Books like 'Darkness Before Dawn'
Readers who enjoyed Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon M. Draper also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance action / adventure realistic drama friendship poc-mc coming-of-age teens high-school
-
Dear Pen Pal by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe third book in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick follows the girls for a new year of humor and friendship... -
![Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer, Z Brewer]()
Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer, Z Brewer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThings have taken a darker turn for the half-human teenager with an appetite for blood. Joss, a vampire slayer and Vlad's former friend, has moved back to Bathory. A mysterious and powerful new vampire, Dorian, appears with a shocking secret and an overwhelming desire to drink Vlad's blood. And Vlad's arch enemy, D'Ablo, has a sinister plan to eliminate Vlad once and for all... -
![Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield]()
Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJune's life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one—and a secret one. She is trapped like a butterfly in a net. But then June meets Blister, a boy in the woods. In him she recognises the tiniest glimmer of hope that perhaps she can find a way to fly far, far away from her home and be free. Because every creature in this world deserves their freedom.. -
![A Gallagher Wedding by Ally Carter]()
A Gallagher Wedding by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure boarding-school book -
-
![Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez, Sol Madariaga]()
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez, Sol Madariaga
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life... -
![Broken Heir by Amber Vant]()
Broken Heir by Amber Vant
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsMy once perfectly orchestrated kingdom is crumbling and it’s all because of her. Rory may have disappeared, but like a flame, light will always shine brighter in darkness.She grew up believing she only ever had herself, and maybe at one time that was true, but not anymore. She’s one of us now. I may be on the outs with the hellhounds but that doesn’t mean she’s allowed the same generosity...Categorized as:
high-school dark friendship coming-of-age new-adult sports contemporary enemies-to-lovers -
![Perfect by Cecelia Ahern]()
Perfect by Cecelia Ahern
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCelestine North is Flawed.Ever since Judge Crevan declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing... -
![On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta]()
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsI'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago... -
![Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles]()
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsCarlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path-just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord... -
![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... -
![Picture Perfect by Holly Smale]()
Picture Perfect by Holly Smale
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek." It's the hilarious third book in the No.1 bestselling, award winning GEEK GIRL series! Harriet Manners knows more facts that most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook -
![Flawed by Cecelia Ahern]()
Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsYou will be punished…Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded... -
![Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson]()
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsIt was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.Dance until dawn? Sure...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic teens 21st-century action-adventure -
![All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven]()
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsThe Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning! Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him... -
-
![The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby]()
The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGirl Online meets Wild in this emotionally charged story of girl who takes to the wilderness to rediscover herself and escape the superficial persona she created on social media.Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary -
![Turning the Page by Katrina Abbott]()
Turning the Page by Katrina Abbott
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCelia Thomas should be living a charmed life; as the niece of Hollywood's current it guy, whose whole family is on the payroll, she doesn't have to worry about money or future job prospects. Except maybe she doesn't want to go into the family business... -
![Kidnap My Heart by Alexandria Michelle]()
Kidnap My Heart by Alexandria Michelle
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEmma van der Bilt is clever, snarky, and spoiled rotten. William Knight is cocky, impatient, and slightly dimwitted... -
![Collateral Damage by Katie Klein]()
Collateral Damage by Katie Klein
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTrue love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Parker pretending not to care. . . . Parker Whalen and Jaden McEntyre are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary fiction -
![Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli]()
Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAudrey Lee is going to the Olympics.A year ago, she could barely do a push up as she recovered from a spine surgery, one that could have paralyzed her. And now? She's made the United States' gymnastics team with her best friend, Emma, just like they both dreamed about since they were kids. She's on top of the world... -
![Taking Flight by Adrian R. Magnuson]()
Taking Flight by Adrian R. Magnuson
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJeremy Walsh’s parents assume he’s been abducted by the elderly man he met on a cross-country flight, but it’s the other way around... -
![Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly]()
Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“How do you like life in the fast lane?” Digby said. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”Good question.Achieving high school “normal” wasn’t as hard as Zoe Webster expected, but she’s beginning to think Hollywood oversold how much fun it all is...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook -
![A French Girl in New York by Anna Adams]()
A French Girl in New York by Anna Adams
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMaude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the north of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt... -
![Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita]()
Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
![Right Behind You by Gail Giles]()
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret... -
-
![Jackpot by Nic Stone]()
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin --which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school poc-mc realistic action-adventure audiobook black-mc -
![Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin]()
Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic action-adventure book contemporary family -
![From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller]()
From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.” "Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?” For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning... -
![How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles]()
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMoshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home... -
![My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga]()
My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness... -
![Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman]()
Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school poc-mc realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
![My Double Life by Janette Rallison]()
My Double Life by Janette Rallison
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHer whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia's photo filters through the Internet, she's offered a job to be Kari's double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia's mother has always warned her against celebrities. Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life... -
![The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder]()
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOne moment can change everything.Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure adaptations -
![He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott]()
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAlly Ryan, come on down to the Jersey Shore and forget your troubles! Have you recently been humilated in front of your friends and family at your former best friends birthday party? Was your almost boyfriend partly responsible for that humilation by withholding some vital information about where your estrangerd father is? Did you come home to find said estranged father sitting on your... -
![Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez]()
Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJason Carrillo came out to his basketball team senior year and lost his university scholarship. Now, with graduation behind him and summer ending, he's asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school across the country...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school poc-mc realistic action-adventure audiobook -
-
![52赫茲的鯨魚們 by Sonoko Machida, 町田苑香]()
52赫茲的鯨魚們 by Sonoko Machida, 町田苑香
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings52赫茲的鯨魚，是世界上最孤獨的鯨魚。其他鯨魚無法接收到牠發出的高頻率叫聲。雖然有很多同伴，但其他同伴聽不到牠的呼喚，牠也聽不到其他同伴的聲音。就像總是無比孤單、無人理解，無人在乎的我一樣⋯⋯ 沒有人能理解、無法將內心呼喊、求救傳達出去的你，並不孤單。「我會傾聽你那無法傳達給任何人的52赫茲的聲音。」 日本九州一處偏遠的海邊小鎮。斷絕所有一切，獨自移居此地的貴瑚，在某個下雨天遇到了跟自己一樣散發孤單感的一名少年。 他身上有和我相同的氣味。那是沒有父母關愛的孤獨氣味。這種氣味很棘手，無論再怎麼仔細清洗都洗不掉。孤獨的氣味不是滲進皮膚或是肌肉，而是滲進內心。 她彷彿從少年身上看見當年的自己──悲慘、絕望、被踐踏、了無生趣。當時的貴瑚遇見了這世上唯一能聽到她求救呼喊的人，她才得以倖存。如今，貴瑚想要對少年伸出援手……... -
![The Secret Language of Sisters by Luanne Rice]()
The Secret Language of Sisters by Luanne Rice
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Ruth Ann (Roo) McCabe responds to a text message while she's driving, her life as she knows it ends. The car flips, and Roo winds up in a hospital bed, paralyzed. Silent. Everyone thinks she's in a coma, but Roo has locked-in syndrome -- she can see and hear and understand everything around her, but no one knows it. She's trapped inside her own body, screaming to be heard...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook -
![The Rules for Breaking by Ashley Elston]()
The Rules for Breaking by Ashley Elston
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWho do you trust when no one is what they seem? The gripping sequel to contemporary, romantic YA thriller, The Rules for Disappearing.Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom.But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down... -
![Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo]()
Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHand this utterly unique contemporary YA to anyone who loves ballet or is a little too wrapped up in their Plan A. (It's okay to fail, people!) Harper had a plan. It went south. Harper Scott is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas... -
![Top of the Feud Chain by Lisi Harrison]()
Top of the Feud Chain by Lisi Harrison
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAlpha Academy: Where betas get booted. Eccentric billionaire Shira Brazille founded the super-exclusive Alpha Academy on exotic Alpha Island to nurture the next generation of exceptional dancers, writes, musicians, and inventors. It' s a dream come true for one hundred lucky girls, but those not measuring up can be sent home at any time, for any reason... -
![One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank]()
One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMost teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
![Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez]()
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBooksmart meets Never Have I Ever in this Latinx road trip adventure—a big-hearted, voice-driven YA about two sisters who couldn’t be more different, but become begrudging partners on their school’s cross-country college trip—from debut author Angela Velez. Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age high-school poc-mc friendship romance young-adult contemporary -
![The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder]()
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook -
![Taken by the Sheikh by Kris Pearson]()
Taken by the Sheikh by Kris Pearson
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAbducted. Seduced. Purring. Laurel de Courcey is captured by terrorists, chained up in a disgusting bunker, and ransomed for a video demand which is shown world-wide. Ooops - wrong hostage! Who'd expect a shy Kiwi nanny to be worth anything? Laurel's soon tied up in Sheikh Rafiq's bed instead, because he rescues her and appoints himself her personal bodyguard. Very personal...Categorized as:
coming-of-age poc-mc action-adventure adult anthologies contemporary fiction romance -
![All Mates Together by Cathy Hopkins]()
All Mates Together by Cathy Hopkins
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEverything's about to change for Cat. She's moving house, so she'll have a room of her own at last, and her dad's about to marry Jen, which means a shopping trip to London and a chance to meet up with her new mates, Nesta, Lucy, Izzie and TJ, as well as see Jamie. But nothing goes as expected -- Cat's dream room looks like a non-starter, Jamie does a disappearing act, and wedding plans fall apart... -
-
![Aftershocks by Marisa Reichardt]()
Aftershocks by Marisa Reichardt
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits California, Ruby is trapped in a laundromat with Charlie, a boy she had her first conversation with only moments before. She can’t see anything beyond the rubble that she’s trapped beneath, but she’s sure someone will come save them soon. As the hours and days tick by, Ruby and Charlie struggle to stay hopeful—and stay alive... -
![We Are All We Have by Marina Budhos]()
We Are All We Have by Marina Budhos
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen a teenage girl’s single mom is taken by ICE, everything changes—all of her hopes and dreams for the future have turned into survival. There’s a knock at the door.It’s the police.They’re taking Rania’s mom. Seventeen-year-old Rania doesn’t understand why—they’ve done all the right things, haven’t they? Her mom said their case with immigration was fine... -
![The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne]()
The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy... -
![The Infinite Pieces of Us by Rebekah Crane]()
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
![Swim the Fly by Don Calame]()
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship high-school realistic teens action-adventure audiobook book -
![North of Beautiful by Justina Chen]()
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAs he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face? It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper. She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
