Books like 'Are You Alone on Purpose?'
Readers who enjoyed Are You Alone on Purpose? by Nancy Werlin also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic sad loner-mc bullying friendship
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The Last Song: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack by Hal Leonard Corporation
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsNote: this is a book of musical scores.PVG Licensed Art & Soundtrack14 songs from the hit movie adapted from Nicholas Sparks' bestselling book and starring Miley Cyrus... -
Always You by Belle Brooks, Karen Harper
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“I will breathe for you.” Some people’s bodies are built to run marathons. Others to lift and labour. And some are made so graceful their footsteps are barely heard. My body was built to be a vessel. It was Always You. Maybelline Connors knows stars are not always as faultless as they appear... -
F.A.I.T.H. by Jo P.R.
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"I was broken. Nothing, no one could fix me. Until you came into my life again. I wish I had gone with you that day instead of him. Because, now I can't imagine how I spent the previous years of my life without you by my side. You are my savior. You showed me that its okay to be broken and you showed me that I wasn't alone. You were with me. i love you for that. But I hate that I love you... -
The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's been three months since The Night on the Bathroom Floor--when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself. Ever since then, Lily has been desperately trying to keep things together, for herself and for her family. But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program and it is becoming harder for Lily to ignore all of the feelings she's been trying to outrun... -
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The Good, The Bad, And The Bullied by Rubix Cube 89201
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"It's quite simple really," Bennett told me."You'll be our good girl," Declan said.Jordan smiled. "And we'll be your bad boys."I was silent for a moment. I looked at them, at the contract, and back at them. Then I calmly put the papers back on the table. I looked at the three of them and slowly rose from my seat... -
Differently Normal by Tammy Robinson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery family has its issues. For Maddy, life is all about routine. It has to be, to keep her autistic sister happy and healthy. With just Maddy and her mother as Bee’s full time carers, there’s no time in Maddy’s life for complications like friends, let alone a boyfriend... -
The Day After Forever by Erin Skiffington
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Day After Forever is an emotional story centering around four teenagers who discover and demostrate the true meaning of friendship. It illustrates the agony surroundingf horrific events and how friendship will always stand strong against the circumstances. Jeff has leukemia... -
A Hundred and One Reasons by Bianca Salindong
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThere are still many things Ann needed to know, to explore and live the life she'd always imagined. But everything turned upside down when she learned that she is sick. Not cough and colds sick. No, something much complicated than that. Ann decides that she'd rather fight when she knows she had no chances of winning... -
The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Catherine Pulaski knows Zero is coming for her. Zero, the devastating depression born of Catherine’s bipolar disorder, almost triumphed once; that was her first suicide attempt.Being bipolar is forever. It never goes away. The med du jour might work right now, but Zero will be back for her. It’s only a matter of time... -
How to Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsVicky Decker has perfected the art of hiding in plain sight, quietly navigating the halls of her high school undetected except by her best (and only) friend, Jenna. But when Jenna moves away, Vicky’s isolation becomes unbearable.So she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other people’s pictures, posting them on Instagram under the screen name Vicurious... -
We, The Wildflowers by L.B. Simmons
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Their strength and ferocity stem from below the surface where their roots are forever tangled, interwoven in such a way that for the remainder of time they bloom together …”GenesisAdamChloeLukasNo one loves them, no one cares about them, no one even sees them until they end up in Mary Rodriguez’s home, an outpost for Sacred Heart’s troubled youth program... -
True Love: Three Novels by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLove, romance, and friendship abound in this three-in-one omnibus edition of Lurlene McDaniel's bestselling inspirational young adult novels, all of which explore the timeless question "Can love survive, now and forever?" I'll Be Seeing You Carley Mattea never expected to become friends with a boy as handsome as Kyle Westin—especially not in the hospital... -
Reach for Tomorrow by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsKatie O'Roark is thrilled to learn that Jenny House is being rebuilt. After the fire last year, Katie thought she could never return to the camp, where she spent the summers with teens like her who faced medical odds stacked against them. But thanks to Richard Holloway's efforts, Katie and her longtime friends Lacey and Chelsea will work as counselors once again... -
Because of Him by Jessica Roe
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBlair Ackerman is a girl with crazy hair and a bad attitude. She's a girl who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She's a girl with only a duffel bag and a car named Nancy to her name, and that's okay by her. She's tough because she has to be. Nobody gets inside her head, nobody gets inside her heart. Silver is everything she's never wanted... -
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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... -
Everybody Bugs Out by Leslie Margolis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnnabelle has tamed the wild boys and catty girls of middle school. Now it's time for her first school dance! A couple of Annabelle's friends already have dates and she would like one, too. Better yet, she finally has a crush on someone-Oliver. The problem? Claire also likes him, and she's called dibs... -
Accidentally Fooled by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeventh grader Amy Flowers is finally making her mark at ultra-exclusive Allington Academy, but there's always one thing standing in her way: the League. They rule the school, and their queen is oh-so-mean Fiona, who doesn't exactly appreciate a new girl invading her turf. This time, Amy's stuck working on a service project with Fiona and preppie know-it-all Preston... -
Forget Me Not by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWilla returns in this new stand-alone novel in the WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER series. Willa returns in this new adventure for the tween set! It is summer on Cape Cod, where Willa Havisham and Joey Kennelly are enjoying their status as most compatible couple... -
A Season for Goodbye by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTogether again. It's been a year since Katie O'Roark, Chelsea James, and Lacey Duval shared a special summer at Jenny House. The girls have each spent the year struggling to fit into the world of the healthy. Now they're back, this time as "big sisters" to a new group of girls who also face life-threatening illnesses... -
Letting Go of Lisa by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNathan Malone has been homeschooled his whole life. He’s never spent much time with kids his own age and he’s never dated. His mother is now busy with his new twin sisters, so Nathan must enroll at the local high school for his senior year. On the first day, a girl on a motorcycle catches his eye and Nathan is excited to discover the girl is also in his English class... -
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... -
True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIf you asked anyone in his small Vermont town, they'd tell you the facts: James Liddell, star athlete, decent student and sort-of boyfriend to cute, peppy Theresa, is a happy, funny, carefree guy.But whenever James sits down at his desk to write, he tells a different story... -
Sealed with a Kiss by Sarra Manning
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWill a lengthy road trip test Edie and Dylan's hard-won couplehood to the breaking point?Edie and Dylan have been dreaming about their road trip across America forever, but nine weeks in a car together is going to be a huge test for them...Categorized as:
friendship realistic book contemporary fiction high-school womens-fiction young-adult -
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... -
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The Ivy: Rivals by Lauren Kunze, Rina Onur
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDecisions, decisions . . . You've survived your first semester and captured the interest of not one but two of the hottest guys on campus... -
The Swift Boys & Me by Kody Keplinger
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNola Sutton has been best friends and neighbors with the Swift boys for practically her whole life. There’s the youngest, Kevin, who never stops talking; the oldest, Brian, who’s always kind and calm; and then there’s Canaan, the ringleader and Nola’s best-best friend. Nola can’t imagine her life without the Swift boys — they’ll always be like this, always be friends... -
Letting Go of Gravity by Meg Leder
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwins Parker and Charlie are polar opposites.Where Charlie is fearless, Parker is careful.Charlie is confident while Parker aims to please.Charlie is outgoing and outspoken; Parker is introverted and reserved.And of course, there’s the one other major difference: Charlie got leukemia. Parker didn’t.But now that Charlie is officially in remission, life couldn’t be going better for Parker... -
K-Pop Revolution by Stephan Lee
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe thought that debuting in a K-Pop band was the finish line, but it was only the beginning. Because now it’s not only Candace's company judging her—it’s the entire world. How will she find the courage to stand by her beliefs, even when powerful forces are trying to shame and silence her...In the sequel to K-Pop Confidential, Candace is a Rookie idol... -
How We Roll by Natasha Friend
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA gentle young adult romance for fans of Sarah Dessen about two teens, each of whom has lost something irreplaceable, finding one another.Quinn is a teen who loves her family, skateboarding, basketball, and her friends, but after she's diagnosed with a condition called alopecia which causes her to lose all of her hair, her friends abandon her... -
The Girl Next Door by Selene Castrovilla
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn The Girl Next Door, two teens are forced to make some very grown-up decisions when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Seventeen year old Samantha has been best friends with seventeen year old Jesse since she moved into the New York high-rise apartment next door to his thirteen years ago... -
Cupcake by Cookie O'Gorman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI know what you're thinking.You're thinking this will be just one more story of the ignored, "big-boned " girl, who sheds her glasses and a few extra pounds and finally attracts the notice of the most popular guy in school.Except it isn't. Because I'm not unpopular. Not all that ignored. And I love the way I look―just as I am.Then someone puts my name in for Homecoming Court...Categorized as:
realistic friendship bullying romance young-adult contemporary high-school mental-illness -
Roam by C.H. Armstrong
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeventeen year-old Abby Lunde and her family are living on the streets. They had a normal life back in Omaha, but thanks to her mother’s awful mistake, they had to leave what little they had behind for a new start in Rochester. Abby tries to be an average teenager—fitting into school, buoyed by dreams of a boyfriend, college, and a career in music... -
Radiate by Marley Gibson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHayley Matthews is determined to be the best cheerleader she can. She works hard and pushes herself 110% all the time. Then Hayley finds a lump on her leg. The diagnosis is cancer. The prognosis is unclear. She could lose her leg. Or maybe her life. At first Hayley is scared, terrified. In an instant, everything she’s worked for seems out of reach. But Hayley is strong... -
The Girl He Left Behind by Tahlie Purvis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStacey Williams had always loved Axel Teller.But he had paid her no mind. She wanted more than the meaningless flings they had. She wanted her love to be returned. She wanted to be loved back.She did everything to get his attention. She had one-night stands with countless boys - throwing away her innocence - and tearing apart her reputation.All for him... -
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Falling for the Foe by Milla Holt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe can't stand him. He blames her for his company's woes. Now, they have to work together.Nia has devoted her career to fighting for life-saving medicines for Ugandans with HIV. But when first-line treatments begin to fail, she must find a new source of affordable drugs before patients start to die... -
Robyn by Jade Parker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA funny, sweet trilogy about three girls and the friendship and romance they find working summer jobs at a water park! Caitlin and Robyn, long time best friends, get summer jobs together working at The Splash, the local water park. While Caitlin gets to be a lifeguard, Robyn is stuck pushing little kids in inner tubes down a slide... -
Drawn That Way by Elissa Sussman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Packs a swoony punch along with its feminist rage.” —Maurene Goo, author of Somewhere Only We KnowMoxie meets the world of animation in this fresh, unputdownable novel about a teen girl determined to prove herself in the boys’ club of her dream industry no matter what it takes... -
grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity... -
With or Without You by Brian Farrey
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEighteen-year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik - whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year. Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status... -
Star-Crossed by Mimi McCoy
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA sweet new addition to the hit Candy Apple line! Will Abby's horoscope make her superstitious, or will she take fate into her own hands?A fabulous new title from Mimi McCoy, author of Candy Apple's debut title!Abby has it all together: she gets straight A's, she's a star on her junior high track team, and she's 7th grade class vice president... -
Fall From Love by Heather London
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStruggling to put her life back together after a tragic mountaineering accident kills her college sweetheart, twenty-one-year-old Holly Treadwell is trying to set aside her grief, forge ahead in school, and find herself again.When Carter Hansen, a guy who brings back horrible memories from the night of the accident, finds his way back into her life, Holly’s unsure if she should let him in... -
Zoey Fools Around by Katherine Applegate
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThey've all grown up together on a tiny island. They think they know everything about one another. . .but they're only just beginning to find out the truth,and it turns their world upside down. New couples are formed, friends become enemies, and secrets and unearthed. . . Katherine Applegate is the author of the hugely popular series as well as many other books for young readers...Categorized as:
friendship realistic book contemporary female-author fiction high-school young-adult -
The Color Project by Sierra Abrams
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBernice Aurora Wescott has one thing she doesn't want anyone to know: her name. That is, until Bee meets Levi, the local golden boy who runs a charity organization called The Color Project. Levi is not at all shy about attempting to guess Bee’s real name; his persistence is one of the many reasons why Bee falls for him... -
Private Label by Kelly Yang
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang delivers a heartfelt and powerful YA romance about a Chinese American girl who gets help from the new boy in town to search for her dad after her successful fashion designer mother is diagnosed with cancer.Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom’s, but for now she’s an intern at her mom’s fashion label... -
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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... -
Frosted Kisses by Heather Hepler
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA delicious follow-up to Heather Hepler's smash hit The Cupcake Queen!Former Manhattan girl Penny has quickly discovered that life in a small town is never dull. Not when there's a festival for every occasion, a Queen Bee to deal with, an animal shelter to save, and a cute boy to crush on.There's a new girl in town: Esmeralda...Categorized as:
friendship realistic book contemporary fiction middle-grade womens-fiction young-adult -
Water Balloon by Audrey Vernick
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMarley’s life is as precarious as an overfull water balloon—one false move and everything will burst. Her best friends are pulling away from her, and her parents, newly separated, have decided she should spend the summer with her dad in his new house, with a job she didn’t ask for and certainly doesn’t want. On the upside is a cute boy who loves dogs as much as Marley does . . -
A Shattered Moment by Tiffany King
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the new series by Tiffany King, the USA Today bestselling author of the Woodfalls Girls novels, six friends—fresh from high school graduation—discover that the future can come at you from out of nowhere. This is Mackenzie’s story… Mackenzie Wilson once had hope for what life had to offer, but everything changed on the night of her graduation... -
Unexpected by Karen Tuft
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEleven years ago, Ross McConnell was devastated by the betrayal of the woman of his dreams. Time does not heal all wounds, and after more than a decade, Ross is no closer to finding love. When his well-meaning family attempts to play matchmaker, he concedes by creating a list detailing his perfect mate: A member of the Church. Beauty-queen looks. College educated. Never married... -
The Sound of Your Voice, Only Really Far Away by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the conclusion to the bestselling Secret Language of Girls trilogy, Marylin and Kate find that boys can be just as complicated as friendship. Marylin knows that, as a middle school cheerleader, she has certain obligations. She has to smile as she walks down the hall, be friends with the right people, and keep her manicure in tip-top shape...
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