Books like 'Second Star to the Right'
Readers who enjoyed Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological realistic medical high-school
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When It Rains: The bittersweet romance you won't want to miss by Brooke Harris
Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe bittersweet romance you won't want to miss. Perfect for fans of Me before You and The Notebook. I'm dying. I'm not afraid. It's my time. I see so much of me in my granddaughter. I know she will help our family once I'm gone. I just hope she can help herself before it's too late. My grandmother is dying. I'm afraid that it's time. She has given me a gift. A book... -
![Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt]()
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"A brave and breathtaking musical... -
![The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart]()
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...Categorized as:
realistic high-school romance mental-illness young-adult contemporary fiction audiobook -
![You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow]()
You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister...Categorized as:
high-school medical realistic action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary -
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![Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes]()
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsCharlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence--a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon... -
![The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle]()
The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNew town, new school, new friends. It was difficult for Ginny at first, but her senior year is finally starting to feel kind of normal. That is, until she sees him—the beautiful mystery in her English class. He has never spoken a word to anyone. He moves through each day at school without making eye contact. His name is Smitty Tibbs, but everyone calls him the Alien... -
![The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati]()
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]()
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... -
![Dark Harvest by Chris Patchell]()
Dark Harvest by Chris Patchell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBecky Kincaid ventures out in the middle of a snowstorm to buy a car seat for her unborn baby and never makes it home. When a second pregnant woman disappears, Marissa Rooney and the team at the Holt Foundation fear a sinister motive lurks behind the crimes... -
![Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry]()
Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter police intervention, fifteen-year-old Joy has finally escaped the trailer where she once lived with her mother and survived years of confinement and abuse. Now living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in a comfortable house, she’s sure she’ll never belong. Wracked by panic attacks, afraid to talk to anyone at her new school, Joy’s got a whole list of reasons why she’s crazy... -
![Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard]()
Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heart-wrenching exploration of grief, set in a landscape corrupted by fame and the scrutiny that comes from living in the shadow of a star...Categorized as:
realistic romance young-adult contemporary mental-illness fiction psychological book -
![All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton]()
All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"You can’t keep two people who are meant to be together apart for long...”Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again...Categorized as:
realistic high-school romance contemporary young-adult mental-illness fiction family -
![A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway]()
A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1933; it was also included in his collection Winner Take Nothing (1933).James Joyce once remarked: "He [Hemingway] has reduced the veil between literature and life, which is what every writer strives to do. Have you read 'A Clean Well-Lighted Place'?... It is masterly... -
![Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes]()
Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMaguire is bad luck.No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch... -
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![Shtum by Jem Lester]()
Shtum by Jem Lester
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPowerful, darkly funny and heart-breaking, Shtum is a story about fathers and sons, autism, and dysfunctional relationships.Ben Jewell has hit breaking point. His ten-year-old son Jonah has severe autism and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope... -
![Letting Ana Go by Anonymous]()
Letting Ana Go by Anonymous
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Lucy in the Sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction.She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. But below the surface, she felt like she could never be good enough. Like she could never live up to the expectations that surrounded her. Like she couldn’t do anything to make a change... -
![Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton]()
Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAdam is a pretty regular teen, except he's navigating high school life while living with paranoid schizophrenia. His hallucinations include a cast of characters that range from the good (beautiful Rebecca) to the bad (angry Mob Boss) to the just plain weird (polite naked guy). An experimental drug promises to help him hide his illness from the world... -
![A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks]()
A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsMiles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. Missy had been his first love, and Miles fervently believes she will be his last. As a deputy in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy, but also longs to bring the unknown driver to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews... -
![Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman]()
Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeclan Taylor is furious at the world. After winning state as a freshman starting pitcher, he accidentally messes up his throwing arm. Despite painful surgery and brutal physical therapy, he might never pitch again. And instead of spending the summer with his friends, Declan is forced to get a job to help his family out...Categorized as:
realistic high-school young-adult contemporary fiction social-commentary audiobook sports -
![The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy]()
The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHave you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise"...Categorized as:
realistic children-books fiction bullying children friendship psychological contemporary -
![Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe]()
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo matter how many times Kyle rewrites the scene, he can't get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Eastwood, all of his favorite directors—but regardless of the style, he can't remember what happened that day in the shed. The day Jason died... -
![What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard]()
What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA searing yet ultimately uplifting young adult novel about a teenage girl's recovery from anorexia.Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has honed a dangerous skill: starving herself. Even when her parents send her to a treatment center, she can't stop. Then she begins receiving packages from someone she doesn't know... -
![Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall]()
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsNorah has agoraphobia and OCD. When groceries are left on the porch, she can't step out to get them. Struggling to snag the bags with a stick, she meets Luke. He's sweet and funny, and he just caught her fishing for groceries. Because of course he did. Norah can't leave the house, but can she let someone in? As their friendship grows deeper, Norah realizes Luke deserves a normal girl... -
![Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous]()
Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA riveting first-person tale of addiction, in the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Jay’s Journal.The author of this diary began journaling on her sixteenth birthday. She lived in an upper middle class neighborhood in Santa Monica with her mom, dad, and Berkeley-bound older brother. She was a good girl, living a good life...but one party changed everything... -
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![The Shadow Wife by Diane Chamberlain]()
The Shadow Wife by Diane Chamberlain
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGet swept up in this emotional tale of regret and rebirth by bestselling author Diane Chamberlain.Joelle D’Angelo’s best friend, Mara, is left with brain damage after she suffers an aneurysm giving birth to her son. Alone and grieving, Joelle turns to the only other person who understands her pain: her colleague—and Mara’s husband—Liam... -
![Cracked by K.M. Walton]()
Cracked by K.M. Walton
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSometimes there's no easy way out.Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little... -
![What She Found in the Woods by Josephine Angelini]()
What She Found in the Woods by Josephine Angelini
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMagda just wants to forget what happened. But there's a nightmare lurking —and it's coming for her...This is Magda’s last chance. Recovering from a scandal at her elite New York City private school that threw her life into a tailspin, she’s shipped off to live with her grandparents in the Pacific Northwest for the summer...Categorized as:
realistic high-school romance young-adult mystery contemporary fiction mental-illness -
![The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess]()
The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVictoria Parker knew her dad's behavior toward her was a little unusual, but she convinced herself everything was fine--until she found herself locked out of the house at 3:00 a.m., surrounded by flashing police lights... -
![This Impossible Light by Lily Myers]()
This Impossible Light by Lily Myers
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFifteen-year-old Ivy’s world is in flux. Her dad has moved out, her mother is withdrawn, her brother is off at college, and her best friend, Anna, has grown distant. Worst of all, Ivy’s body won’t stop expanding. She’s getting taller and curvier, with no end in sight. Even her beloved math class offers no clear solution to the imbalanced equation that has become Ivy’s life...Categorized as:
realistic high-school young-adult mental-illness fiction contemporary family psychological -
![The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb]()
The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHigh schooler Natalie Cordova has just been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Her mom insists she keep it secret.Putting up a front and hiding her mental illness from her classmates is going to be the hardest thing high schooler Natalie Cordova has ever done. It’s her senior year, and she’s just been selected to present her artwork at a prestigious show...Categorized as:
realistic high-school romance mental-illness young-adult contemporary psychological fiction -
![The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane]()
The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAccording to sixteen-year-old Zander Osborne, nowhere is an actual place—and she’s just fine there. But her parents insist that she get out of her head—and her home state—and attend Camp Padua, a summer camp for at-risk teens.Zander does not fit in—or so she thinks. She has only one word for her fellow campers: crazy... -
![A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard]()
A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA girl who can’t speak and a boy who can’t hear go on a journey of self-discovery and find support with each other in this gripping, emotionally resonant novel from bestselling author Sara Barnard. Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson.Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say. Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen. Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life...Categorized as:
high-school realistic book coming-of-age contemporary disability family female-author -
![Family Tree by Susan Wiggs]()
Family Tree by Susan Wiggs
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is... -
![The Free by Willy Vlautin]()
The Free by Willy Vlautin
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAward-winning author Willy Vlautin demonstrates his extraordinary talent for confronting issues facing modern America, illuminated through the lives of three memorable characters who are looking for a way out of their financial, familial, and existential crises, in his heartbreaking and hopeful fourth novelLeroy Kervin is a 31 year old Iraqi War veteran living with a traumatic brain injury... -
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![Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred by Melody Carlson]()
Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred by Melody Carlson
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRuth Wallace knows she can only hide the scars on her arms for so long. Cutting herself doesn't make her problems disappear, but at least it helps her cope. Ruth needs to find some way, "any" way, to heal her scars--the ones she hides and the ones she can't--before something terrible happens... -
![R.I.P. Eliza Hart by Alyssa B. Sheinmel]()
R.I.P. Eliza Hart by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Eliza Hart, the most popular girl at Ventana Ranch boarding school, is found dead on the cliffs outside her dormitory, Ellie Sokoloff is determined to figure out what happened to her. After all, Eliza was Ellie’s childhood best friend...Categorized as:
high-school realistic boarding-school contemporary death fiction friendship law-enforcement -
![Angry Management by Chris Crutcher]()
Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWelcome to Angry ManagementIt's a place for misfits. For stories that will rip out your heart and give you back one better than what you started with. Stories about prejudice, rage, and hope. About surviving it all and showing the world that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... -
![Red Tears by Joanna Kenrick]()
Red Tears by Joanna Kenrick
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmily Bowyer is a normal, confident teenager. But beneath the surface she has a wretched secret. Because, for Emily, life isn't as much fun as it would appear. Her friends are going off her and her parents only seem to care about her troubled brother...Categorized as:
realistic high-school young-adult mental-illness contemporary fiction psychological drama -
![Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley]()
Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Max Friedman's mother dies of cancer, instead of facing his loss, he imagines that her tumour has taken up residence in his brain. It's a terrible tenant - isolating him from family, distracting him in school, and taunton him mercilessly about his manhood. With the tumour in charge, Max implodes, slipping farther and farther away from reality... -
![A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom]()
A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFor sixteen-year-old Mel Hannigan, bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. Her latest struggle is balancing her growing feelings in a new relationship with her instinct to keep everyone at arm’s length. And when a former friend confronts Mel with the truth about the way their relationship ended, deeply buried secrets threaten to come out and upend her shaky equilibrium... -
![Never Enough by Denise Jaden]()
Never Enough by Denise Jaden
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the author of Losing Faith , a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family. Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special… even if that means betraying her sister... -
![Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby]()
Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTessa Gray’s life changes forever when she loses her four-year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and-run accident outside her preschool. Once a vivacious, joyful mother and wife, Tessa now spends her days holed up in Abby’s room, sleeping in her bed, clutching Abby’s Tootsie Rabbit stuffed animal—anything to keep her memories close... -
![The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner]()
The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAva's disappearance was the crack in the Rivers family glacier. I wish I could explain to you how we were before, but I can't, because the before is so filmy and shadowed with the after.The after is all Vera remembers. When her twin sister, Ava, disappeared one Halloween night, her childhood became a blur of theories, tips, and leads, but never any answers... -
![Trigger by Susan Vaught]()
Trigger by Susan Vaught
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJersey Hatch can't remember if he rammed the car into his parents' house.He can't remember why his best friend won't speak to him.He can't remember the right words to have a real conversation. And he can't remember why he tried to shoot his own head off.Broken in both mind and body, Jersey must piece his life back together, step by painful step. He must re-learn to tie his own shoelaces...Categorized as:
high-school medical realistic amnesia children-books coming-of-age contemporary disability -
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![The Girl in the Wall by Daphne Benedis-Grab]()
The Girl in the Wall by Daphne Benedis-Grab
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAriel's birthday weekend looks to be the event of the season, with a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters on the grounds of her family's east coast estate, and all of Ariel's elite prep school friends in attendance. The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go... -
![A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger]()
A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTelling a story of a rarely recognized segment of eating disorder sufferers—young men— A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger is a book for fans of the complex characters and emotional truths in Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls and Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why . Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before...Categorized as:
realistic high-school young-adult contemporary mental-illness fiction psychological family -
![Notable by Marni Bates]()
Notable by Marni Bates
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsI take no prisoners… I'm Chelsea Halloway and I will happily destroy your social life if you mess with me. Just ask anyone. There is no situation I can't handle. Divorcing parents? No problem. An ex-boyfriend who wants to date Smith High School's biggest geek instead of me? Just a matter of time before I can make him see reason... -
![Career Day by Barry Lyga]()
Career Day by Barry Lyga
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou're seventeen years old and your father is the most notorious serial killer America has ever produced.He brought you up. Taught you everything he knows. Everyone in your ordinary American town knows who you are. So even though Dear Old Dad is safely behind bars, when the killing starts all over again, you are the first person the police come to see... -
![Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne]()
Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe sensationally good Tanya Byrne returns with her new novel - a dark, compulsive tale of obsession and betrayal When sixteen-year-old Adamma Okomma, a Nigerian diplomat's daughter, arrives at exclusive Crofton College in Wiltshire, she is immediately drawn to beautiful, tempestuous, unpredictable Scarlett Chiltern. Adamma and Scarlett become inseparable - until they fall for the same guy...Categorized as:
high-school realistic boarding-school book coming-of-age contemporary dangerous-mc dark -
![Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAt 7:45 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically injured. Twenty-two suffer less severe injuries. And one is blinded. Those who survive, struggle to cope with the loss and destruction. All must find new meaning for their lives as a result of something they may never understand...
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