Books like 'Begin Again'
Readers who enjoyed Begin Again by Emma Lord also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance coming-of-age realistic university family friendship friends-to-lovers grief
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His Christmas Wish by Melissa McClone
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCarly Bishop loved Christmas…until tragedy struck. Distraught and grief-stricken over the deaths of her fiancé and brother, she left Hood Hamlet and her Christmas spirit behind, to start over somewhere new. But now, six years later, her family needs her. Carly returns home to face her past and give her niece and nephew the best Christmas ever...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers friendship family grief romance contemporary womens-fiction fiction -
Overachiever by S.M. Shade
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt started with a summer job and a ridiculous sex dream.If you were to ask my friends to describe me, they’d tell you I’m an ambitious person. Responsible, driven, and focused on my goals. Words like stubborn and uptight would probably get thrown in there too. I’m not sure about that, but I know who I’m not.I’m not the woman who lets a guy derail me from my plans...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers friendship university adult book contemporary fiction -
Whispers of the Heart by Rae Knight
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen loss happens and grief holds you hostage, is there ever an escape? Can one person really be the answer to all your prayers and the balm to all the open wounds on your heart?Elizabeth Wallace has always been a punk rock kind of gal, yet in high school she nabbed the golden boy and jock, Lyle Foster...Categorized as:
friendship grief family friends-to-lovers romance contemporary fiction mental-illness -
I Wanted You To Know by Laura Pearson
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.Jess never imagined she’d be navigating single motherhood, let alone while facing breast cancer. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her... -
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Friends with Benefits: A Steamy College Romance by Hazel Kelly
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWe were only supposed to be friends with benefits. We even made rules. So things wouldn't get complicated. So no one would get hurt. But somewhere along the way, feelings got involved. Looking back, I guess I should've seen it coming. Should've seen him coming. But I didn't... -
Bittersweet by Deborah Bladon
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy world exploded on my wedding day.A dark-haired, gorgeous stranger objected as I stood at the altar in my long, white gown.He told all of my friends, my family, and my fiancé that he was the man for me.I had no idea who he was, but he offered me an escape I was craving, so I left the church with him.He might have been a little drunk and horribly confused... -
Always You and Me by Dani Atkins
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Fractured comes a moving, heart-mending and uplifting novel of love, hope and second chances.Then…On the eve of her wedding to Adam, Lily’s best friend Josh unexpectedly walked out of her life, and she hasn’t seen him since.Lily and Adam are blissfully happy, until he falls ill...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers grief friendship family romance fiction contemporary womens-fiction -
Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhere You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams... -
Save the Cupcake! by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis delicious new series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is a real treat -- full of humor and heart and cupcakes!Confession: My life is soooo not sprinkles and sunshine . . . Hayley's world is far from perfect: her parents have divorced, her mom has lost her job, and she and her sister Chloe are stuck sharing a bedroom in their grandmother's apartment... -
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Lily King has written another masterpiece. This book overflows with her brilliance and her heart. We are so lucky.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time TomorrowFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first loveYou knew I’d write a book about you someday...Categorized as:
friendship coming-of-age grief friends-to-lovers family romance fiction literary-fiction -
Little Harbour by Sophia Soames
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is a story about life and death, because there was never anyone else for Jens. He had been with Sofie almost all his life, from the day they met at school when they were fifteen, until the day she took her final breath against his chest. She was always everything to him. As he was to her. He never doubted that. Not for a minute... -
Someday Soon by Laura Ward
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne mouthwatering temptation... All Daisy Goldsmith wants is to get out of her small town, leaving behind the bullies who've taunted her. Attending culinary school in New York has always been her biggest dream---a dream she's not confident enough to pursue. After all, she's nothing but a "fat cow... -
Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA sparkling queer YA romance set in Brisbane, Henry Hamlet’s Heart follows one guy and his sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking journey to love.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers coming-of-age friendship family romance young-adult lgbtq contemporary -
Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change.When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community...Categorized as:
realistic friendship coming-of-age friends-to-lovers romance young-adult contemporary disability -
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The Game Changer by L.M. Trio
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt’s hard to believe that it only takes one split second in time to turn your world completely upside down. Everything that ever made you feel safe and secure; can be gone in an instant...” Jesse’s world is shattered in that instant…the rest of her life is mapped out by a split second change that she never dreamed could happen...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship grief realistic university athlete -
The Year of Chasing Dreams by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Readers will swoon over this story of love despite impossible odds."--Romantic TimesFrom the author of Don't Die, My Love comes this young adult novel that intertwines a family saga with a grand love story. This novel stands alone or can be read as the companion to The Year of Luminous Love and Wishes and Dreams. For fans of Sarah Dessen's The Moon and More and Ann Brashares's Forever in Blue... -
Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final book in a young adult romance series about a small town football team and the girls who win their hearts. Tyler Schumann has always been known as Nelson High’s goofy clown, the guy with the big mouth...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers coming-of-age friendship family romance young-adult contemporary high-school -
The Half Orphan's Handbook by Joan F. Smith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor fans of John Green and Emily X.R. Pan, The Half-Orphan's Handbook by Joan F. Smith is a coming-of-age story and an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief with a sharp sense of humor and a big heart.It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules:1... -
Can't Let You Go: A Wheeler Brothers Novel by Allie Everhart
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBryce I never should’ve kissed her. It happened almost four years ago, the night of our high school graduation. I’ve always wanted to be more than friends with Jen, and after we kissed, I wanted her more than anything. But I can’t have her. I won’t let myself. She needs to get out of here. She needs to start a new life, far away from her old one... -
On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change by the author of Give Me a Sign.Ellie’s Deaf boarding school just shut down, forcing her to leave the place she considered home and return to her hearing family. Back in a mainstream school, Ellie quickly becomes the subject of hateful rumors...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age friends-to-lovers family friendship romance young-adult disability -
Accidentally Fooled by Lisa Papademetriou
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeventh grader Amy Flowers is finally making her mark at ultra-exclusive Allington Academy, but there's always one thing standing in her way: the League. They rule the school, and their queen is oh-so-mean Fiona, who doesn't exactly appreciate a new girl invading her turf. This time, Amy's stuck working on a service project with Fiona and preppie know-it-all Preston... -
Making Hay by Veronica Henry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSuzanna and Barney Blake are swapping city life for the countryside - determined to breathe new life into the Honeycote Arms and a marriage touched by tragedy. Newly seperated Ginny Tait arrives in Honeycote at around the same time - with very nubile twin daughters and an awful lot of baggage... -
The Blue-Haired Boy by Courtney C. Stevens
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSet before the events of Courtney C. Stevens's debut novel, Faking Normal, this digital short story focuses on Bodee Lennox, otherwise known as the Kool-Aid Kid.Bodee Lennox has secrets. About where he got the four-inch scar on his leg. About the bruises on his back. About what it's really like to live in the Lennox household. These are things he doesn't share with anyone . . -
Flight Season by Marie Marquardt
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBack when they were still strangers, TJ Carvalho witnessed the only moment in Vivi Flannigan’s life when she lost control entirely. Now, TJ can’t seem to erase that moment from his mind, no matter how hard he tries. Vivi doesn’t remember any of it, but she’s determined to leave it far behind. And she will... -
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Now I'll Tell You Everything by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's Alice—for the rest of her life! Yes, the very last Alice book, and it reveals every last bit you'd want to know about Alice, including whether she spends the rest of her life with Patrick! "This is the book where Alice, every girl’s girl, turns into every lady’s lady" (VOYA).Alice McKinley is going to college! And everything, from her room to her classes to her friends, is about to change... -
Forget Me Not by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWilla returns in this new stand-alone novel in the WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER series. Willa returns in this new adventure for the tween set! It is summer on Cape Cod, where Willa Havisham and Joey Kennelly are enjoying their status as most compatible couple... -
Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFans of Jandy Nelson and Marieke Nijkamp will love this deeply moving novel in verse about the aftermath of a gun accident. Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay’s father’s gun... -
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMeredith Fox has been going to Martha's Vineyard for the summer as long as she can remember. But this summer is the first one back since the death of Meredith's sister. It will all be overwhelming, but even more since since the entire extended family will be together for her cousin's big wedding... -
The Falling Leaf Never Hates the Wind by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHe is like an angel to our family. He saved me, my brother, and Mother from destitution and misery of street lives. He provided us with food, shelter, helped to pay for school, and promised a better future for us. He truly is like an angel to our family. He loves us, cares for us, and sets an example without expecting anything at all in return... -
A New Hope by Robyn Carr
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBrand-new from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr, A New Hope is a tender, heartfelt addition to her critically acclaimed Thunder Point series. Join her in the small Oregon town of Thunder Point, where you're bound to find friendship, humor and unforgettable romance... -
Troubled Waters by AnnaLisa Grant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCollege life for Layla Weston isn’t starting the way she’d intended. She’s revisiting the plans she once had to be the reclusive girl she wanted to be at Heyward Prep, and Layla is more than confident in her ability to succeed this time. After all, she’s got a whole new bag of secrets to keep. Still reeling from Will’s disappearance, Layla is doing her best to adjust to life back in Florida... -
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer, Karissa Vacker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Heartbreaking, painfully romantic, and deeply human." --Stephanie Garber, #1 bestselling author of CaravalFrom bestselling authors to booksellers and librarians, early readers are obsessed with this debut YA romance pitched as Sarah Dessen meets Adam Silvera, told in alternate timelines and perfect for fans of messy, complicated relationships...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship realistic book contemporary fiction -
Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love by Jared Reck
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe future is anything but certain in this alternately funny and heartbreaking contemporary story about food trucks, festivals, and first loves.It's easy to look at high school senior Oscar Olsson and think: lost. He hates school, struggles to read, and wants nothing to do with college. But Oscar is anything but lost---he knows exactly what he wants and exactly how to get it...Categorized as:
realistic family coming-of-age friendship friends-to-lovers grief romance young-adult -
The Winning Side by CM Doporto
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLexi’s determined to keep her word and stand by Raven’s side because her love for him is too strong to deny. As Raven learns to deal with the issues that are destined to destroy him and their relationship, their love is taken to a new level. As doors are closed and new ones are opened, Lexi and Raven find themselves in a heavenly bliss, but not without the challenges from Raven’s past... -
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Love Me, Love Me Not by S.M. Koz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Hailey Brown never wanted to be popular or rich or even successful. All she ever wanted was to feel loved by someone, anyone. Eighteen-year-old Brad Campbell doesn't know anything but popularity, wealth, and success thanks to his affluent family and unmatched talent on the football field... -
Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWouldn't it be great to go back to the time before Pam got pregnant, before Patrick left for the University of Chicago, before anyone was making any big decisions about sex or college or life in general? Wouldn't it be great to get the whole gang together again, just once? What it takes for this to happen will change Alice (and the whole gang) forever. A funeral is not a happy reunion... -
Whisper by Chrissie Perry
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI'm always trying to figure out what's really going on. Always having to fill in the gaps, but never getting all the details. It's like trying to do a jigsaw when I don't even know what the picture is, and I'm missing one of the vital middle pieces... -
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsElla and Lowe are teenagers when they first meet. For her, it’s love at first sight. But it’s safest to love from afar, where the friendship zone is her safety net and she can’t get hurt.Over the next fifteen years, they share grief, laughter, friendship, bottles of cider, cigarettes in the rain. But there’s one thing Ella can never ask whether he feels the same way about her...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friends-to-lovers friendship family romance fiction contemporary audiobook -
High School Paradise by Orizuka
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMemang sekolah elite, tapi masih ada satu yang kurang. Athens gak punya ekskul sepak bola. Empat anak paling top di Athens protes ama guru olahraga mereka, Gozali. Berhasil? Ternyata tidak. Hukuman Gozali malah semakin menjadi-jadi. Biar nggak penasaran, baca terus deh ceritanya sampai abis…...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship book contemporary fiction mental-illness young-adult -
The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"Ashley Schumacher's latest novel is a delightful read, with diverse characters and an irresistible setting. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway proves that there's no better place to find yourself than at a Renaissance Faire... -
Brave Enough by Kati Gardner
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTeenager Cason Martin is the youngest ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet Conservatory. She never really had a choice of whether she learned to dance or not. Her mother, the conservatory's artistic director, has made all the decisions in Cason's life. But that's about to change. Cason has been hiding an injury, and it's much worse than anyone imagines... -
Don't Forget Me by Victoria Stevens
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Hazel Clarke is no stranger to heartbreaks, and being sent to live with a father she’s never met is the latest in a string of them. Even the beauty of eastern Australia isn’t enough to take her mind off her mother and the life she had to leave behind in England... -
Access Denied: And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages by Denise Vega
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsComputer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age friendship family romance young-adult middle-grade contemporary -
Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMitchell Morrison and Josie Sedgwick have spent their whole lives at the Indian Paintbrush Community Village, a commune full of colorful characters tucked in the mountains of North Carolina, and they aren't particularly close--at least, not anymore...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friends-to-lovers friendship book contemporary fiction young-adult -
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Rock My Heart by Jean Haus
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis story can be read as a standalone.Raised in poverty and violence, Gabe Reed wears a could-care-less attitude like a shield. He expects life to suck. It always has, and he is usually the one to screw it up even more. Drumming for the college band Luminescent Juliet started as a way to release the built up rage inside of him... -
Rose by Diane Schwemm
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is me and my three younger sisters. Being the oldest has never been easy, but it was especially hard the year I turned sixteen. That was the year that the things I thought would always be the same changed forever. After Dad died, Mom needed me to pitch in more--get a job and help take care of my sisters. I was working so hard to care for my family, I forgot to look out for myself... -
No Place Like Home by Maxine Morrey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo hearts. One home? Eleanor Laing has a very good reason to want to stay single: her last relationship put her in danger. And she’s worried that while the physical scars will heal, the emotional ones never can. So, travelling to Kansas for her best friend Sandy’s wedding, Eleanor’s in need of some time alone... -
Stay with Me / More of Me by Samantha Chase
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo Great Books in One! Book #3 plus the Bonus Novella in Samantha Chase's popular Montgomery Brothers series. Stay with Me Mackenzie Montgomery is floored when he reluctantly agrees to help out an old childhood friend and finds she's grown into a gorgeous woman.. -
The Edge of Juniper by Lora Richardson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“You’re off-limits, so why can’t I stop thinking about you?” Fay Whitaker, sixteen years old and yearning for adventure, is excited to spend the summer with her fearless cousin Celia in small-town Juniper, Indiana. But Fay soon discovers that her summer home is not what she expected. She is alarmed by her uncle’s temper, and learns of the grudge he holds against the Dearing family... -
Friends With Benefits: An absolutely uplifting, feel-good romcom by Lisa Swift
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCould Mr Right-Now actually be Mr Right?Lexie Whittle thought she had life all sewn up, with a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home and a delightful teenage stepson. Until husband Daryl left to work overseas…and everything changed.A year later, Daryl and Lexie’s marriage is over...Categorized as:
friends-to-lovers family coming-of-age friendship humor contemporary womens-fiction lgbtq
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