Books like 'That Time I Joined the Circus'
Readers who enjoyed That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance action / adventure mystery realistic coming-of-age family drama friendship teens
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Push and Shove by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSang Sorenson struggles with her growing feelings when the Academy boys take her in and draw her closer into their world. They work together to uncover the true secrets happening at Ashley Waters High School, where Principal Hendricks will stop at nothing to take them all down... -
![Friends vs. Family by C.L. Stone]()
Friends vs. Family by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSang Sorenson is forced to suffer through another of her mother’s extreme punishments. It almost kills her. The Academy boys vow it will be the last. They're determined to keep Sang safe, especially from her own family. Their solution: complete invasion of her life. Kota, Luke, Silas, Nathan, Victor, Gabriel and North do everything within their power to show Sang what true loyalty means... -
![House of Korba by C.L. Stone]()
House of Korba by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsIt's homecoming week at Ashley Waters, but Sang Sorenson has a lot more on her mind than dresses and crowns. Silas's troubled past—full of secrets he and his team thought they'd buried—comes back to haunt him, threatening to ruin everything. Silas tries to deal, but guilt weighs heavily on him and Sang realizes she might be the only one who can help him keep it together...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family high-school love-triangle realistic abuse action-adventure -
![Forgiveness and Permission by C.L. Stone]()
Forgiveness and Permission by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSang Sorenson’s abusive mother is secure in a hospital, and her father has vanished to a new family of his own, leaving Sang and her sister to fend for themselves. Sang is hanging by a thread, and her only hope is a group of boys she feels she barely knows.She’s never really alone. The Academy team has stepped in, promising to protect and care for Sang... -
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![Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter]()
Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsWith more than a million Gallagher Girls books sold, a legion of fans have fallen in love with the New York Times best-selling spy-girl series, and the fifth book delivers the most nerve-wracking, high-stakes adventure yet... -
![United We Spy by Ally Carter]()
United We Spy by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsDon't miss a moment of the beloved, bestselling series where spies-in-training navigate double crosses, secret missions, friendship, and first love-now with a bonus epilogue! Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet... -
![Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick]()
Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis Christmas season, join the girls of the mother-daughter book club for a variety of holiday-themed adventures! Becca, Megan, Emma, Cassidy and Jess have plenty of reading material to bring on their trips, too, because the book club is tackling the Betsy-Tacy series before their next meeting on New Year’s Eve. But unfortunately, nothing goes quite as planned for any of the girls...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school realistic 21st-century action-adventure -
![First Days by C.L. Stone]()
First Days by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSang Sorenson used to be the invisible girl in class. As a new student to Ashley Waters High School, Sang hopes that her new friends will be the change she’s been craving and will make fitting in a breeze.But Academy students aren’t there to take it easy. The high school is overcrowded and rife with violence... -
![Fresh Water for Flowers: A Novel by Valérie Perrin]()
Fresh Water for Flowers: A Novel by Valérie Perrin
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsViolette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues—gravediggers, groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee she offers them. Her life is lived to the rhythms of their funny, moving confidences... -
![Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter]()
Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsWhen Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her... -
![Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter]()
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsWhen Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart... -
![Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer, Z Brewer]()
Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer, Z Brewer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThings have taken a darker turn for the half-human teenager with an appetite for blood. Joss, a vampire slayer and Vlad's former friend, has moved back to Bathory. A mysterious and powerful new vampire, Dorian, appears with a shocking secret and an overwhelming desire to drink Vlad's blood. And Vlad's arch enemy, D'Ablo, has a sinister plan to eliminate Vlad once and for all... -
![Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry]()
Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsOne moment of recklessness will change their worlds.Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life... -
![So Over My Head by Jenny B. Jones]()
So Over My Head by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNewly single, stalked by a killer, and in desperate need of some chic clown shoes--Bella is one skinny mocha frapp away from total meltdown. When the Fritz Family Carnival makes its annual appearance in Truman, Bella's keen reporter instincts tell her the bright lights hide more than they reveal. Her suspicions are confirmed when one of the stars is murdered...Categorized as:
family friendship high-school realistic action-adventure book christian contemporary -
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![A Gallagher Wedding by Ally Carter]()
A Gallagher Wedding by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure boarding-school -
![Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter]()
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsCammie Morgan is back, and it's clear that her life hasn't calmed down since the events of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie's elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys... -
![Perfect by Cecelia Ahern]()
Perfect by Cecelia Ahern
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCelestine North is Flawed.Ever since Judge Crevan declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing... -
![The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes]()
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsIntrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school love-triangle realistic action-adventure -
![Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch]()
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 39 ratings“I made the wrong choice.”Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is go back home... -
![On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta]()
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsI'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago... -
![Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter]()
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsKatarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems... -
![Gives Light by Rose Christo]()
Gives Light by Rose Christo
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Skylar is my name, tragically."Sixteen-year-old Skylar is witty, empathetic, sensitive--and mute. Skylar hasn't uttered a single word since his mother died eleven years ago, a senseless tragedy he's grateful he doesn't have to talk about... -
![Long Way Home by Katie McGarry]()
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook -
![A Whole New Crowd by Tijan]()
A Whole New Crowd by Tijan
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTaryn grew up in a different world. Her boyfriend was a criminal. His older brother was part of a gang. They weren’t great people, but they were her family. Then everything changes when she’s adopted by a family in the neighboring town. New family. New friends. A new world. She’s elated... -
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![Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson]()
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsIt was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.Dance until dawn? Sure... -
![Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky, Katie Ray]()
Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky, Katie Ray
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFor four weeks Maddie has been living in Los Angeles, trying to be good. But no matter how hard she tries, something inside her won't be sated. She can't live a life of half-truths and false pretenses. So one night, she says how she really feels.That's all it takes. One night... -
![Kalahari by Jessica Khoury]()
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDeep in the Kalahari Desert, a Corpus lab protects a dangerous secret…But what happens when that secret takes on a life of its own? When an educational safari goes wrong, five teens find themselves stranded in the Kalahari Desert without a guide... -
![This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills]()
This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens. Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school journey realistic teens action-adventure -
![Chasing River by K.A. Tucker]()
Chasing River by K.A. Tucker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsArmed with two years' worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude. Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled... -
![So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones]()
So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York's social darling just woke up in a nightmare: Oklahoma. Problem is, it's right where God wants her. Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy's MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model... -
![Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter]()
Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe princess is dead. Long live the princess.Centuries ago, the royal family of Adria was killed…or so everyone thought.Now Grace Blakely knows the truth: There was one survivor, and that survivor’s blood runs through her veins. This simple fact could cause a revolution—which is why some people will stop at nothing to keep it from coming to light... -
![Accidental Heroes by Danielle Steel]()
Accidental Heroes by Danielle Steel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA decorated former Air Force pilot. A pregnant flight attendant. A dedicated TSA agent. The fates of these three, and many others, converge in Danielle Steel's gripping new novel--a heart-stopping thriller that engages ordinary men and women in the fight of their lives during a flight from New York to San Francisco. On a beautiful May morning at New York's John F... -
![Introductions by C.L. Stone]()
Introductions by C.L. Stone
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsWith an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way... -
![The Rise by Shari King, Shari Low]()
The Rise by Shari King, Shari Low
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen we bury our secrets, they always come back to haunt us...Their rise was meteoric.Only a few years before, they had been three friends from Glasgow, just trying to survive tough lives of danger and dysfunction.But on one Hollywood evening in 1993, they were on the world’s biggest stage, accepting their Oscar in front of the watching world.That night was the beginning of their careers... -
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![Illusions by Aprilynne Pike]()
Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 42 ratings"I don't do patrols, I don't go hunting, I just stick close to you. You live your life, I'll keep you safe," Tamani said, sweeping a lock of hair from her face. "Or die trying."Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school love-triangle 21st-century action-adventure -
![This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg]()
This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Winslow family lives by five principles:1. No one can know your real name.2. Don’t stay in one place too long.3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.4. Keeping our family together is everything.5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask... -
![How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss]()
How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOur memories are what make us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to 'find himself" and Kat is in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend... -
![The Ends of the World by Maggie Hall]()
The Ends of the World by Maggie Hall
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Circle is hers. But Avery West has lost everything else: her mother, the family she’d just found, and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she’s ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that’s made her own blood a weapon...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship love-triangle realistic action-adventure alpha-mc -
![Down to the Wire by Shannon Greenland]()
Down to the Wire by Shannon Greenland
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBook 2 of The Specialists GiGi is back, this time teaming up with electronics specialist Frankie, aka Wirenut, for their next mission. Wirenut has an uncanny knack for breaking into the highest-level security systems that stump even the experts. Which is precisely why he was recruited by the Specialists...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school teens action-adventure boarding-school book -
![Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly]()
Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“How do you like life in the fast lane?” Digby said. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”Good question.Achieving high school “normal” wasn’t as hard as Zoe Webster expected, but she’s beginning to think Hollywood oversold how much fun it all is...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school love-triangle realistic teens action-adventure -
![Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch]()
Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSantorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret...Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook -
![Made You Up by Francesca Zappia]()
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsReality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion... -
![Q & A by Vikas Swarup]()
Q & A by Vikas Swarup
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsVikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest... -
![Just One Day by Gayle Forman]()
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsA breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there's an undeniable spark... -
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![Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz]()
Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHigh school juniors Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to see the future through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school love-triangle realistic action-adventure -
![I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan]()
I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsEmily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir--despite her average voice--is fate: because it's while she's singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father... -
![Right Behind You by Gail Giles]()
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret... -
![Jackpot by Nic Stone]()
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin --which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook black-mc -
![Every Breath by Ellie Marney]()
Every Breath by Ellie Marney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsRachel Watts is suffering from recurring nightmares about her near-death experience in London. She just wants to forget the whole ordeal, but her boyfriend, James Mycroft, is obsessed with piecing the puzzle together and anticipating the next move of the mysterious Mr Wild - his own personal Moriarty... -
![In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin]()
In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAll These Things I’ve Done, the first novel in the Birthright series, introduced us to timeless heroine Anya Balanchine, a plucky sixteen year old with the heart of a girl and the responsibilities of a grown woman. Now eighteen, life has been more bitter than sweet for Anya...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship high-school realistic action-adventure alpha-mc
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