Books Like Looking for Alaska - Emotional Reads That Stay With You

If you read Looking for Alaska and just can't stop thinking about it, you're not alone. John Green's novel is a story of growing up that is both heart-aching and hopeful - the love and confusion and loss that burn long after the last page has been turned.

Books like Looking for Alaska are full of the same poignant pathos, internal exposition, and gentle lyricism that leave the reader feeling tender and wondering about life, love, and our choices.

The Best Books Like Looking for Alaska 

If He Had Been with Me — Laura Nowlin

Laura Nowlin's novel reads like Looking for Alaska, soft, slow, and devastatingly real. It is a story about two childhood friends who could have been more, and the heartbreaking 'what ifs' that ensue. Yet so engagingly it's a story about first love, fate, and regret that will linger with you long after the final line has been read.

All the Bright Places — Jennifer Niven

As Watson says about Looking for Alaska, “If this book is heartbreaking, then All the Bright Places is heartbreak on steroids. Jennifer Niven tells of two teens who find each other in the darkest of places.

Disorder is a novel about mental health, connection, and the power of small moments - and one that will make you cry, think, and fall in love all at once.

Paper Towns — John Green

Paper Towns is another gift from John Green, filled with mystery, longing, and how we view other people through the lens of our imagination. It's clever, intelligent, and stuffed with Green's trademark wit and philosophy.

Paper Towns is, for all the readers who love the introspection and search for meaning of Looking for Alaska, like a homecoming.

Fangirl — Rainbow Rowell

Angsty but with a light and humorous side, Fangirl is about creativity, the process of growing up, and discovering your voice. Rainbow Rowell writes with wit and utter sincerity, turning a story of college coming-of-age into something profoundly comforting. The book is an excellent choice for readers who miss the feeling of Looking for Alaska without the tragedy.

I’ll Give You the Sun — Jandy Nelson

Poetic, luminous, and vivid, I'll Give You the Sun is the story of two artistic twins and how they learned to heal and forgive. Before Summer shares the same sense of beauty and hurt as the Looking for Alaska series, thanks to Nelson's lyrical storytelling and emotional prose. It's art, love, and finding yourself in its rawest form.

We Were Liars — E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is like a summer dream come sideways with a chilling recollection - mysterious and emotional. E. Bella Lockhart is a gifted writer who crafts sharp prose with poetic sensibility, and their tale of privilege, guilt, and truth is one rife with themes of identity and loss that branded Looking for Alaska as irresistible.

Conclusion

Each of these stories has that same heartbeat - that little mixture of love, loss, and growing up that is the Looking for Alaska essence. If they're the kind of readers who crave a story that is honest, human, and unforgettable, Orange is perfect, because it reminds you that life is fragile, messy, and beautiful.