Books like 'Friendly Fire'
Readers who enjoyed Friendly Fire by Patrick Gale also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCombining the raw realism and vulnerability of Shuggie Bain and Detransition, Baby with the poignant sensibility of Pedro Almodóvar, a staggering coming-of-age novel deeply rooted in the class struggles of a trans woman growing up in Madrid in the last decades of the twentieth century."I saw a whole generation of boys fall like irredeemable angels...Categorized as:
lgbtq coming-of-age literary-fiction historical-fiction fiction feminism contemporary drama -
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It's a rule. But what would happen if they did? From the New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Authenticity Project, a heartwarming novel about unexpected friendships and the joy of connecting... -
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 friendship contemporary fiction romance new-adult female-mc -
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... -
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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:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction contemporary audiobook family parenthood -
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:
lgbtq literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction trans-mc contemporary female-author book -
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGrowing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James are born under different stars--Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic--and they should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all. Yet against all odds, they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction 21st-century audiobook book -
True Biz by Sara Nović
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTRUE BIZ (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talkTrue biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction coming-of-age friendship fiction contemporary disability audiobook -
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... -
The How & the Why by Cynthia Hand
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, perfect for fans of Far From the Tree, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.Today Melly had us writing letters to our babies…Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for. They’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—except maybe the one thing she wants...Categorized as:
boarding-school coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction audiobook book -
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... -
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:
literary-fiction friendship coming-of-age historical-fiction romance fiction contemporary grief -
Frankie by Graham Norton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrankie Howe has lived a long life, her small flat is crammed full of art, furniture - and memories. Damian, her young carer, listens as she gradually tells him parts of her story - a story that takes us into a progressive, daring world of New York artists on the brink of fame, aspiring writers and larger-than-life characters... -
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsAn accessible, character-driven story set in 2003 New York City about a genderqueer book conservator who feels trapped by her gender presentation, her ill-fitting relationship, and her artistic block, as she discovers a decades-old hidden queer love letter and becomes obsessed with tracking down its author. It’s 2003, and artist Dawn Levit is stuck...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
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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 lgbtq literary-fiction anthologies classics contemporary fiction literary -
Robert's Rules by J.F. Riordan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs the new Chairman of the Town Board, Fiona Campbell finds that life has become a series of petty squabbles, dull meetings, and papers everywhere, all complicated by her guardianship of the as yet unidentified screaming goat. In desperation, she hires an unknown newcomer, the compulsively orderly Oliver Robert, to run her office and keep her organized... -
The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Karuna Ezara Parikh
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn extraordinary tale of love in a world being torn asunder.It is 2001 and Daya and Aaftab have just met in a park in Cardiff. She is studying ballet and he is practising in a law firm. She falls madly in love. He does, but he also cannot, because he is Muslim and there are certain rules...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction literary-fiction friendship romance fiction contemporary feminism -
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... -
Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThirteen-year-old Apron Bramhall begins a summer job at her new friend Mike and his boyfriend Chad's flower shop, but she soon learns a secret about Chad that threatens to turn her peaceful world upside down...Categorized as:
historical-fiction lgbtq coming-of-age young-adult fiction contemporary realistic drama -
On Herring Cove Road: Mr. Rosen and His 43Lb Anxiety by Michael Kroft
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnce an amusing extrovert with a reputation as a prankster, Mr. Rosen is entering his retirement years as a stoic thirty-year converted introvert who has no interest in people, despises change, and is more than content to have his wife navigate his life... -
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe first love of a teenage girl is a powerful thing, particularly when the object of that desire is her best friend, also a girl. It's the kind of power that could implode a family, a friendship, a life...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction wlw contemporary audiobook -
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... -
Pioneer Summer: A Novel by Elena Malisova, Katerina Silvanova
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took listeners by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp...Categorized as:
lgbtq historical-fiction coming-of-age literary-fiction romance fiction young-adult contemporary -
The Last Supper Catering Company by Michaelene McElroy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal, Readers' Favorite Five Star Review and winner of the Silver Medal for Women's Fiction, Amazon Kindle Bestseller - The Last Supper Catering Company is the humorous and heartwarming story of B. Thankful Childe-Lucknow. Turned out with red corkscrew hair, one eye brown, the other green, and gifted with the power to hear the voices of the departed, B...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book christian contemporary culinary -
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A Flirtationship by love-o-holic12babe, Shreya Pandey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“God, I like him. I like my best friend. Oh, and he has a girlfriend.” Scarlett has been best friends with Aiden for a very long time. She's almost like a sister to him. Problem is, Scarlett does not see him as a brother at all; far from it, in fact. Her traitor of a heart loves him--yes, as more than a friend. They are polar opposites... -
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises--especially to ourselves--by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle. It's been a minute--or five years--since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began... -
Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“One of those books you just want to hug to your chest. I loved it so much... -
Full Circle by Michael Thomas Ford
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHistory professor Ned Brummel is living happily with his partner of twelve years in small-town Maine when he receives a phone call from his estranged friend--Jack--telling him that another friend--Andy--is very ill and possibly near death...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
The Orchard by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFour teenagers grow inseparable in the last days of the Soviet Union—but not all of them will live to see the new world arrive in this powerful debut novel, loosely based on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.Coming of age in the USSR in the 1980s, best friends Anya and Milka try to envision a free and joyful future for themselves... -
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:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction audiobook contemporary family book -
Un certain Paul Darrigrand by Philippe Besson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCette année-là, j'avais vingt-deux ans et j'allais, au même moment, rencontrer l'insaisissable Paul Darrigrand et flirter dangereusement avec la mort, sans que ces deux événements aient de rapport entre eux.D'un côté, le plaisir et l'insouciance ; de l'autre, la souffrance et l'inquiétude. Le corps qui exulte et le corps meurtri.Aujourd'hui, je me demande si, au fond, tout n'était pas lié... -
Pride High : Book 3 - Yellow by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnother year is winding down for the students of Pride High, but the drama is just ramping up!Ricky is finally dating dangerous Diego Gomez, but when they keep getting into trouble, he wonders if he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Anthony has decided to come out to his school in a big way and faces backlash, not just from his fellow students, but the principal as well... -
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsInspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction friendship fiction contemporary family audiobook female-mc -
The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn this stylistically adventurous, brilliantly funny tour de force-the most highly acclaimed debut since Nathan Englander's-Aleksander Hemon writes of love and war, Sarajevo and America, with a skill and imagination that are breathtaking.A love affair is experienced in the blink of an eye as the Archduke Ferdinand watches his wife succumb to an assassin's bullet...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction fiction contemporary 21st-century anthologies adult -
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The Passage of Love by Alex Miller
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Passage of Love is a moving novel from one of Australia's most beloved authors, two-time winner of the Miles Franklin Award, Alex Miller. Both intimate and epic, Miller's autobiographical novel begins as the story of Robert Crofts, whose father, after serving in World War II, returns to the family's London home psychologically damaged and abusive...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book child-abuse contemporary -
I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA searing, heartbreaking debut about the powerful bonds that make and break an Iranian-American family Three young brothers leave Los Angeles in the dead of night for Iran, taken by their father from their mother to a country and an ancestral home they barely recognize. They return to the Valley months later, spit back into American life and changed in awful and inexorable ways...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction coming-of-age historical-fiction fiction contemporary realistic family -
Plays Well with Others by Allan Gurganus
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith great narrative inventiveness and emotional amplitude, Allan Gurganus gives us artistic Manhattan in the wild 1980s, where young artists--refugees from the middle class--hurl themselves into playful work and serious fun. Our guide is Hartley Mims Jr., a Southerner whose native knack for happiness might thwart his literary ambitions...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction friendship historical-fiction fiction 20th-century realistic humor -
Pride High : Book 2 - Orange by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWelcome back to Pride High, where the delicious drama continues! Ricky tries to sort through his feelings for Diego—the hot guy who has been bullying him—and ends up in the middle of a feud. Anthony and Cameron, now a couple, have to navigate first times and coming out. Silvia finds herself questioning her feelings for Omar when someone else catches her eye… and it’s a girl... -
First Time for Everything: A Novel by Henry Fry
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsDanny Scudd is absolutely fine. At twenty-seven years old he's finally moved to London and escaped his parents' tiny fish and chip shop, his beloved collection of house plants are thriving and every Monday evening he has a date night with his boyfriend, Tobbs.But Danny's life is thrown into chaos when he discovers at an STI clinic that Tobbs might be cheating on him... -
Season of the Witch: A Novel by James Leo Herlihy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBy the author of Midnight Cowboy: A teenage girl runs away to the East Village in “one of the best and most convincing novels . . . of the Woodstock generation” (Publishers Weekly). As she explains in her diary, seventeen-year-old Gloria Random is running away from her Midwest childhood home. It’s the fall of 1969, and her best friend John has been called up for the draft...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction book contemporary female-mc -
The Island Dwellers: Stories by Jen Silverman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor readers of Miranda July, Rebecca Lee, and Mary Gaitskill, a debut short-story collection that is a mesmerizing blend of wit, transgression, and heart. LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE FOR DEBUT FICTION A passive-aggressive couple in the midst of a divorce compete over whose new fling is more exotic... -
Hôtel Splendid by Marie Redonnet
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThese three short novels are the first works to appear in English by a remarkable contemporary French author, Marie Redonnet. Born in Paris in 1947, Redonnet taught for a number of years in a suburban lycée before deciding to pursue a writing career full time... -
Sea of Tranquillity by Paul Russell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPaul Russell's delicately layered, richly textured novels have won him widespread acclaim as one of the finest contemporary American novelists... -
Also Known as Elvis by James Howe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSkeezie Tookis navigates a pivotal summer of first crushes and tough choices in this conclusion to the bestselling and acclaimed quartet that began with The Misfits.Skeezie Tookis, also known as Elvis, isn’t looking forward to this summer in Paintbrush Falls...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship lgbtq children children-books contemporary fiction middle-grade -
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Swimming Against the Tide by Ryan Taylor, Joshua Harwood
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsZachI wanted what I thought was the ideal college experience—an excellent school and a great fraternity. Since I was a legacy, it was Zeta from the get-go. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I had so much fun I didn’t pay enough attention to one very important thing—the culture. The very conservative, closed-minded culture... -
Honey by Isabel Banta
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA coming-of-age story that follows the meteoric rise of singer Amber Young as she navigates fame in the late-1990s and early-2000s era of pop music superstardomIt is 1997, and Amber Young has received a life-changing call. It is a chance thousands of girls would die for: the opportunity to join girl group Cloud9 in Los Angeles and escape her small town...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age friendship fiction contemporary young-adult book -
Exposure by Ava Dellaira
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA life-changing moment encompasses conflicting truths that echo across time, in this powerful, provocative debut.One night, two people, four sides of a story.In 2004, Juliette Marker, a white college freshman, and Noah King, a Black high school senior, are two lonely souls who enter each other’s orbit, forge a connection, and, after a chance meeting, go home together...Categorized as:
literary-fiction lgbtq friendship coming-of-age fiction audiobook contemporary season-spring -
And So I Roar by Abi Daré
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA stunning, heartwrenching new novel from Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding VoiceWhen Tia accidentally overhears a whispered conversation between her mother—terminally ill and lying in a hospital bed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria—and her aunt, the repercussions will send her on a desperate quest to uncover a secret her mother has been hiding for nearly two...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age friendship fiction contemporary audiobook poc-mc -
After River by Donna Milner
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt fifteen, Natalie Ward believes her life is perfect. Growing up on a dairy farm in the mountains of British Columbia less than two miles from the American border, she knows little of the outside world. But she knows family. A family so close and loving that they are the envy of the nearby town of Atwood...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction book children contemporary drama -
Cross-Stitch by Jazmina Barrera
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA debut novel of female friendship and coming-of-age from Jazmina Barrera, acclaimed author of Linea Nigra and On Lighthouses, translated by Christina MacSweeney.It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime. Mila, Citlali, and Dalia, childhood friends now college aged, leave Mexico City for the England of The Clash and the Paris of Courbet...
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