Books like 'The First Part Last'
Readers who enjoyed The First Part Last by Angela Johnson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary realistic coming-of-age family high-school poc-mc drama male-mc friendship sad
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Crank Trilogy by Ellen Hopkins
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe heart-wrenching bestselling Crank trilogy shows that addiction is never just one person’s problem. Crank Kristina is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. Then she meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild ride turns into a struggle for her mind, her soul—her life. Glass Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal... -
The Fight by L. Divine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBrimming with the same spirited sense of style and magic as Disney's That's So Raven, Drama High introduces a fun, brazen new series featuring a young sistah who's learning that life in the hood is nothing compared to life in high school . . .Proudly hailing from Compton, USA, sixteen-year-old Jayd Jackson is no stranger to drive-by shootings or run-ins with the friendly neighborhood crackhead... -
Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMartin Luna, a new student at Bluford High, is at the center of this story. Haunted by the tragic death of his little brother, Martin seeks one thing: revenge. But his mother wants more for her only remaining child... -
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"A brave and breathtaking musical... -
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Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn original musical that explores the poignant desire for human connection in the tumultuous life of one young man. Evan is shy, lonely, and bullied for it―teeming with the irrepressible emotions all too familiar with anyone who's ever been a teenager... -
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... -
The Bully by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines. A new life. An new school. A new bully. That's what Darrell Mercer faces when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California. After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision... -
Differently Normal by Tammy Robinson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery family has its issues. For Maddy, life is all about routine. It has to be, to keep her autistic sister happy and healthy. With just Maddy and her mother as Bee’s full time carers, there’s no time in Maddy’s life for complications like friends, let alone a boyfriend... -
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... -
This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSubtitled 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 Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis group of friends has been through so much after a deadly hazing ritual left friendships broken, hearts aching, and November pregnant with Josh’s baby. But senior year is going well, and when the fire alarm goes off, everyone assumes that crazy Jack is trying to get out of a quiz or a test... -
অপেক্ষা by Humayun Ahmed
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsমানুষের জীবন কি চক্রের মত? চক্রের কোন শুরু নেই, শেষ নেই। মানব জীবনও কি তাই? রহস্যময় চক্রের ভেতর এই জীবন ঘুরপাক খেতে থাকে? শুরু নেই, শেষ নেই। চক্র ঘুরছে।এই চক্রের ভেতরে ঘুরপাক খেতে খেতে অপেক্ষা করে কেউ কেউ। কিংবা সকলেই কিসের... -
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 friendship university high-school romance young-adult -
Si Anak Kuat by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAmelia, si bungsu, anak yang paling kuat. Buku pertama sekaligus terbit terakhir dari Serial Anak-Anak Mamak."Kau anak paling kuat di keluarga ini, Amelia. Bukan kuat secara fisik, tapi kuat dari dalam. Kau adalah anak yang paling teguh hatinya, paling kokoh pemahaman baiknya. Kau menyayangi sekitar, dan sungguh-sungguh mau membantu orang lain... -
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Pieces of You by Tablo
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEpik High leader Tablo's short stories weave together the secrets and anxieties of youth, whispering words of solace to a lost generation... -
Burlian by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBurlian, anak kampung dengan segala keriangan keluarganya. Bercita-cita ingin naik kapal besar keliling dunia. Buku 2, dari Serial Anak2 Mamak. Buku 3, PUKAT terbit Februari 2010, Buku 4, Eliana direncanakan terbit Oktober 2010, Buku 1, Amelia direncanakan terbit Februari 2011... -
My Lame Life: Queen of the Misfits by Jen Mann
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Jen Mann has written a hilarious and heartwarming story for fans of Meg Cabot and Rainbow Rowell. My name is Plum Parrish, I'm fourteen, and I'm pretty sure I'm invisible. Not like super power invisible, more like loser invisible. There's a big difference... -
Hollywood High by Ni-Ni Simone, Amir Abrams
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey’re the daughters of celebrities—the kind all the teen mags gossip about! But the It Girls of Hollywood High are about to discover that fame has a price. And no friendship—or romance—is safe…. London Phillips will diet as her mother demands. She’ll even date the billionaire her mother has chosen for her. But she won’t give up her secret hottie, Justice Banks... -
Shrink to Fit by Dona Sarkar
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLosing weight is the solution to all basketball-star Leah Mandeville's problems, or so she thinks. Getting superthin a) help her jump shotb) make her look like America's Next Top Modelc) get the attention of the high school hottie who ignores any girl with a little junk in the trunkAnd it's working, isn't it? Her boo is now crushing on her. Everyone says how good she looks... -
Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIncludes an exclusive reader's guide from Zack SmedleyFrom the critically acclaimed author of Deposing Nathan comes an explosive examination of identity, voice, and the indelible ways our stories are rewritten by others.In the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice... -
On Herring Cove Road: Mr. Rosen and His 43Lb Anxiety by Michael Kroft
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnce an amusing extrovert with a reputation as a prankster, Mr. Rosen is entering his retirement years as a stoic thirty-year converted introvert who has no interest in people, despises change, and is more than content to have his wife navigate his life... -
Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Are you willing to do anything to help your slimy pledge brothers become Distinguished Gentlemen?" Sharp demanded. "Anything, sir," Jericho said. He just wanted it to be over."Then suck my big toe.""Sir?" Jericho wasn't sure if he had heard correctly....When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can't get any better... -
Caitlin's Lucky Charm by Lisa Schroeder
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFour best friends, one lucky bracelet, and an utterly charming new middle-grade series!Caitlin would stay at summer camp forever if she could. Her new best friends in the world, Hannah, Mia, and Libby are there... -
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... -
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Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAmerican Street meets Long Way Down in this searing and gritty debut novel that takes an unflinching look at the harsh realities of gang life in Jamaica and how far a teen is willing to go for family.Things can change in a second:The second Frankie Green gets that scholarship letter, he has his ticket out of Jamaica.The second his longtime crush, Leah, asks him on a date, he’s in trouble... -
Ethan Between Us by Anna Myers, Julia Laserna
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEthan is different. He is gorgeous, easy to talk to, and a uniquely gifted pianist. But his musical talent is both a gift and a curse. The doctors label him a schizophrenic, as he claims to have been taught by a long-dead, 19th-century composer... -
Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSam has the rules of slackerhood down: Don't be late to class. Don't ever look the teacher in the eye. Develop your blank stare. Since his mom left, he has become an expert in the art of slacking, especially since no one at his new school gets his intense passion for the music of the Pacific Northwest—Nirvana, Hole, Sleater-Kinney... -
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo matter how many times Kyle rewrites the scene, he can't get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Eastwood, all of his favorite directors—but regardless of the style, he can't remember what happened that day in the shed. The day Jason died... -
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... -
Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe 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 Mission by Jason Myers
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWake up and do something! Kaden Norris's life is shattered when his older brother -- his best friend and hero -- is killed in Iraq. All Kaden has left of Kenny is a letter, urging him to break away from his sheltered life and to go to San Francisco to visit his cousin, James. Kaden is blown away, as James introduces him to a life filled with drugs, sex, and apathy...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age teens high-school young-adult fiction contemporary substance-abuse -
What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA searing yet ultimately uplifting young adult novel about a teenage girl's recovery from anorexia.Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has honed a dangerous skill: starving herself. Even when her parents send her to a treatment center, she can't stop. Then she begins receiving packages from someone she doesn't know... -
The Falling Leaf Never Hates the Wind by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHe is like an angel to our family. He saved me, my brother, and Mother from destitution and misery of street lives. He provided us with food, shelter, helped to pay for school, and promised a better future for us. He truly is like an angel to our family. He loves us, cares for us, and sets an example without expecting anything at all in return... -
I For You by Orizuka
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSuatu 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... -
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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... -
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... -
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
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... -
16 & Pregnant by LaLa Thomas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe bond between two best friends is put to the test when one of them gets pregnant in this contemporary teen novel inspired by MTV’s iconic reality show.Erykah was looking forward to junior year at East Prep High. She has a cute boyfriend, gets good grades, and has the best bestie. Money is tight, though that’s nothing new in her world. But everything changes when she gets pregnant... -
The Way The Light Bends by Cordelia Jensen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVirtual twins Linc and Holly were once extremely close. But while artistic, creative Linc is her parents' daughter biologically, it's smart, popular Holly, adopted from Ghana as a baby, who exemplifies the family's high-achieving model of academic success... -
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 19 ratings"This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I'm Gabe. Welcome to my show." My birth name is Elizabeth, but I'm a guy. Gabe. My parents think I've gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I'm right. I've been a boy my whole life. When you think about it, I'm like a record... -
Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTHE TRANSFORMATION Beth has always been "The Beast", that's what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth's only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she's selected to be her choir's soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever... -
Clean by Amy Reed
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsYou’re probably wondering how I ended up here. I’m still wondering the same thing.Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They’re addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts... -
Happenstance 3 by Jamie McGuire
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBe careful what you wish for. You just might get it all. Now that Erin has learned the truth about the girls who tortured her, and about the boy she loves, she finds her time before graduation dwindling at an alarming and exciting pace. What used to be summer break was now a countdown to her final days in Blackwell... -
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I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…” Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her... -
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSixteen-year old Meghan Powers thought that boys and grades were the most important issues of the day, until her mother dropped the bombshell-she was going to run for President of the United States. And she was going to win. Bad enough that her mother spent so much time away from home as a state senator. Now she was going to be the most important woman in America... -
There Will Come a Time by Carrie Arcos
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost. Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t... -
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... -
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrankie Towers has always looked up to his older brother, Steve, and with good reason. Steve is a popular senior who always gets what he wants: girls, a soccer scholarship, and--lately--street cred. Frankie, on the other hand, spends his time shooting off fireworks with his best friend Zach, working at his parents' restaurant, and obsessing about his longtime crush, Rebecca Sanchez... -
Finding Freia Lockhart by Aimee Said
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFreia Lockhart just wants to fit in at school but her best friend Kate is determined to get in with the popular Bs: Belinda, Bethanee and Brianna. Even Freia knows when she hangs out with the Bs she fits in like a turkey in a flock of flamingos. Kate convinces Freia to audition for the school play so they can 'all hang out together' and meet all the cute guys...
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