Books like 'Heartbeat'

Readers who enjoyed Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  realistic  family  drama  grief  high-school  sad  teens  female-mc

  • Drama High: Pushin' by L. Divine

    Drama High: Pushin' by L. Divine

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    If only there was a potion to make all Jayd Jackson's troubles disappear. . . Even though Jayd's finished with the AP exams and finally has some space of her own at her mother's house, she's got to deal with the drama all around her...
  • Pequena coreografia do adeus by Aline Bei

    Pequena coreografia do adeus by Aline Bei

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Julia é filha de pais separados: sua mãe não suporta a ideia de ter sido abandonada pelo marido, enquanto seu pai não suporta a ideia de ter sido casado. Sufocada por uma atmosfera de brigas constantes e falta de afeto, a jovem escritora tenta reconhecer sua individualidade e dar sentido à sua história, tentando se desvencilhar dos traumas familiares...
  • Hot Girl by Dream Jordan

    Hot Girl by Dream Jordan

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It's summertime in Bed-Stuy "Do or Die" Brooklyn, and Kate is feeling down in the dumps. Not only is she tired of her raggedy, tomboy image, but she's also missing her best friend, Felicia, who's away for the summer...
  • The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

    The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Here is a truth that can't be escaped: for Mia "Rabbit" Hayes, life is coming to an end ...Mia-"Rabbit"-Hayes knows that life is hard for everyone. And she knows that she's one of the lucky ones. She loves her life, ordinary as it is. And she loves the extraordinary people in it: her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colorful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  grief  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook
  • Sunset by Jessie Cave

    Sunset by Jessie Cave

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    The debut adult novel from Jessie Cave is a spry yet reflective comedy of sisterhood, loneliness and second chances as a rootless young woman starts to piece her life back together again.Sunset is an unconventional love story about putting yourself back together when the sky has fallen in.Ruth and Hannah are sisters. They build each other up, and tear each other down...
    Categorized as:
    family  female-mc  grief  sad  adult  audiobook  book  coming-of-age
  • November Blues by Sharon M. Draper

    November Blues by Sharon M. Draper

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    When 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...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  grief  high-school  realistic  teens  book  children
  • I Wanted You To Know by Laura Pearson

    I Wanted You To Know by Laura Pearson

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.Jess never imagined she’d be navigating single motherhood, let alone while facing breast cancer. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her...
  • She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino, Boizei Malicdem

    She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino, Boizei Malicdem

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    It all started when 17-year-old Athena Dizon unwittingly plays a trick on resident heartthrob and bad boy, Kenji de los Reyes. All of a sudden, she finds herself pretending—unwillingly at that—to be his girlfriend to make his ex jealous...
    Categorized as:
    drama  realistic  sad  teens  book  contemporary  fiction  humor
  • No Place Like Home by Barbara Samuel

    No Place Like Home by Barbara Samuel

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Twenty-one years ago, Jewel Sabatino left her childhood behind and never looked back. After a magical taste of fame, she found herself alone with a son to raise and very few options. Now she has left New York for the hills of Colorado, unsure if her family will welcome her back. For Jewel, coming home is falling into a world that smells of Italian restaurants and home-baked pies...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  grief  sad  adult  audiobook  book  contemporary
  • Time Stamps by K.L. Kreig

    Time Stamps by K.L. Kreig

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Time stamps. Our life is marked by them. Significant milestones to the seemingly mundane. All of them have a place. A purpose. Moments and chapters stacking on each other, building scars and memories. Creating stories that are only ours to tell. But those stamps are finite, pre-determined. And eventually our allotment runs out. This is our story. Our collection of time stamps...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  sad  adult  angst  book  contemporary
  • Maintenance Required: A small town romance by Giulia Lagomarsino

    Maintenance Required: A small town romance by Giulia Lagomarsino

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    EricI live my life by a certain standard. There are right and wrong ways to do things, and I always make sure that I'm on the right side. My brothers call me a wet blanket. They say I'm buttoned-up, boring, and that I don't know how to let loose. There's a reason I'm that way, and she just walked through my door. With one wild night, I've thrown all my moral guidelines out the window...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  grief  sad  adult  book  contemporary  fiction
  • This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

    This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Subtitled The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn this is the story of Cordelia from the time she is 15 until she is 20. She is pregnant and plans to give this account to her daughter on her 16th birthday so that they can share their youth together...
  • Just Between You and Me: A Novel of Losing Fear and Finding God by Jenny B. Jones

    Just Between You and Me: A Novel of Losing Fear and Finding God by Jenny B. Jones

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    The only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it. Maggie Montgomery lives a life of adventure. Her job as a cinematographer takes her from one exotic locale to the next. When Maggie's not working, she loves to rappel off cliffs or go skydiving. Nothing frightens her...
  • A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel

    A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Told in letters, journal entries, e-mails, doctors’ reports, and instant messages, the heartbreaking story of an aspiring ballet dancer battling leukemia. From: Melinda Skye To: Readers Subject: Jesse Hi! I can’t believe it. What a surprise from Jesse...
  • The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck

    The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Two devoted sisters at a tragic breaking point discover the beautiful and painful truths of being alive in a powerful novel by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Beck.Winning the lottery changed Amy Walsh’s life, but the cost was greater than she could bear. In the aftermath, she struggles to find joy and purpose...
  • Finding Peace by Bridget E. Baker, B.E. Baker

    Finding Peace by Bridget E. Baker, B.E. Baker

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Keeping score is the quickest way to lose. Anica Maggard was born under a lucky star. Her big sister became her very best friend. Her debut novel was an instant bestseller. She lived in the apartment of her dreams at the age of twenty-five. But luck changes. . . and sometimes it runs out entirely.Cancer steals her sister, and that loss robs Anica of her words...
  • Sara's Promise by Deanna Lynn Sletten

    Sara's Promise by Deanna Lynn Sletten

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Do you believe in soul mates? William Grafton had the perfect life with his lovely wife, Sara, and two wonderful children. But one day his perfect forever was shattered when Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children and wonder how he would ever get through life without his soul mate...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  adult  book  contemporary  fiction  romance
  • Love at Last Sight by Jordan Lynde

    Love at Last Sight by Jordan Lynde

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    “Rose, I’m sorry, but your eyesight will be gone by the end of this year.” Who knew one simple sentence could change a life so drastically? Rose is a normal seventeen year old girl with a normal life, normal friends, and what she thought to be normal vision. When she receives the news her vision is slowly deteriorating, she doesn't know what to think. Her life is over...
  • The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

    The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 41 ratings
    When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks; but there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: He can't fall in love...
  • The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati

    The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Seventeen-year-old Catherine Pulaski knows Zero is coming for her. Zero, the devastating depression born of Catherine’s bipolar disorder, almost triumphed once; that was her first suicide attempt.Being bipolar is forever. It never goes away. The med du jour might work right now, but Zero will be back for her. It’s only a matter of time...
    Categorized as:
    family  female-mc  grief  high-school  realistic  sad  book  bullying
  • I Want to Live by Lurlene McDaniel

    I Want to Live by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Dawn Rochelle has just turned fourteen, and her cancer has been in remission for almost a year. This summer, as she helps prepare for her brother's wedding and goes to camp, her life seems almost normal again.But when Dawn returns home from camp, she's suddenly tired all the time. Her latest test results show that the worst has happened: Her leukemia is no longer in remission...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  sad  book  children  contemporary  death
  • Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews

    Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    'I'm a Carole Matthews addict!' Mary BerryA heart-warming and poignant novel of romance, family and second chances, Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses is Sunday Times bestselling Carole Matthews at her outstanding best. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  sad  adult  audiobook  book  contemporary
  • Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith

    Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    For Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.She's been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she's stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania. Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality...
  • Finding the Rainbow by Traci Borum

    Finding the Rainbow by Traci Borum

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Holly Newbury’s life is on hold in the cozy English village of Chilton Crosse. While her friends are marrying, having children, and embarking on successful careers, Holly is raising her three younger sisters and working part time at the village art gallery. Her life feels incomplete, but family is more important to her than anything...
  • Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett

    Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    It’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...
  • To Live Again by Lurlene McDaniel

    To Live Again by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Dawn 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...
    Categorized as:
    family  female-mc  high-school  realistic  sad  teens  book  children
  • Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe

    Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to her beloved Isle of Palms to tell the poignant, charming story of two women, one summer, and one very special beach house...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  grief  realistic  adult  audiobook  book
  • Mel by Liz Berry

    Mel by Liz Berry

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When her mother is hospitalized after suffering a mental breakdown, seventeen-year-old Mel redecorates the house, initiates a neighborhood clean-up, and becomes involved with a rock star...
  • Last Dance by Lurlene McDaniel

    Last Dance by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Rachel Deering's dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer has to be put on hold when she finds out that she has diabetes, but the lessons she learns in managing her disease help her take control of her life...
  • The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

    The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Ellie Wayne doesn't just live. She survives.Ellie Wayne has grown up in frightening circumstances, damaged by a sexually abusive father and mentally fragile mother. Scarred and still threatened by a father she hates and fears, Ellie believes her future holds nothing more than danger, shame and secrets . . . until the unspeakable happens, and Ellie is forced to choose...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  sad  abuse  adult  book  contemporary
  • The Gossip File by Anna Staniszewski

    The Gossip File by Anna Staniszewski

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The Gossip File:-Chandra lets little kids pee in the pool.-Melody stole $ from the cafe register.-Ava isn’t who she says she is…Ava is cool. Ava is confident. Ava is really Rachel Lee who is lying her butt off.Rachel is visiting her dad at a resort in sunny Florida and is ready for two weeks of relaxing poolside, trips to Disney World and NOT scrubbing toilets...
  • The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz

    The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It's the summer before freshman year in high school and Nina decides to follow what someone said at her middle-school graduation: "Be unnoticed, but be remarkable." Her best friend Jorie is focusing on boys, clothes, and popularity, her lawyer parents are diving into a new case, and this is the first summer without her beloved Grandma, so she's is feeling a little lost...
    Categorized as:
    family  female-mc  grief  high-school  realistic  teens  book  children
  • The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin

    The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    They didn't ask for fame. They were born with it. In the third Daughters novel, The Daughters Take the Stage, Hudson found her own place in "the family business," aka: show business. Now, for the first time, readers will meet Emma Conway, daughter of a powerful New York State Senator...
  • Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel

    Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The celebration isn't supposed to end in tragedy. The night of their high-school drama group's cast party starts out as fun for sisters Amy and Erin. Their lives come crashing down when Amy takes the car to get more food and has a horrible accident. Erin and her family pray for Amy to awaken from her coma...
  • The Time Capsule by Lurlene McDaniel

    The Time Capsule by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    In first grade, twins Alexis and Adam wrote down what they wanted to be when they grew up and put it in their teacher’s time capsule. Now entering their senior year in high school, they are surprised to find out what they wrote: Alexis wanted to “help people” and Adam wanted to be a fireman. But that was before Adam got sick and their family fell apart...
  • For Better, For Worse, Forever by Lurlene McDaniel

    For Better, For Worse, Forever by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Grief-stricken by the loss of Mark Gianni, April Lancaster and her parents have gone to the island of St. Croix for an extended vacation. One day on the beach, April meets bitter, lonely 18-year-old Brandon Benedict. Brandon blames his father for his mother's recent suicide. April is still trying to come to terms with her own grief. The two become very close..
  • Break Me by Amanda Heath

    Break Me by Amanda Heath

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Break Me is the second book in Amanda Heath’s Make or Break series. It can be read as a standalone. “Wes, I don’t know what you want me to say here.” Royal’s voice is broken. Maybe he is broken. Maybe I broke him. Lord knows I’m broken myself. “Don’t say anything,” I start off with. There are so many things I want to tell him...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  grief  high-school  realistic  sad  teens  abuse
  • Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

    Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Fans 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...
  • Beach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic by Katherine Applegate

    Beach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic by Katherine Applegate

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Three months. Three guys. One amazing summer. Summer Smith is in for the best summer of her life. Between the cold weather and her boyfriendless existence in Minnesota, Summer is ready for sun, sand, and boys in the Florida Keys. And by the end of the first day, she has more than enough to keep her busy: Adam , the senator's son, has looks, power, and all the money in the world...
  • Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagán

    Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagán

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    From acclaimed author Camille Pagán comes a wry, heartfelt exploration of love and loss.When struggling novelist James Hernandez meets poet Louisa “Lou” Bell, he’s sure he’s just found the love of his life. There’s just one problem: she’s engaged to his oldest friend, Rob. So James toasts their union and swallows his desire...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook  book
  • Watch over Me by Tara Sivec

    Watch over Me by Tara Sivec

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Due to heavy subject matter, this book is recommended for ages 17+. From the USA Today Best Selling Author of A Beautiful Lie. Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she's wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  high-school  realistic  sad  angst  audiobook
  • Happenstance 2 by Jamie McGuire

    Happenstance 2 by Jamie McGuire

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Erin Easter was now Erin Alderman, because Erin Alderman was dead. In the second installment of this USA Today bestselling series, follow protagonist Erin, a high school senior in tiny Blackwell, Oklahoma. After a terrible accident leaves two classmates dead, Erin learns that she was switched at birth...
  • The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas

    The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  female-mc  grief  high-school  realistic  sad  book
  • For My Daughters by Barbara Delinsky

    For My Daughters by Barbara Delinsky

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    A Barbara Delinsky classic, first published in 1994, For My Daughters is a poignant and unforgettable story of the enduring power of love and the tenacious strength of family from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author.Estranged sisters Caroline, Annette, and Leah St...
  • I For You by Orizuka

    I For You by Orizuka

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Suatu hari dalam hidupku, kau dan aku bertemu. Masih jelas di ingatanku sosokmu yang memukauku. Lidahku jadi kelu, mulutku terkatup rapat karena malu. Setiap malam, bayangmu menari-nari dalam benakku. Ada sejuta alasan mengapa aku begitu memujamu. Kau menyinari relung gelap hatiku. Kau satu-satunya orang yang ingin kurengkuh. Kau yang bertanggung jawab atas segala rindu...
  • There's No Place Like Home by Jen Calonita

    There's No Place Like Home by Jen Calonita

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    After her brilliant run on Broadway and surviving the harsh concrete jungle of New York City, seventeen-year-old Hollywood "It Girl" Kaitlin Burke is back in LA starring in a sitcom with her former-nemesis-now-BFF, Sky. The show is a huge success! In fact, maybe a little too huge, Kaitlin realizes, after a bad run-in with aggressive paparazzi that puts her boyfriend Austin in danger...
  • Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel

    Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    At sixteen, Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way. As the school year begins, her grades are up and she's even landed a coveted spot on the high school Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.Then suddenly Melissa must face some devastating news about her health...
  • With All My Love by Patricia Scanlan

    With All My Love by Patricia Scanlan

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A heartwarming novel about a shocking discovery that forever changes the lives of three generations of women.When Briony McAllister takes a trip to visit her mother, Valerie, she uncovers a letter from her long-lost grandmother, bringing to light a nearly unforgivable act her mother has kept secret for decades...
  • Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

    Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Jane Arrowood, otherwise known as Shark Girl, has been living with just one arm for over a year. Now she’s searching for a new normal. It’s been a year since the shark attack that took Jane’s arm, and with it, everything she used to take for granted. Her dream of becoming an artist is on the line, and everything now seems out of reach, including her gorgeous, kind tutor, Max Shannon...
  • Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson

    Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    "I wait for him, the cold seeping through my clothes, until it finally dawns on me that he's not coming back. And I wonder why he chose her instead of me? Why he went looking for her when I was right there." Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade. They understand each other in the way that only best friends can...
Fantastic book recommendations by book lovers for book lovers.
Find out more about thebooknaut.com.



Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.