Books like 'Dying to Know You'
Readers who enjoyed Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic friendship coming-of-age family grief high-school male-mc humor
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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... -
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWaylon Russell Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. His plan is to bide his time until he can graduate, move to Austin with his twin sister, Clementine, and finally go Full Waylon, so that he can live his Julie-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music-Andrews truth... -
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... -
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... -
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The Blue-Haired Boy by Courtney C. Stevens
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSet before the events of Courtney C. Stevens's debut novel, Faking Normal, this digital short story focuses on Bodee Lennox, otherwise known as the Kool-Aid Kid.Bodee Lennox has secrets. About where he got the four-inch scar on his leg. About the bruises on his back. About what it's really like to live in the Lennox household. These are things he doesn't share with anyone . . -
The Good Girl & the Bad Boy by M.L. Collins
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat happens when Jackson High’s Good Girl and Bad Boy are forced to work together? I’ll tell you:I destroy his guitar. (Accidentally!)He uses my guilt to trick me into doing his work.For three weeks!Until I find out he lied. Oh, heck no. This bad boy has crossed the wrong girl.I call him out on it. In front of the whole school.Check mate, bad boy. “It feels good to be bad,” he whispers... -
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... -
The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's the summer before freshman year in high school and Nina decides to follow what someone said at her middle-school graduation: "Be unnoticed, but be remarkable." Her best friend Jorie is focusing on boys, clothes, and popularity, her lawyer parents are diving into a new case, and this is the first summer without her beloved Grandma, so she's is feeling a little lost... -
The Princess Diaries Collection by Meg Cabot
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe set of books is noted for containing many popular culture references, which include singers, movies, and fads in modern culture. Many critics have taken unkindly to this form of storytelling. In response, Cabot wrote an English teacher into the book Princess In Training who criticizes Mia's writing, telling her that it relies too much on "slick pop culture references... -
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsSam Kinnison is a geek, and he’s totally fine with that. He has his horror movies, his nerdy friends, World of Warcraft – and until Princess Leia turns up in his bedroom, he doesn’t have to worry about girls. Then Sam meets Camilla. She’s beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his life... -
The Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWANTED: Maid for the most popular kids in 8th grade. Cleaning up after the in-crowd gets Rachel all the best dirt. Rachel can't believe she has to give up her Saturdays to scrubbing other people's toilets. So. Gross. But she kinda, sorta stole $287.22 from her college fund that she's got to pay back ASAP or her mom will ground her for life... -
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... -
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIs it possible to be too good a friend -- too understanding, too always there, too much like a doormat? Alice has always been a good friend to Pamela and Liz, a best friend to Pamela and Liz...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school humor realistic book contemporary female-author -
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The First Third by Will Kostakis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLife is made up of three parts: in the first third, you're embarrassed by your family; in the second, you make a family of your own; and in the end, you just embarrass the family you've made. That's how Billy's grandmother explains it, anyway. She's given him her bucket list (cue embarrassment), and now, it's his job to glue their family back together. No pressure or anything... -
The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"Ashley Schumacher's latest novel is a delightful read, with diverse characters and an irresistible setting. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway proves that there's no better place to find yourself than at a Renaissance Faire... -
Don't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Hazel Clarke is no stranger to heartbreaks, and being sent to live with a father she’s never met is the latest in a string of them. Even the beauty of eastern Australia isn’t enough to take her mind off her mother and the life she had to leave behind in England... -
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... -
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... -
Dessert First by Dean Gloster
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUpbeat--that's Kat, the girl in the family who everyone turns to when things get difficult. Especially now, when her beloved younger brother Beep is in his second leukemia relapse, and a bone marrow transplant from Kat may be his only chance... -
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... -
No Big Deal by Bethany Rutter
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratings'It's not my body that's holding me back. I think it's more of a problem that people tell me my body should hold me back.'Meet Emily Daly, a stylish, cute, intelligent and hilarious seventeen-year-old about to start her last year at school. Emily is also fat. She likes herself and her body. When she meets Joe at a house party, he instantly becomes The Crush of Her Life. Everything changes... -
Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter surviving freshman year (just barely), Carter is craving his summer break. Unfortunately, when he and his girlfriend, Abby, part ways, it looks as though summer just might break him. Things start to look up when he's unexpectedly cast in an independent film opposite the world's biggest tween sensation, Hilary Idaho. With Hollywood knocking on his door, Carter gets a taste of the good life... -
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrankie Towers has always looked up to his older brother, Steve, and with good reason. Steve is a popular senior who always gets what he wants: girls, a soccer scholarship, and--lately--street cred. Frankie, on the other hand, spends his time shooting off fireworks with his best friend Zach, working at his parents' restaurant, and obsessing about his longtime crush, Rebecca Sanchez... -
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Call the Shots by Don Calame
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnd . . . action! As the uproarious trio returns, sensitive Sean takes the spotlight — scripting a low-low-budget film while fielding unexpected female fans. Coop is cooking up another sure-misfire scheme (big surprise), and this time the comedy plays out from Sean’s point of view... -
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... -
Unfriend You: Masihkah Kau Temanku? by Dyah Rinni, Nico Rosady
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAku adalah noda untuk dosa yang tak kulakukan.Aku mencoba bertahan, berusaha mengerti;mungkin ada bagian dari dirimu yang tak bisa kuraih... -
Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn?t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge... -
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... -
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBlubber meets Steel Magnolias in this funny and honest story about body image and family. Rosemary Goode is smart and funny and loyal and the best eyebrow waxer in Spring Hill, Tennessee. But only one thing seems to matter to anyone, including Rosemary: her weight. And when your mom runs the most successful (and gossipy) beauty shop in town, it can be hard to keep a low profile... -
The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThings I know about Reece Malcolm: 1. She graduated from New York University. 2. She lives in or near Los Angeles. 3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week. 4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon. 5. She’s my mother... -
Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Just let it go.”That’s what everyone keeps telling Hadley St. Clair after she learns that her father cheated on her mother. But Hadley doesn’t want to let it go. She wants to be angry and she wants everyone in her life—her dad most of all—to leave her alone.Sam Bennett and his family have had their share of drama too... -
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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... -
Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRebecca Blue is a rebel with an attitude whose life is changed by a chance encounter with a soon-to-be dead girl. Rebel (as she’s known) decides to complete the dead girl’s bucket list to prove that choice, not chance, controls her fate. In doing so, she unexpectedly opens her mind and heart to a world she once dismissed—a world of friendships, family, and faith... -
Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the author of Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies comes a middle grade novel hailed by Linda Urban as “A perfect blend of laugh out loud funny and real-world heart.” Elsie Wyatt wants to be an orchestra superstar, like her dad and grandfather. The first step? Get into a super-selective summer music camp... -
Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJanet Gurtler's latest contemporary YA novel is by turns gripping, heart-wrenching, and joyous as one teen girl has to find the courage to carry on after a devastating tragedy. She never thought a kiss could kill... As the new girl in town, Samantha just wants to fit in. Being invited to a party by her fellow swim team members is her big chance...especially since Zee will be there... -
The Theory of Everything by J.J. Johnson
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJust because everyone else thinks you should be over it doesn't mean you are. Last year, Sarah's best friend Jamie died in a freak accident. Back then, everyone was sad; now they're just ready for Sarah to get over it and move on. But Sarah's not ready to move on. She can't stop reliving what happened, struggling with guilt, questioning the meaning of life, and missing her best friend... -
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... -
How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsQuinn and Grayson have been fierce speech and debate rivals for years. They can't stand one another, either in competition or in real life. But when their AP Government teacher returns their school assignments to the wrong cubbies, they begin exchanging anonymous notes without knowing who the other is... -
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... -
Slice by Steven Herrick
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA funny, refreshing look at the most awkward time in any young boy’s life from school, girls, and parties to parents, friends, and the dreaded “sex talk”. Darcy Walker is a normal 16-year-old boy but he can handle that. He can even cope with parents, deal with parties, and soldier through the occasional fight... -
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Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGet your drama on as the girls from New York Times bestseller SOUTH BEACH and its sexy sequel, FRENCH KISS, strut back into the limelight in another sizzling tale of romance, friendship, and crushes.Celebrity sightings. Sizzling nightlife. Endless shopping.Hollywood, here they come...Alexa: She's stopped believing in love at first sight... -
Double Dare by Cathy Hopkins
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings""What exactly do boys want?" asked Cat as we sat on the bus on our way to school. "I wish I could get into a boy's head for just twenty-four hours and see what goes on on in there." "You wouldn't find a lot," said Squidge, laughing. "Not in Mac's head anyway... -
Words and Their Meanings by Kate Bassett
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnna O’Mally doesn’t believe in the five stages of grief. Her way of dealing with death equates to daily bouts of coffin yoga and fake-tattooing Patti Smith quotes onto her arms. Once a talented writer, Anna no longer believes words matter, until shocking discoveries– in the form of origami cranes– force her to redefine family and love... -
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... -
Will by Maria Boyd
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTHE CRIME It all started when Will mooned the girls' school bus. It wasn't his finest moment. And it's the last time William Armstrong will sully the St. Andrew's community, says Principal Waddlehead-er, Waverton. THE PUNISHMENT That's when a teacher worried about Will's home situation comes up with an idea...
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