Books like 'Shy'
Readers who enjoyed Shy by Max Porter also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary literary-fiction coming-of-age crime
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Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies , Trent Dalton.'Mirror, mirror, on the grass, what's my future? What's my past?' A girl and her mother are on the lam...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age crime oceania australia fiction contemporary magical-realism -
Dark Mother Earth by Kristian Novak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn amnesiac writer’s life of lies and false memories reaches a breaking point in this stunning English-language debut from an award-winning Croatian author.As a novelist, Matija makes things up for a living. Not yet thirty, he’s written two well-received books. It’s his third that is as big a failure as his private life... -
Half a heart by Karen McQuestion
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom bestselling author Karen McQuestion comes a moving novel about broken hearts…and what it takes to put them back together again.At nine years of age, Logan Weber knows the routine. Keep quiet, make the food last, and don’t ever cause trouble. He’ll do what it takes to evade the rages of his troubled, violent father. Even though he’s only a child, Logan already knows too much—has seen too much... -
Retuned: The Price of Time by Tania Joyce
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA vacation. An unforgettable accident. Lives are changed forever.Gemma and Kyle wanted a quick getaway before they recorded their new album.But one fateful mistake changes their lives forever.Heartbreaking decisions must be made.Friendships will be tried and tested...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age contemporary fiction romance new-adult friendship female-mc -
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Hard Land by Benedict Wells
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMissouri, 1985: Um vor den Problemen zu Hause zu fliehen, nimmt der fünfzehnjährige Sam einen Ferienjob in einem alten Kino an. Und einen magischen Sommer lang ist alles auf den Kopf gestellt. Er findet Freunde, verliebt sich und entdeckt die Geheimnisse seiner Heimatstadt. Zum ersten Mal ist er kein unscheinbarer Außenseiter mehr. Bis etwas passiert, das ihn zwingt, erwachsen zu werden... -
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.“Impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering. I was captivated from page one.” ―Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier...Categorized as:
crime literary-fiction coming-of-age mystery fiction suspense historical-fiction contemporary -
All My Mothers by Joanna Glen
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the author of the Costa shortlisted debut, The Other Half of Augusta Hope, comes the story of one girl’s journey to find her birth mother, and her realisation that mothers – and family – can be discovered in the most unexpected of places…London, 1980s. Though she has a comfortable, privileged life, Eva Martínez-Green is deeply unhappy...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction historical-fiction contemporary audiobook family parenthood -
Fire by John Boyne
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness... -
Dandelion Daughter: A Novel by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWinner 2022, Prix des Libraires Rights for TV adaptation purchased by Zone 3 A runaway bestseller in Québec, where it has captured the hearts of readers and pushed trans-identity into the mainstream conversation, Dandelion Daughter is an intimate, courageous portrait of what it’s like to grow up having been assigned the wrong sex at birth...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction lgbtq trans-mc contemporary female-author book -
Han cantado bingo by Lana Corujo
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTodo empieza con un algunas noches, en los diez minutos suspendidos antes de que Abuela regrese del bingo, dos hermanas salen a escondidas por la puerta de atrás hasta El Ahorcado —un volcán redondo como una panza bocarriba—, cuentan hasta tres y corren de vuelta sin mirar atrás...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction fiction magical-realism contemporary female-author family book -
Rost by Jakub Małecki
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings2002 sterben die Eltern des siebenjährigen Szymek auf ihrem Rückweg in das kleine Dorf Cholny bei einem Autounfall. Sein Leben vor diesem Ereignis kippt in eine ihm scheinbar unerreichbare Vergangenheit...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction 21st-century adult audiobook book contemporary fiction -
Alte Sorten by Ewald Arenz
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSally und Liss: zwei Frauen, wie sie unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Sally, kurz vor dem Abitur, will einfach in Ruhe gelassen werden. Sie ist wütend auf alles, hasst alles: Angebote, Vorschriften, Regeln, Erwachsene. Fragen hasst sie am meisten, vor allem nach ihrem Aussehen.Liss bewirtschaftet allein einen Hof zwischen Weinbergen und Feldern...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary fiction mental-illness -
Livvy by Lori L. Otto
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn her first year of college at Yale, challenging courses and new friends provide a much-needed distraction for Livvy Holland. Beyond the tears–for the most part– she won’t allow the lingering anger she harbors toward her ex-boyfriend to consume her. Even after taking steps to conceal her identity, Livvy is still very recognizable and popular among her new classmates... -
Steel Cobras MC Complete Box Set: Books 1-6 by Evie Monroe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor the first time ever. Get ALL SIX of The Steel Cobras Series in one complete box set! Phoenix - Find's love in the back of a Mercedes. Cullen - Can you say baby daddy? Drake - Totally off limits. Says who? Jetson - Just what the doctor ordered. Hart - Loses more than he ever imagined. Zane - What the club forbids, he does with a vengeance... -
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Prosper by Paula Marinaro
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsProsper Worthington is a decorated war hero, a convicted felon, and the ex-cellmate and road companion of his best friend, Jack Winston. Different as two men can be, Prosper is rough, hot-headed, focused, and driven. He’s also had more than enough of Jack’s spur-of-the-moment decisions, faulty reasoning, and Peter Pan-like existence... -
Los nombres propios by Marta Jiménez Serrano
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratings¿Quién es Belaundia Fu? Es la mejor amiga de Marta a los siete años: la amiga invisible que, en esos momentos en que las cosas no salen como había planeado y ni siquiera la abuela es capaz de consolarla, se sienta con ella y espera hasta que se le pase... -
Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBestselling author and radio storytelling sensation Stuart McLean revisits the heartwarming and hilarious friends from his iconic Vinyl Cafe.Dave and his wife Morley would no doubt tell you that life is what you make it. Unfortunately for them, that means a compilation tape of mistakes, miscues, misunderstandings, and muddle... -
The Dishwasher by Stéphane Larue
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt’s winter in Montreal, 2002, when a graphic design student’s gambling addiction starts to drag him under... -
Everything Calls for Salvation by Daniele Mencarelli
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWINNER OF THE 2020 YOUTH STREGA PRIZEFrom one of the most exciting voices in a new generation of Italian writers, a powerful and moving novel that explores both the darkest recesses and the most luminous regions of the human heartJune 1994. Twenty-year-old Daniele wakes up in a hospital room, confused and surrounded by strangers... -
De onttoverden by Marie Vareille
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNormandië, 1990. Wanneer de vijftienjarige Sarah Leroy verdwijnt, schijnbaar zonder enige aanleiding, gaat er een schokgolf door heel Frankrijk. In elk huis en in elke bistro worden de wildste theorieën gedeeld, maar niemand kan vertellen wat er werkelijk heeft plaatsgevonden. Twintig jaar later keert journalist Fanny terug naar de plaats van de tragedie die haar jeugd kenmerkte... -
Demain by Guillaume Musso
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsElle est son passé...... il est son avenir.Emma vit à New York. À 32 ans, elle continue de chercher l homme de sa vie.Matthew habite à Boston. Il a perdu sa femme dans un terrible accident et élève seul sa fille de quatre ans.Ils font connaissance grâce à Internet et bientôt, leurs échanges de mails les laissent penser qu ils ont enfin droit au bonheur... -
In Youth Is Pleasure: & I Left My Grandfather's House by Denton Welch, William S. Burroughs
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKeenly observed autobiographical fiction and journal entries from acclaimed writer Denton Welch, featuring an introduction by William S. Burroughs “In Youth Is Pleasure” recounts the summer vacation of Orvil Pym—a sensitive, withdrawn, and deeply unhappy boy of fifteen. Following a trying year at public school, Orvil spends the summer with his father and two older brothers...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction anthologies classics contemporary fiction lgbtq literary -
The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsZoe has lived in Sunny Shores Trailer Park her whole life and she knows what the Memorial Day weekend brings—snobby rich kids who serve as a constant reminder of how pathetic her life really is. So when she meets Ethan, the awkward boy from the exclusive community of Crystal Waters, she can’t help being intrigued. He’s different, but in a good way... -
A Family Affair - A Free Preview of the First 7 Chapters by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAward-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley, whose bestselling fiction "tackles some of life’s toughest situations" ( The Florida Times-Union ), unravels the secrets in a mother’s past that turn her daughter’s life upside down—by revealing the family she never knew existed... -
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From Afar by Frank Scozzari
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor centuries, poets have argued that unrequited love is love in its strongest form. From Afar is a timeless tale of Morgan Stanfield’s search for love in the far northern city of Saint Petersburg, Russia...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction action-adventure adult book contemporary fiction journey -
British Bratva by Flora Ferrari
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMaxim Staking out the London journalist who's set on exposing the Bratva's money launderer, my mission is to stop him in his tracks. But it's the man's stepdaughter who stops me in mine. The younger woman I fall in love with from a distance is everything I ever wanted and when I find out he's been hurting her, there's nothing I won't do to make her mine...Categorized as:
crime literary-fiction organized-crime contemporary female-mc fiction action-adventure new-adult -
Beyond the Horizon: An age gap romance by Bea Paige
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe arrived on a warm summer’s day… Malakai Azaiah Dunbar, a loner whose home was the ocean I adored. I was eighteen, he was thirty-six. My foolish heart was stolen by a man who refused to accept I existed. A forbidden kiss sending him back into the arms of the ocean. I was nineteen. He was thirty-seven. He was changed. Cruel. Abrasive. Until he wasn't and I gave him something precious... -
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhere would I start, and how would it even make sense? How could you understand the year in Shandon Street unless you were there, with us, living it?Rachel Murray is twenty-one years old, platonically infatuated with her housemate James, and less-than-platonically infatuated with her enigmatic, married English professor Dr Byrne... -
After Tonight, Everything Will Be Different by Adam Gnade
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFalling somewhere between Trainspotting and Like Water for Chocolate, Adam Gnade’s self-described “food novel” frames each chapter around a meal, and from there moves wild in all directions. After Tonight, Everything Will Be Different takes place in San Diego taco shops and rundown beach apartments, on the amusement park boardwalk at 3am and in cars bound for Tijuana and drunken glory...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction north-america usa california urban fiction contemporary -
The Brothers Silver by Marc Jampole
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJules and Leon Silver sit at a dusty Formica table in a cold kitchen, drinking warm sugar water. Downstairs in the basement, their mother is unconscious, having swallowed hundreds of Librium while the brothers were at Boy Scout camp, her latest suicide attempt. The food cupboards are empty. The phone doesn’t give a dial tone. As the sun goes down, the kitchen grows cold... -
Vista Chinesa by Tatiana Salem Levy
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsInspired by a real event, this is the story of a woman and a city that were violated.It is 2014. There is euphoria in Brazil, especially in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The World Cup is about to take place, and the 2016 Olympics are in sight. It is a time of hope and of frenzied construction.Júlia is a partner with an architecture firm that is planning projects for the future Vila Olímpica... -
Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx's mesmerising stories inspired by the harsh and unforgiving landscape of Wyoming are gathered together for the first time in one beautiful and collectable volume. On the heels of last year's mesmerising film adaptation of 'Brokeback Mountain' comes this beautiful, single volume collection of Annie Proulx's celebrated Wyoming stories... -
Lost Innocence by Susan Lewis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Alicia Carlyle returns to the home of her childhood after the tragic death of her husband, she is hoping to put the past behind her. But first she must come face to face with the woman who nearly destroyed her marriage and tore her family in two - her sister-in-law, Sabrina... -
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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Miroloi by Karen Köhler
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEin Dorf, eine Insel, eine ganze Welt: Karen Köhlers erster Roman erzählt von einer jungen Frau, die als Findelkind in einer abgeschirmten Gesellschaft aufwächst. Hier haben Männer das Sagen, dürfen Frauen nicht lesen, lasten Tradition und heilige Gesetze auf allem...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction feminism contemporary audiobook dystopia fantasy -
The House of Gazes by Daniele Mencarelli
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWinner of the 2019 John Fante First Novel Prize The critically acclaimed novel from the author of Everything Calls for Salvation , adapted into a Netflix Original series, is a powerful coming-of-age story about loss, identity, and rebirth Daniele is a young poet plagued by an unknown darkness, “an invisible disease of the heart, or of the mind...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction contemporary audiobook drama psychological book -
Cómplices by Taibo
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJulián ha luchado contra el aburrimiento de todas las maneras posibles. Desde que le diagnosticaron hepatitis, ha recreado en su cabeza conversaciones imaginarias entre ostras que no tienen nada que hacer, ha buscado formas fantasiosas en las manchas de la pared, ha lanzado mocos al aire. Pero es feliz porque no tiene que ir a la escuela... -
Over the Edge/An Edge in My Voice by Harlan Ellison
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Razor Sharp Beyond the Edge. Harlan Ellison's stories and essays have been on the cutting edge of contemporary American Literature for over 40 years, but he stubbornly refuses to abandon the use of a manual typewriter. He's involved in every medium from television drama to comic books, and his works have been translated into 26 languages... -
the truth about fragile things by Regina Sirois
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBryon died fifty years before his time. Charlotte grew up angry. I grew up scared. And Phillip- well, he never grew up. And now we are all bound together into one painful heap of humanity. Broken, but bound. And maybe it is only the fact that we are tangled in one terrible knot that will hold us together until we heal. This is unfortunately, and miraculously, my story...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction book contemporary female-author fiction realistic young-adult -
Von hier betrachtet sieht das scheiße aus by Max Osswald
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBen Schneider ist erst 29, hat aber schon genug vom Leben im Hamsterrad: aufstehen, arbeiten, Sorgen machen, sterben. Seinen Job bei einer Wirtschaftsprüfungskanzlei hasst er mindestens so sehr wie seinen Vorgesetzten. Der Kontakt zu seiner Familie ist größtenteils abgerissen, für die Liebe oder Freunde hat er schon lange keine Zeit mehr...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction fiction male-mc contemporary mental-illness humor thriller -
Dear Marley by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.For Marley “Sunny” Sorenshine, a Secret Admirer might be just what she needs to put her recent, very public, break up behind her.Her optimism is dimmed when she reads the first note—her admirer was tricked into participating. He didn’t choose Marley, a dart did...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age romance contemporary young-adult loner-mc fiction book -
Letting Loose the Hounds by Brady Udall
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHere are eleven big-hearted tales by an inspired storyteller at the beginning of his career. Set in the small towns of Utah and Arizona, most of these stories deal with letting loose - or wanting to - in all its forms. For the family hero in "Buckeye the Elder, " this means reverting to a more raucous past...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction adult anthologies contemporary fiction indigenous-mc poc-mc -
Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTender and intense, Honeybees and Distant Thunder is the unflinching story of love, courage and rivalry as three young people come to understand what it means to truly be a friend.In a small coastal town just a stone's throw from Tokyo, a prestigious piano competition is underway...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction contemporary 21st-century realistic book adult -
Copperhead: A Novel by Alexi Zentner
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat do we do when the people we love hold beliefs that are fundamentally incompatible with who we are? All Jessup wants is to enjoy his senior year at Cortaca High and get a scholarship to attend college. It doesn’t seem impossible. He’s a standout varsity football player. A good student. He works at the local movie theater to help his mother make ends meet...Categorized as:
literary-fiction crime coming-of-age fiction contemporary young-adult audiobook realistic -
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The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe hilarious, bittersweet novel from the playwright behind EDUCATING RITA, SHIRLEY VALENTINE and award-winning musical BLOOD BROTHERS.Dear Morrissey,I'm feeling dead depressed and down. Like a streetlamp without a bulb or a goose at the onset of Christmas time.Anyroad, I thought I'd pen a few lines to someone who'd understand...It's 1991...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction action-adventure audiobook book contemporary fiction horror -
Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? by Johan Harstad
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA pop-saturated epic novel about the second man on the moon, and the quiet thirty-year-old gardener who idolizes him. A story of unconventional psychiatry, the Faroe Islands, amateur boat building, and the journey across the space that divides us from other people: a journey as remote and dangerous as the trip to the moon itself... -
The Temptation to Be Happy by Lorenzo Marone, Shaun Whiteside
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCesare is a seventy-seven-year-old widower and cynical troublemaker, a man who has always struggled to care for others and has given up trying. Aside from an intermittent fling with a nurse called Rossana, he avoids contact with his neighbours and even his own children. One day, the enigmatic Emma moves into the neighbouring flat with her strange and sinister husband... -
The Few: A Novel by Hakan Günday
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“I am here. Where are you?” These desperate words link the two protagonists of Hakan Günday’s raw and fearless novel The Few. Derdâ is an eleven-year-old girl pulled out of boarding school by her mother who, without telling her, plans to sell her as a wife to a conservative tribesman. She goes with her new husband to London, where for five years he abuses and all but imprisons her... -
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has closed, eleven-year-old Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. Two thousand miles from his mother's protective love, stranded at an unusual boarding school, his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction historical-fiction audiobook contemporary family book -
Misophonia by Dana Vowinckel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPart coming-of-age tale, part family saga, an extraordinary debut novel set between Berlin, Chicago, and Jerusalem “about being Jewish and German, and all the awkwardness that entails” (The Guardian).It’s the hottest of summers in Chicago, and fifteen-year-old Margarita is spending her vacation as usual, under the not-so-watchful eyes of her aging maternal grandparents...
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