Books like 'Start Here'
Readers who enjoyed Start Here by Trish Doller also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance action / adventure lgbtq realistic friendship grief season-summer journey coming-of-age
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So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsUnlikely road trip companions form an unexpected bond in an uplifting novel about the past—lost and found—by the New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author.Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money... -
Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe book club says bon voyage to Concord and bonjour to France! It’s a dream come true for Megan, who’s jet-setting to Paris for Fashion Week with Gigi. Meanwhile, back in Concord, Mrs. Wong decides to run for mayor, so Emma and Stewart team up to make her campaign a success...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure audiobook book -
The Season of Dreams by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this romantic tale in the Escape to France collection from bestselling author Fiona Valpy, Sara has one summer to make wedding wishes come true... -
Seabreeze Inn by Jan Moran
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA widowed artist. An old crush. One summer to get her life back.Ivy Bay’s life implodes after discovering that her late husband had spent their life savings on a beach house. Strapped for cash as an art teacher and with nowhere to go, Ivy and her recently jilted sister head to Summer Beach to recreate their lives... -
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Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mother-daughter book club is back! This year the mothers have a big surprise in store for Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan: They've invited snooty Becca Chadwick and her mother to join the book club! But there are bigger problems when Jess finds out that her family may have to give up Half Moon Farm...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure audiobook book -
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country... -
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman, Carlotta Brentan
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratings13 hours, 15 minutesA trio of second-born daughters set out to break the family curse that says they’ll never find love on a whirlwind journey through the lush Italian countryside by New York Times bestseller Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey lgbtq realistic season-summer action-adventure -
Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFaking the best summer ever is a lot harder than it looks...At the start of summer, Jack and Nate find themselves dumped as their respective exes, Dylan and Tariq, start up a new relationship together. Not only that, their exes start posting pics on social media, showing the whole world how fabulous their new life together is!Jack and Nate are reeling...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey lgbtq realistic season-summer action-adventure -
The History of Us by Nyrae Dawn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSometimes it's not about coming out, it's about settling in. Eighteen-year-old Bradley Collins came out a year ago and hasn't looked back since. Who cares if he doesn't know any other gay people? Bradley has friends and basketball-that's all he needs. Even if that means always sitting on the sidelines when the guys go out looking for girls... -
The Last Wish of Sasha Cade by Cheyanne Young
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe day Raquel has been dreading for months has finally arrived. Sasha, her best friend in the whole world, has died of cancer. Overwhelmed and brokenhearted, Raquel can't even imagine life without her. And then a letter from Sasha arrives... -
In Your Dreams by Robin Jones Gunn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Christy Miller Series, this series centers around Christy Miller's friend Sierra Jensen. Sierra is a spunky and bold sixteen-year-old with big dreams and unconventional clothes. Today's teens can truly relate to what is going on in Sierra's life -- whether it's friendships, dating, or learning to trust in God...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic action-adventure book christian contemporary -
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death—from the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely AnimalsAt sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it... -
With Love from London by Sarah Jio
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA librarian inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother, leading her halfway across the world on a journey of self-discovery that transcends time and honors the unbreakable bonds of love and family. When librarian Valentina Baker was a teenager, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own... -
Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWinnie has finally gotten the hang of junior highÑ gaining two fabulous BFFs and a perfect (OK, sometimes perfect) boyfriend in the process. And with graduation just around the corner, the countdown to high school has begun. Not that Winnie is obsessing about it, since she has a whole bunch of things to check off her To-Do-Before-High-School list...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure book children -
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The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGirl Online meets Wild in this emotionally charged story of girl who takes to the wilderness to rediscover herself and escape the superficial persona she created on social media.Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship grief journey realistic season-summer action-adventure -
This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens. Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met... -
The Lost Girls of Ireland by Susanne O'Leary
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA heart-warming story about family secrets and one woman’s escape to dreamy Sandy Cove on the stunning west coast of Ireland.The picturesque beach of Wild Rose Bay is the last place Lydia Butler thought she’d be. But having just lost everything, the run-down cottage she inherited from her Great Aunt Nellie is the only place she can take her daughter, Sunny... -
The Art of Holding On and Letting Go by Kristin Bartley Lenz
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Junior Library Guild Fall 2016 Selection“When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.” Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by her fingertips... -
And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe inaugural title from Roxane Gay Books, And Then He Sang a Lullaby is a searingly honest and resonant debut from a 23-year-old Nigerian writer and queer liberation activist, exploring what love and freedom cost in a society steeped in homophobia.August is a God-fearing track star who leaves Enugu City to attend university and escape his overbearing sisters... -
The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“A complete knockout. Readers will be thinking of this story long after they finish the final page.” —Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Belladonna“Utterly compelling and impossible to put down.” —Rachel Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of Bring Me Your Midnight“I’ve never read a book that felt so much like picking up pieces of a broken heart—powerful, poignant, and true... -
How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOur memories are what make us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to 'find himself" and Kat is in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend... -
The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEmily and her mum were always lucky.But Emily’s mum’s luck ran out three years ago when she succumbed to cancer, and nothing has felt right since.Now, the summer before her senior year, things are worse than ever – Emily has wrecked things with her boyfriend, Matt, and her dad is selling the house she grew up in and giving her mum’s belongings away...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship grief lgbtq realistic season-summer action-adventure -
How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsAmber, Evie and Lottie: three girls facing down tough issues with the combined powers of friendship, feminism and cheesy snacks. Both hilarious and heart-rending, this is Amber’s story of how painful – and exhilarating – love can be, following on from Evie’s story in Am I Normal Yet?All Amber wants is a little bit of love...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer 21st-century action-adventure -
Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn electrifying novel of an unconventional family in Trinidad mended by their individual, and collective, quests for loveAfter Betty Ramdin's husband dies, she invites a colleague, Mr. Chetan, to move in with her and her son, Solo. Over time, the three become a family, loving each other deeply and depending upon one another. Then, one fateful night, Solo overhears Betty confiding in Mr... -
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Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic action-adventure book contemporary female-mc -
Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree generations of women in the Ferrari family must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family... -
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA contemporary novel about two best friends who must make tough decisions about their futures--and the TV show they host--in their senior year of high school.Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship grief journey realistic season-summer action-adventure -
One True Loves by Elise Bryant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey lgbtq realistic season-summer action-adventure -
Best (Boy)friend Forever by Melissa J. Morgan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPriya Shah is Camp Lakeview’s resident tomboy—her BFF in the whole world is Jordan: a BOY, but they are just friends. The girls in bunk 4C aren’t buying it, though. Priya’s used to the teasing and thinks she can take it. But during the fourth-division field trip to D.C. she realizes she’s never been more wrong...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure book children contemporary -
In the Same Boat by Holly Green
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSadie Scofield is just a few days away from the race of a lifetime. The Texas River Odyssey may be 260 miles and multiple days of arduous canoeing where every turn of the river reveals new dangers-downed trees, alligators, pitch black night-but those dangers pale in comparison to going another year knowing that her father is ashamed of her... -
Riding with Brighton by Haven Francis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the small town of Spring Valley, molds weren’t made to be broken, and high school senior Jay Hall’s been living comfortably in his popular jock one since adolescence. If it weren’t for the colorful, outspoken artistic anomaly Brighton Bello-Adler, he might have been willing to remain there... -
The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSixteen-year-old Zeeta and her flighty English-teaching mom, Layla, have traveled the world together, settling in a different country every year, making a whole new set of friends and adopting new customs. This year, they’ve chosen to live in Aix-en-Provence, France, an enchanting city full of fountains, creamy yellow light, and a fascinating group of scarlet-clad street performers...Categorized as:
family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure book children contemporary -
Spies, Lies, and Allies: A Love Story by Lisa Brown Roberts
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSummers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for.My boss is running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor...Categorized as:
family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure book contemporary fiction -
Road Rash by Mark Huntley Parsons
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA teenage drummer finds out what life is really like on tour with a rock band in this funny and bittersweet YA novel. For anyone who loved Almost Famous or This Is Spinal Tap. After being dropped from one band, sixteen-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer action-adventure alpha-mc -
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Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Perks of Being a Wallflower meets The End of the F***ing World in this dark young adult comedy about four unlikely friends dealing with the messy side of grief who embark on a road trip to Graceland.Asher Hunting wants revenge.Specifically, he wants revenge on the drunk driver who killed his mom and got off on a technicality... -
Home Again by Ana Newfolk, Ana Ashley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey used to be best friends… can they ever be more?Joel's entire world has come crashing down.When he finds himself back home to scatter the ashes of his parents, he doesn't know how his heart can ever feel love after the loss of his family.David has been baking since he was a teenager.While he's been running the family café, love has taken a backseat in his life... -
Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey lgbtq realistic season-summer action-adventure -
Lucky Star by Cathy Cassidy
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMouse is doing his best to stay out of trouble. Cat is doing her best to land herself in it. They've both had it pretty tough so when they meet by chance they thank their lucky stars. Weird and wonderful things happen when they're together - but how long can it last? Because everyone has their secrets - and there can be only one winner in a game of cat and mouse...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic action-adventure book children contemporary -
Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEveryone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer action-adventure book -
Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJason Carrillo came out to his basketball team senior year and lost his university scholarship. Now, with graduation behind him and summer ending, he's asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school across the country... -
Paper Hearts by Ali Novak
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“I’m sorry,” he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. “It’s just…I didn’t want you to think of me any differently.”Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn’t accept that he was the person looking down at me.“My real name is Alec.”Felicity has her entire future planned...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer action-adventure audiobook -
52赫茲的鯨魚們 by Sonoko Machida, 町田苑香
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings52赫茲的鯨魚,是世界上最孤獨的鯨魚。其他鯨魚無法接收到牠發出的高頻率叫聲。雖然有很多同伴,但其他同伴聽不到牠的呼喚,牠也聽不到其他同伴的聲音。就像總是無比孤單、無人理解,無人在乎的我一樣⋯⋯ 沒有人能理解、無法將內心呼喊、求救傳達出去的你,並不孤單。「我會傾聽你那無法傳達給任何人的52赫茲的聲音。」 日本九州一處偏遠的海邊小鎮。斷絕所有一切,獨自移居此地的貴瑚,在某個下雨天遇到了跟自己一樣散發孤單感的一名少年。 他身上有和我相同的氣味。那是沒有父母關愛的孤獨氣味。這種氣味很棘手,無論再怎麼仔細清洗都洗不掉。孤獨的氣味不是滲進皮膚或是肌肉,而是滲進內心。 她彷彿從少年身上看見當年的自己──悲慘、絕望、被踐踏、了無生趣。當時的貴瑚遇見了這世上唯一能聽到她求救呼喊的人,她才得以倖存。如今,貴瑚想要對少年伸出援手……... -
Piglettes by Clémentine Beauvais
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAwarded the Gold, Silver and Bronze trotters after a vote by their classmates on Facebook, Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are officially the three ugliest girls in their school, but does that mean they're going to sit around crying about it?Well..Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer action-adventure book -
Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHand this utterly unique contemporary YA to anyone who loves ballet or is a little too wrapped up in their Plan A. (It's okay to fail, people!) Harper had a plan. It went south. Harper Scott is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas... -
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One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMost teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic season-summer action-adventure audiobook book -
American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith a strong, loving family, an incredibly loyal best friend, and a budding romance with the girl of his dreams, life shows promise for seventeen-year-old Teodoro “T” Avila. But he takes some hard hits the summer before his senior year when his nearly perfect brother Manny returns from a tour in Iraq with a devastating case of PTSD...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship journey realistic season-summer action-adventure audiobook -
A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to England’s beautiful Lake District, where a reluctant reunion forges a new bond between a daughter and her wayward mother.... Abby Rhodes is just starting to get her life on track. After her fiancé’s unexpected death, she returned with her young son to the small village where she grew up and threw herself into helping her ailing grandmother run the town's beach café...Categorized as:
family realistic journey friendship fiction womens-fiction contemporary psychological -
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBooksmart meets Never Have I Ever in this Latinx road trip adventure—a big-hearted, voice-driven YA about two sisters who couldn’t be more different, but become begrudging partners on their school’s cross-country college trip—from debut author Angela Velez. Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan... -
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship grief journey realistic season-summer action-adventure -
Hard to Know by Jason Collins
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCADEN:I'll never forgive him, but I'm stuck in the car with him.My sister needs me at her wedding, but I didn’t know I'd be hitching a ride across the country with Ben, my high-school nemesis. That’s too much time to spend with the last guy I want to see, but I don’t have any other options. We might not get along, but we’re adults now, and I won’t let my sister down...
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