Books like 'A Rose for Melinda'
Readers who enjoyed A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance drama realistic medical sad high-school coming-of-age
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Looking for Alaska / An Abundance of Katherines / Paper Towns / The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFour critically acclaimed, award-winning modern classics from #1 New York Times-bestselling author John GreenThis John Green deluxe box set includes Printz Award–winning Looking for Alaska, Printz Honor book An Abundance of Katherines, Edgar Award–winning Paper Towns, and #1 New York Times–bestselling The Fault in Our Stars... -
![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 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... -
![Dying Wish by Margaret McHeyzer]()
Dying Wish by Margaret McHeyzer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI have three major loves in my life: my family, my best friend Becky, and ballet. Elijah Turner is quickly becoming the fourth.He's been around as long as I can remember. But now he's much more than just the annoying guy at school.My life was working out perfectly...until it got turned upside down... -
![Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJulie Ellis and Luke Muldenhower have always been school sweethearts. Now both are in high school and deeply in love. Luke, a talented football player, is almost certain to receive an athletic scholarship to a top college. And no matter what her parents say, wherever Luke goes, Julie intends to follow. When Luke can't shake what he thinks is a virus, Julie persuades him to see a doctor... -
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![Falling to Pieces by Jamie Canosa]()
Falling to Pieces by Jamie Canosa
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSuffering the bitter tongues of her alcoholic mother and cruel boyfriend, Jade struggles just to look at herself in the mirror. She hates her life, her insecurities, her ineptitudes, but most of all . . . Jade hates herself. She wants nothing more than to disappear, and everyone seems happy to let her. Until Kiernan Parks moves back into town... -
![The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn]()
The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAlthough they share a love of poetry and problems with their parents, shy Lauren's attraction to popular Spencer is tempered by her fear of his moody, self-destructive side. "...hands down, Girl Book of the Year... -
![The Sister Switch by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines Stephens]()
The Sister Switch by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines Stephens
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAndie and Caitlin are identical twins who couldn't be less alike. Fed up with being lumped together, the girls can't wait to start junior high. There, they'll finally be able to pave their own way. But it turns out that being mistaken for each other might work in their favor... -
![Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith]()
Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor 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... -
![Streiker's Bride by Robin Hardy]()
Streiker's Bride by Robin Hardy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe had a lot to offer, but his terms were high... -
![Gray by Pete Wentz, James Montgomery]()
Gray by Pete Wentz, James Montgomery
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSometimes, late at night in the hotel room, after the lights have gone out and the mistakes have already been made, when it is heavy and silent and still, I lie awake and listen to my pulse on the pillow… Imagine you are on a tour bus, the miles whistling away beneath you as you sleep. Tomorrow you will wake up in downtown Somewhere. It doesn’t matter. All the skylines look the same... -
![Telling Christina Goodbye by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Telling Christina Goodbye by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTrisha Thompson and her best friend Christina are having a great senior year. Trisha and her boyfriend, Cody, are making plans to attend Indiana University together in the fall, while Christina has already received a scholarship to the University of Vermont... -
![Till Death Do Us Part by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Till Death Do Us Part by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe doctor's diagnosis for April Lancaster is not good. April has a brain tumor which cannot be operated on. She's only 18, and her future is uncertain. But when she meets Mark Gianni, a 21-year-old with a passion for car racing, things change.Mark is handsome and charming--and has cystic fibrosis. Despite herself, April falls completely in love with him... -
![Six Months to Live by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Six Months to Live by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen 13-year-old Dawn Rochelle is diagnosed with leukemia, she's scared. While in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, Dawn meets Sandy, who also has cancer. Dawn and Sandy battle the disease together, and remain best friends even after they both go into remission and return home. But when Sandy gets sick again, Dawn wonders what the future holds both for Sandy and herself... -
![Silenced by RaeBeth McGee-Buda]()
Silenced by RaeBeth McGee-Buda
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAmber Brown spent her entire existence believing Dave was her father. When her mother reveals this is untrue, she goes through an emotional spiral with depression. It's hard for her to believe her mother had lied to her all this time. A move to a new home and town causes Amber to be consumed by her "darkness" and reverts to cutting to free herself from her pain... -
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![Love is Blind by Shayna B.]()
Love is Blind by Shayna B.
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHailey Baker was a normal teenager- friends, the occasional party and a great boyfriend. But that all changes one night when an accident kills her parents and leaves Hailey with a serious back injury. Seven months after the accident, Hailey has struggled to learn to walk again and is now about to start at a new school after moving in with her uncle...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary disability fiction womens-fiction -
![Dare You to Date the Point Guard by Lacy Andersen]()
Dare You to Date the Point Guard by Lacy Andersen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA little dare never hurt anybody...My whole life's been about following in my parents' footsteps: ace school and then get into med school. And that means that my dream to become a world-famous artist isn’t part of the plan. Neither is the game of spin-the-bottle that leads me to the second most humiliating moment of my life with Mason Finnick... -
![Ethan Between Us by Anna Myers, Julia Laserna]()
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... -
![Enlightened by J.P. Barnaby]()
Enlightened by J.P. Barnaby
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLittle Boy Lost is the story of Brian McAllister, the boy next door. Brian goes to school, does his homework, and helps his foster parents around the house. Brian also has a secret: he is in love with his best friend, Jamie. But in Crayford, Alabama, being in love with another boy is the worst kind of sin. Brian and Jamie will discover just how deep their emotional bond runs, and at what cost... -
![Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel]()
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... -
![Invisible by Jeff Erno]()
Invisible by Jeff Erno
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChase Devereaux is a fifteen year old boy under a great deal of stress. He has to give a speech today for his Oral Communications class, and he's terrified of public speaking. Worse yet, he's being bullied by one of the most popular kids at school. He just has to make it through his third-hour gym class and then give his speech, and everything will be all right... -
![For Better, For Worse, Forever by Lurlene McDaniel]()
For Better, For Worse, Forever by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGrief-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.. -
![What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard]()
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... -
![Float by Kate Marchant]()
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...Categorized as:
high-school realistic coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary fiction season-summer -
![Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt 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... -
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![All the Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel]()
All the Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsOut of control - that's how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There's nothing she can do about her parents divorce, there's nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there's nothing she can do about having diabetes - that's what Lacey believes. After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her... -
![One on One by Tabitha King, Stephen King]()
One on One by Tabitha King, Stephen King
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA high school basketball star and a defiant outcast discover a profound love that sustains them through a triumphant but painful year... -
![Time to Let Go by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Time to Let Go by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe doctors assure Erin Bennett and her parents that they can't find a physical cause for her headaches. But the throbbing, violent pain is so intense that Erin knows she needs help. Even landing the lead in the senior musical opposite David Devlin, the good-looking, popular guy everyone else is wild about, doesn't give Erin much pleasure... -
![My High School Life by angellover254]()
My High School Life by angellover254
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMeet Isabella Ace, a 300 pound girl who was voted the 'ugliest girl' at Woodway Prep; a school for the rich. Sick of all the bullies, mostly Thomas Reed, she decided to change. Eight months later she's back, better than ever, and ready for revenge. Throw in a teasing jock, a jealous cheerleader, a goth best friend, a childhood best friend, a hot trainer, and an overprotective brother... -
![A Year In Europe by Rachel Hawthorne]()
A Year In Europe by Rachel Hawthorne
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMEET THE GIRLS of "A Year in Europe, "a collection of three interconnecting novels about the adventures of traveling abroad. Robin: Her junior year abroad in London takes a surprising turn when she falls for British hottie Kit. Dana: Paris is the City of Love, and Dana's on a mission to find a gorgeous French boyfriend. Carrie: She's crazy about Antonio, her Italian dream guy... -
![The Weight of Destiny by Nyrae Dawn]()
The Weight of Destiny by Nyrae Dawn
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen “crazy” runs in your family and your namesake is known for walking into a river with a pocket full of rocks, a girl kind of wants to avoid tempting fate at all costs. For Virginia Nichols, the only way to dodge that bullet is to be perfect at everything: school, student council, life. Too bad it’s all a lie, and underneath the perfection...Virginia is lost... -
![Surviving High School by M. Doty]()
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... -
![The Comeback by Marlene Perez]()
The Comeback by Marlene Perez
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA novel about ruling high school, being exiled, and fighting your way back to your rightful throne.Sophie Donnelly is one half of the most popular and powerful couple in school, until new girl Angie Vogel shows up and compromises everything. Angie steals Sophie's starring role in the school play, and, worse, her super-popular boyfriend...Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary fiction friendship womens-fiction -
![Toxic by Raquel Valldeperas]()
Toxic by Raquel Valldeperas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI didn't mean to let everything get so bad. I never had control over the variables in my life, and that was okay. That's just the way it was. But the drugs were supposed to be my constant, my escape, my refuge. They weren't supposed to pull me under and hold me down, bring me to the brink of death and keep me in that in-between state... -
![Never Goodbye by Kerri Williams]()
Never Goodbye by Kerri Williams
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIf you had one chance to be with your soul mate, would you fight for it? Sometimes the hardest fight isn't finding love, sometimes its fighting against the ticking clock of your life. Stalked by the shadow of a foreboding disease, seventeen year old, Harper Kennedy finds herself starting a new life in Albany Missouri... -
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![Outrunning The Darkness by Anne Schraff]()
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... -
![The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb]()
The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHigh schooler Natalie Cordova has just been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Her mom insists she keep it secret.Putting up a front and hiding her mental illness from her classmates is going to be the hardest thing high schooler Natalie Cordova has ever done. It’s her senior year, and she’s just been selected to present her artwork at a prestigious show...Categorized as:
realistic high-school coming-of-age drama romance mental-illness young-adult contemporary -
![Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison]()
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... -
![The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone]()
The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this heartfelt and emotionally candid contemporary YA, author Jen Malone delves into the life of a teen whose world is brought to an abrupt halt when she learns she’s in dire need of an organ transplant... -
![A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy]()
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... -
![Audible Love by Maggie Dallen]()
Audible Love by Maggie Dallen
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLove is blind? This starlet doesn't believe it. Then again...she's never been starstruck. As a child star turned teenage diva, Avery has played a lot of roles in her lifetime. Not one of them was as difficult as pretending to be an ordinary girl at a normal high school. Well, relatively normal. Trudale is a boarding school for the arts, catering to the elite...Categorized as:
high-school coming-of-age realistic romance young-adult contemporary fiction female-mc -
![Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks]()
Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome people have to learn the hard way-don't mess with a geek. Miranda Bloom, girl genius, is totally psyched to start her junior year at Geek High. Too bad her boyfriend, lacrosse player Dex McConnell, is off to boarding school in Maine. Miranda thought she could count on her best friends, Finn and Charlie, to cheer her up, but they're caught up in their own issues..Categorized as:
coming-of-age high-school realistic book contemporary female-mc fiction womens-fiction -
![The Fifth Rule by Don Aker]()
The Fifth Rule by Don Aker
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFormer young offender Reef Kennedy is back in Halifax for the funeral of his mentor, Frank Colville. He has no intention of staying long -- memories of Frank compete with memories of Leeza and the terrible way their relationship ended. And then there's the restraining order against him, which Leeza's mother has renewed.... Leeza, in the meantime, id feeling stifled by her mother's "concern... -
![The Death of Lila Jane by Teresa Mummert]()
The Death of Lila Jane by Teresa Mummert
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Teresa Mummert comes a cautionary coming of age tale. Lila Jane is spending her summer vacation preparing for high school. She does everything asked of her, but her parents rarely give her credit for her efforts... -
![Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall]()
Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSenior year changes everything for two teens in this coming-of-age story that looks at what happens when the image everyone has of us no longer matches who we really are.Senior year of high school is full of changes. For Hayley Mills, these changes aren’t exactly welcome...Categorized as:
coming-of-age realistic high-school romance young-adult contemporary mental-illness fiction -
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![The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan]()
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIN MY FAMILY, when anyone rides the wave of their emotions, we say they're chucking a birkett. When the emotion drives out all common sense, we say they're chucking a big one. The telltale signs are: flaming cheeks, shortness of breath, bulging eyes, and a prolonged illogical outburst... -
![Goodbye Happiness by Arini Putri]()
Goodbye Happiness by Arini Putri
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKau dan aku tidak ditakdirkan untuk berada dalam satu kisah yang indah. Percaya atau tidak, begitulah kenyataannya. Jangan menyangkalnya karena akan sia-sia. Sama seperti berjalan di atas pecahan kaca, setiap langkah kita sesungguhnya hanya akan menuai luka. Kau dan aku seperti tengah mencoba untuk membirukan senja yang selalu merah. Kita sama-sama berusaha, namun tidak bisa mengubah apa-apa... -
![Leslie's Journal by Allan Stratton]()
Leslie's Journal by Allan Stratton
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLeslie can't seem to avoid trouble, whether it's at school or at home. Just as life seems at its lowest, Jason McCready, the exceedingly cool new guy at school, enters her life. Now Leslie is the envy of all the girls. But Jason's appearance is deceiving--he is determined to control every aspect of Leslie's life and he begins terrorizing her in unimaginable ways... -
![Gluttony by Robin Wasserman]()
Gluttony by Robin Wasserman
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's Vegas, baby! Anything can happen. Reed has a (small) chance to win fame and fortune, thanks to his "entourage," Beth. Sick of feeling like a loser, Harper's betting she can win back her life, starting with Miranda -- whose birthday wish just might come true.... Adam's also getting lucky, with a certain ex-girlfriend. Kane, as usual, is playing hard -- and not very nice... -
![Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAt 7:45 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically injured. Twenty-two suffer less severe injuries. And one is blinded. Those who survive, struggle to cope with the loss and destruction. All must find new meaning for their lives as a result of something they may never understand... -
![My Only by N.K. Smith]()
My Only by N.K. Smith
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAdam James’s life is far from perfect. A talented drummer from a small suburb of Chicago, he keeps to himself and downplays his abilities. Thinking that he is less than all those around him, Adam lives his life in the shadow of his popular twin brother, Aaron. When a free-spirited new girl with a troubled past moves in across the street, Adam's eyes are opened to a new world of possibilities...
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