LibraryAware Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction

Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher

When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative voice in contemporary fiction. This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular, hilarious, and devastating.

All the Noise at Once
by DeAndra Davis

A black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested in this moving story about brotherhoold, identity, and social justice.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
by Jen Ferguson

Louisa, a teenage Mâetis girl living on the Canadian prairie, expects to spend her summer before university scooping ice cream at her family's shop, but things quickly become complicated as former friends resurface, family secrets are revealed, and the father she wanted to stay behind bars forever begins to contact her

Starfish
by Lisa Fipps

A debut novel-in-verse follows the experiences of a girl who tries to change her behavior when she is bullied for her weight, before a swimming hobby, a kind therapist and an accepting new neighbor help her embrace her true self.

Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green

Aza Holmes, a high school student with obsessive-compulsive disorder, becomes focused on searching for a fugitive billionaire.

If We Were a Movie
by Zakiya N. Jamal

Lights, Camera, LOVE? Anthralling enemies-to-lovers queer romance, set against the backdrop of a historic Black-owned movie theater, the quirky employees who work there, and the suburbs of Long Island.

Kiss & Tell
by Adib Khorram

On boy band Kiss & Tell's first major tour, lead singer Hunter Drake grapples with a painful breakup with his first boyfriend, his first rebound, and the stress of what it means to be queer in the public eye

Eliza, From Scratch
by Sophia N. Lee

Eliza Park, an academics-obsessed teen, accidentally ends up in Culinary Arts and finds herself clueless and ultimately rebuilding everything she knew about success, love and what it means to be herself.

Brown Boy Nowhere
by S. Briones Lim

Labeled "brown boy” by the popular kids, 16-year-old Filipino American Angelo Rivera, an outcast in his new school, becomes the leader of a group of fellow misfits who are determined to hold their own.

The Getaway List
by Emma Lord

Moving to NY for the summer, Riley reunites with childhood best friend Tom, the co-creator of The Getaway List that enumerates all the adventures they've wanted to do together, and discovers the biggest adventure of all as they work their way through the list.

The Many Half-lived Lives of Sam Sylvester
by Maya MacGregor

An autistic nonbinary eighteen-year-old moves to a new town and school with the support of their loving father and finds friends in an LGBTQ-plus club, but they all must come together to solve the decades-old murder of a teenage boy and confront the demons lurking in Sam's past

Get Real, Chloe Torres
by Crystal Maldonado

When Chloe Torres plans the perfect summer to reunite her estranged BFFs—a cross-country road trip to see their favorite boy band!—there’s only one difficulty… getting them to actually go along for the ride.

Ophelia after all
by Racquel Marie

Seventeen-year-old Ophelia Rojas, well known for her rose garden and her dramatic crushes on every boy in sight, begins to question her sexuality and sense of self when she starts to fall for cute, quiet Talia Sanchez in the weeks leading up to their high school prom and graduation

When the World Tips Over
by Jandy Nelson

A story told in alternating voices where the Fall siblings each encounter the mysterious Cassidy at a critical moment in their lives, helping them untangle their relationships and uncover the truth about their father's disappearance

The 9:09 Project
by Mark H. Parsons

Seventeen-year-old Jamison finds hope after the loss of his mother, and recognizes the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others

Can't Take That Away
by Steven Salvatore

When Carey Parker, a genderqueer teen who dreams of being a diva like their hero Mariah Carey, is cast as the female lead in the school musical, they must fight against discrimination and injustice from their closed-minded school administration

Golden Boys
by Phil Stamper

Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure, from attending a design school in Paris to interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them--and for their friendship?

Dear Manny
by Nic Stone

While running for junior class president at his college, Jared falls for his opponent who has a similar platform based on equity and inclusion, and processes his feelings by writing letters to his deceased friend Manny. final book of the Dear Martin series.

All My Rage
by Sabaa Tahir

When his attempts to save his family's motel spiral out of control, Salahudin and his best friend Noor, two outcasts in their town, must decide what their friendship is worth and how they can defeat the monsters of their past and in their midst.

A First time For Everything
by K. L. Walther

A fun coming-of-age romance full of dating disasters, powerful firsts, and the importance of family.