Books like 'Next To Normal: Piano/Vocal/Chords'
Readers who enjoyed Next To Normal: Piano/Vocal/Chords by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological realistic fiction mental-illness
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Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA sensitive and reassuring story about what to do when a worry won't leave you alone. Meet Ruby—a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger... And a little bigger... Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic children children-books contemporary family female-mc -
![Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt]()
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.Selah knows her rules for being normal.She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down...Categorized as:
realistic fiction mental-illness middle-grade contemporary disability children-books family -
![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... -
![Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz]()
Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTo 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...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic children children-books contemporary disability domestic-drama -
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![Sebastian and the Troll by Fredrik Backman]()
Sebastian and the Troll by Fredrik Backman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a short story I wrote in December 2017. It’s about pain. It’s been translated by my friend Vanja Vinter and is published here on my blog for now because I’m not really sure where else to put it yet. If you read it and find something you like with it you’re welcome to donate whatever you think it’s worth to a charity of your choice...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness contemporary fantasy psychological magical-realism young-adult low-fantasy -
![Everything Calls for Salvation by Daniele Mencarelli]()
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... -
![THERAPY Ever After by Kathryn Perez]()
THERAPY Ever After by Kathryn Perez
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKathryn Perez takes you back to where you felt hope and then gives you forever with this second chance romance story. The highly anticipated conclusion to the best-selling novel, THERAPY. THERAPY Ever After takes place exactly where the last chapter of THERAPY left off and then spans the one month before the epilogue... -
![A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma]()
A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn his final year at the Royal College of Music, star pianist Flynn Laukonen has the world at his feet. He has moved in with his girlfriend Jennah and is already getting concert bookings for what promises to be a glittering career... -
![Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard]()
Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heart-wrenching exploration of grief, set in a landscape corrupted by fame and the scrutiny that comes from living in the shadow of a star...Categorized as:
mental-illness fiction realistic romance young-adult contemporary psychological book -
![Juste une ombre by Karine Giébel]()
Juste une ombre by Karine Giébel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCloé Beauchamp est une jeune femme à qui tout semble réussir; belle, brillante, sur le point d'être nommée à la tête d'une prestigieuse agence de publicité... Et amoureuse, depuis peu, d'un homme charmant. Elle cache à la perfection ses failles et les horreurs qui ont jalonné son passé. Mais lentement, sa vie va se transformer en cauchemar... -
![All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton]()
All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"You can’t keep two people who are meant to be together apart for long...”Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again...Categorized as:
mental-illness realistic fiction romance contemporary young-adult family high-school -
![The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill]()
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOh, would that all bullying problems could be solved so easily! Mean Jean is the reigning Recess Queen, pushing and smooshing, hammering and slammering the other kids whenever they cross her. And then one day a puny new girl shows up on the playground and catches Mean Jean completely off-guard... -
![I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait]()
I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the author of the Waterstones Book of the Month Our Fathers comes a compelling domestic comedy about complex family dynamics, mental health and the intricacies of sibling relationships.For Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, growing up is a trial. There is their mother, who takes a divide and conquer approach to child-rearing, and their father, who takes an absent one...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic contemporary literary-fiction audiobook psychological family -
![Shtum by Jem Lester]()
Shtum by Jem Lester
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPowerful, darkly funny and heart-breaking, Shtum is a story about fathers and sons, autism, and dysfunctional relationships.Ben Jewell has hit breaking point. His ten-year-old son Jonah has severe autism and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope... -
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![Nonfiction by Julie Myerson]()
Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is definitely not a ghost story. But for a while after you’re gone, I see you everywhere. Every ragged young person sitting huddled on a pavement, every stretched-out body under cardboard in a shop doorway.Two parents stand by powerlessly as their only child seems intent on destroying herself...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness contemporary literary-fiction substance-abuse family psychological book -
![The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy]()
The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHave you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise"...Categorized as:
realistic fiction children-books bullying children friendship psychological contemporary -
![Finding Alice by Melody Carlson]()
Finding Alice by Melody Carlson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSliding into the Rabbit Hole… Would She Ever Return? On the surface, Alice Laxton seems no different from any other college girl: bright, inquisitive, excited about the life ahead of her. But for years, a genetic time bomb has been ticking away. Because of Alice’s near-genius intelligence, teachers and counselors have always made excuses for her “little idiosyncrasies...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic book christian coming-of-age contemporary disability -
![This Impossible Light by Lily Myers]()
This Impossible Light by Lily Myers
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFifteen-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...Categorized as:
mental-illness realistic fiction young-adult contemporary family high-school psychological -
![These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar]()
These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSometimes I wish I’d lost a leg or something. Everyone can understand that. They never get it when what’s been broken is inside your head.Five years after an unspeakable tragedy that changed him forever, Gordie Allen has made a new home with his half-brother Kevin... -
![The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb]()
The Art of Insanity by Christine Webb
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHigh 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...Categorized as:
mental-illness realistic fiction romance young-adult contemporary psychological disability -
![Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred by Melody Carlson]()
Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred by Melody Carlson
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRuth Wallace knows she can only hide the scars on her arms for so long. Cutting herself doesn't make her problems disappear, but at least it helps her cope. Ruth needs to find some way, "any" way, to heal her scars--the ones she hides and the ones she can't--before something terrible happens... -
![R.I.P. Eliza Hart by Alyssa B. Sheinmel]()
R.I.P. Eliza Hart by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Eliza Hart, the most popular girl at Ventana Ranch boarding school, is found dead on the cliffs outside her dormitory, Ellie Sokoloff is determined to figure out what happened to her. After all, Eliza was Ellie’s childhood best friend...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic boarding-school contemporary death friendship high-school -
![The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood]()
The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKayla Marlowe is slowly vanishing… Last year, Kayla’s world imploded. Her beloved father died, leaving her alone with a narcissistic mother who is quick to criticize her daughter’s appearance. During her winter break from college, Kayla’s dangerous obsession with losing weight begins. Kayla feels like her world changes for the better overnight... -
![Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz]()
Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn NPR Best Book of 2015Love and sacrifice intertwine in this brilliant debut of rare beauty about a girl dealing with her mother’s schizophrenia and her own mental illness.Fig’s world lies somewhere between reality and fantasy.But as she watches Mama slowly come undone, it becomes hard to tell what is real and what is not, what is fun and what is frightening... -
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![Red Tears by Joanna Kenrick]()
Red Tears by Joanna Kenrick
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEmily Bowyer is a normal, confident teenager. But beneath the surface she has a wretched secret. Because, for Emily, life isn't as much fun as it would appear. Her friends are going off her and her parents only seem to care about her troubled brother...Categorized as:
mental-illness fiction realistic young-adult contemporary psychological drama self-harm -
![On the Spectrum by Jennifer Gold]()
On the Spectrum by Jennifer Gold
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGrowing up in the shadow of a famous mother, Clara has never felt good about her body. Now, at sixteen, she has an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. After a social media disaster, she decides to escape for the summer to Paris to stay with her estranged dad and her six-year-old brother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum... -
![Me, Myself and Them by Dan Mooney]()
Me, Myself and Them by Dan Mooney
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA heart-wrenching, funny and fresh debut about human connection and the power of friendshipStruggling to cope with a tragic loss, Denis Murphy has, for the past seven years, learned to live differently. His friends are used to his strict routines, like ironing his socks and lighting his fireplace every Sunday (even in the summer)...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic contemporary audiobook social-commentary crime psychological -
![Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley]()
Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Max Friedman's mother dies of cancer, instead of facing his loss, he imagines that her tumour has taken up residence in his brain. It's a terrible tenant - isolating him from family, distracting him in school, and taunton him mercilessly about his manhood. With the tumour in charge, Max implodes, slipping farther and farther away from reality... -
![The Octopus Man by Jasper Gibson]()
The Octopus Man by Jasper Gibson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOnce an outstanding law student Tom is now lost in the machinery of the British mental health system, talking to a voice no one else can the voice of Malamock, the Octopus God - sometimes cruel, sometimes loving, but always there to guide him.After a florid psychotic break, the pressure builds for Tom to take part in an experimental drugs trial that promises to silence the voice forever...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness contemporary literary-fiction psychological family fantasy book -
![Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan]()
Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMiracle McCloy comes from an unusual family: Her father, Dane is a prodigy who published his first book at age thirteen; her grandmother, Gigi, is clairvoyant; and her mother was dead when her "miracle" daughter was pulled from her womb. Having been raised according to a set of mystical rules and beliefs, Miracle is unable to cope in the real world...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic children-books coming-of-age contemporary drama family -
![Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby]()
Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTessa Gray’s life changes forever when she loses her four-year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and-run accident outside her preschool. Once a vivacious, joyful mother and wife, Tessa now spends her days holed up in Abby’s room, sleeping in her bed, clutching Abby’s Tootsie Rabbit stuffed animal—anything to keep her memories close... -
![A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger]()
A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTelling a story of a rarely recognized segment of eating disorder sufferers—young men— A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger is a book for fans of the complex characters and emotional truths in Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls and Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why . Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before...Categorized as:
realistic mental-illness fiction young-adult contemporary psychological family audiobook -
![Under the Wolf, Under the Dog by Adam Rapp]()
Under the Wolf, Under the Dog by Adam Rapp
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSteve Nugent is in Burnstone Grove, a facility for kids who are either addicts or have tried to commit suicide. But Steve doesn’t fit in either group, and he used to go to the gifted school. So why is he in Burnstone Grove? Keeping a journal, Steve tries to figure out who he is by examining who he was...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic young-adult survival disability contemporary family -
![Nothing by Robin Friedman]()
Nothing by Robin Friedman
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Sometimes trees can look healthy on the outside, but actually be dying inside. These trees fall unexpectedly during a storm." For high school senior Parker Rabinowitz, anything less than success is a failure. A dropped extracurricular, a C on a calc quiz, a non-Jewish shiksa girlfriend--one misstep, and his meticulously constructed life splinters and collapses...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic book coming-of-age contemporary family female-author -
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![Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson]()
Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhy had the men chosen him? Savagely violated by two strangers, sixteen-year-old Grady West retreats into silence. Some hells just can't be shared. Searing and powerful, Target shows that people can go through unspeakable things and emerge whole-- and sometimes your friends can save you. Another "provocative tale" ( Booklist ) by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson, author of The Parallel Universe of Liars... -
![When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow]()
When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLast month, Elin tried to kill herself.She knows she's lucky that her parents found her in time. Lucky to be going to prom with her three best friends, like any other teen. Like it never happened. And if she has anything to say about it, no one but her best friends will ever know it did.Jenna, Rosie, and Ket will do anything to keep Elin's secret--and to make sure it never happens again...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic romance young-adult contemporary coming-of-age psychological -
![The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence]()
The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt all starts, as these things sometimes do, with a dead man.He was a neighbour, not someone Abby knew well, but still, finding a body when you only came over to borrow a tin of tomatoes, that comes as a bit of a shock.At least, it should... -
![After the Funeral and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley]()
After the Funeral and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA masterful collection of stories that plumb the depths of everyday life to reveal the shifting tides and hidden undercurrents of ordinary relationships -- Tessa Hadley is "one of the greatest stylists alive" (Ron Charles, Washington Post). "Like Alice Munro, to whom she has more than once been compared, Hadley . . . sees us all: our travails, our fantasies and our small joys...Categorized as:
fiction realistic romance contemporary literary-fiction audiobook anthologies psychological -
![Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach]()
Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI felt the prick of the needle, but only for a second, because this great rush of warmth quickly followed, encompassing my whole body from my toes right up to the top hair on my head. I couldn't move for a minute as she guided the needle in and out of my vein. When she was done, I felt like I had entered heaven. I looked in the mirror and felt beautiful and confident... -
![Have a Nice Day by Julie Halpern]()
Have a Nice Day by Julie Halpern
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAnna Bloom has just come home from a three-week stay in a mental hospital. She feels...okay. It's time to get back to some sort of normal life, whatever that means. She has to go back to school, where teachers and friends are dying to know what happened to her, but are too afraid to ask... -
![Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey]()
Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLearn why Holly Miller has five people living inside her head in this “remarkable debut novel.”(Kemble Scott, author of SoMa )Though she doesn’t remember the trauma that caused it, Holly Miller has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her personality has fractured into five different identities, together known as The Committee. And as much as they make Holly’s life hell, she can’t live without them...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness womens-fiction psychological female-author contemporary female-mc family -
![Between the Bliss and Me by Lizzy Mason]()
Between the Bliss and Me by Lizzy Mason
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAcclaimed author Lizzy Mason delivers a moving contemporary YA novel about mental illness, young romance, and the impact of family history on one teen’s future, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Robin Benway, and Kathleen Glasgow.When eighteen-year-old Sydney Holman announces that she has decided to attend NYU, her overprotective mom is devastated...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic romance young-adult contemporary university psychological -
![Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo]()
Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsChuck Taylor’s OCD has rendered him a high school outcast. His endless routines and habitual hand washing threaten to scare away both his closest friend and the amazing new girl in town. Sure he happens to share the name of the icon behind the coolest sneakers in the world, but even Chuck knows his bizarre system of wearing different color “Cons” depending on his mood is completely crazy...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic book coming-of-age contemporary disability friendship -
![Life is But a Dream by Brian James]()
Life is But a Dream by Brian James
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it's the world that's crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special... -
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![Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey]()
Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom an author whose work has been called 'haunted and joyous and heartbreaking all at once' ( Washington Post Book World) comes an unforgettable novel of two lost souls who find love and salvation against all odds...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic adult book contemporary literary-fiction psychological -
![Fragile Line by Brooklyn Skye]()
Fragile Line by Brooklyn Skye
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt can happen in a flash. One minute she’s kissing her boyfriend, the next she’s lost in the woods. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Cox is losing time. It started out small…forgetting a drive home or a conversation with a friend. But her blackouts are getting worse, more difficult to disguise as forgetfulness... -
![The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIT WASN’T SUPPOSED to end up like this. But it did. When Theresa brings James to a party as her date, it’s just for the night . . . and he knows that. But when everything goes horribly wrong, James drives his motorcycle off a cliff—and Theresa knows she’s responsible for his death. Theresa tries to run away from the pain, becoming a new young woman with a whole new life... -
![A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall]()
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this vividly written, suspense-driven novel, the secrets shared between two sisters erupt in tragedy. Rikki Moore was always the star of the family, easily outshining her younger sister, Stacy, at every turn. Smart, kind, and beautiful, it was no surprise when Rikki met and married the perfect man -- pediatrician Matt Dresden...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic contemporary psychological mystery literary-fiction family -
![Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See by Juliann Garey]()
Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See by Juliann Garey
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA studio executive leaves his family and travels the world giving free reign to the bipolar disorder he's been forced to hide for 20 years.“You won’t be able to put down this exhilarating debut novel... brave and touching... -
![Kerosene by Chris Wooding]()
Kerosene by Chris Wooding
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA novel of rage, confusion, and release from an extraordinary young author...Categorized as:
fiction mental-illness realistic 20th-century action-adventure book children-books contemporary
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