Books like 'A Trick of the Light'

Readers who enjoyed A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  psychological  realistic  family  male-mc  domestic-drama  sad  high-school  drama

  • When It Rains: The bittersweet romance you won't want to miss by Brooke Harris

    When It Rains: The bittersweet romance you won't want to miss by Brooke Harris

    Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    The 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...
  • Marred: Kyle and Violet by Tess Thompson

    Marred: Kyle and Violet by Tess Thompson

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Kyle Hicks started with nothing. Now he's a self-made man. And as luck would have it, his latest project as a real estate developer lands him in Cliffside Bay with his very best friends, The Dogs. At the end of his grueling work days, Kyle's got just enough time left for his buddies and not much else...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  sad  adult  anthologies  contemporary  epic  female-mc
  • Glass by Ellen Hopkins

    Glass by Ellen Hopkins

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go. Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  high-school  realistic  sad  abuse  angst  audiobook
  • Lato, gdy mama miała zielone oczy by Tatiana Țîbuleac

    Lato, gdy mama miała zielone oczy by Tatiana Țîbuleac

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Aleksy, kipiący gniewem nastolatek, po ukończeniu szkoły zamierza pojechać z kolegami do Amsterdamu, zamiast tego jednak udaje się z matką na wieś do Francji. Mają spędzić razem lato. Ich trudna relacja powoli się odmienia, aż w końcu – na krótko – przechodzi w autentyczną bliskość...
  • Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

    Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act—suicide.Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade...
  • Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

    Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they'd rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.Cara's parents' unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love...
  • Burned by Ellen Hopkins

    Burned by Ellen Hopkins

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream.It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls...
  • 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 ratings
    It'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...
  • Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

    Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life (well, almost): He plays drums in the All-Star Jazz Band, has a crush on the hottest girl in school (who doesn’t know he’s alive), frequently finds himself sitting across from his school counselor (who bribes him with candy), and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey (who is cuter than cute)...
  • Sabtu Bersama Bapak by Adhitya Mulya

    Sabtu Bersama Bapak by Adhitya Mulya

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    “Hai, Satya! Hai, Cakra!” Sang Bapak melambaikan tangan. “Ini Bapak. Iya, benar kok, ini Bapak. Bapak cuma pindah ke tempat lain. Gak sakit. Alhamdulillah, berkat doa Satya dan Cakra. … Mungkin Bapak tidak dapat duduk dan bermain di samping kalian. Tapi, Bapak tetap ingin kalian tumbuh dengan Bapak di samping kalian. Ingin tetap dapat bercerita kepada kalian...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  book  comedy  contemporary  fiction  humor
  • No Beach Like Nantucket by Grace Palmer

    No Beach Like Nantucket by Grace Palmer

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The Benson family needs a fresh start. Can they find peace and happiness on the beaches of Nantucket?Last summer, a storm blew the Benson family’s lives to bits.It’s been almost a year since that fateful day.Since they learned that life at the beach isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.They’re doing their best to pick up the pieces.Mae is running the Sweet Island Inn...
  • After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, Nick Podehl

    After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, Nick Podehl

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Even though the cancer should be far behind him, Jeffrey still worries that it will return. He's got normal teen stuff to deal with, too - friends, parents, girls, school.Normally, he'd ask his older brother, Steven, for advice. But Steven, always the trusty, responsible one, is finally rebelling and has taken off to Africa to join a drumming circle and 'find himself.'Jeffrey feels abandoned...
    Categorized as:
    family  high-school  male-mc  realistic  sad  audiobook  book  children
  • Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz

    Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    To Molly Nathans, perfect is:• The number four• The tip of a newly sharpened number two pencil• A crisp, white pad of paper • Her neatly aligned glass animal figurinesWhat’s not perfect is Molly’s mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year...
  • 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 ratings
    New 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 ratings
    Seventeen-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 ratings
    Vicky 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...
  • Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews

    Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    'I'm a Carole Matthews addict!' Mary BerryA heart-warming and poignant novel of romance, family and second chances, Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses is Sunday Times bestselling Carole Matthews at her outstanding best. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  sad  adult  audiobook  book  contemporary  female-mc
  • Deserve To Die by Miranda Rijks

    Deserve To Die by Miranda Rijks

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Dom and Stacey have the perfect life. Until they meet Tamara. Brilliant, beautiful, she hides a horrifying secret. One that may destroy them all.Happily married with two wonderful children, Dom and Stacey are living the dream. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books.Everything is perfect...
  • My Name Is by Angela Marsons

    My Name Is by Angela Marsons

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Kit Mason is a brittle ex-prostitue trying to outrun a past of abuse and cruelty. Frances Thornton is a lawyer from a privileged background shrouded in secrets. Alcohol could be their destruction. My Name Is follows the unlikely friendship between two very different women fighting their addiction to alcohol...
    Categorized as:
    domestic-drama  drama  family  sad  adult  audiobook  book  breakup
  • Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

    Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    In 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...
  • The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse

    The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    What would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie? Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook  book  contemporary
  • The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah

    The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was always “the princess” of the family, a girl who thought she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College. Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn’t work out that way for Angie...
    Categorized as:
    domestic-drama  drama  family  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook  book
  • A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

    A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 41 ratings
    Miles 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...
  • My Mother's Eyes: A Short Story by Jeremy Ray

    My Mother's Eyes: A Short Story by Jeremy Ray

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “You’re wrong, Jordie. You’ll see. Draw me just one more time.”No one knows if his mother will come out of her coma, so fourteen-year-old Jordie memorializes her in the only way he knows how: by drawing her. His older brother doesn’t approve of these sketches, but Jordie’s determined to capture the person she used to be...
  • The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

    The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Ellie Wayne doesn't just live. She survives.Ellie Wayne has grown up in frightening circumstances, damaged by a sexually abusive father and mentally fragile mother. Scarred and still threatened by a father she hates and fears, Ellie believes her future holds nothing more than danger, shame and secrets . . . until the unspeakable happens, and Ellie is forced to choose...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  sad  abuse  adult  book  contemporary  female-mc
  • Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver

    Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Three mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives...
  • Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe

    Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    No 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...
  • We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt

    We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    “We looked down at the cliff jutting into the sea, a rubber boat full of kids going under the arch, and then you started running and jumping through the grass, dodging the rabbit holes, shouting at the top of your voice, so I started chasing you, trying to catch you, and we were laughing so hard as we ran and ran, kicking up rainbow showers in the leaves...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook  book  children
  • Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill

    Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    A young, street-savvy runaway looking for a place to call home realizes he might have conned his way into the wrong family in this fast-paced and thrilling novel from award-winning author Cristin Terrill.When ten-year-old Daniel Tate went missing from one of California's most elite communities, he left no trace. He simply vanished...
  • What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard

    What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    A 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...
  • Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson

    Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    From the author of the internationally bestselling novels My Best Friend’s Girl and Marshmallows for Breakfast comes an incredibly moving, powerfully written new novel about motherhood, love, loss, and new beginnings. Nova will do anything for her closest friend, Mal, whom she has known since childhood...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  sad  adult  audiobook  black-mc  book
  • Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

    Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    A heart-wrenching novel about a sixteen-year-old girl trapped in an abusive relationship—and the path she takes to freedom and happiness, from award-winning author Heather Demetrios.“Like Speak, it is one of those rare books that can have a real, lasting impact on readers, and can start important conversations.” —Adi Alsaid, author of Let’s Get Lost and Never Always SometimesGrace wants out...
    Categorized as:
    domestic-drama  drama  family  high-school  realistic  sad  abuse  book
  • The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark

    The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Lisa Genova meets 23andMe in this exploration of the genetic and emotional ties that bind, as debut author Julie Clark delivers a compelling read about a young boy desperate to find his place in this world, a mother coming to terms with her own past, and the healing power of forgiveness...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  realistic  adult  audiobook  book  contemporary  fiction
  • Collision Course by S.C. Stephens

    Collision Course by S.C. Stephens

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Lucas had it all—popularity, a devoted girlfriend, a brotherly best friend, and a loving mother who would do anything for him. His life was right on course to be successful and fulfilling…until the crash changed everything.Late at night, during a sudden downpour, three young lives are lost and Lucas, the lone survivor, is left to face the consequences...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  high-school  male-mc  realistic  sad  angst  book
  • Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous

    Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    A 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...
  • Split by Swati Avasthi

    Split by Swati Avasthi

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret...
  • Little Whispers by K.L. Slater

    Little Whispers by K.L. Slater

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    You shared a secret with the wrong person.Janey Markham is thrilled to be moving with her family to Buckingham Crescent, the smartest address in a desirable suburban town.Worried she’ll be excluded by the glossy local mothers, Janey is thrilled when she meets Tanya, the kind of woman she has always looked up to...
  • Crazy by Han Nolan

    Crazy by Han Nolan

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Fifteen-year-old Jason has fallen upon bad times—his mother has died and his father has succumbed to mental illness. As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance as he stumbles along trying not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition...
    Categorized as:
    drama  family  high-school  male-mc  realistic  sad  book  bullying
  • Cracked by K.M. Walton

    Cracked by K.M. Walton

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Sometimes 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...
  • Bait by Alex Sanchez

    Bait by Alex Sanchez

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    After Diego lands himself on probation for fighting, he doesn't trust his probation officer, Mr. Vidas. But as he begins to open up, Diego realizes that he needs Mr. Vidas's help to get his anger under control. To do that, Diego will need to face the nightmares from his past head-on and confront the memories he's been avoiding...
  • My Daughter's Secret by Nicole Trope

    My Daughter's Secret by Nicole Trope

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    My baby girl, I’ll never forget you – your smile, your laugh, the way your hair sparkles in the sun. I cannot comprehend this pain. I cannot breathe through it.In the middle of the night, Claire wakes up to discover that her beloved daughter, Julia, is dead – and life, as she knows it, is over...
    Categorized as:
    domestic-drama  drama  sad  adult  angst  book  breakup  contemporary
  • The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess

    The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Victoria 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...
  • The Favor by Nora Murphy

    The Favor by Nora Murphy

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    A gripping debut domestic suspense novel, The Favor explores with compassion and depth what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands.Staying is dangerous. Leaving could be worse.Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives.They don’t—ever—find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop...
  • This Impossible Light by Lily Myers

    This Impossible Light by Lily Myers

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Fifteen-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...
  • A Class Act by Julie Houston

    A Class Act by Julie Houston

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Preorder the first in a new series from bestselling author, Julie Houston! Robyn Allen is finally getting closer to her dream of West End stardom. And along with her role dancing in the latest hot musical, she’s being wined and dined by an equally hot man – the wildly successful and well-connected Fabian Carrington...
  • The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb

    The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    High 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...
  • The Ordinary Us by DomLuka

    The Ordinary Us by DomLuka

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    This is the story of seventeen-year-old Quinn Moore. He has a loving family, good friends and a girlfriend he's deemed as perfect. Quinn's also gay, not that he's about to admit it. He likes things just the way they are, thank you. But then he meets Jude Landon, and everything in Quinn's comfortable world is turned upside down.Status: Complete Word count: approx...
  • 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 ratings
    According 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...
  • The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

    The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

    Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    This National Book Award Finalist is a thought-provoking exploration of emotional abuse, self-reliance and the nature of evil. A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.   For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival...
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