Books like 'Smile'
Readers who enjoyed Smile by Roddy Doyle also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery literary-fiction unreliable-narrator suspense realistic coming-of-age family friendship
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Finding Billie Romano by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsUSA Today bestselling author wants to take you to Ireland for a story that will leave you wanting more long after you turn the last page... Twenty-five year old Billie Romano is struggling. She is grieving the death of her beloved dad and nothing in her life is going right... -
Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRaymond Jaffe feels like he doesn't belong. Not with his mother's new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father's wife. Not at school, where he's an outcast...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction realistic audiobook book contemporary -
Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe kids and teacher of Because of Mr. Terupt are back in this warm-hearted sequel.Fifth-grade was full of unforgettable events for Mr. Terupt and his class at Snow Hill School. Seven students were particularly affected by Mr. Terupt... -
Hidden Valley by Annie Seaton
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHappily working on her family’s macadamia farm in the rolling hills of northern New South Wales, Dee Peters receives an enigmatic letter hinting of family secrets, and the prospect of her inheriting a cattle station in the Northern Territory outback... -
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Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde returns with an unforgettable story of courage. Seventeen-year-old Ethan Underwood is totally unprepared to search for his father in the Blythe River National Wilderness. Not only is he small, scrawny, and skittish but he’s barely speaking to the man after a traumatic betrayal...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction suspense action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAn Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a gripping and emotional novel about friendship, motherhood, and the journey toward finding a place to call home.Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta... -
Invisible Girl by Jill Childs
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA heartbreaking story of family secrets from the USA Today bestselling author of Gracie’s Secret. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.I know you. I know you in a way you can’t even imagine. I have been searching for you in the years since you wrote that letter – the letter that told me you were looking for me too... -
The Walk On by John Feinstein
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBestselling sportswriter John Feinstein kicks off a new series for middle grade featuring Alex Myers, a student athlete who tries to take on the sports establishment in his new town. Alex Myers is a quarterback, but from the first day of football practice, it’s clear that that position is very much filled by the coach’s son, Matt... -
Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“It’s the vivid, insightful depiction of Sara’s internal struggles that readers will remember.” — BooklistIn this prequel to the Edgar Award–winning OCDaniel , fan-favorite Sara quests for “normal” and finds something even better along the way.Sara’s Rules to Be Normal1. Stop taking your pills19. Make a friend137. Don’t put mayonnaise on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...Categorized as:
realistic family friendship coming-of-age mental-illness middle-grade fiction young-adult -
The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA charming, uplifting debut novel—full of humor and depth—that has taken readers around the world by surprise. Everyone has a story to tell. But does Janice have the power to unlock her own?She can’t recall what started her collection... -
The Baltimore Boys by Joël Dicker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSwiss Sensation Joel Dicker's compulsive follow-up to the phenomenally bestselling The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair... -
Misty Lake in Focus by Margaret Standafer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor Cassie Papadakis, a lonely childhood inevitably led to a lonely life. Trusting no one, she threw herself into her work and avoided relationships at all costs. Until she met Frank McCabe and everything changed. Two weeks with him taught her what happiness was. But then, in an instant, her world was shattered. Frank never understood why Cassie disappeared so suddenly from his life... -
What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree secrets. One decision. A friendship that will change everything.Mellie has always been the reliable friend, the good student, the doting daughter. But when an unspeakable act leads her to withdraw from everyone she loves, she is faced with a life-altering choice―a choice she must face alone.Lise stands up―and speaks out―for what she believes in... -
The Son-in-Law by Charity Norman
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn a sharp winter's morning, a man turns his back on prison. Joseph Scott has served his term. He's lost almost everything: his career as a teacher, his wife, the future he'd envisaged. All he has left are his three children but he is not allowed anywhere near them.This is the story of Joseph, who killed his wife, Zoe. Of their three children who witnessed the event... -
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92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber, Sandra Burr
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsOlivia Lockhart-GriffinCedar Cove, WashingtonDear Listener,I'm sorry to say that our good sheriff, Troy Davis, has suffered a disappointment in love. He was hoping to marry his onetime girlfriend, Faith Beckwith, who recently moved back to town. Well, the latest is that Faith ended the relationship last month, even though both of them are widowed and available...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction realistic suspense adult anthologies -
74 Seaside Avenue. Debbie Macomber by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDear Reader, I'm living a life I couldn't even have "dreamed" of a few years ago. I'm married to Bobby Polgar now (you know, the famous chess champion who just happens to be the man I love ). And we've got this beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound.But lately something's been worrying Bobby... -
8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratings8 SANDPIPER WAYCEDAR COVE, WASHINGTONDEAR READER:I have something to confide in you. I think my husband, Dave, might be having an affair. I found an earring in his pocket, and it's not mine. I'm also worried because some jewelry was recently stolen from an old woman --- and Dave used to visit her a lot.You see, he's a pastor. And a good man... -
Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThree estranged sisters reconnect in their Louisiana hometown to face an unresolved past in a heartfelt novel about family, grief, secrets, and forgiveness.Savannah was four years old when her twin sister, Georgia, went missing from their small Louisiana town, fracturing their family...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction suspense friendship coming-of-age fiction mystery contemporary -
The Rise by Shari King, Shari Low
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen we bury our secrets, they always come back to haunt us...Their rise was meteoric.Only a few years before, they had been three friends from Glasgow, just trying to survive tough lives of danger and dysfunction.But on one Hollywood evening in 1993, they were on the world’s biggest stage, accepting their Oscar in front of the watching world.That night was the beginning of their careers... -
Ripley: Lost in a Sea of Secrets: A lost love, second chance novel by Jacqui Penn
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA secret. A suspicion. A shattered heart. Ripley Bradford’s world is torn apart. Her lover and best friend, Joe, has mysteriously disappeared without trace, and everything points to her father, who she suspects has been involved in foul-play in the past. Years pass, and with the realisation that Joe is gone forever, Ripley marries... -
Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives... -
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhere Luck Meets Trust, Miracles Can Happen... Christy Haviland served eight months in prison, giving birth behind bars to the child of the man who put her there and might yet destroy her. Now she's free again, but what does that mean? As smart as she is, a learning disability has kept her from learning to read. And that's the least of her hurdles... -
Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“Tragedy and blessing. Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart.”Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother’s abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction realistic suspense audiobook book contemporary -
The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCan one chance meeting change the course of your life? When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own...Categorized as:
friendship realistic family literary-fiction romance fiction contemporary womens-fiction -
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Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe first novel in ten years from award-winning, million-copy bestselling author Leif Enger, Virgil Wander is an enchanting and timeless all-American story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart.Midwestern movie house owner Virgil Wander is "cruising along at medium altitude" when his car flies off the road into icy Lake Superior... -
The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsShe thought she knew her best friend…She was wrong.The weatherworn cottage Clachan has always been Jo Wilding’s sanctuary, a blissful escape from her tumultuous home life... -
Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt’s the phone call every parent dreads: in the middle of the night, Sandy Cline learns that her twenty-year-old son, Jordan, has been in a car accident. Her nephew, Travis, was also in the car, along with Travis’s girlfriend. All three are alive—but barely. The car was smashed against a tree along a remote and winding road, beautiful but deadly, in their rural Texas Hill Country town... -
The River Home by Hannah Richell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom beloved international bestselling author Hannah Richell comes a spellbinding novel about the secrets brought to the surface when a large family gathers for a wedding... -
Looking for Clara by Simona Grossi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsClara is a successful lawyer in L.A. She moved to the West Coast after graduating from law school, leaving behind William, her best friend or more than that. Before she even settles in L.A., her law firm sends her to Siena, Italy, to work on a project for at least six months. This is the original plan. Once in Siena, though, Clara's life takes unexpected turns...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction friendship romance contemporary fiction mystery -
When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsDear Luke,First let me say—I love you... I didn’t want to leave you... Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone... -
When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWhile duck hunting one morning, childless, middle-aged Nathan McCann finds a newborn abandoned in the woods. To his shock, the child—wrapped in a sweater and wearing a tiny knitted hat—is still alive. To his wife’s shock, Nathan wants to adopt the boy…but the child’s grandmother steps in...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction realistic audiobook book contemporary -
Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll-access doesn't mean no problems. The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves... -
The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana: A Novel by Jennifer Banash
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn electrifying novel about a woman in thrall to the exhilarating rhythms of Manhattan, lost in the dizzying promise of youth, and fatally naive to the dark pressures of fame.When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem, Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé... -
Boys Against Girls by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAbaguchie mania! Caroline Malloy thrills when Wally Hatford tells her that a strange animal called the abaguchie was spotted in their area. Wally warns Caroline not to search alone, but she is bent on finding the abaguchie. Wally and his brothers try to foil the plan, but Caroline and her sisters plan to outfox them once and for all... -
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Second Chances by Christine Kersey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSecond Chances is the sequel to Over You . This book descriptions contains spoilers for Over You . After surviving an attack by a madman, Jessica's terror turns to joy when Kyle admits that he never stopped loving her after breaking their engagement five years before... -
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the beloved author of the triumphant New York Times bestseller Ask Again, Yes comes a magnificently told novel about the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire.Malcolm Gephardt, the handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss is finally ready to retire, Malcolm is inspired to buy the place...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction adult book contemporary fiction historical-fiction -
Mission Superstar (A Movie Star Romance) by M.V. Kasi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA charming, cocky movie star... a beautiful, kick-ass cop... an inevitable hot, action-packed mission... DJ was one of the biggest movie stars with die-hard fans all over the world. He was dubbed as Mr. Perfectionist for the effort he put in while preparing for a role. When his upcoming movie required him to play the lead role of a police officer, DJ readied himself for research... -
True to Form by Elizabeth Berg
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn her 10th novel, True to Form, Elizabeth Berg finds her way into the year 1961 and into the head of 13-year-old Katie Nash at the start of her summer vacation. Katie's world is smooth and easy with endless possibilities and sunshine...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction realistic audiobook book contemporary -
I Am No One You Know by Joyce Carol Oates
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI Am No One You Know contains nineteen startling stories that bear witness to the remarkably varied lives of Americans of our time. In "Fire," a troubled young wife discovers a rare, radiant happiness in an adulterous relationship. In "Curly Red," a girl makes a decision to reveal a family secret, and changes her life irrevocably...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction realistic adult anthologies contemporary female-author fiction -
The Incredible Life of Jonathan Doe by Carol Coffey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBrendan Martin is an American-born loner raised in Ireland by his silent, embittered mother before escaping back to New York, where he lives and works each day in blissful isolation in the crowded city. Brendan spends his days happily labouring on building sites and his evenings drinking alone in bars and hooking up with a constant stream of one-night stands...Categorized as:
family coming-of-age literary-fiction mystery fiction historical-fiction contemporary female-mc -
On Little Wings by Regina Sirois
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a story of the countless ways we get love wrong. And why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right. Jennifer must do the impossible – bring her mother home. When a family is torn apart by death, two sisters take violently divergent paths and the story of their family appears to end terribly and abruptly... -
The Choice by Susan Lewis
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSometimes the choice is too hard to bear...Nikki Grant is only twenty-one when she discovers she's pregnant. Despite her parents' disappointment and anger, she welcomes the news with joy. The baby will complete the happy home she shares with the man she adores, Spencer James. Baby Zac arrives and is perfect in every way... -
Stonebrook Cottage by Carla Neggers
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKara Galway thought moving home to Texas after years in New England would put her life back in perspective. An up-and-coming defense attorney, she intends to concentrate on her career and on spending time with her Texas Ranger brother, Jack, and his wife, Susanna. But fate has something else in store... -
The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA sharp and romantic novel about two suburban teens who can’t sleep uncovering the secrets of their neighborhood by night. Think The Summer I Turned Pretty with flashes of Rear Window!When seventeen-year-old competitive diver Ingrid freezes up and sustains a head injury at a routine meet, her orderly life is turned upside down...Categorized as:
realistic literary-fiction coming-of-age suspense family romance young-adult contemporary -
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The Last Piece by Imogen Clark
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA sudden departure. A story decades in the making. The chaotic but happy equilibrium of the Nightingale family is thrown into disarray when Cecily—whose children can’t remember her ever being remotely spontaneous—disappears to a Greek island with no warning or explanation... -
There's No Coming Back from This by Ann Garvin
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“The show must go on” takes on a whole new meaning for one single mom in a witty and emotional novel by the USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.It seems lately that Poppy Lively is invisible to everyone but the IRS... -
White Man's Grave by Richard Dooling
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen Peace Corps volunteer Michael Killigan goes missing in West Africa, his father Randall and his best friend Boone Westfall begin separate quests to find him... -
Allusion by Andi Hyldahl
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery year, an anonymous gift is left on eighteen-year-old Lucy's porch. It’s the only gift she receives all year, and it’s exactly what she needs. This year’s gift exposes hidden clues, untangling the undisclosed fates of her parents. Along the way, she finds Toph, a college athlete who’s easy on the eyes and deems to be more useful than suspected... -
Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsZoe Bennett feels lost at her fancy private school.She's not the star drama queen like her sister, or a brainiac math genius like her brother. Luckily her best friend, Dara, is just as content as Zoe is to stay in the shadows -- or is she? When Dara gets a part in the school musical, Zoe feels abandoned. What's worse, Zoe's practically being stalked by the weird new kid, Lucas...Categorized as:
realistic friendship family coming-of-age middle-grade mystery children-books young-adult -
The Namesake by Steven Parlato
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGifted artist? Standout student? All his teachers are sure certain that Evan Galloway can be the graduate who brings glory to small, ordinary St. Sebastian's School. As for Evan, however, he can't be bothered anymore. Since the shock of his young father's suicide last spring, Evan no longer cares about the future. In fact, he believes that he spent the first fifteen years of his life living a lie...Categorized as:
realistic family coming-of-age young-adult contemporary fiction mystery mental-illness
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