Books like 'Holding Up the Universe'
Readers who enjoyed Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult high-school male-pov dual-pov disabilities and marks
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In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsLife in a small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He’s been spending his summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen... -
![Far from the Tree by Robin Benway, Sophie Lamotte d'Argy]()
Far from the Tree by Robin Benway, Sophie Lamotte d'Argy
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsBeing the middle child has its ups and downs.But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary pregnancy f-f class difference slut-shaming -
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![A Silent Voice Vol. 3 by Yoshitoki Oima]()
A Silent Voice Vol. 3 by Yoshitoki Oima
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 35 ratings"ARE YOU AFRAID OF HER?Shoya's decided to do everything he can to make up for how terribly he treated Shoko, his former classmate who can't hear. But more than the challenge of learning to communicate, it means facing a past he thought he'd left behind forever. Now a reunion with old friends will transform Shoya, and his relationship with Shoko... -
![Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles]()
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 62 ratingsCarlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path-just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary new adult bad boys from hate to love length-medium -
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![Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle]()
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsHitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers—or so it seems...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary african-american humor black-mc length-medium -
![Una sfida come te by Katie McGarry]()
Una sfida come te by Katie McGarry
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsOttimi voti, stile impeccabile e una carriera di successo: ecco cosa si aspettano tutti da Rachel Young. Specialmente la sua numerosa e assillante famiglia. Ma nessuno sospetta che dietro quella maschera di perfezione si nasconda una ragazza fragile con una lista interminabile di segreti. Segreti inconfessabili come la passione per la velocità e le auto da corsa...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary new adult bad boys sports forbidden love -
![100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons]()
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWhen 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down. Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about... -
![After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick]()
After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsJeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's a teen who's in remission, but life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student, or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and 'find himself'...Categorized as:
high-school disabilities and marks young adult contemporary humor death length-medium -
![Stand-Off by Andrew Smith]()
Stand-Off by Andrew Smith
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsIt’s his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on his future, but instead, he’s haunted by his past. His rugby coach expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as the rugby team’s stand-off and new captain... -
![In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Vol. 6 by Mika Yamamori]()
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Vol. 6 by Mika Yamamori
Though the trial period is over, Yoi and Ichimura-sempai realize that navigating their new relationship will be no easy task. Their friend trip to Kobe reveals they still have a lot of work to do when it comes to being able to voice their own desires while being understanding of their partner's... -
![Warmth in Ice by A. Meredith Walters]()
Warmth in Ice by A. Meredith Walters
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsClay and Maggie have gone through the dark and come out on the other side. For the first time, they are on this journey together. Fighting for something they both need and can’t live without…each other. But a long distance relationship is hard. Particularly for two people who are still trying to build something solid on a shaky and troubled foundation... -
![Curvy Girls Can't Date Best Friends by Kelsie Stelting]()
Curvy Girls Can't Date Best Friends by Kelsie Stelting
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIt was all fake dating and games until my heart got involved...I wanted to have the best summer ever. To have my first kiss and finally get my brother’s best friend to notice me.So I talked my best friend Carson into helping.He’d do anything for me, and I’d do the same for him. But somewhere between fake dating and pretending to fall in love with him, I fell for real... -
![It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini]()
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 113 ratingsAmbitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself...Categorized as:
male-pov high-school contemporary young adult forced proximity neurodivergent mental illness humor -
![Rush: The Beginning by L.A. Cotton]()
Rush: The Beginning by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAn emotional, angsty, rockstar romance from the bestselling author of The Trouble With You and Wicked Beginnings. The sweetheart of Country is about to show the bad boys of Rock, it only takes a single beat for everything to change. Evangeline Walker knows how quickly everything can change. But nothing can prepare her for the moment she meets Rafe Hunter.Intense gray eyes.Wicked smile...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov contemporary new adult from hate to love angst rockstars friends to lovers -
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![Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest]()
Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhere You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams... -
![Keep by Rachel Van Dyken]()
Keep by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSeaside Pictures Book 2 (All books in this series are interconnected stand alones) My name's shouted on rooftops. It's written on bras, bathroom stalls, hell my name is everywhere. To say my name is to experience an orgasm without ever leaving your house. My name? Zane "Saint" Andrews. I'm sex. I'm a rock god. I'm also a virgin...Categorized as:
male-pov dual-pov new adult rockstars angst friends to lovers virgin hero young adult -
![Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story by Jason Reynolds]()
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story by Jason Reynolds
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsJason Reynolds tackles it—you know…it—from the guy’s perspective in this stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first.Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria...Categorized as:
high-school male-pov young adult contemporary african-american humor black-mc length-medium -
![Sparrowood Academy by Angel Lawson]()
Sparrowood Academy by Angel Lawson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSparrowood Academy is for the elite. The rich. The well connected. Eden Warren is none of those things. She’s spent most of her life in Kingston, mostly hanging down at The Park with her sister, Hope. When Hope goes missing, Eden makes a last-ditch effort to find her by going to Hawk, her enemy and the leader of the K-Boys, for help. Sparrowood Academy is filled with darkness. Entitlement... -
![The Book of David by Anonymous]()
The Book of David by Anonymous
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsHis secret is his downfall. A riveting, first-person tale in the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Lucy in the Sky.The author of this fictional diary began writing for a class assignment, but soon it became much more to him. As the star player of his high school football team, he faces a lot of pressure and expectation. Not to mention the secret that he’s harboring inside... -
![Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant]()
Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary african-american humor black-mc glimpses-kisses -
![The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks]()
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket...Categorized as:
male-pov dual-pov contemporary young adult military suspense length-medium behind-doors -
![Unafraid by Melody Grace]()
Unafraid by Melody Grace
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 29 ratings"The first time I saw her, I knew this girl was wilder than any stallion I’d ever trained. She was headstrong, wounded, passionate and free. And I had to have her…" Brittany Ray doesn’t care about her bad reputation. Growing up in a sleepy beach town with a junkie mom and a runaway dad, Brit’s learned the hard way that the people you love will only let you down... -
![All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton]()
All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 23 ratings"You can’t keep two people who are meant to be together apart for long...”Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again... -
![Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles]()
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsLuis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut...Categorized as:
high-school male-pov dual-pov contemporary young adult bad boys possessive hero mafia -
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![Kissing Is the Easy Part by rainbowbrook]()
Kissing Is the Easy Part by rainbowbrook
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFlora is afraid being beautiful is her only talent. Some of the words she hates include economy class, second-hand clothes, and budget. She likes fashion, dating, not being on time and getting what she wants — until she meets Sean, who is like the clock striking midnight; he makes all her magic power wear off... -
![The Ones We Remember by Katie Golightly]()
The Ones We Remember by Katie Golightly
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsColin Hartrick is back. Even after five years away from his hometown, nothing could ever make him forget his family or the girl he left behind. The ghost of his eighteen-year-old, grief-stricken self never fails to remind him of how much he lost. Despite every memory and all the lingering feelings that sparked from their intimacy experiment, the girl of his dreams now wants nothing to do with him...Categorized as:
dual-pov high-school young adult friends to lovers contemporary new adult grumpy sunshine humor -
![The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston]()
The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsOwen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money...Categorized as:
male-pov high-school mystery young adult contemporary suspense betrayal length-medium -
![The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor]()
The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsNow:Sixteen-year-old Alice is spending the summer in Paris, but she isn’t there for pastries and walks along the Seine. When her grandmother passed away two months ago, she left Alice an apartment in France that no one knew existed. An apartment that has been locked for more than seventy years... -
![Love How You Love Me by Gracie Graham]()
Love How You Love Me by Gracie Graham
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAll I wanted for so long was to remember the car crash that killed my mother. Like it might somehow chase away the guilt and grief that followed her death.But now I remember, and everything has changed.I should be relieved.Instead, I’m angry at the world. My mother. Father. And especially the boy who stole my heart and crushed it beneath his palm... -
![Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford]()
Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe final book in a young adult romance series about a small town football team and the girls who win their hearts. Tyler Schumann has always been known as Nelson High’s goofy clown, the guy with the big mouth...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult contemporary friends to lovers sports length-medium -
![Kiss the Quarterback Next Door by Stephanie Street]()
Kiss the Quarterback Next Door by Stephanie Street
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDid you know there were over 155 different ways to kiss? She figured it would only take 5 to teach the quarterback next door a lesson. Jamie Barnes loved kissing girls, no strings attached. Non-committal make-out session? Sign him up. Had he broken a few hearts? Sure. But it wasn't like those girls hadn't known what they were getting into...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult friends to lovers sports new adult contemporary length-short -
![The Ones We Remember by Katie Golightly]()
The Ones We Remember by Katie Golightly
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsColin Hartrick is back. Even after five years away from his hometown, nothing could ever make him forget his family or the girl he left behind. The ghost of his eighteen-year-old, grief-stricken self never fails to remind him of how much he lost. Despite every memory and all the lingering feelings that sparked from their intimacy experiment, the girl of his dreams now wants nothing to do with him...Categorized as:
dual-pov high-school friends to lovers contemporary young adult new adult grumpy sunshine humor -
![From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas]()
From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsKYLIE: Mexico? What a nightmare! I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY! Wait! Is this a wedding band on my finger?? MAX: It started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics and it ended in Ensenada. It was hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie...Categorized as:
high-school male-pov dual-pov contemporary young adult love triangle college other-man-woman -
![The Shy Girl & the Jock Next Door by M.L. Collins]()
The Shy Girl & the Jock Next Door by M.L. Collins
Shay MacNeilOne girl, hiding her scars, ready to escape the stares & whispers of her small town.TJ DevlinOne boy, burying his dreams, ready to live up to the grand expectations of his small town.Shay & TJOne girl & one boy, best friends since forever, might just be able to help save each other... -
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![The Pretender: Black Mountain Academy by Cora Brent]()
The Pretender: Black Mountain Academy by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBENThey all know me as Ben Beltran, a poor kid from a working class town who lucked into a baseball scholarship at elite Black Mountain Academy.That’s mostly a lie.There’s a lot at stake and I have no patience for some uptight snot who sticks her nose in where it doesn’t belong.Camden Galway is another scholarship case from my crappy neighborhood and she’s just begging to be taught a lesson...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov sports young adult from hate to love new adult virgin hero contemporary -
![Puddin' by Julie Murphy]()
Puddin' by Julie Murphy
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIt is a companion novel to Dumplin', which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean's star turn in the Clover City pageant. Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush... -
![Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever by Abbie Emmons]()
Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever by Abbie Emmons
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt's Tessa and Weston's first Christmas together, and Tessa is determined to make it the best holiday ever. But when her estranged mother shows up with a suitcase and plans to stay for two weeks, Tessa's hopes are shattered.Bitter from the past and still holding a grudge, Tessa is in no mood to give her mother a second chance... -
![Inking Him by Cora Carmack]()
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![When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A.J. Steiger]()
When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A.J. Steiger
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsObviously I’m not what most people would describe as happy. But that has nothing to do with anything. Happiness is not a priority. Survival is.Alvie Fitz doesn’t fit in, and she doesn’t care. She’s spent years swallowing meds and bad advice from doctors and social workers. Adjust, adapt. Pretend to be normal. It sounds so easy...Categorized as:
disabilities and marks high-school young adult contemporary mental illness new adult death abuse -
![Rebel by Ginger Scott]()
Rebel by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsOn the surface, Cameron Hass always seems a bit risky. First to take the dare, last to leave the tracks in the face of an oncoming train, the Boston rebel has always liked to flirt with danger. But underneath, he’s terrified. Not about breaking an arm or getting pulled over for driving twice the speed limit, but about the man he’s going to become when he graduates from Welles Academy...Categorized as:
high-school dual-pov young adult sports new adult friends to lovers contemporary grumpy sunshine -
![The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford]()
The Loudest Silence by Sydney Langford
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo disabled, queer teens find belonging in this poignant platonic love story about singing, signing, and solidarity.CASEY KOWALSKI once dreamed of becoming a professional singer. Then the universe threw her a life-altering curveball— sudden, permanent, and profound hearing loss—just before her family's move from Portland to Miami...Categorized as:
disabilities and marks dual-pov young adult contemporary queer found-family length-medium -
![Until Now by Carmen Rosales]()
Until Now by Carmen Rosales
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsStill reeling from the death of both of her parents, 17year-old Aura Rayne is out of options. Moving in with another family for room and board, Aura becomes the family's new housekeeper in the richest part of town. Attending Elite Spencer Academy as a senior changes everything for her.Football star Kalum St...Categorized as:
high-school male-pov dual-pov contemporary young adult super rich hero alpha male new adult -
![A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard]()
A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
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 resonant novel from bestselling author Sara Barnard. Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson.Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say. Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen. Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life... -
![Ringer by C.J. Duggan]()
Ringer by C.J. Duggan
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThey say it’s the quiet ones you have to worry about, and she was quiet, very quiet—when she wasn’t busy despising me with a burning passion. Ringo ‘Ringer’ James has a no-strings-attached policy. Love them, leave them, and remain the eternal bachelor. After a summer in which every one of his mates has succumbed to settling down, or so it seemed, Ringer is on the lookout for a quick exit... -
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![How We Roll by Natasha Friend]()
How We Roll by Natasha Friend
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsA gentle young adult romance for fans of Sarah Dessen about two teens, each of whom has lost something irreplaceable, finding one another.Quinn is a teen who loves her family, skateboarding, basketball, and her friends, but after she's diagnosed with a condition called alopecia which causes her to lose all of her hair, her friends abandon her...Categorized as:
high-school disabilities and marks young adult contemporary sports multicultural length-medium -
![Only One Boy by Maggie Dallen]()
Only One Boy by Maggie Dallen
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThere's only one boy Celia would NOT want to be stuck sitting next to on this interminably long train ride. So guess who just walked on board…Clearly the universe has a sick sense of humor. That's the only explanation Celia can come up with when she finds herself alone on a train with her crush since second grade. Maybe some girls would call this fate. Destiny, even. But Celia knows better... -
![Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander]()
Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCharlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck... -
![Challenging What's Real by Kenzie Brayne]()
Challenging What's Real by Kenzie Brayne
I’m lying to everyone. Even to myself.ChloeMy family’s lost everything.Ashamed, I’m hiding the truth with help from a fake boyfriend. So far, no one suspects a thing.Tutoring in secret should be the perfect way to earn some cash. Except it’s with the one guy who knows how to get under my skin—Nate... -
![One Little Lie by Maggie Dallen]()
One Little Lie by Maggie Dallen
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe whole school thinks she's hooking up with the bad boy from juvie...Addie's first day at her new school is a disaster. She's accused of being a narc, stealing a boyfriend, and starting a fight—all before lunch. Now the king of the bullies has her in his sights, and it's painfully clear that this sweetheart doesn't have a single friend at this school... -
![My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy]()
My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy
My Fair Lady meets the classic teen film She's All That in this charming and swoony new rom-com from Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country. Perfect for fans of What If It's Us and She Gets the Girl.Wade Westmore is used to being in the spotlight...
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