38 Books like That Was Then, This Is Now

Go Ask Alice

by Beatrice Sparks

A lonely teen, drugged with LSD, spirals into addiction and the street; her diary alone survives.

3.73

293k+

📓 Diary Format 💉 Drug Addiction 🏃 Runaway Teen ✍️ Confessional Voice 🌀 Downward Spiral

Go Ask Alice 91%

A lonely teen, drugged with LSD, spirals into addiction and the street; her diary alone survives.

by Beatrice Sparks 1971

3.73

293k+ ratings

📓 Diary Format 💉 Drug Addiction 🏃 Runaway Teen ✍️ Confessional Voice 🌀 Downward Spiral

The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton • 1967

A sensitive greaser hides out after his friend kills a Soc, learning what innocence costs.

4.15

1.6M+

🏭 Working Class Fiction 🔪 Gang Rivalry 🫂 Found Family 🍂 Loss Of Innocence ⚖️ Class Divide

The Outsiders 94%

A sensitive greaser hides out after his friend kills a Soc, learning what innocence costs.

by S.E. Hinton 1967

4.15

1.6M+ ratings

🏭 Working Class Fiction 🔪 Gang Rivalry 🫂 Found Family 🍂 Loss Of Innocence ⚖️ Class Divide

Scorpions

by Walter Dean Myers • 1995

A Harlem boy inherits his brother's gang and a gun, learning their true cost.

3.8

3k+

🏙️ Gritty Young Adult 🔫 Gang Life 💔 Tragic Friendship 🏚️ Inner City 🌧️ Childhood Lost

Scorpions 90%

A Harlem boy inherits his brother's gang and a gun, learning their true cost.

by Walter Dean Myers 1995

3.8

3k+ ratings

🏙️ Gritty Young Adult 🔫 Gang Life 💔 Tragic Friendship 🏚️ Inner City 🌧️ Childhood Lost

No and Me

by Delphine de Vigan • 2007

A thirteen-year-old prodigy, too anxious to speak, meets a homeless girl and finds her voice.

3.72

20k+

🖋️ Literary Young Adult 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🧠 Precocious Narrator 💔 Limits Of Rescue 🌅 Bittersweet Ending

No and Me 90%

A thirteen-year-old prodigy, too anxious to speak, meets a homeless girl and finds her voice.

by Delphine de Vigan 2007

3.72

20k+ ratings

🖋️ Literary Young Adult 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🧠 Precocious Narrator 💔 Limits Of Rescue 🌅 Bittersweet Ending

The World Played Chess

by Robert Dugoni • 2021

A Vietnam vet's journal links a father and son to a war that never ended.

4.44

40k+

🎖️ Vietnam War 🏖️ 1970s California 👨‍👦 Fathers And Sons 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🤝 Male Friendship

The World Played Chess 90%

A Vietnam vet's journal links a father and son to a war that never ended.

by Robert Dugoni 2021

4.44

40k+ ratings

🎖️ Vietnam War 🏖️ 1970s California 👨‍👦 Fathers And Sons 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🤝 Male Friendship

Heroine

by Mindy McGinnis • 2019

A softball catcher starts OxyContin to heal. She keeps using it to hide.

4.28

14k+

🖤 Teen Addiction 🦴 Sports Injury 💊 Opioid Addiction 🥎 Athlete Protagonist 🎭 Unreliable Narrator

Heroine 90%

A softball catcher starts OxyContin to heal. She keeps using it to hide.

by Mindy McGinnis 2019

4.28

14k+ ratings

🖤 Teen Addiction 🦴 Sports Injury 💊 Opioid Addiction 🥎 Athlete Protagonist 🎭 Unreliable Narrator

The Rotters' Club

by Jonathan Coe • 2001

Birmingham, 1973: four school friends, their rock band, and the IRA bomb that ends a world.

3.96

16k+

🎭 Ensemble Coming-Of-Age 🇬🇧 1970s England 💔 Unrequited First Love 🔐 Family Secrets 🎸 Music Obsession

The Rotters' Club 90%

Birmingham, 1973: four school friends, their rock band, and the IRA bomb that ends a world.

by Jonathan Coe 2001

3.96

16k+ ratings

🎭 Ensemble Coming-Of-Age 🇬🇧 1970s England 💔 Unrequited First Love 🔐 Family Secrets 🎸 Music Obsession

I Am the Cheese

by Robert Cormier • 1977

A boy bikes alone to his father's hospital, while an interrogator dismantles his memories.

3.78

18k+

🔍 Psychological Thriller 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 🕵️ Witness Protection 🏥 Mental Institution 🌑 Tragic Coming Of Age

I Am the Cheese 89%

A boy bikes alone to his father's hospital, while an interrogator dismantles his memories.

by Robert Cormier 1977

3.78

18k+ ratings

🔍 Psychological Thriller 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 🕵️ Witness Protection 🏥 Mental Institution 🌑 Tragic Coming Of Age

New Boy

by Tracy Chevalier • 2017

The new Black boy at a 1970s D.C. school catches a girl's eye and a bully's wrath.

3.49

10k+

🎭 Shakespeare Retelling 🎠 Playground Politics ⚡ Racial Tension 🇺🇸 1970s America 🐍 Jealousy And Betrayal

New Boy 89%

The new Black boy at a 1970s D.C. school catches a girl's eye and a bully's wrath.

by Tracy Chevalier 2017

3.49

10k+ ratings

🎭 Shakespeare Retelling 🎠 Playground Politics ⚡ Racial Tension 🇺🇸 1970s America 🐍 Jealousy And Betrayal

God Hates Us All

by Hank Moody • 2009

A cynical young man deals pot from the Chelsea Hotel, chasing love while avoiding adulthood.

3.46

5k+

🗽 Bohemian New York 💔 Toxic Love 😈 Dark Comedy 🌱 Coming Of Age 💊 Drug Dealing

God Hates Us All 89%

A cynical young man deals pot from the Chelsea Hotel, chasing love while avoiding adulthood.

by Hank Moody 2009

3.46

5k+ ratings

🗽 Bohemian New York 💔 Toxic Love 😈 Dark Comedy 🌱 Coming Of Age 💊 Drug Dealing

So Damn Sketchy

by Bonnie Kent • 2020

A girl loses her parents, then herself, in the arms of her brother's best friend.

3.93

218

🔥 Dark Coming Of Age 💔 Parental Abandonment ⚠️ Blurred Boundaries 💀 Self Destruction 🏚️ Homelessness

So Damn Sketchy 89%

A girl loses her parents, then herself, in the arms of her brother's best friend.

by Bonnie Kent 2020

3.93

218 ratings

🔥 Dark Coming Of Age 💔 Parental Abandonment ⚠️ Blurred Boundaries 💀 Self Destruction 🏚️ Homelessness

The Knockout Queen

by Rufi Thorpe • 2020

Two suburban misfits bond over drag shows. One of them will kill for the other.

3.74

16k+

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming-Of-Age 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🫂 Found Family 💄 Drag Culture 💔 Tragic Friendship

The Knockout Queen 90%

Two suburban misfits bond over drag shows. One of them will kill for the other.

by Rufi Thorpe 2020

3.74

16k+ ratings

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming-Of-Age 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🫂 Found Family 💄 Drag Culture 💔 Tragic Friendship

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver • 2022

Born to an addict mother, Demon navigates Appalachian foster care and the opioid epidemic.

4.46

828k+

🏔️ Appalachian Fiction 💊 Opioid Crisis 📖 Modern Retelling 👦 Orphaned Protagonist 🫂 Found Family

Demon Copperhead 90%

Born to an addict mother, Demon navigates Appalachian foster care and the opioid epidemic.

by Barbara Kingsolver 2022

4.46

828k+ ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Fiction 💊 Opioid Crisis 📖 Modern Retelling 👦 Orphaned Protagonist 🫂 Found Family

Boy Swallows Universe

by Trent Dalton

A mute brother's prophecy and a phantom call hurl a boy into a heroin kingpin's empire.

4.34

100k+

🤐 Selective Mutism 🔮 Ominous Prophecy 🔓 Prison Escape 💊 Parental Addiction 📰 Aspiring Journalist

Boy Swallows Universe 91%

A mute brother's prophecy and a phantom call hurl a boy into a heroin kingpin's empire.

by Trent Dalton 2018

4.34

100k+ ratings

🤐 Selective Mutism 🔮 Ominous Prophecy 🔓 Prison Escape 💊 Parental Addiction 📰 Aspiring Journalist

Heroes by Cormier, Robert ( AUTHOR ) Mar-30-2007 Hardback

by Robert Cormier • 1998

A scarred veteran comes home hiding his face, carrying a gun, and hunting his former hero.

3.39

5k+

🏘️ Postwar Small Town 👁️ Witness Guilt 💔 Fallen Mentor 🩹 Scarred Protagonist 🪖 Survivor's Guilt

Heroes by Cormier, Robert ( AUTHOR ) Mar-30-2007 Hardback Summary

Heroes by Cormier, Robert ( AUTHOR ) Mar-30-2007 Hardback 89%

A scarred veteran comes home hiding his face, carrying a gun, and hunting his former hero.

by Robert Cormier 1998

3.39

5k+ ratings

🏘️ Postwar Small Town 👁️ Witness Guilt 💔 Fallen Mentor 🩹 Scarred Protagonist 🪖 Survivor's Guilt

Skippy Dies

by Paul Murray • 2010

One schoolboy's death in a doughnut shop exposes the rot beneath a revered Dublin boarding school.

3.81

29k+

🏫 Boarding School Drama 🤫 Institutional Cover-Up 👥 Adolescent Friendship 💔 Abuse Survivor 🖤 Black Comedy

Skippy Dies 89%

One schoolboy's death in a doughnut shop exposes the rot beneath a revered Dublin boarding school.

by Paul Murray 2010

3.81

29k+ ratings

🏫 Boarding School Drama 🤫 Institutional Cover-Up 👥 Adolescent Friendship 💔 Abuse Survivor 🖤 Black Comedy

All My Rage

by Sabaa Tahir • 2022

Sal sells drugs to save his motel, hiding it from Noor, the girl he loves.

4.48

66k+

🌄 Immigrant Dreams 🕌 Pakistani-American 💞 Friends To Lovers 🍺 Parent With Addiction 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

All My Rage 89%

Sal sells drugs to save his motel, hiding it from Noor, the girl he loves.

by Sabaa Tahir 2022

4.48

66k+ ratings

🌄 Immigrant Dreams 🕌 Pakistani-American 💞 Friends To Lovers 🍺 Parent With Addiction 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

The Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt • 2007

Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker: Shakespeare, eraser dust, and Holling's certainty she wants him gone.

4.12

48k+

📜 Shakespeare In School 🤝 Unlikely Mentorship 🌅 Bittersweet Coming Of Age 🏘️ 1960s Suburbia 📚 School Year Story

The Wednesday Wars 89%

Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker: Shakespeare, eraser dust, and Holling's certainty she wants him gone.

by Gary D. Schmidt 2007

4.12

48k+ ratings

📜 Shakespeare In School 🤝 Unlikely Mentorship 🌅 Bittersweet Coming Of Age 🏘️ 1960s Suburbia 📚 School Year Story

Finnie Walsh

by Steven Galloway • 2000

A mill-town friendship, sealed on ice and haunted by the afternoon that stole a father's arm.

3.67

275

🍁 Small Town Canada 🏒 Hockey Fiction 🤝 Cross-Class Friendship 💔 Guilt And Atonement 🌅 Bittersweet Nostalgia

Finnie Walsh 89%

A mill-town friendship, sealed on ice and haunted by the afternoon that stole a father's arm.

by Steven Galloway 2000

3.67

275 ratings

🍁 Small Town Canada 🏒 Hockey Fiction 🤝 Cross-Class Friendship 💔 Guilt And Atonement 🌅 Bittersweet Nostalgia

Lawn Boy

by Jonathan Evison • 2018

Mike Muñoz is a lawn boy, a caretaker, and a man who's never been honest about who he loves.

3.83

10k+

🏗️ Working Class Fiction 🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 👨‍👦 Sibling Caretaker 🤝 Found Family 💔 Absent Father

Lawn Boy 89%

Mike Muñoz is a lawn boy, a caretaker, and a man who's never been honest about who he loves.

by Jonathan Evison 2018

3.83

10k+ ratings

🏗️ Working Class Fiction 🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 👨‍👦 Sibling Caretaker 🤝 Found Family 💔 Absent Father

So Old, So Young

by Grant Ginder

Mia boarded a plane with seventeen years of photos and one funeral she wasn't ready for.

3.75

28k+

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Friend Group Saga 🕰️ Right Person Wrong Time 🫂 Found Family 🤫 Secret Affair 💔 Unrequited Love

So Old, So Young 89%

Mia boarded a plane with seventeen years of photos and one funeral she wasn't ready for.

by Grant Ginder 2026

3.75

28k+ ratings

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Friend Group Saga 🕰️ Right Person Wrong Time 🫂 Found Family 🤫 Secret Affair 💔 Unrequited Love

You'd Be Home Now

by Kathleen Glasgow • 2021

When a fatal crash exposes her brother's addiction, she becomes the family's invisible caretaker.

4.13

82k+

💊 Sibling Addiction 🤫 Secret Relationship 📢 Slut-Shaming 💉 Opioid Crisis 🕊️ Survivor Guilt

You'd Be Home Now 90%

When a fatal crash exposes her brother's addiction, she becomes the family's invisible caretaker.

by Kathleen Glasgow 2021

4.13

82k+ ratings

💊 Sibling Addiction 🤫 Secret Relationship 📢 Slut-Shaming 💉 Opioid Crisis 🕊️ Survivor Guilt

Homeboyz

by Alan Sitomer • 2007

His sister killed by gangs, a teen genius must choose between revenge and saving a boy.

4.34

2k+

🔫 Gang Drama ⚔️ Revenge Quest 🧑‍🏫 Reluctant Mentor 🏠 Found Family 💔 Broken Home

Homeboyz 90%

His sister killed by gangs, a teen genius must choose between revenge and saving a boy.

by Alan Sitomer 2007

4.34

2k+ ratings

🔫 Gang Drama ⚔️ Revenge Quest 🧑‍🏫 Reluctant Mentor 🏠 Found Family 💔 Broken Home

Less Than Zero

by Bret Easton Ellis • 1985

Home from college, Clay drifts through LA parties where the glamour hides something rotting.

3.61

102k+

🖤 Transgressive Fiction 💸 Rich Kid Ennui 👁️ Passive Narrator 💊 Drug-Fueled Descent 🫥 Numb Detachment

Less Than Zero 89%

Home from college, Clay drifts through LA parties where the glamour hides something rotting.

by Bret Easton Ellis 1985

3.61

102k+ ratings

🖤 Transgressive Fiction 💸 Rich Kid Ennui 👁️ Passive Narrator 💊 Drug-Fueled Descent 🫥 Numb Detachment

The Flamethrowers

by Rachel Kushner • 2013

A motorcyclist turns speed into art, then follows her Italian lover into his family's violent world.

3.51

25k+

🎨 1970s Art World 💫 Artist And Muse 💰 Old Money Family ⚡ Political Violence 👩‍🎨 Woman Artist

The Flamethrowers 89%

A motorcyclist turns speed into art, then follows her Italian lover into his family's violent world.

by Rachel Kushner 2013

3.51

25k+ ratings

🎨 1970s Art World 💫 Artist And Muse 💰 Old Money Family ⚡ Political Violence 👩‍🎨 Woman Artist

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky • 1999

Through letters to a stranger, a freshman navigates friendship, first love, and buried trauma.

4.24

2.0M+

✉️ Epistolary Novel 👤 Outsider Narrator 🫂 Found Family 💔 Repressed Trauma 📚 Teacher Mentorship

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 89%

Through letters to a stranger, a freshman navigates friendship, first love, and buried trauma.

by Stephen Chbosky 1999

4.24

2.0M+ ratings

✉️ Epistolary Novel 👤 Outsider Narrator 🫂 Found Family 💔 Repressed Trauma 📚 Teacher Mentorship

Friends Like These

by Meg Rosoff • 2022

A small-town intern in 1983 New York is remade by a magnetic friend, then must remake herself.

3.30

3k+

🖤 Toxic Female Friendship 🗽 1980s New York 🐠 Fish Out Of Water ☀️ Summer Coming Of Age 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Friends Like These 89%

A small-town intern in 1983 New York is remade by a magnetic friend, then must remake herself.

by Meg Rosoff 2022

3.30

3k+ ratings

🖤 Toxic Female Friendship 🗽 1980s New York 🐠 Fish Out Of Water ☀️ Summer Coming Of Age 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Mary Jane

by Jessica Anya Blau • 2021

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

4.12

115k+

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

Mary Jane 89%

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

by Jessica Anya Blau 2021

4.12

115k+ ratings

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

The Basketball Diaries

by Jim Carroll • 1978

A New York basketball prodigy keeps a diary as the court gives way to the needle.

3.99

32k+

🖤 Addiction Memoir 🗽 1960s New York 🏀 Sports As Salvation 🏚️ Gritty Realism 📓 Teenage Diarist

The Basketball Diaries 89%

A New York basketball prodigy keeps a diary as the court gives way to the needle.

by Jim Carroll 1978

3.99

32k+ ratings

🖤 Addiction Memoir 🗽 1960s New York 🏀 Sports As Salvation 🏚️ Gritty Realism 📓 Teenage Diarist

The Warriors

by Sol Yurick • 1965

After a gang truce shatters in gunfire, six boys fight their way home across New York.

3.37

3k+

🔪 Literary Crime 👥 Gang Brotherhood 💪 Toxic Masculinity 🏙️ Gritty Realism 🏃 Survival Journey

The Warriors 90%

After a gang truce shatters in gunfire, six boys fight their way home across New York.

by Sol Yurick 1965

3.37

3k+ ratings

🔪 Literary Crime 👥 Gang Brotherhood 💪 Toxic Masculinity 🏙️ Gritty Realism 🏃 Survival Journey

Ghost Town

by Tom Perrotta • 2026

A boy's summer of grief cracks open the secrets his suburban town tried to bury.

3.68

3k+

🏘️ Suburban Coming Of Age 💔 Grief And Guilt 👻 Haunting 🌾 1970s America 🔮 Ouija Board

Ghost Town 90%

A boy's summer of grief cracks open the secrets his suburban town tried to bury.

by Tom Perrotta 2026

3.68

3k+ ratings

🏘️ Suburban Coming Of Age 💔 Grief And Guilt 👻 Haunting 🌾 1970s America 🔮 Ouija Board

After the Shot Drops

by Randy Ribay

To save his cousin from a gambling debt, Nasir must destroy his best friend's basketball career.

4.13

3k+

🏀 Basketball Drama 💔 Estranged Best Friends 🎓 Recruited Athlete 💰 Class Divide 🔫 Gun Violence

After the Shot Drops 89%

To save his cousin from a gambling debt, Nasir must destroy his best friend's basketball career.

by Randy Ribay 2018

4.13

3k+ ratings

🏀 Basketball Drama 💔 Estranged Best Friends 🎓 Recruited Athlete 💰 Class Divide 🔫 Gun Violence

The Goldfinch

by Donna Tartt • 2013

In the rubble of the bombing that killed his mother, a boy steals a priceless painting.

3.96

1.1M+

🖼️ Stolen Masterpiece 📖 Dickensian Contemporary ☠️ Toxic Friendship ⏳ Slow Burn Suspense 🪑 Antiques And Art

The Goldfinch 88%

In the rubble of the bombing that killed his mother, a boy steals a priceless painting.

by Donna Tartt 2013

3.96

1.1M+ ratings

🖼️ Stolen Masterpiece 📖 Dickensian Contemporary ☠️ Toxic Friendship ⏳ Slow Burn Suspense 🪑 Antiques And Art

Moon Palace

by Paul Auster • 1989

As the world watches the moon landing, an orphaned student starves alone in New York.

3.98

30k+

🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🤫 Family Secrets 🎭 Picaresque Novel 💭 Existential Fiction

Moon Palace 88%

As the world watches the moon landing, an orphaned student starves alone in New York.

by Paul Auster 1989

3.98

30k+ ratings

🧒 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🤫 Family Secrets 🎭 Picaresque Novel 💭 Existential Fiction

Now Is the Hour

by Tom Spanbauer • 2006

A queer farm boy in 1960s Idaho hunts for one color worth believing in.

4.14

1k+

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🤲 Found Family 💔 Forbidden Love 💑 Interracial Romance ⛪ Catholic Guilt

Now Is the Hour 88%

A queer farm boy in 1960s Idaho hunts for one color worth believing in.

by Tom Spanbauer 2006

4.14

1k+ ratings

🏳️‍🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🤲 Found Family 💔 Forbidden Love 💑 Interracial Romance ⛪ Catholic Guilt

Ham on Rye

by Charles Bukowski • 1982

His father rages, his skin erupts in boils; 1930s LA offers no escape except the library.

4.14

120k+

🏚️ Dirty Realism 📖 Autobiographical Fiction 🏠 Dysfunctional Family 💔 Parental Neglect 🚬 Alienated Youth

Ham on Rye 88%

His father rages, his skin erupts in boils; 1930s LA offers no escape except the library.

by Charles Bukowski 1982

4.14

120k+ ratings

🏚️ Dirty Realism 📖 Autobiographical Fiction 🏠 Dysfunctional Family 💔 Parental Neglect 🚬 Alienated Youth

In the Wild Light

by Jeff Zentner • 2021

A grieving Tennessee boy follows his best friend to boarding school and discovers poetry and love.

4.44

12k+

🏫 Boarding School ⛰️ Appalachian Fiction 💞 Friends To Lovers 🫂 Found Family 💸 Class Divide

In the Wild Light 88%

A grieving Tennessee boy follows his best friend to boarding school and discovers poetry and love.

by Jeff Zentner 2021

4.44

12k+ ratings

🏫 Boarding School ⛰️ Appalachian Fiction 💞 Friends To Lovers 🫂 Found Family 💸 Class Divide

Kevade

by Oskar Luts • 1912

At a rural parish school, a quiet boy collides with a tireless prankster and first love.

3.87

2k+

🏫 Village School 📚 Coming-Of-Age Classic 🧑 Sensitive Protagonist 😜 Mischievous Best Friend 💕 First Love

Kevade 88%

At a rural parish school, a quiet boy collides with a tireless prankster and first love.

by Oskar Luts 1912

3.87

2k+ ratings

🏫 Village School 📚 Coming-Of-Age Classic 🧑 Sensitive Protagonist 😜 Mischievous Best Friend 💕 First Love

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