Recommendations based on Where Things Come Backby John Corey Whaley

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

  1. A Monster Calls

    by Patrick Ness
    A young boy's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with his mother's terminal illness.

    Thirteen-year-old Conor O'Malley awakens from the same nightmare he has been experiencing for the past few months, "the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming". At seven minutes after ... (Wikipedia)

  2. 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)

  3. Highly Illogical Behavior

    by John Corey Whaley
    Agoraphobic Solomon is befriended by Lisa, who wants to "fix" him. But is she really helping him or just using him for her own benefit?

    Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him. Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college ... (Goodreads)

  4. Code Name Verity

    by Elizabeth Wein
    Two female spies' harrowing mission during WWII and the secrets they discover.

    In 1943 Nazi-occupied France, a British Lysander spy plane crashes in the fictional town of Ormaie. On board are two best friends, a pilot (Maddie, code name: Kittyhawk) and a spy (Julie, code name: ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Lola and the Boy Next Door

    by Stephanie Perkins
    A teenage girl navigates the complexities of first love, while surrounded by a cast of eccentric and lovable characters.

    Alternate Cove edition for ISBN 9780525423287 Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in ... (Goodreads)

  6. I'll Give You the Sun

    by Jandy Nelson
    Two teens navigate struggles of family, love, art, and identity as they come of age.

    Noah and Jude Sweetwine are twins. As they enter their teen years, they grow apart. This is partly due to their sibling rivalry, as they compete for the attention of their mother, Dianna; and partly ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Noggin

    by John Corey Whaley
    After dying of cancer, Travis Coates' head is cryogenically frozen and then attached to a new body five years later.

    2014 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST Travis Coates has a good head…on someone else’s shoulders. A touching, hilarious “tour de force of imagination and empathy” ( Booklist , starred review) from John ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

    by Jesse Andrews
    A teenage boy's unconventional journey of friendship and healing in the face of death.

    Greg Gaines is a senior at Benson High School. A social loner, he navigates high school life by gaining everyone's acquaintance but staying clear of any particular clique. His only real friend is ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Everybody Sees the Ants

    by A.S. King
    Lucky Linderman escapes his troubled life through vivid dreams where he searches for his missing grandfather in Laos.

    Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps ... (Goodreads)

  10. It's Kind of a Funny Story

    by Ned Vizzini
    A young man's struggle with mental illness, finding his path to recovery.

    Craig Gilner, the narrator, is 15 years old and lives with his family in a middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood. He attends the prestigious Executive Pre-Professional High School, having studied ... (Wikipedia)

  11. 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)

  12. Goodbye Days

    by Jeff Zentner
    After a tragic accident, Carver sends goodbye texts to his deceased friend's phone, leading to unexpected consequences and self-discovery.

    What if you could spend one last day with someone you lost? One day Carver Briggs had it all—three best friends, a supportive family, and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

    by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    A young man's journey to understanding his identity, culture, and family.

    A “mesmerizing, poetic exploration of family, friendship, love and loss” from the acclaimed author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe . ( New York Times Book Review ) Sal ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. The Diviners

    by Libba Bray
    In 1920s New York City, a group of young people with supernatural abilities must come together to stop a dark force from unleashing chaos on the city.

    SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED… Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, ... (Goodreads)

  15. Grasshopper Jungle

    by Andrew Smith
    A teenage boy navigates his small town's apocalypse, caused by genetically modified praying mantises.

    Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend, Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of ... (Goodreads)

  16. We Are the Ants

    by Shaun David Hutchinson
    A coming-of-age story of a young gay man who must make a life-altering decision.

    From the “author to watch” ( Kirkus Reviews ) of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes a brand-new novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving. Henry Denton ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The Ask and the Answer

    by Patrick Ness
    A dystopian society where a rebel uprising is met with oppressive totalitarianism.

    Resuming directly after The Knife of Never Letting Go , Todd Hewitt is captured by the Mayor's army in Haven, renamed New Prentisstown, but his only concern is for Viola. He is forced to live in the ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Scorpio Races

    by Maggie Stiefvater
    A thrilling race between magical sea horses, set against a backdrop of danger and suspense.

    It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age ... (Goodreads)

  19. Why We Broke Up

    by Daniel Handler
    A young girl recounts the story of her failed relationship with a complex boy.

    Min Green and Ed Slaterton, a high school junior and senior basketball jock , respectively, ended their relationship, which lasted from October 5 to November 12. The story takes the form of a letter ... (Wikipedia)

  20. White Cat

    by Holly Black
    Cassel Sharpe is the only non-magical member of his family of curse workers. When he discovers a dark secret, he must navigate dangerous alliances to protect himself and those he loves.

    Although Cassel Sharpe comes from a large family of workers who are well connected to one of the major crime families, he believes himself to have no worker abilities. He is the youngest son with a ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

    by Morgan Matson
    Two teens take a road trip across America, discovering themselves and each other along the way.

    When you're on a road trip, life is all about the detours. . . ., Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and needs Amy to get their car from California ... (Goodreads)

  22. Isla and the Happily Ever After

    by Stephanie Perkins
    A romantic comedy about a girl who falls in love with a boy and learns to trust her own heart.

    Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And ... (Goodreads)

  23. Beauty Queens

    by Libba Bray
    A group of beauty pageant contestants stranded on a desert island, learning resilience and self-reliance.

    From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.,Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Every Day

    by David Levithan
    A story of love, identity and acceptance, as a person wakes up in a different body each day.

    Every Day is about the story of A, a person who wakes up occupying a different body each day. As described by Frank Bruni of The New York Times , "A. doesn't have a real name, presumably because they ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Knife of Never Letting Go

    by Patrick Ness
    A young boy's struggle to discover the truth of a hidden world and his own special place in it.

    Todd Hewitt is the only boy left in Prentisstown, a small settlement on 'New World' – an alien planet only recently colonized by humanity. Todd is within days of his thirteenth birthday, the age in ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Just One Day

    by Gayle Forman
    A young girl's story of self-discovery through a journey across Europe.

    A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay. When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at ... (Goodreads)

  27. The False Prince

    by Jennifer A. Nielsen
    A young orphan is chosen to impersonate a long-lost prince in a daring plan to save a kingdom.

    In this first book in a remarkable trilogy, an orphan is forced into a twisted game with deadly stakes. Choose to lie...or choose to die. In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. How to Save a Life

    by Sara Zarr
    Two girls from different worlds come together after a tragedy and learn to navigate grief, forgiveness, and the complexities of family.

    Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And ... (Goodreads)

  29. Anna and the French Kiss

    by Stephanie Perkins
    A romantic comedy of a teenage girl and her unexpected summer romance in Paris.

    Anna Oliphant is a senior in high school who is forced by her father to attend the fictional boarding school 'School of America in Paris' – nicknamed SOAP by students. She is heavily against having ... (Wikipedia)

  30. When We Collided

    by Emery Lord
    A summer romance between two teenagers, one dealing with mental illness and the other with family struggles.

    "It is a book I wish could have written, but am so much better for having read." —Julie Murphy, #1, New York Times, bestselling author of, Dumplin', A thought-provoking, emotionally-compelling ... (Barnes & Noble)