her Junior year of high school. She’s a poet and a lover of language—except that now, she can barely understand what’s going on around her, let alone find the words to express how she feels in the language she’s expected to speak... -
![Nona & Me by Clare Atkins]()
Nona & Me by Clare Atkins
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRosie and Nona are sisters. Yapas.They are also best friends. It doesn’t matter that Rosie is white and Nona is Aboriginal: their family connections tie them together for life.Born just five days apart in a remote corner of the Northern Territory, the girls are inseperable, until Nona moves away at the age of nine. By the time she returns, they’re in Year 10 and things have changed... -
![Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes]()
Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA Cuban-American teen navigates social anxiety, her father’s remarriage, and being torn between two very cute boys in this heartfelt and funny contemporary novel—perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West.Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head... -
![The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu]()
The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Junior Library Guild Selection, 2014A Junior Library Guild Selection, 2014A School Library Journal Top 10 Latino Books of 2014As a straight-A student with a budding romance and loyal best friend, M.T.’s life seems as apple-pie American as her blondish hair and pale skin. But M.T. hides two facts to the contrary: her full name of Monserrat Thalia and her status as an undocumented immigrant... -
![Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford]()
Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter surviving freshman year (just barely), Carter is craving his summer break. Unfortunately, when he and his girlfriend, Abby, part ways, it looks as though summer just might break him. Things start to look up when he's unexpectedly cast in an independent film opposite the world's biggest tween sensation, Hilary Idaho. With Hollywood knocking on his door, Carter gets a taste of the good life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family high-school realistic audiobook bildungsroman book contemporary -
![Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest]()
Zyla & Kai by Kristina Forest
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA fresh new YA romance novel by Kristina Forest, Zyla & Kai is an epic star-crossed love story about first love and not just the will they, won’t they— but why can’t they?While on a school trip to the Poconos Mountains (in the middle of a storm) high school seniors, Zyla Matthews and Kai Johnson, run away together leaving their friends and family confused... -
![A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy]()
A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Will make your heart pound — anxiously, joyfully, triumphantly.” — New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle Readers will happily dive into this emotionally grounded, contemporary young adult novel about the sudden end of one girl’s Olympic swimming dreams and the struggles she endures before realizing there are many things that express who we are... -
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![Push Girl by Chelsie Hill, Jessica Love]()
Push Girl by Chelsie Hill, Jessica Love
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAn inspiring, real, and fresh young adult novel about how life can change in an instant by Chelsie Hill, one of the stars Sundance Channel's unscripted series Push Girls, based on her own lifeKara is a high school junior who's loving life. She's popular, has a great group of friends and an amazing boyfriend, and she's a shoe-in for homecoming queen... -
![An Echo in the City by K.X. Song]()
An Echo in the City by K.X. Song
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo star-crossed teenagers fall in love during the Hong Kong protests in this searing contemporary novel about coming-of-age in a time of change. Sixteen-year-old Phoenix knows her parents have invested thousands of dollars to help her leave Hong Kong and get an elite Ivy League education. They think America means big status, big dreams, and big bank accounts... -
![Audible Love by Maggie Dallen]()
Audible Love by Maggie Dallen
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLove is blind? This starlet doesn't believe it. Then again...she's never been starstruck. As a child star turned teenage diva, Avery has played a lot of roles in her lifetime. Not one of them was as difficult as pretending to be an ordinary girl at a normal high school. Well, relatively normal. Trudale is a boarding school for the arts, catering to the elite...Categorized as:
high-school coming-of-age realistic romance young-adult contemporary fiction female-mc -
![Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks]()
Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome people have to learn the hard way-don't mess with a geek. Miranda Bloom, girl genius, is totally psyched to start her junior year at Geek High. Too bad her boyfriend, lacrosse player Dex McConnell, is off to boarding school in Maine. Miranda thought she could count on her best friends, Finn and Charlie, to cheer her up, but they're caught up in their own issues..Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary female-mc fiction womens-fiction -
![The Fifth Rule by Don Aker]()
The Fifth Rule by Don Aker
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFormer young offender Reef Kennedy is back in Halifax for the funeral of his mentor, Frank Colville. He has no intention of staying long -- memories of Frank compete with memories of Leeza and the terrible way their relationship ended. And then there's the restraining order against him, which Leeza's mother has renewed.... Leeza, in the meantime, id feeling stifled by her mother's "concern... -
![The Death of Lila Jane by Teresa Mummert]()
The Death of Lila Jane by Teresa Mummert
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Teresa Mummert comes a cautionary coming of age tale. Lila Jane is spending her summer vacation preparing for high school. She does everything asked of her, but her parents rarely give her credit for her efforts...
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