Recommendations based on Lies We Tell Ourselvesby Robin Talley

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Under a Painted Sky

    by Stacey Lee
    Two girls, a Chinese-American and a runaway slave, flee westward on the Oregon Trail in 1849. A story of friendship, adventure, and self-discovery.

    Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes ... (Goodreads)

  2. Tell the Wolves I'm Home

    by Carol Rifka Brunt
    A young girl's journey of grief and healing as she discovers the secrets of her beloved uncle's life.

    June Elbus is a 14-year-old girl living in Westchester in 1986. She is in love with her gay uncle, Finn Weiss, a fact she is scared to admit even to herself. Finn is dying of AIDS. Being a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Annie on My Mind

    by Nancy Garden
    A tender story of two teenage girls falling in love and finding their place in the world.

    Liza Winthrop first meets Annie Kenyon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on a rainy day. The two become fast friends, although they come from different backgrounds and have differing levels of ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Sun Is Also a Star

    by Nicola Yoon
    An unlikely romance between two teenagers of different backgrounds, testing the limits of fate.

    Natasha lives in New York City with her parents Samuel and Patricia, and her brother Peter, all of whom are illegally in the country. Natasha and her family are set to be deported back to Jamaica. ... (Wikipedia)

  5. All the Bright Places

    by Jennifer Niven
    Two teens struggling to find hope in the face of depression and grief, discovering the power of love.

    Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who badly want to escape from their small Indiana town. Violet is a popular girl who is secretly dealing with survivor's remorse, and Finch is a boy ... (Wikipedia)

  6. None of the Above

    by I.W. Gregorio
    Intersex teenager Kristin discovers she has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and must navigate the challenges of identity, relationships, and surgery.

    A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None ... (Goodreads)

  7. Don't Look Back

    by Jennifer L. Armentrout
    Samantha is haunted by her past and falls for the mysterious Carson, but secrets threaten to tear them apart.

    Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all - popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. Sam has resurfaced, but ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Art of Being Normal

    by Lisa Williamson
    Two British teens navigate the complexities of gender identity and acceptance in high school.

    A young adult novel about two transgender teens who figure out how to navigate life with help from each other. "A life-changing and life-saving book." — Philip Pullman, On the first day at his new ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

    by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    Two teenage boys explore friendship, identity, and family, with unexpected results.

    The book is divided into six sections. In each part we see the two main characters, Aristotle and Dante, discovering more about themselves, more Aristotle than Dante. 15-year-old Aristotle "Ari" ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Someday, Someday, Maybe

    by Lauren Graham
    A young woman's pursuit of her dream career in acting, while navigating the complexities of life.

    A charming and laugh-out-loud novel by Lauren Graham, beloved star of, Parenthood, and, Gilmore Girls, about an aspiring actress trying to make it in mid-nineties New York City. Franny Banks is a ... (Goodreads)

  11. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

    by Fredrik Backman
    An imaginative quest to uncover the truth behind a beloved grandmother's mysterious stories.

    The story takes place in Sweden and follows Elsa, a 7-year-old who knows she is different from other children her age. Elsa has a habit of correcting others' grammar, she is smart for her age, and is ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Far from the Tree

    by Robin Benway
    A story of family, love and acceptance, exploring the power of chosen family.

    National Book Award Winner, PEN America Award Winner, and New York Times Bestseller! Perfect for fans of, This Is Us, Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. All American Boys

    by Jason Reynolds
    Two high school boys, one black, one white, navigate race, justice and friendship.

    Rashad is absent again today. That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all… Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all. ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Crown

    by Kiera Cass
    A young woman must compete in a royal selection contest to become queen of a powerful kingdom.

    The spectacular happily ever after of the #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series Kiera Cass’s #1, New York Times, bestselling Selection series has captured the hearts of readers from its very ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    by Sherman Alexie
    A young Native American boy's struggles to survive in a difficult world.

    The book follows a fourteen-year-old boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington for a school year. It is told in episodic diary style, moving from the ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Girl Waits with Gun

    by Amy Stewart
    A young woman's quest for justice, and her unexpected journey of bravery and empowerment.

    A novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs. Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Danish Girl

    by David Ebershoff
    A journey of transformation, exploring the power of courage and acceptance.

    Now a major motion picture starring Eddie Redmayne and directed by Tom Hooper, THE DANISH GIRL is a shockingly original novel about one of the most unusual and passionate love stories of the 20th ... (Goodreads)

  18. Messenger

    by Lois Lowry
    A young boy's mission to save his community, using his bravery and ingenuity.

    Matty, who was introduced in Gathering Blue as "Matt", now lives with Seer, who was originally named Christopher and is a blind man rescued by the people of the Village years earlier. Outside the ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Heir

    by Kiera Cass
    A young woman vies for the crown in a competition of strength, wit, and courage.

    A new era dawns in the world of Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series America and Maxon’s fairy-tale romance enchanted readers from the very first page of, The Selection,. Now ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Beyond the Shadows

    by Brent Weeks
    Epic fantasy adventure involving a young man's quest to unlock the secrets of his past.

    A new queen has usurped the throne and is leading Cenaria into disaster. The country has become a broken realm with a threadbare army, little food and no hope. So Kylar Stern plans to reinstate his ... (Goodreads)

  21. Still Alice

    by Lisa Genova
    A woman's struggle to hold on to her identity in the face of a devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

    Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience ... (Goodreads)

  22. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

    by Becky Albertalli
    A teenager's struggle to come to terms with his sexual identity while keeping a secret from his family and friends.

    Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the ... (Goodreads)

  23. This Lullaby

    by Sarah Dessen
    A teenage girl's journey of self-discovery, learning to let go of the past and embrace love.

    Remy is an eighteen-year-old who is about to leave for college. Her father, a musician, wrote his one and only hit song the day she was born. The song, called "This Lullaby," became extremely ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Horrorstör

    by Grady Hendrix
    A group of employees battle supernatural forces in a haunted Scandinavian furniture store.

    Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed ... (Goodreads)

  25. Britt-Marie Was Here

    by Fredrik Backman
    A woman's quest for independence and self-discovery, learning to embrace life and take risks.

    The plot of the novel focuses on a "nag-hag" woman who has recently left her cheating husband and has taken on a job in the city of Borg, working at the recreation center. The city itself is barely a ... (Wikipedia)

  26. A Quiet Kind of Thunder

    by Sara Barnard
    A love story between a selectively mute girl and a deaf boy, navigating their way through high school and communication barriers.

    Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson. A girl who can’t speak and a boy who can’t hear go on a journey of self-discovery and find support with each other in this gripping, emotionally ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Firefly Lane

    by Kristin Hannah
    A lifelong friendship between two women, navigating through life's ups and downs.

    From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her ... (Goodreads)

  28. Son

    by Lois Lowry
    A young boy's journey of personal growth as he discovers the truth about his past and his family.

    Son is written in three parts, each with a subtitle: Before , Between , and Beyond . Before takes place in the same location, "The Community," and at the different time as The Giver . Claire's ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Such a Fun Age

    by Kiley Reid
    A young black babysitter is accused of kidnapping the white child she cares for, exposing the complexities of race and privilege in modern America.

    A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her ... (Goodreads)

  30. Crossing the Line

    by Katie McGarry
    A forbidden romance between a cop's daughter and a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They must navigate family secrets and societal expectations to be together.

    Katie McGarry captivated readers with her “riveting, emotional”* young adult fiction debut, Pushing the Limits. In this gripping companion novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who ... (Barnes & Noble)