Books like 'Alex'
Readers who enjoyed Alex by Zoe Storm also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance lgbtq trans-mc literary-fiction cozy coming-of-age
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Ribbonwood by Ruby Landers
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLara Bennett is world-famous in Ribbonwood, population 907. She’s the woman you don't trust your husband with: a real-life femme fatale. If there’s a scandal in town, she’s at the center of it, ruining businesses, marriages, and egos everywhere she goes, with her sharp tongue and that body that makes you look twice... -
Retuned: The Price of Time by Tania Joyce
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA vacation. An unforgettable accident. Lives are changed forever.Gemma and Kyle wanted a quick getaway before they recorded their new album.But one fateful mistake changes their lives forever.Heartbreaking decisions must be made.Friendships will be tried and tested...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age contemporary fiction romance new-adult friendship female-mc -
Table for Five by Izzy Bromley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen your life falls apart, all you need is a friend…Abbie Finch loves her job.Unfortunately, her boss doesn’t love her.When she finds herself unexpectedly unemployed, Abbie realises that she’s let all her friendships fall by the wayside and has no one to turn to.Lost and lonely, Abbie decides to leave her comfort zone and join the neighbourhood café’s community table...Categorized as:
literary-fiction cozy coming-of-age fiction audiobook womens-fiction contemporary friendship -
Man o' War by Cory McCarthy
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAn achingly honest and frequently hilarious coming-of-age novel about an Arab American trans swimmer fighting to keep their head above water in a landlocked Midwestern town.River McIntyre has grown up down the street from Sea Planet, an infamous marine life theme park slowly going out of business in small-town Ohio...Categorized as:
lgbtq trans-mc literary-fiction coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary fiction -
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Le Fils de Mille Hommes by Valter Hugo Mãe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCrisóstomo, un pêcheur solitaire, décide à quarante ans de prendre son destin en main. Il se construit une famille, puisque l’amour est avant tout la volonté d’aimer. Il choisit un fils en apprivoisant le petit orphelin abandonné par le village, puis une femme au passé tourmenté les rejoint, et autour de ce noyau se forme une famille peu commune de laissés-pour-compte et d’éclopés... -
Rise of the Machine by Erin Mallon, Joe Arden
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAtticus and Neil are the newly crowned "hottest male narration team" for Mmm-Mmm romance, and they're flying high on the praise.Nothing can get them down.Until Vera and Cameron usher a mysterious voice onto the scene and shake the foundation of the audiobook industry itself... -
Den Mund voll ungesagter Dinge by Anne Freytag
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWenn Sophie es sich aussuchen könnte, wäre ihr Leben simpel. Aber das ist es nicht. Und das war es auch nie. Das fängt damit an, dass ihre Mutter sie direkt nach der Geburt im Stich gelassen hat. Und endet damit, dass Sophies Vater plötzlich beschließt, mit seiner Tochter zu seiner Freundin nach München zu ziehen. Alle sind glücklich. Bis auf Sophie... -
A Breathless Place by Harper Bliss
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe date is set. Six months from now, former music icon Isabel ‘Izzy’ Adler will die.Since she lost her voice ten years ago, Izzy’s been to hell—and hasn’t found her way back. She would rather die than live without the instrument that used to define her.When journalist Leila Zadeh is brought in to finish her biography, Izzy’s desire to end her life is profoundly challenged... -
Taylor by Tracy Lorraine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTaylor lets just about anyone into his bed, but his heart is another matter. He’s seen first hand what can happen when you love someone too much, and it isn’t something he wants to experience for himself. That is until he meets the man who finds his way in with just one simple kiss. The only problem is that man has no intention of letting Taylor close to him... -
Pride High : Book 1 - Red by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat’s it like being a teenager in the 90s? Let’s ask the characters of Pride High:Anthony Cullen: My life would be perfect, if I wasn’t in the closet. And in love with my straight best friend. Do you think he’ll ever notice me?Omar Jafari: Dude! I’m flunking out of most of my classes, but you know what really matters? A girl talked to me... -
Something Like Stories: Volume Three by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEmbark on a final trip through the Something Like… universe with this special collection of stories that promises heartwarming reunions and gut-wrenching closure.Something Like Stars playfully explores what would happen if a movie was made about Ben’s love for Tim and Jace... -
A Little Bit Naughty by Reese Morrison
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRemi has a plan. Head to a singles weekend in the Oregon mountains near his home. Finally find the right guy to be his partner and baby boy. Live happily ever after. The only problem? The naughty, irresistible little he meets lives on the other side of the country.Isaac has a plan. Finish his degree. Finish his residency... -
Something Like Hail by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen life closes every door, and the world has taken away all opportunities, sometimes it's up to us to make our own luck—and to give ourselves a second chance.Noah Westwood is tired of life on the streets, so he turns to Marcello Maltese, a man who owns a small media empire… and a few covert businesses, such as an escort service. Noah volunteers for this, but he’s playing a dangerous game... -
Going Up by A.E. Radley
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA ruthless executive. A destitute woman. Both on the way up. Selina Hale is on her way to the top. She's been working towards a boardroom position on the thirteenth floor for her entire career. And no one is going to get in her way. Not her clueless boss, her soon to be ex-wife, and most certainly not the homeless person who has moved into the car park at work... -
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Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRenu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches, Renu is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can't stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life... -
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe debut adult novel by the bestselling and award-winning YA author Nina LaCour, following two women on a star-crossed journey toward each otherWhen Sara Foster runs away from home at sixteen, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy... -
Second Line: Two Short Novels of Love and Cooking in New Orleans by Poppy Z. Brite
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingshese two short novels bookend Poppy Z. Brite’s cheerfully chaotic series starring two chefs in New Orleans. The Value of X introduces G-man and Rickey, who grew up in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward and who are slowly realizing there are only two important things in life: cooking and each other... -
From Afar by Frank Scozzari
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor centuries, poets have argued that unrequited love is love in its strongest form. From Afar is a timeless tale of Morgan Stanfield’s search for love in the far northern city of Saint Petersburg, Russia...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction action-adventure adult book contemporary fiction journey -
Beyond the Break by Kristen Mae
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"It's just a fantasy, Hazel. It's harmless." Hazel Duval craves an ordinary life free of the pitying looks from those who know about her traumatic past—about what he did to her. About what she had to do to survive... -
Forever by E. Davies
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJake Gray always wanted a real family. He left his own behind when he began his transition, but if he wants a baby he'll need to come off testosterone and get his life in order. The tips he makes as a waiter are barely enough to pay L.A. rent, let alone raise a child. But he’s made his own way for so long that he doesn’t want to rely on others now... -
The Nowhere by Chris Gill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo boys. Two farms. One deadly secret. Every day’s the same on the farm. Seventeen-year-old Seb rides his quad bike alongside his dad and cattle dog, dreaming about a different life. A life that doesn’t require him to spend all day in the blistering sun. Where the nearest town isn’t a forty-minute drive away with a population of less than three hundred people... -
Under My Skin by A.E. Dooland
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMin Lee is a workaholic who can’t say no. She substitutes sleep with Red Bull and, through a combination of repression and bad habits, has managed to score herself a luxury apartment, a fabulous boyfriend and the approval of her billionaire CEO. Things are looking pretty awesome… well, apart from those body image issues that constantly plague her.But Min thinks she's got everything worked out... -
The One True Me and You by Remi K. England
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsOne small fandom convention. One teen beauty pageant.One meet cute waiting to happen.Up and coming fanfic author Kaylee Beaumont is internally screaming at the chance to finally meet her fandom friends in real life and spend a weekend at GreatCon... -
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 literary-fiction romance fiction contemporary feminism historical-fiction friendship -
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I Loved You More by Tom Spanbauer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTom Spanbauer’s first novel in seven years is a love story triangle akin to The Marriage Plot and Freedom , only with a gay main character who charms gays and straights alike. I Loved You More is a rich, expansive tale of love, sex, and heartbreak, covering twenty-five years in the life of a striving, emotionally wounded writer... -
Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology (Collection), Volume 2 by R.G. Alexander, May Archer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratings**LIMITED TIME ONLY! Get it while you can.** Once upon a time, a bunch of M/M authors wondered… What if the Heart2Heart dating app put on a charity raffle in cities around the globe, and random guys in each location were paired up for an adventure? The dates could go terribly wrong…or spectacularly right... -
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA striking debut exploring the power of identity, community and the Scottish working class. This coming-of-age story is an incisive look at young masculinity and the way even the most fraught childhood is not without hope.Neither Finlay or Banjo can remember the last time they had a hug.Against all odds, 18-year-old Finlay has begun his nursing degree at Glasgow University...Categorized as:
lgbtq coming-of-age literary-fiction europe british-isles united-kingdom scotland romance -
Can't Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 15 ratings"A charming, inspired story about being true to who you are." - Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of UsAn empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song... -
O rio que me corta por dentro by Raul Damasceno
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Me leva pra casa..." Em Carrasco, um lugarejo perdido nas entranhas do sertão cearense, corre um rio onde dois meninos gastam suas infâncias em mergulhos. Cícero e Luzimar, amigos inseparáveis, companheiros de aventuras por estas matas acinzentadas... -
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 coming-of-age literary-fiction romance fiction young-adult contemporary historical-fiction -
Beautiful Thing (Modern Classics) by Jonathan Harvey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBeautiful Thing explores pre-teenage homo-erotic sensuality and the frictions and intimacies of living cheek by jowl on a Thamesmead housing estate... -
the truth about fragile things by Regina Sirois
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBryon died fifty years before his time. Charlotte grew up angry. I grew up scared. And Phillip- well, he never grew up. And now we are all bound together into one painful heap of humanity. Broken, but bound. And maybe it is only the fact that we are tangled in one terrible knot that will hold us together until we heal. This is unfortunately, and miraculously, my story...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction book contemporary female-author fiction realistic young-adult -
Unconditional Love by Andrew Grey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"A Seven Days Story" Can a person's life change in just one day? How about seven? Donald Pottier and Jason Greene are barely more than boys when they meet on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. A day of crabbing soon turns them from strangers to friends, then to something more, but the boys' time is limited: at the end of the summer, Jay will leave Don and the island behind... -
A Boy Like Me by Jennie Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBorn a girl, Peyton Honeycutt meets Tara Parks in the eighth grade bathroom shortly after he gets his first period. It is the best and worst day of his life. Determined to impress Tara, Peyton sets out to win her love by mastering the drums and basketball. He takes on Tara’s small-minded mother, the bully at school, and the prejudices within his conservative hometown... -
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Drive Me Crazy by Beth Bolden
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Tony Blake walks into what might be a blind date, he’s surprisingly intrigued despite his irritation with his meddling brother. But when Lucas turns out to be a new employee for their food truck, Tony’s usual charm deserts him.Lucas might be fantastically creative in the kitchen, but to Tony’s disappointment, he’s not interested in more than a casual hookup... -
Forever and Ever by Devon McCormack
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey missed out on love...or so they thought.At seventy-seven, Wes Brenner is certain he's lived a full life. But one thing he'll never know is true love.When he heads to Heathrow Estates retirement community, planning to spend the rest of his days playing golf and taking spin classes, he runs into an acquaintance from his hometown: Art Cromley... -
A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn emotionally powerful romance novel about two people finding love after struggling with addiction--ultimately discovering what it means to be completely and unapologetically themselves. Elisheva Cohen has just returned to Brooklyn after almost a decade. The wounds of abandoning the Orthodox community that raised her, then shunned her because of her substance abuse, are still painful... -
Dear Marley by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.For Marley “Sunny” Sorenshine, a Secret Admirer might be just what she needs to put her recent, very public, break up behind her.Her optimism is dimmed when she reads the first note—her admirer was tricked into participating. He didn’t choose Marley, a dart did...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age romance contemporary young-adult loner-mc fiction book -
Loved Like a Little by Aria Grace
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBilly never had much self-confidence. Things weren't great growing up in his household, but when his mom died, his dad became even worse. And there was nothing he could do to make his dad like him. When he was at college, it was easier to ignore his dad's drinking and harassment. But when Billy comes home after graduating culinary school, all those old wounds are opened up again... -
The Value of X by Poppy Z. Brite
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGary and Rickey grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward, products of New Orleans as surely as Community Coffee or the Superdome. Friends since childhood, they become lovers at age 16 and must deal with the realities of being gay in a hardscrabble neighborhood, a traditional Catholic family, and the restaurant kitchens where they've begun to work...Categorized as:
coming-of-age lgbtq literary-fiction 21st-century book contemporary culinary female-author -
Straight Boy by Jay Bell
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI love him. And I’m pretty sure he loves me back… even though he’s straight. When I first met Carter King, I knew he was something special. I imagined us being together, and we are, but only as friends. Best friends! I’m trying to be cool with that, even though I know he has secrets, and there have definitely been mixed signals. I don’t want a crush to ruin what we already have... -
Invisible Love by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEric-Emmanuel Schmitt is the author of three luminous collections of short stories published by Europa Editions, including the bestselling Most Beautiful Book in the World, and one novel, Three Women in a Mirror... -
And They Lived . . . by Steven Salvatore
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsChase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity...Categorized as:
lgbtq coming-of-age trans-mc romance young-adult contemporary fiction mental-illness -
The Temptation to Be Happy by Lorenzo Marone, Shaun Whiteside
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCesare is a seventy-seven-year-old widower and cynical troublemaker, a man who has always struggled to care for others and has given up trying. Aside from an intermittent fling with a nurse called Rossana, he avoids contact with his neighbours and even his own children. One day, the enigmatic Emma moves into the neighbouring flat with her strange and sinister husband... -
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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... -
Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFord McKinney leads a charmed life: he's a young doctor possessing good looks, good breeding, and money. He comes from an old Savannah family where his parents, attentive to his future, focus their energies on finding their son--their golden boy--a girl to marry... -
Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA moving YA debut about a trans boy finding his voice—and himselfDean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend, Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo... -
One on One by Tabitha King, Stephen King
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA high school basketball star and a defiant outcast discover a profound love that sustains them through a triumphant but painful year... -
Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA coming-of-age novel for gay males ages 15-30. Scott Faraday is 16, gregarious, talented, never been in a relationship, and is out to only a select few. Ryan St. Charles is 17, hot-tempered, has already has been in a long relationship, yet is barely out to himself. Behind Ryan's carefully fashioned façade is emotional scarring from a past he's never been able to reconcile...
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