The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
Like Eleanor and Park, Hazel and Augustus are smart, funny teens whose love story is intense and bittersweet, balancing banter with real heartbreak.
12 books to read next
Books Like Eleanor & Park
If you loved Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor & Park follows two sixteen-year-old outsiders in 1986 Omaha who bond over comics and mixtapes on a school bus. Readers love its alternating points of view, the aching intensity of first love, and the way Rowell lets small gestures, like holding hands, feel enormous. It is funny and tender but also honest about bullying, poverty and a frightening home life. If you want more heartfelt, character-driven young adult fiction with real emotional weight, these picks are a good place to start.
Aching first love
Everything, Everything
Nicola Yoon
A sheltered girl falls for the boy next door through notes and messages, capturing the same breathless, small-moment romance that made Eleanor & Park so tender.
I'll Give You the Sun
Jandy Nelson
Told in alternating voices like Rowell's novel, this story of twins and first loves is emotionally raw, artistic and full of longing.
Misfits finding each other
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
Charlie's mixtapes, outsider friendships and hidden pain will feel familiar to anyone who loved how music and loneliness shape Eleanor and Park.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Two lonely boys slowly become everything to each other in the 1980s, with the same quiet, lyrical attention to friendship turning into love.
Looking for Alaska
John Green
An awkward teen is drawn into a new world by a magnetic girl, exploring first love and growing up with humor and genuine sorrow.
Tough lives, tender hearts
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
If Eleanor's struggles at home and school moved you, Melinda's story of isolation and finding her voice handles difficult experiences with honesty and dark wit.
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
Starr navigates two worlds and a dangerous reality, with a warm family and a sweet romance woven through serious themes, much like Rowell's balance.
We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
A summer romance tangled in family secrets and privilege offers the same mix of longing and unease beneath a love story.
More Rainbow Rowell vibes
Fangirl
Rainbow Rowell
Rowell's college-set novel brings the same warmth, geeky fandom details and awkward, sweet romance, this time following a shy writer in her first year away.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Jenny Han
Lara Jean's secret letters spark a charming, slow-burn romance full of the cozy, funny, heartfelt moments Rowell fans adore.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli
An anonymous email romance builds with the same giddy anticipation and lovable, funny narration that made Eleanor and Park's bus-ride courtship so memorable.
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