Books like 'Bittersweet'
Readers who enjoyed Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic sports friendship family high-school love-triangle coming-of-age season-summer
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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... -
Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final book in a young adult romance series about a small town football team and the girls who win their hearts. Tyler Schumann has always been known as Nelson High’s goofy clown, the guy with the big mouth...Categorized as:
high-school friends-to-lovers sports coming-of-age friendship family romance young-adult -
Fumbled Past by Lauren Runow
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwenty years have passed, yet not one thing in my hometown has changed … even the man I left behind.I was the girl no one could touch because they all feared my father. He was a legend, the head football coach who had created this town’s Friday night lights. Only two football players dared to win my heart—the boy next door and the new guy in town...Categorized as:
sports high-school love-triangle friends-to-lovers coming-of-age friendship family drama -
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... -
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How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You by Tara Eglington
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe course of true love never did run smooth. For a girl who shares her name with a princess (a.k.a Aurora from Sleeping Beauty) Aurora Skye’s life seem fathoms away from a fairytale. Sure, she’s landed Hayden Paris, Potential Prince extraordinaire. And she got her wish -- one first kiss with all the knee-trembling, butterfly-inducing gloriousness she’d hoped for... -
The Gossip File by Anna Staniszewski
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe 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... -
Beach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic by Katherine Applegate
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThree 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... -
Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsSwim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school realistic sports -
Happenstance 2 by Jamie McGuire
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsErin 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... -
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer, Karissa Vacker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Heartbreaking, painfully romantic, and deeply human." --Stephanie Garber, #1 bestselling author of CaravalFrom bestselling authors to booksellers and librarians, early readers are obsessed with this debut YA romance pitched as Sarah Dessen meets Adam Silvera, told in alternate timelines and perfect for fans of messy, complicated relationships...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship realistic season-summer book contemporary -
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... -
Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love by Jared Reck
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe future is anything but certain in this alternately funny and heartbreaking contemporary story about food trucks, festivals, and first loves.It's easy to look at high school senior Oscar Olsson and think: lost. He hates school, struggles to read, and wants nothing to do with college. But Oscar is anything but lost---he knows exactly what he wants and exactly how to get it...Categorized as:
realistic family coming-of-age humor high-school friendship friends-to-lovers culinary -
Love Me, Love Me Not by S.M. Koz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Hailey Brown never wanted to be popular or rich or even successful. All she ever wanted was to feel loved by someone, anyone. Eighteen-year-old Brad Campbell doesn't know anything but popularity, wealth, and success thanks to his affluent family and unmatched talent on the football field... -
Pulled Under by Michelle Dalton
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA shy teen befriends an attractive beach town tourist in this refreshing summertime romance, in the tradition of Sixteenth Summer and Seventeenth Summer . In the small town of Pearl Beach, Florida, Izzy Lucas needs only her surfboard and the water to be completely happy. She wants nothing to do with parties, popularity contests, or showing her face around the clichéd touristy hangouts...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic season-summer sports book contemporary -
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Guys Do Not Do Secret Santa by Miranda Kenneally
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA Catching Jordan short story (9 months before Catching Jordan... -
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... -
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... -
Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic -
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friends-to-lovers friendship high-school love-triangle realistic teens -
The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him... Toby Morrison...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers high-school humor love-triangle realistic season-summer book -
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAlly Ryan, come on down to the Jersey Shore and forget your troubles! Have you recently been humilated in front of your friends and family at your former best friends birthday party? Was your almost boyfriend partly responsible for that humilation by withholding some vital information about where your estrangerd father is? Did you come home to find said estranged father sitting on your... -
Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWinter Break super-secret perfect cocoa recipe: 8 oz steamed whole milk (no skim! doesn't work!) 2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder (big scoops) 1 tbsp. sugar (can't be too sweet) 4 dried, crushed mint leaves (or 1 tbsp. mint syrup) Stir thoroughly. Add mint swizzle stick. Combine with cute ski instructor, or brother's cute best friend, or cute guy you never noticed was so cute.. -
Effortless With You by Lizzy Charles
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSchool is out and Lucy is ready for the perfect summer: lazy days at the pool, invitations to the most exclusive parties, and romantic dates with her hot new boyfriend. That is, until she lands in trouble one too many times and her parents issue the ultimate punishment: a summer job. Suddenly, the summer can't end fast enough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers high-school humor realistic season-summer sports -
This Is So Not Happening by Kieran Scott
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAfter their long summer apart, Ally and Jake were hoping for a drama free senior year. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like things will work out that way...again. — It turns out that Chloe is pregnant and says that Jake is the father. Hammond is pissed at his best friend, but mostly can't believe that Ally would stay with Jake... -
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Slow Twitch by Liz Reinhardt
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSummer scatters three friends, ties them back together, and makes them question who they have been and who they want to be in the future. Brenna expected to soak up the knowledge of great Irish writers at her summer workshop in Dublin... -
Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive. This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always... -
A Game Worth Watching by Samantha Gudger
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAll her life, people have told 17-year-old tomboy Emma Wrangton that she’s not good enough, smart enough, or strong enough to succeed in life. Somewhere along the way, she started to believe them... -
The Playmaker by Jordan Ford
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is it—Tori Lomax’s senior year. Her last chance to leave Nelson High without a bucketload of regrets. Number one priority—get Colt Burgess to fall in love with her. So what if he’s the Raider’s number one playmaker? So what if he’s so far out of her league, the idea of them together would rupture the school’s social order? She has to try, before it’s too late... -
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...Categorized as:
sports realistic high-school coming-of-age friendship romance young-adult contemporary -
The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsCute, available, and one cabin over.... Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys. But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle -
Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThey’re from two different worlds. He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family... -
The Boyfriend League by Rachel Hawthorne
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe Ragland Rattlers$1 Night$1 baseball cap with home team logo$1 program$1 hot dogs$1 drinks$1 popcornBut how much to get the hot pitcher to notice you... -
Pepped Up by Ali Dean
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMy best friend’s that guy. You know the one. Popular. Quarterback. Trouble. And clueless about my deeper feelings for him. So I’m focused on my other love, running. I want to qualify for cross country nationals, and I don’t need to be distracted by Jace Wilder’s latest shenanigans. Good thing there's a new guy in town...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic -
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWhen she was nine, Megan Meade met a group of terrible, mean, Popsicle-goo-covered boys, the sons of her father's friend -- the McGowan boys. Now, seven years later, Megan's army doctor parents are shipping off to Korea and Megan is being sent to live with the little monsters, who are older now and quite different than she remembered them...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle -
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Love at First Click by Elizabeth Chandler
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsI could no longer deny what the heat in my cheeks meant when I was around Flynn. I was falling for my sister's boyfriend.There's just something about Flynn. Yes, he's a tall, unbelievably gorgeous, dark-haired football player, but . . . he's also sweet and nice and super easy to talk to. It's lucky I'm the photographer for the school paper, because my camera likes Flynn almost as much as I do... -
Save the Date by Tamara Summers
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsVictoria Finnegan to marry Kevin Ork in the Rose Bower of Cynthia Flair Botanical GardensSunday, June 17, 3 p.m.Dress: very flowery.Yay.Paris Finnegan is marrying Jiro Kuan on the beach at Huntsville National ParkSaturday, August 11, 1 p.m.Dress: Um . . -
Carter Finally Gets It: A Novel by Brent Crawford, Nick Podehl
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMeet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.) Here are five things you should know about him:1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day...unless he gets distracted.3... -
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree adolescent boys with a single goal: see a reallive naked girl. The result? Razor-sharp, rapid-fi re, and raunchy, of course. And beyond hilarious. Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal... -
Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWarm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn... -
7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted. Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . -
Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGrace Ace Kincaid has it all. She's a teen sports sensation. Her face and body are on the cover of every magazine. She's front and center on the red carpet. She has the world at her feet, as long as she toes the line. But then she says three little words. Three words that take her out of the spotlight to Medicine Hat, Alaska. Population 272.Grace has the chance to start all over again... -
A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn't serious. But I am. I'm going to sue my parents.Juniper Jade's parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines... -
The Fine Line by Alicia Kobishop
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLibrarian's Note: This is an alternate-cover edition for ASIN B00H5WD314 Love...Slam on the brakes?Or put the pedal to the metal?I've got one rule. No attachments.I'm sick and tired of losing the men I've grown to love. If my mother's serial relationship disasters have taught me anything, it's that getting involved with a man only results in heartbreak...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school realistic sports -
Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD LEON SANDERS has a mug that looks like it should be hanging in a post office somewhere. If he didn’t have his twisted sense of humor, he’d have nothing at all. So it’s no wonder to Leon and his friends that the gorgeous Amy Green will never even look twice at him. However, there is one girl who might: Melody Hennon...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic book -
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Rock On by Denise Vega
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOri Taylor is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the Band To Be Named Later, a garage band he started with his friends. After years of being known only as the kid brother of sports star Del, Ori is looking forward to stepping out of his older brother's shadow, learning to perform in public, and rocking the Battle of the Bands contest... -
It's All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do, and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college...Categorized as:
sports realistic season-summer family friends-to-lovers friendship romance contemporary -
Thrill Ride by Rachel Hawthorne, Jan Nowasky
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThrill Ride!One-day admission: $15Summer job:Pros:Living on my own (plus roommates)Rides are free (but avoid the roller coasters—too scary!)Super-hot coworker . . .Cons:Periodic homesicknessDressing like Gretel for job in fairyland gift shopSuper-hot coworker . . . and boyfriend back home... -
Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGemma Mitchell is a normal girl who somehow gets herself into abnormally embarrassing circumstances. And while she thinks she's the biggest loser in school because of them, there are a few people in her life who would disagree. One of those people is her best friend, Jess Tyler, who is opposite to her in every way... -
Pride & Popularity by Jenni James
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratings***AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER*** If you are hoping to find a YA book full of paranormal beasts, sex, or teens who act much more like under-aged adults, I suggest you save your money and do not buy this book. In fact don't buy any of The Jane Austen Diaries... -
Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJust because Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day does not mean she's a romantic. In fact, after watching her father and then her stepfather leave, she's pretty sure she doesn't believe in love at all. Then her friends concoct a plan to find them all Valentine's dates, and somehow Piper finds herself with the most popular guy in school...
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