Books like 'Happily Ever Afters'
Readers who enjoyed Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic poc-mc friendship coming-of-age high-school love-triangle friends-to-lovers family
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Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie, Maria Liatis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratings#OwnVoices YA contemporary following Ophelia Rojas, a romantic chismosa with a penchant for gardening roses and crushing on every boy in sight, who begins to question her sexuality and sense of self when she starts to fall for a shy girl in the weeks leading up to their high school prom and graduation... -
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems... -
Gay Club! by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA landmark comedic novel about a group of queer teens at their worst - and ultimately their best - from one of the UK's leading writers of LGBTQ+ teen fiction. Barney's a shoo-in for his school's LGBTQ+ Society President at the club's next election. But when the vote is opened up to the entire student body, the whole school starts paying attention...Categorized as:
lgbtq high-school realistic friends-to-lovers humor coming-of-age friendship romance -
Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys by Kelsie Stelting
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn arranged marriage and a bad boy who breaks all of the rules…My father’s been planning my wedding day for longer than I have. Since I turned seventeen, he’s sent me on date after date with people from the film industry–producers, directors, actors… I’ve dated–and turned down–them all.But Ryde Alexander is the worst... -
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Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA sparkling queer YA romance set in Brisbane, Henry Hamlet’s Heart follows one guy and his sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking journey to love.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len...Categorized as:
lgbtq friends-to-lovers coming-of-age high-school friendship family romance young-adult -
Heartmates by Marcus Herzig
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs childhood friends, Lars and Connor were inseparable. Now, in the social gauntlet of high school, neither boy can even muster a single word to the other. When Connor enters a romantic relationship with Jaden-Dominic Choi, the hottest social influencer in school, a barely healed wound is torn wide open again... -
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... -
Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDelilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd... -
The Truth Project by Dante Medema
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Cordelia Koenig was sure of many things going into her last year of high school. For one, she wasn’t going to stress over the senior project all her peers were dreading—she’d just use the same find-your-roots genealogy idea that her older sister used for hers... -
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 book contemporary fiction -
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... -
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... -
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFourteen-year-old Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to homecoming in this heartfelt and outright hilarious debut.Parvin Mohammadi has just been dumped--only days after receiving official girlfriend status. Not only is she heartbroken, she's humiliated. Enter high school heartthrob Matty Fumero, who just might be the smoking-hot cure to all her boy problems... -
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere Are No Cheat Codes for ShowmanceSeventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates... -
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Lane’s by Nash Summers
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMaps doesn’t believe in growing up.He believes in his experiments, Benji’s new driving skills, Perry’s knowledge of “adult things”, and his interstellar boyfriend, Lane.Maps certainly doesn’t believe in graduating. And he especially doesn’t believe in his friends attending separate colleges.Because if Maps believed in any of those things, it would mean he was growing up... -
The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA shy, rule-following teen joins a local rock band and finds herself caught between staying on the path she’s always known and straying off-course to find love, adventure, and danger in this novel that’s perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell.Victoria Cruz inhabits two worlds: In one, she is a rock star, thrashing the stage with her husky voice and purple-streaked hair... -
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... -
Don't Let It Break Your Heart by Maggie Horne
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsYou only get one soulmate, and I'm not throwing mine away. Alana and Gray have been the perfect pair all through high school, and neither of them think that should have to change just because Alana came out as a lesbian. Sure, their romantic relationship is over, but their best-friends-since-forever dynamic is stronger than ever...Categorized as:
lgbtq realistic friends-to-lovers love-triangle friendship coming-of-age romance wlw -
Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMitchell Morrison and Josie Sedgwick have spent their whole lives at the Indian Paintbrush Community Village, a commune full of colorful characters tucked in the mountains of North Carolina, and they aren't particularly close--at least, not anymore...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship book contemporary fiction young-adult -
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... -
Friends With Benefits: An absolutely uplifting, feel-good romcom by Lisa Swift
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCould Mr Right-Now actually be Mr Right?Lexie Whittle thought she had life all sewn up, with a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home and a delightful teenage stepson. Until husband Daryl left to work overseas…and everything changed.A year later, Daryl and Lexie’s marriage is over...Categorized as:
humor friends-to-lovers family lgbtq coming-of-age friendship contemporary womens-fiction -
Noah Goes Nuclear by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNoah Grimes is back, in a new, original short story!Noah is v excited: his class have been shipped off to a hotel in the Lake District to study a nearby Nuclear Power Station! On arrival, all Noah wants to do is settle in to his crisp hotel sheets and get proper rest, but his conniving secret half-brother Eric Smith has other plans... -
The Stand-In Boyfriend by Christina Benjamin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSometimes the person you're meant to be with is standing right in front of you.Parker Reed has been in love with Beth Bennett since he was four years old. She grew up next door to him, holding his hand and now his heart. The problem is, Beth has no idea Parker is in love with her. He’s stuck in the friend zone, forced to stand by while Beth dates a parade of losers...Categorized as:
high-school realistic friends-to-lovers humor coming-of-age friendship romance young-adult -
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 friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic book -
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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.. -
Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA funny and timely debut YA about the toxic masculinity at a famous improv comedy campSeventeen-year-old Zelda Bailey-Cho has her future all planned out: improv camp, then Second City, and finally Saturday Night Live... -
Love in English by Maria E. Andreu
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSixteen-year-old Ana has just moved to New Jersey from Argentina for her Junior year of high school. She’s a poet and a lover of language—except that now, she can barely understand what’s going on around her, let alone find the words to express how she feels in the language she’s expected to speak...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age family friendship high-school poc-mc love-triangle friends-to-lovers -
How to Hook a Bookworm (How To Series) by Cassie Mae
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGetting kissed for a birthday present should not be a big deal. Especially for Brea Mason, who doesn’t think of her best friend, Adam Silver, in any way other than… well, a friend. But after the liplock she can’t seem to get him off her mind. And she has to, because Adam is a senior while she’s stuck in high school for another two years...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers high-school humor love-triangle book contemporary fiction -
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... -
A Really Nice Prom Mess by Brian Sloan
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWell, in summary, your fake date's in the bathroom with a hangover and a crispy hairdo, while my fake date is out wandering the Willard, searching for his heterosexuality or something. High school senior Cameron Hayes gets coerced into going to the prom with a girl, even though he'd rather be with his boyfriend... -
Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSusannah Ramos has always loved the water. A swimmer whose early talent made her a world champion, Susannah was poised for greatness in a sport that demands so much of its young...Categorized as:
realistic friendship friends-to-lovers family high-school lgbtq coming-of-age romance -
Perfectly Clueless by Madeleine Labitan
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe’s in love with her best friend and he doesn’t even know it… Bianca Hayes has been in the friend zone way too long. For years, she watched her best friend Dylan McCafferty go through girl after girl in Bayfield High. Never her. Well, enough is enough. It’s time she stops pining over someone who will never return her feelings. A girl can only take so much...Categorized as:
high-school friends-to-lovers friendship humor romance young-adult contemporary fiction -
We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPart Coming-Out Story.Part falling-in-love story.Part falling-apart story.Harvey's dads are splitting up. It's been on the cards for a while, but it's still sudden. Woken-by-his-father-to-catch-a-red-eye sudden. Now he's restarting His Life In A New City, Living Above A Cafe With The Extended Greek Family He Barely Knows.Sotiris is a rising star... -
I'll Always Miss You by Raine O'Tierney
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIsa Zaman might forgive his parents for taking in a friend’s son if only he wasn't the most boring teenager in the universe. Macklin “Mackie” Cormack’s only interests are reading and the outdoors. Yeah, right. Isa's convinced Mackie is either a pyro or a klepto. Plus, as a white kid, Mackie looks ridiculous in the Zamans' Arab American household... -
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Out of Nowhere by Rebecca Phillips
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAt eleven years old, Riley Tate witnessed the sudden death of her father. Now, at sixteen, she still can’t bring herself to step on “the spot”—the section of kitchen floor on which her father landed after collapsing from a brain aneurysm... -
The Infinite Pieces of Us by Rebekah Crane
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland comes a hilarious and heartbreaking novel about coming apart, getting it together--and moving on. It's just a two-hour drive--Pondering math problems is Esther Ainsworth's obsession. If only life's puzzles required logic. Her stepfather's solution? Avoidance... -
It's Kind of a Cheesy Love Story by Lauren Morrill
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA contemporary YA rom-com about love, friendship, and pizza.After her mother gave birth to her in the bathroom of a local pizzeria, Beck Brix hsd been given the dubious privilege of having minor fame, free pizza for life, and a guaranteed job when she turns sixteen—a job she unfortunately can’t afford to turn down...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age friendship friends-to-lovers humor romance young-adult contemporary -
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... -
Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBestselling author of All the Bright Places Jennifer Niven calls emerging talent Shivaun Plozza’s charming and romantic second YA novel, Tin Heart, “from cover to cover swoon-worthy, moving, deep, and funny”!When Marlowe gets a heart transplant and a second chance at life, all she wants to do is to thank her donor’s family. Maybe then she can move on... -
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 -
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... -
The Girl Least Likely by Katy Loutzenhiser
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTo All the Boys meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (with a dash of Dumplin’) in this funny, romantic, and heartfelt coming of age story about a teen stand-up comic learning how to be her truest self, from the author of If You’re Out There.Gretchen has always been more of a “least likely” than a “most likely” kind of girl...Categorized as:
humor high-school family coming-of-age realistic friendship friends-to-lovers romance -
Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsToday Tonight Tomorrow meets A Pho Love Story in this whip-smart young adult novel about a girl who embarks on a “breezy road trip romp” ( Publishers Weekly ) with her longtime rival to win back her best friend and his girlfriend... -
Loveboat Forever by Abigail Hing Wen
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsReturn to the sparkling world of Loveboat, this time with Pearl Wong, on an entirely new, romantic, whirlwind adventure from Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times bestselling author of Loveboat, Taipei, streaming now on Paramount+ (adaptation titled Love in Taipei ) . Pearl was ready for a worldwide stage. Instead, she needs to stage a comeback... -
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10 Things I Hate About Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA fun, fresh contemporary rom-com that covers all the ways in which prom is overrated, and the biggest ways to sabotage your lovable best friend’s promposals to the school’s most popular girl.The best things in life come in pairs. Peanut butter has jelly, Taylor has Selena, and Ivelisse Santos has Joaquin Romero. They are not only next-door neighbors; they’re platonic soulmates...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers high-school realistic friendship humor lgbtq coming-of-age romance -
Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTeen rocker Ritchie Sudden is pretty sure his life has just jumped the shark. Except he hates being called a teen, his band doesn't play rock, and "jumping the shark" is yet another dumb cliché. Part of Ritchie wants to drop everything and walk away. Especially the part that's serving ninety days in a juvenile detention center... -
Love: And Other Uses for Duct Tape by Carrie Jones
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPraise for Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend "From the first sentence of Carrie Jones' novel, I could tell that here was a bright new writer who was going to set the world of young adult letters aflame." -Kathi Appelt, award-winning poet and author"Provocative...The author's poetic prose ably captures her heroine's emotional upheavals... -
The New Girl by Cathy Cole
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Heartside Bay - for life, love and everything in between...Lila Murray is desperate for a fresh start after her family moved from London to Heartside Bay. It's the perfect chance to leave her past mistakes behind. But nothing is ever that easy. Day one at Heartside High School brings a whole new set of problems, and one very big new crush...Categorized as:
friendship high-school love-triangle realistic book contemporary fiction young-adult -
On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly, Kwame Mbalia
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe laugh-out-loud YA romance by two award-winning and bestselling authors, Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia, that’s perfect for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or When Dimple Met Rishi When Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway spot each other during the first week of freshman year, it’s love at first sight... -
The Wedding Cake Girl by Anne Pfeffer
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeventeen year old Alexandra spends so much time helping others realize their dreams that she never has time for her own. An expert ocean diver and reluctant maker of wedding cakes, she longs to leave roses and frosting behind to study oceanography. Alex’s mother won’t have it—needy and dependent, Mom can’t run the family wedding cake business on her own...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school love-triangle realistic book contemporary
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