10 Books Similar to The Fault in Our Stars

"Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book."
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Young adult fiction is a genre that appeals to both teenagers and adults alike. While teens get a rare insight into the complexities of adulthood; love for the first time, heartbreak, responsibility, pain, and the like, older readers are reminded of their innocent days when they were just stepping into adulthood.

It is no surprise that books addressing these matters are immensely popular, and some of them have even been adapted into movies too, that fared quite well as far as box-office reception goes.

The soul-stirring, tear-jerking, heartbreaking, yet surprisingly, simultaneously heart-warming book-turned-movie entitled, The Fault in Our Stars (novel by John Green) is a common name amongst tweens, teens, and young adults. 

If you enjoyed reading The Fault in Our Stars, we guarantee that you will absolutely love our suggestions of books along similar lines.

- Stephen Chbosky

A brilliant book which has also been adapted into a very successful movie with the same name in 2012, The Perks of Being a Wallflowerexplores the life of Charlie, a 15-year-old high school student, who is an introvert, yet also very intuitive, and likes to watch what happens around him like the metaphoric wallflower, a silent observer. 

The book unfolds in the form of letters to an unknown stranger, and it beautifully narrates how Charlie comes to terms with new experiences in his life. The perfect example of a coming-of-age story, we wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone.

-  Jay Asher

This book deals with the very relevant theme of teenage bullying, rumors, and their effect on one's high school life, depression, and suicide. 

Shy and introverted Clay Jensen returns home from school one day to see a box of audio cassette tapes lying in wait for him. One of his classmates―Hannah Baker―had committed suicide a couple of weeks earlier, and the tapes are actually from her, outlining the reasons, thirteen reasons, to be more specific, that prompted her to take such a drastic step.

In the tell-all tapes, she reveals the various incidents that had made her feel helpless and victimized. A thought-provoking book about the far-reaching consequences of one's seemingly trivial actions, the rights to a film adaptation of this novel have been purchased, and the project is in its development stages.

-  Jesse Andrews

This masterpiece by Jesse Andrews will, more than any other book, remind you of The Fault in Our Stars, mostly because of the recurring theme of a terminal cancer-stricken teenager. 

However, it differs fromTFiOS too, because, the perspective is not of the patient himself or herself, but rather of her friends.

When Greg, the master of both fitting in socially and becoming invisible, is asked by his mother to renew his childhood friendship with leukemia-stricken Rachel, he teams up with his best friend Earl to make a movie about it (Greg and Earl avidly pursue their hobby of making remakes of classic films).

However, a bond that starts off with reluctance turns out as a life-changing experience for all of them.

- Michael Thomas Ford

The dark themes of death and suicide are commonly depicted in the form of satirical humor in young adult novels, with protagonists, and quite often readers too, not being mature enough to fully comprehend the depth of these concepts. 

Michael Ford's Suicide Notes is about a fifteen-year-old boy, Jeff, who has been admitted to the psychiatric ward on New Year's Day, complete with bandaged wrists. However, he is in denial, and feels the step taken to rehabilitate him is unnecessary.

In this connection, he refuses to open up to his psychiatrist, and considers other patients in the ward to be crazy. As the narrative unfolds, Jeff, and through his eyes, the reader, comes to terms with the truth about what really happened, and admits that he actually needs help.

- Lauren Oliver

With bullying and its potential to result in the worst being very real threats in the life of teenagers all over the world, Before I Fall is a book which is a must-read for every young adult. 

Sam Kingston is the reigning 'queen bee' of high school, with the best of everything, and her life is the object of envy in everyone's eyes. But, as fate would have it, she dies on a rainy Friday afternoon in February, in a painful and horrific car crash.

However, she seemingly wakes up, very much alive, the next morning, only to find out that it is the same Friday, her last day alive, that she has woken up into, and that she is getting a chance to relive it.

At first, she tries to save her own life, but realizes that she cannot, and in fact has been given seven chances to go through her traumatic last day for a higher purpose.

A groundbreaking concept, Lauren Oliver takes the reader on an introspective journey, where Sam realizes the far-reaching consequences of her actions, makes a difference in other lives, and also accepts her death with humility.

-  Kirsten Hubbard

A step away from dark themes, we recommend this soul-stirring young adult novel with the premise of a journey to self-discovery, through the ultimate backpacking trip. 

This is what rebellious 18-year-old Bria thought she was signing up for, when she enlisted herself for a guided tour of Central America.

Kirsten Hubbard, a travel-writer and artist herself, artfully takes readers through a tapestry of incredible experiences of the protagonist, as she finds herself lured off the trodden path with a group of backpackers, in search of independence and adventure, ultimately leading to her understanding her own self better.

-  Jandy Nelson

Jandy Nelson captures the poignant emotion of the grief of the abrupt loss of a loved one with this novel. 

When Lennie's sister Bailey unexpectedly dies of arrhythmia in the middle of a school day, she feels like her whole world has come to an end.

As time passes, she deals with the pain, by writing little snippets of poetry, mostly related to her last conversations with her sister, and unexpectedly, by sharing the sadness of Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, whom she used to hate previously. Until one day things go too far, and more than anything, she is guilty and confused.

Meanwhile, love does blossom in her own life, but it only brings her guilt as it takes her mind off her grief. A very realistic depiction of human, and especially teenage emotion, The Sky is Everywhere is an excellent read for fans of the young adult genre.

-  Wendy Wunder

Another book in which TFiOS fans can draw similarities, 

The Probability of Miracles is about a seventeen-year-old girl, Campbell, with the same sarcasm and cynicism as TFiOS's Hazel, who is suffering from terminal cancer.

When after five years of treatment, doctors suggest she needs a miracle to survive, her family drags a very unwilling Campbell from their home in Florida, all the way to the town of Promise, in Maine, a place that is rumored to have something miraculous about it.

The quirky, adorable, and even tear-jerking journey of Campbell, as she tries as hard as possible to be a normal teenager, attempts to check off everything on her Flamingo List (a tamer version of the 'bucket list'), even experiments with love, and yet stays strong till the end, is beautifully encapsulated in this engaging novel by Wendy Wunder.

-  Hannah Harrington

In Saving June, the author brings together all the ingredients that would concoct a quintessential young adult book; rebellion, unfulfilled dreams, teenage angst, a road trip, suicide, and puts them together to create a magical novel. 

Harper is devastated when her sister, June, commits suicide, and to honor her memory, and also to keep her parents (who are getting a divorce) from dividing up her sister's ashes, she embarks on a road trip to California, the place June always dreamed of relocating to, along with the urn.

Enter the mysterious Jack, someone who used to know June, and may also hold the key to her suicide. Jack insists on joining Harper, and her best friend, Lanie, on the trip, and en route to California, the trio discover a lot more than they imagined, including things about themselves.

-  Jenny Hubbard

Another novel about grief due to the loss of a loved one, and the all-encompassing, misplaced guilt that accompanies it, And We Stay tells the story of Emily Beam, who undergoes the horror of witnessing her boyfriend commit suicide in front of her eyes. 

Shipped off to boarding school, she now has to deal with the additional pressure of fitting into the new environment. Yet, unexpectedly, she finds solace in poetry, both writing and reading, especially the works of her namesake, American poet, Emily Dickinson, and draws parallels between her own life and her idol's.

Since this novel itself is written in a narrative style, keeping with the writing style of the celebrated poet, the story is relayed to readers in a detached manner.

Implementing this format was a stroke of brilliance on the part of the author, since the readers get to see the various shades of denial and acceptance that the protagonist undergoes, in a beautifully poetic manner.

The titles mentioned above are indeed wonderful reads, but the list of recommended young adult fiction novels does not end here. There are a lot of other absolutely mind-blowing books that you should not miss out on if you get a chance. These include:

If I Stay - Gayle Forman
Looking For Alaska - John Green
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson
It's Kind of A Funny Story - Ned Vizzini
She is not Invisible - Marcus Sedgwick
Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

We are sure any avid reader would be satisfied with our recommendations. If you feel there are any other, really overwhelming books, that are similar to The Fault in Our Stars, do let us know by leaving a comment.