Books like 'The Usual Rules'
Readers who enjoyed The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical north-america usa california historical-fiction realistic coming-of-age family grief drama
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Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good . When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer... -
![Watercress by Andrea Wang]()
Watercress by Andrea Wang
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family's Chinese Heritage.Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road... -
![Shipyard Girls in Love by Nancy Revell]()
Shipyard Girls in Love by Nancy Revell
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratings'the author is one to watch' Sun'A riveting read is just what this is in more ways than one.' The Northern Echo'I enjoyed The Shipyard Girls very much indeed . . -
![Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall]()
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall invites readers to peek through windows that shine like real glass on this lavish book’s cover, and explore the dollhouse-like world of a beloved farmhouse where twelve children were born and raised.Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction realistic children-books fiction historical children multigenerational -
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![Shipyard Girls at War by Nancy Revell]()
Shipyard Girls at War by Nancy Revell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1941: It takes strength to work on the docks, but the war demands all hands on deck and the women are doing their best to fill the gap. Rosie is flourishing in her role as head-welder while still keeping her double life a secret. But a dashing detective is forcing Rosie to choose between love and her duty... -
![Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock]()
Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA richly rewarding novel about family bonds, the power of words, and the resilience of mothers and daughters in 1930s Appalachia.The folks in the Kentucky Appalachians are scraping by. Coal mining and hardscrabble know-how are a way of life for these isolated people... -
![Camellia by Lesley Pearse]()
Camellia by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHow far would you go to discover your true identity? Camellia Norton is orphaned at fifteen when her mother's body is fished from a river in rural Sussex. And when she discovers a cache of letters amongst her mother's effects she realises that the past she has always been so sure of has been built on a tissue of lies... -
![The Liverpool Matchgirl by Lyn Andrews]()
The Liverpool Matchgirl by Lyn Andrews
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHE LIVERPOOL MATCHGIRL is a nostalgic and poignant saga of Liverpool in the years before the First World War from bestselling author Lyn Andrews, not to be missed by readers of Donna Douglas and Dilly Court. Liverpool, 1901. The Tempest family is all but destitute, barely able to put food on the table... -
![Tara by Lesley Pearse]()
Tara by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCan you ever be free from the past?In the East End, twelve-year-old Tara witnesses her villain of a father almost kill her mother. She forges a determination then and there to change her life.This is the story of three beautiful and talented women... -
![Body and Soul by Frank Conroy]()
Body and Soul by Frank Conroy
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the dim light of a basement apartment, six-year-old Claude Rawlings sits at an old white piano, picking out the sounds he has heard on the radio and shutting out the reality of his lonely world.The setting is 1940s New York, a city that is "long gone, replaced by another city of the same name... -
![Smiling at Heaven by Karen J. Hasley]()
Smiling at Heaven by Karen J. Hasley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the fall of 1919, Thea Hansen’s world seems to spiral out of control. First, her dearly loved father dies suddenly from the influenza epidemic sweeping across the globe. Then her brother, Lloyd, returns from The Great War transformed into a brooding stranger. Could it get any worse? Yes, indeed... -
![Whistledown Woman by Josephine Cox]()
Whistledown Woman by Josephine Cox
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn 1898, Kathleen Wyman lies in labor at Bessington Hall, her husband Edward sure that she has been unfaithful to him. In his blind, jealous rage, he gives away the baby to gypsy Rona Parrish, summoned to help with the delivery. Kathleen, frenzied with grief, is soon locked away in an asylum... -
![The Magnificent lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki]()
The Magnificent lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAn epic reimagining of the remarkable life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the American heiress and trailblazing leader of the twentieth century, from the New York Times bestselling author of SisiMrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all... -
!['Til Morning Light by Ann Moore]()
'Til Morning Light by Ann Moore
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe crossed an ocean to escape the suffering of famine-torn Ireland. Haunted by loss, but determined to build a life in the New World, Gracelin O'Malley then crosses the country with her young children to accept a San Francisco sea captain's practical proposal of marriage. But when she arrives, he is not there, and the City of Gold is no place for widows and children... -
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![দূরবীন by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay]()
দূরবীন by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsসাপ্তাহিক ‘দেশ’ পত্রিকায় দু-বছরেরও বেশি কাল ধরে ধারাবাহিকভাবে বেরিয়েছিল ‘দূরবীন, শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়ের জোরালো, সংবেদনশীল কলমে অন্যতম মহৎ সৃষ্টি। চলমান শতাব্দীর দুইয়ের দশকের শেষ ভাগ থেকে শুরু করে আটের দশক পর্যন্ত বিস্তৃত সময়ের প্ৰেক্ষাপটে সামাজিক জীবনের যাবতীয় পরিবর্তনকে এক আশ্চর্য কৌতুহলকর বিশাল কাহিনীর মধ্য দিয়ে ধরে রাখার প্রয়াসেরই অভিনন্দিত ফলশ্রুতি ‘দূরবীন উপন্যাস।তিন প্রজন্মের এই... -
![Gabrielle by Marie Laberge]()
Gabrielle by Marie Laberge
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsQuébec, 1930. Gabrielle est mariée avec Edward depuis bientôt dix ans. Entre la maison de l’île d’Orléans et celle de la Grande-Allée, elle mène une vie bien remplie, entourée de ses cinq enfants. De toute évidence, il s’agit d’un mariage heureux. Mais cette chose qui devrait être si simple fait pourtant froncer bien des sourcils dans l’entourage de Gabrielle... -
![Swansea Summer by Catrin Collier]()
Swansea Summer by Catrin Collier
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNewly promoted DI Matt Pryor is disappointed when his first case seems to be a simple death from natural causes - that is, until the post-mortem shows something quite unexpected ... The elderly man who died on a Cardiff train was murdered - poisoned - by one of the other passengers... -
![The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins]()
The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIreland, 1959: Young Christy Hurley is a Pavee gypsy, traveling with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. Christy carries with him a burden of guilt as well, haunted by the story of his mother's death in childbirth. The peripatetic life is the only one Christy has ever known, but when his grandfather dies, everything changes... -
![Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana]()
Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsArmani Curtis can think about only one thing: her tenth birthday. She's having a party, her mama is making a big cake, and she has a good feeling about a certain wrapped box. Turning ten years old is a big deal to Armani. It means she's older, wiser, more responsible... -
![Of Mice and Men by Kevin Hinkle, John Steinbeck]()
Of Mice and Men by Kevin Hinkle, John Steinbeck
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratings...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction realistic book classics fiction historical literary -
![Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson]()
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past—a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake. We can't choose what we inherit...Categorized as:
california coming-of-age drama family grief historical-fiction north-america realistic -
![Gordo by Jaime Cortez]()
Gordo by Jaime Cortez
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first ever collection of short stories by Jaime Cortez, Gordo is set in a migrant workers camp near Watsonville, California in the 1970s. A young, probably gay, boy named Gordo puts on a wrestler's mask and throws fists with a boy in the neighborhood, fighting his own tears as he tries to grow into the idea of manhood so imposed on him by his father...Categorized as:
north-america usa california realistic coming-of-age historical-fiction family fiction -
![Beneficence by Meredith Hall]()
Beneficence by Meredith Hall
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter a sudden and terrible loss, how does a loving family find their way back to the goodness and peace they once shared? Reviewers and readers have called this literary historical novel “hauntingly beautiful,” “a masterpiece of compassion,” “a page-turner and an artistic triumph.”Written by a masterful storyteller, this is a book that illuminates the journey we make through grief to healing... -
![Blood Sisters by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating]()
Blood Sisters by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKenya 1957. During their childhood years in the Kenya Highlands three girls from vastly different backgrounds become blood sisters, promising that nothing will ever destroy the bond between them. But the legacy of the Mau Mau rebellion, and the tensions and upheavals of newly independent Kenya, tear their childhood dreams apart... -
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![The Forbidden by Beverly Lewis]()
The Forbidden by Beverly Lewis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Church Split Has Not Extinguished Their Love, But the Demands of One Man Still Stand in Their Way. Caleb Yoder's father has forbidden him to court Nellie Mae Fisher, but words alone cannot stop Caleb's devotion. Yet if he continues to pursue Nellie, he risks losing everything. Nellie, too, is torn... -
![Call of the Kiwi by Sarah Lark, D.W. Lovett]()
Call of the Kiwi by Sarah Lark, D.W. Lovett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the exhilarating conclusion to the internationally bestselling In the Land of the Long White Cloud trilogy, the spirited Warden and McKenzie clan continues its trials—and triumphs—in New Zealand and beyond... -
![The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell]()
The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings'My father was a millionaire in Shanghai in the 1930s.'Anna Schoene was a golden child. Her parents, Joseph and Genevieve, were rich American expats in Shanghai before the Japanese invaded, before the war intervened. Joseph Schoene had made his fortune living on his wits. He was in love with Shanghai, with China, with the idea of taking risks... -
![All the Children Are Home by Patry Francis]()
All the Children Are Home by Patry Francis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA sweeping saga in the vein of Ask Again, Yes following a foster family through almost a decade of dazzling triumph and wrenching heartbreak—from the author of The Orphans at Race Point... -
![Earl, Honey by D.S. Getson, Denise Getson]()
Earl, Honey by D.S. Getson, Denise Getson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEARL HAHN is slow, the last one to catch on to things. Since the day his father hit him in the head with a two-by-four of loblolly pine, he’s struggled with a “thickness in his brain.” It takes him longer to make the connections others arrive at easily. When his father is prosecuted for the crime of incest, it feels like deliverance for Earl, his mother Lizzie Belle and the entire Hahn family... -
![Outbound Train by Renea Winchester]()
Outbound Train by Renea Winchester
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 1976, memories from a night near the railroad tracks sixteen years earlier haunt Barbara Parker. She wrestles with past demons every night, then wakes to the train’s five-thirty whistle. Exhausted and dreading the day, she keeps her hands busy working in Bryson City’s textile plant, known as the “blue jean plant,” all the while worrying about her teenage daughter, Carole Anne... -
![Indian Paintbrush by John A. Heldt]()
Indian Paintbrush by John A. Heldt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsArizona, December 1943. After surviving perilous six-month journeys to 1889 and 1918, the Carsons, five siblings from the present day, seek a respite in their home state. While Adam and Greg settle down with their Progressive Era brides, Natalie and Caitlin start romances with wartime aviators and Cody befriends a Japanese family in an internment camp...Categorized as:
california coming-of-age family historical-fiction north-america urban usa 20th-century -
![Oh, Kentucky! by Betty Layman Receveur]()
Oh, Kentucky! by Betty Layman Receveur
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSixteen-year-old Kitty Gentry and her family came to Fort Boonesborough to farm the rich land. But when fierce Shawnee attacked the white settlers, the horrified young Kitty was forced to seek refuge within the walls of the fort... -
![Born in a Treacherous time by Jacqui Murray]()
Born in a Treacherous time by Jacqui Murray
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBorn in the harsh world of East Africa 1.8 million years ago, where hunger, death, and predation are a normal part of daily life, Lucy and her band of early humans struggle to survive. It is a time in history when they are relentlessly annihilated by predators, nature, their own people, and the next iteration of man. To make it worse, Lucy’s band hates her... -
![Hannah's Moon by John A. Heldt]()
Hannah's Moon by John A. Heldt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter struggling for years to have a child, Claire Rasmussen, 34, turns to adoption, only to find new obstacles on the path to motherhood. Then she gets an unlikely phone call and soon learns that a distant uncle possesses the secrets of time travel...Categorized as:
california coming-of-age historical-fiction north-america urban usa action-adventure book -
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![Texas Tender by Leigh Greenwood]()
Texas Tender by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe is the most beautiful man Idalou Ellsworth has ever set eyes on. When he appears at her front door, she is struck speechless at the very sight of him. Folks in Dunmore, Texas think her bossy, too focused on rescuing her familyâ��s failing ranch to be interested in courting. But in Willâ��s company, she canâ��t think of anything but him... -
![Saddle The Wind by Jess Foley]()
Saddle The Wind by Jess Foley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLet much loved author Jess Foley sweep you away with this beautifully breathtaking saga of one woman's search for love and fulfilment. Fans of Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Katie Flynn will absolutely love this... -
![A Subtle Grace by Ellen Gable]()
A Subtle Grace by Ellen Gable
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1896, Philadelphia. In this sequel to "In Name Only" (2009 FQP), "A Subtle Grace" continues the story of the wealthy and unconventional O’Donovan Family as they approach the dawn of a new century. (Religious Fiction) At 19, Kathleen (oldest daughter) is unmarried with no prospects. Fearing the lonely fate of an old maid, her impatience leads to an infatuation with the first man who shows interest... -
![High Tide at Noon by Elisabeth Ogilvie]()
High Tide at Noon by Elisabeth Ogilvie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe struggles, hardship, and joy of one woman's life on a Maine island are brought to life in this haunting and enduringly popular trilogy, the first three books of the Bennett's Island series... -
![Cairo Circles by Doma Mahmoud]()
Cairo Circles by Doma Mahmoud
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWriting instructor at American University in Cairo and NYU MFA graduate Doma Mahmoud's THE DISBELIEVERS, set between Cairo and New York, exploring the stories of three families from different social classes, whose lives are closely intertwined throughout, meditating on the boundaries of free will and questions about class, hedonism, faith, and violence, to Olivia Taylor Smith at Unnamed Press... -
![The Cheerleader by Ruth Doan MacDougall]()
The Cheerleader by Ruth Doan MacDougall
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFirst published in 1973 and 1974 by Putnam and Bantam, The Cheerleader was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, optioned by Twentieth Century-Fox, made into an NBC sitcom pilot, and became a best-seller beloved by generations of readers. p/pThe reprint of this classic coming-of-age novel features a foreword by English professor Ann V...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction realistic book children-books fiction historical teens -
![Laurel by Leigh Greenwood]()
Laurel by Leigh Greenwood
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe latest historical romance in the bestselling series about the Randolph brothers--and the women who tame their hearts. Hen Randolph is the perfect choice for sheriff, but he's no one's idea of a model husband. Then a beauty with a tarnished reputation catches his eye, and the thought of taking a wife suddenly appeals to him as never before... -
![In Borrowed Light by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating]()
In Borrowed Light by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA breathtaking story of friendship and love set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Kenya Fourteen years after independence, the enduring childhood friendship of three women has carried them through times of violence and loss in Kenya, their chosen homeland... -
![Gold Mountain by Karen J. Hasley]()
Gold Mountain by Karen J. Hasley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Remarkable Woman. An Unforgettable Love Story. When Dinah Hudson leaves China in 1901, she hopes to leave behind dark memories of violence and sudden death, as well. Spending time with her sister in San Francisco will be just what she needs to help her forget China’s murderous Boxer Uprising... -
![Matilda's Last Waltz by Tamara McKinley]()
Matilda's Last Waltz by Tamara McKinley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter the tragic death of her husband, Jenny travels to Churinga, a remote sheep-station in the Australian Outback that he intended to give to her for reasons she doesn't understand.Churinga is harsh and unforgiving, but also has its beauty...and its secrets... -
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![Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards]()
Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSet against the backdrop of a 1970s commune in Northern California, Clover Blue is a compelling, beautifully written story of a young boy's search for identity. There are many things twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn't sure of: his exact date of birth, his name before he was adopted into the Saffron Freedom Community, or who his first parents were...Categorized as:
california coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction north-america realistic usa -
![Father Unknown by Lesley Pearse]()
Father Unknown by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWould you sacrifice your future for the sake of your past? One young woman in search of a past - and a future ... Sweet-natured but dappy Daisy Buchan drifts from job to job and takes her policeman boyfriend Joel for granted. She's happy, but she doesn't know what she wants from life... -
![Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley]()
Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA heart-stirring novel of family and forgiveness from bestselling author Ashley Farley. In her grand home in Charleston, Willa Bellemore raised two girls during the tumultuous 1970s. One was her daughter, Lady. The other was Lady’s best friend, Nell—adopted after the sudden, heartbreaking death of her mother, the Bellemores’ beloved maid... -
![The Girl Made of Stars by K.E. Le Veque]()
The Girl Made of Stars by K.E. Le Veque
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLola Grayson had it all. In 1934, Lola was on top of the world. Dubbed "The Siren" by MGM, she was a protégé of Louis B. Mayer, the original talkie sex symbol before the rise of stars like Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow. But like Harlow, Lola Grayson had a dominant stage mother and bad health that struggled to meet the demand of the Golden Age of Hollywood... -
![A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green]()
A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsVivienne Rivard fled revolutionary France and seeks a new life for herself and a boy in her care, who some say is the Dauphin. But America is far from safe, as militiaman Liam Delaney knows. He proudly served in the American Revolution but is less sure of his role in the Whiskey Rebellion... -
![Hannah's Journey by Anna Schmidt]()
Hannah's Journey by Anna Schmidt
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat could bring an Amish widow and a wealthy circus owner together? Though Hannah Goodloe knew she'd violated countless unwritten laws, she had to visit the only man who could help find her runaway son. But when the enigmatic Levi Harmon agreed to take her on his train, the results were utterly unpredictable...
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