Books like 'The Code for Love and Heartbreak'
Readers who enjoyed The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance retellings realistic high-school friendship family coming-of-age love-triangle friends-to-lovers
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Misunderstood by R.L. Mathewson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom New York Time’s Bestselling Author R.L. Mathewson comes the YA series inspired by the Neighbor from Hell Series… The Neighbor from Hell YA Series. For readers who enjoy stories that leave them smiling… Do you ever feel like life isn’t going the way that you thought it would? That’s what Sebastian Bradford is realizing as he tries to figure out how everything went wrong so quickly...Categorized as:
humor high-school friends-to-lovers friendship family romance young-adult contemporary -
The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOriginally published in 2008. How do you walk away from love? Katie's bio-mom is fresh out of prison and wants to start a new life with her daughter--in a new town. Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving the family she loves, an endangered town drive-in, and a boyfriend who can't take his eyes off his ex... -
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... -
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:
friends-to-lovers coming-of-age high-school friendship family romance young-adult lgbtq -
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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 coming-of-age friendship family romance young-adult contemporary -
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... -
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... -
If I'm Being Honest by Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHigh school senior Cameron Bright’s reputation can be summed up in one word: bitch. It’s no surprise she’s queen bee at her private L.A. high school—she’s beautiful, talented, and notorious for her cutting and brutal honesty. So when she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic -
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 -
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 romance -
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 -
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... -
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age humor friendship friends-to-lovers realistic high-school family romance -
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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... -
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 -
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 coming-of-age friendship contemporary womens-fiction lgbtq -
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 -
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... -
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 -
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 book contemporary -
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.. -
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 love-triangle friends-to-lovers romance -
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... -
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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... -
We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe’s the beauty, I’m the bold one–together, we are the perfect girl… Aphra Brown is bold and outgoing. Her best friend, Bethany, is achingly beautiful...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school humor love-triangle realistic retellings audiobook -
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... -
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers friendship high-school humor athlete book contemporary -
This Might Get Awkward by Kara McDowell
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSophie Kinsella meets Sarah Dessen in the most hilarious, romantic book of the summer about a girl with social anxiety and the boy who refuses to let her hide herself away.Seventeen-year-old Gemma’s favorite kind of beach is an empty one. Social interactions are too much for her to handle. She always says the wrong thing—if she manages to say anything at all...Categorized as:
realistic retellings family friends-to-lovers humor high-school love-triangle coming-of-age -
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 -
Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsPerfect for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell, Love and Other Foreign Words is equal parts comedy and coming of age--a whip-smart, big-hearted, laugh-out-loud love story about sisters, friends, and what it means to love at all. Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own? Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation... -
Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"Whether or not you believe in fate or reading the stars, if you believe in happiness and love to laugh, read Summer of Supernovas."--Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why Fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Jenny Han will fall in love with this heartfelt and humor-laced debut following one zodiac-obsessed teen as she struggles to find the guy of her cosmic dreams... -
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 -
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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... -
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 -
Knee Deep by Jolene Perry
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers high-school love-triangle realistic abuse book contemporary -
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...Categorized as:
high-school friendship realistic humor friends-to-lovers coming-of-age family romance -
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 coming-of-age romance young-adult -
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 -
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...Categorized as:
family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school love-triangle realistic book contemporary -
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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 -
Andy Squared by Jennifer Lavoie
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeventeen-year-old twins, Andrew and Andrea Morris, have always been close. They share everything—from their friends to a room—and they both enjoy star positions on their high school’s soccer teams. All’s right with the twins...or is it? When new student Ryder Coltrane moves from Texas to their small New York town, he spins Andrew’s world upside down...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship high-school realistic book contemporary -
Drop by Katie Everson
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNominated for the 2016 Carnegie MedalI wasn’t always like this. I know what you’re thinking: druggie, junkie, wreckhead, trashbag. But I’m not sticking needles in my arm or sleeping on the streets, or stealing to feed the habit. I’m not one of those.Carla has just moved to London and starts at yet another new school; she is desperate to fit in... -
Save Steve by Jenni Hendriks, Ted Caplan
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan, authors of Unpregnant— now a movie streaming on HBO Max, starring Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira—comes a twist on the cancer love story that’s dark humor mixed with quirky fun. Think Dirty Rotten Scoundrels meets The Fault in Our Stars . Named a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee! "This book is packed with humor...Categorized as:
humor realistic high-school friendship coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary -
Breaking Rank by Kristen D. Randle
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Casey Willardson is assigned to tutor Thomas Fairbairn also known as Baby she approaches her task with great trepidation. Baby is a member of the Clan, a mysterious group of young men who do not talk to outsiders or participate in school. Baby and Casey's relationship is awkward at first, but soon they turn to each other... -
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSophomore year, Nicolette Antonovich was dumped two days before prom by the hottest guy at school. As a result, she became the proud owner of one unworn, perfectly magical pink vintage dress. But Nic is determined to put that night behind her for good. She's a junior now— older, wiser, and completely overwhelmed by a new set of problems: (1) The bank's ready to foreclose on her childhood home...
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