Cover of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5 book recommendations

Books Like “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars captivated readers worldwide with its sharp wit, heartbreaking romance, and poignant look at love amidst illness. If you are longing for another deeply moving story look no further. Dive in to discover your next read.

  1. Cover of Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

    Cover not available

    Five Feet Apart

    by Rachael Lippincott

    In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel that’s perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, two teens fall in love with just one minor complication—they can’t get within a few feet of each other without risking their lives.

    Can you love someone you can never touch?

    Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

    The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

    Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella, she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

    What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

    Why it's similar

    Both novels are young adult contemporary romances centered on two teenagers living with life-threatening medical conditions who form an intense emotional bond while confronting mortality.

    What's different

    Unlike Hazel and Augustus, the protagonists in this book have cystic fibrosis and are medically required to stay physically separated, making touch and cross-infection the primary conflict.

  2. Cover of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

    Cover not available

    All the Bright Places

    by Jennifer Niven

    The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge.

    Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches for—and manages to find—something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.

    Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

    When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground— it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. . . .

    “A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe.” —Justine Magazine

    “At the heart—a big one—of All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers.” —The New York Times Book Review

    “A heart-rending, stylish love story.” —The Wall Street Journal

    “A complex love story that will bring all the feels.” —Seventeen Magazine

    “Impressively layered, lived-in, and real.” —Buzzfeed

    Why it's similar

    Both stories feature witty, introspective teenage protagonists who connect over literary and philosophical themes while facing profound tragedy and inevitable loss.

    What's different

    The central struggle revolves around severe mental illness, trauma, and suicide rather than physical terminal illness.

  3. Cover of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

    Cover not available

    Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

    by Jesse Andrews

    Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg's mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia - cue extreme adolescent awkwardness - but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

    Why it's similar

    Both books confront adolescent cancer through a lens of sharp, dark humor and self-aware cynicism, deliberately rejecting melodramatic and sanitized tropes about sick teenagers.

    What's different

    The bond between the central characters is strictly platonic rather than romantic, and the narrative adopts a more detached, comedic, and meta-fictional style.

  4. Cover of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

    Cover not available

    If I Stay

    by Gayle Forman

    The critically acclaimed, bestselling novel from Gayle Forman, author of Where She Went, Just One Day, Just One Year, and I Was Here.

    In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

    Why it's similar

    Both are contemporary YA novels that center on a teen girl facing life-and-death circumstances, blending romance, grief, and introspective narration in an emotionally intense tone.

    What's different

    The story leans more into a supernatural, out-of-body experience and a pivotal choice, with less focus on the medical details of illness and more on memory and family history.

  5. Cover of Before I Die by Jenny Downham

    Cover not available

    Before I Die

    by Jenny Downham

    For the many readers who love The Fault in Our Stars, this is the story of a girl who is determined to live, love, and to write her own ending before her time is finally up.

    Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, and drugs with excruciating side effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints
    of “normal” life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, are all painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time runs out.

    A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year
    A Booklist Editors’ Choice
    A Book Sense Children’s Pick
    A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice
    A Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author
    An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

    The newly released feature film Now Is Good, starring Dakota Fanning, is based on Jenny Downham's intensely moving novel.

    Why it's similar

    Both novels follow a terminally ill teenage protagonist navigating first love and the desire to truly live despite imminent death, using an intimate, first-person voice and realistic contemporary settings.

    What's different

    Its tone is rawer and often darker, with a more direct confrontation of mortality and fewer humorous interludes, giving the narrative a bleaker atmosphere.

Looking for something else?

Use our book recommendation tool to discover books similar to any of your favorites.

Find similar books with LibroMatch