11 Books for Fans of
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
by Laura Lambert
Any time my notoriously picky 12-year-old reader shows an iota of interest in a book — or the rare book series — I frantically jump into action, trying to find any and all titles that might turn a whim into a full-fledged reading streak. Such was the case with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Jenny Han’s much-loved YA romance novel with a twist. When 16-year-old Lara Jean Covey’s private love letters, meant for her eyes only, are somehow sent to all the boys she has crushes on — chaos ensues.
Following the success of the 2018 adaptation of the first book in the series, Netflix released To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You in 2020 and the third and final film, To All the Boys: Always and Forever, this month. Once my daughter finishes watching it, rest assured, I will have similar books waiting in the wings.
If you or your teen love the story of Lara Jean Covey, Peter Kavinsky, and all the other boys, then you’re sure to delight in these 11 books for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
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Words in Deep Blue
Available from:Tragedy lies just beneath the surface of this love story between Rachel and Henry, who were once childhood friends. Now, they work side-by-side in the secondhand bookstore that belongs to Henry's family, which is brimming with secrets and crushes, grief and hope. Says Kirkus, “This love story is an ode to words and life.”
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Love and Other Perishable Items
Laura Buzo’s debut novel centers on 15-year-old Amelia and 21-year-old Chris. Can they find a connection despite their seemingly insurmountable age difference of six years? Navigating through a lot of awkward quintessential teenage firsts, this grocery store romance is chock-full of wit, honesty, and raw characters.
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Anna and the French Kiss
Available from:A love triangle set in Paris — what’s not to fall for? Anna Oliphant finds herself at a boarding school in Paris, instead of finishing out high school at home in Atlanta, far away from her on-the-verge-of-becoming-something-more crush. Then, she meets Étienne St. Clair who is literal perfection on two legs. Who will she pick in this “très charmante” story?
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Everything, Everything | The Sun is Also a Star
Available from:Everything Everything and The Sun is Also a Star are already beloved by my tween, but for anyone else interested in thoughtful YA novels that delve into the complications of falling in love as a teenager, these books make for an engaging, lyrical, and thoroughly modern one-two punch.
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Frankly in Love
Available from:David Yoon — the previously-mentioned Nicola Yoon’s husband — gives us yet another twist on the high school love story, this one wrapped in a complicated dating scheme. Frank Li is dating Brit Means, and he couldn’t be happier — except that Brit is white. Not Korean. And his parents don’t approve.
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Always Never Yours
Available from:Authors Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are husband and wife, which adds yet another layer to this not-so-straightforward love story that plays out (ahem!) amidst a high school production of Romeo & Juliet. When Megan Harper is begrudgingly cast as Juliet in the production, she enlists the help of Owen Okita — a playwright who has promised to help her get to know the sexy stagehand if Megan helps him complete his next script. But along the way, Megan realizes it might not be the stagehand's eye she's hoping to catch after all.
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Once and for All
Available from:Fans of YA author Sarah Dessen — and there are many — will not be disappointed in Once and for All, the richly satisfying story of 17-year-old Louna, who, despite swearing off love, meets a charming girl-magnet named Ambrose while they are both working for her mother’s wedding planning business.
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Shuffle, Repeat
Available from:If When Harry Met Sally was a YA romance, it would be this book. It’s senior year, and June and Oliver — two teens on the opposite sides of the popularity spectrum — find themselves driving to school together every morning. It’s not hard to guess how things unfold from there, but it’s still an enjoyable ride.
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Tell Me Three Things
Available from:Tell Me Three Things unfolds through a series of anonymous emails from a person who calls himself Somebody/Nobody to Jessie, a high school junior. These mysterious emails are the only thing helping her navigate being the new girl at Wood Valley High. But who is the guy behind them and will Jessie ever get to meet SN in person?
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Royals
You don’t have to be obsessed with Megxit to appreciate Royals — but it doesn’t hurt. Royals follows an offbeat 16-year-old Daisy Winters as she departs Florida for Scotland, and a crash course in royal life as her sister plans to wed the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy’s instructor is none other than the prince’s roguish young brother, Miles.
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My So-Called Bollywood Life
Nisha Sharma’s debut novel is about Vaneeta “Winnie” Mehta and her obsession with a just-so Bollywood ending, even as life in suburban New Jersey proves to be far more complicated than that. NPR calls My So-Called Bollywood Life “a bright, sassy, and totally charming young adult love story.”
