Books like 'The Last Song'
Readers who enjoyed The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult science fiction high-school small town new adult military aliens
-
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
In the riveting conclusion to the acclaimed dystopian series, a boy and girl caught in the chaos of war face devastating choices that will decide the fate of a world.As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people... -
The Book of the Dead: AESLI-00 by V.E.S. Pullen
Azzie Vokaty is living a perfectly normal life in a perfectly normal small town in the midwest, dealing with a rare blood disorder alongside rude classmates and distant foster parents.Except there is no “normal” anymore, not since the JANUS-23 pandemic decimated the world’s population.And it isn’t a town, it’s a military base.And Azzie isn’t exactly thrilled with the golden cage she’s living in... -
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 10 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsIn the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable...Categorized as:
military young adult science fiction dystopian humor contemporary multicultural strong heroine -
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsLibrary Forces member Iku Kasahara has plans to go out for tea with her supervisor and secret crush, Dojo, but just figuring out what to wear puts her in a tailspin... -
-
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 11 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable... -
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
The Rise of Nine is the next thrilling instalment in the gripping Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore.'Number Four is a hero for this generation' Michael Bay, director of Transformers***Until I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive. Together we are much more powerful...Categorized as:
aliens high-school science fiction magic contemporary superheroes other-man-woman length-medium -
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her...Categorized as:
aliens contemporary suspense magic mystery young adult science fiction mental illness -
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom the author of We Are the Ants comes “another winner” (Booklist, starred review) about a boy who believes the universe is slowly shrinking as the things he remembers are being erased from others’ memories.Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished...Categorized as:
high-school young adult contemporary science fiction mental illness mystery m-m queer -
Arena by Karen Hancock
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA Journey She Did Not Choose Will Change Her Life Forever Transported surreptitiously to a terrifying alien world, with limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie Hayes finds herself engulfed in a perilous battle for freedom – for her very life...Categorized as:
aliens science fiction christian young adult dystopian mystery contemporary historical -
Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRIVERDALE meets INCEPTION in this twisty and unique YA coming-of-age romance.Quarterback.Class president.Burnout.We all have our identities.Most of the time, they come from our circumstances. They're made by others—shoes for us to walk in whether they fit or not.But what if?What if we could take off those shoes... -
Mon plus beau rêve by Lily Haime
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings« C’est un oiseau sur un mur. »Depuis la mort de ses parents Aliocha vogue de familles d’accueil en foyer, de conneries en garde à vue. Il a appris très tôt à ne s’accrocher à rien, à ne croire qu’en lui, à ne laisser personne l’approcher d’assez prés. Il dessine le regard des gens qu’il croise dans la rue, les émotions, ces choses étranges qu’il ne ressent jamais... -
Message Not Found by Dante Medema
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAn emotionally complex portrayal of secrets, loss, and grief from Dante Medema, Indies Introduce author of the Indie Next Pick title The Truth Project.Bailey and Vanessa shared everything: laughter, secrets, and packets of Pop Rocks to ward off bad days. But that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house...Categorized as:
high-school young adult contemporary mystery death science fiction dystopian length-long -
Determinant by A.M. Hargrove
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNOTE: Though this is the 3rd installment of the Guardians of Vesturon, it can be read as a stand alone novel. January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta... -
Rout of the Dem-Shyr by Raine Thomas
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTouted as the future ruler and savior of worlds, Ascendant KyrVawn is ready to put her growing power to good use. She intends to begin with her home planet of Alametria, where hints of corruption have infiltrated the highest levels of the palace. It’s a monumental task, but one she won’t undertake alone. By her side is her personal bodyguard and secret lover, Dem-Shyr TaeDane... -
-
The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis stunning YA debut is a timely and heartfelt speculative narrative about healing, faith, and freedom.Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol's mother as a maid...Categorized as:
aliens high-school young adult science fiction futuristic contemporary f-f class difference -
Until Midnight by Melissa Landers
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsDon't miss the *free* romantic holiday story that connects ALIENATED and INVADED! Cara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx's home planet, L'eihr. Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship...Categorized as:
aliens dystopian futuristic science fiction young adult contemporary christmas length-novella -
Invaded by Melissa Landers
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them. Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment...Categorized as:
aliens magic futuristic science fiction young adult dystopian virgin heroine contemporary -
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsOn a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs...Categorized as:
military science fiction historical dystopian racism 20th century young adult survival -
The Living by Christine Kelsey, Cassie James
She’s more than a replacement.The Thorns promised they would always save her, but some things are easier said than done.Sometimes we save ourselves.And sometimes, allies are closer than we think.Piper Hawthorne forever... -
A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsBlack Mirror meets What If It’s Us in this gripping, romantic, and wildly surprising novel about two boys lost in space trying to find their way home—while falling in love—from the critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants.When Noa closes his eyes on Earth and wakes up on a spaceship called Qriosity just as it’s about to explode, he’s pretty sure things can’t get much weirder.Boy is he wrong... -
Revealing Kia by Airicka Phoenix
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe events of Claudia’s party were nothing more than a distant memory as far as Kia was concerned. She was ready to resume her life as though that night had never happened. But it’s a slippery slope keeping a secret and Kia’s about to learn just how hard when she’s faced with the truth and the consequences of her decision. Adam Chaves was no stranger to girls wanting him... -
Tracker Hacker by Jeff Adams
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHigh school student. Hockey player. Computer whiz kid. Covert agent?At sixteen Theo Reese is the youngest agent for Tactical Operational Support. His way with computers makes him invaluable. He designs new gadgets, helps agents (including his parents) in the field, and works to keep the TOS network safe... -
Return to Me by James Oliver French
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsWhat would you do if the man you loved vanished without a trace? Kyle and Todd meet at a party in their freshman year at college. They fall in lust at first sight, then deep in love. In spite of Kyle’s melancholy past, their future together looks bright. Then Kyle disappears, leaving Todd heartbroken and alone, and their dreams in ruins... -
Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNerdy astronomy geek Marsha, M to her few friends, has never been anybody special. Orphaned as an infant and reluctantly raised by an overly-strict “aunt,” she’s not even sure who she is. M’s dream of someday escaping tiny Jewel, Indiana and making her mark in the world seems impossibly distant until hot new quarterback Rigel inexplicably befriends her... -
-
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsWhen he's sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.But when he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of eccentric troublemakers - he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn't have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure...Categorized as:
high-school young adult contemporary death science fiction dystopian male-pov dual-pov -
Free to Fall by Lauren Miller
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhat if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?What if you never had to fall?Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most...Categorized as:
high-school young adult science fiction mystery contemporary dystopian futuristic length-long -
What Goes Up by Katie Kennedy
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAction-packed and wildly funny, this near-future sci-fi features three teens on an inter-dimensional mission to save the world.Rosa and Eddie are among hundreds of teens applying to NASA’s mysterious Multi-World Agency. After rounds of crazy-competitive testing they are appointed to Team 3, along with an alternate, just in case Eddie screws up (as everyone expects he will)...Categorized as:
aliens high-school young adult science fiction humor contemporary futuristic length-medium -
What We Pretend to Be by Shaun David Hutchinson
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo set the stage: in We are the Ants, Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button... -
Mixed Signals by Alyssa Cole
“This trilogy gets better with each book.” — Library Journal “Cole’s Off the Grid series succeeds because it captures the unsettling details of its dystopian setting beautifully, but also because its main characters are so very human and relatable.” — RT Book Reviews “This is friends-to-lovers romance…but it’s in the science-fiction story line where Cole really shines...Categorized as:
new adult dystopian science fiction multicultural contemporary futuristic young adult east-asian-mc -
Return of the Ascendant by Raine Thomas
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is a New Adult novel recommended for ages 17+. Expecting to enjoy another typical college night at a frat party with friends, Kyra Vaughn’s plans derail when she’s almost killed…twice. Her savior, a tall, sexy stranger who calls himself TaeDane, claims that he’s the personal bodyguard for the Ascendant of Alametria. She’s convinced he’s crazy... -
Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey
In this heartwarming debut by HelloGiggles blogger Kerry Winfrey, a young agoraphobe begins a journey of first love that leads her to the true meaning of home—just by taking one small step outside of her house. My name is Mallory Sullivan. My therapist says I have an anxiety disorder. My brother says I’m an “optimistic recluse.” Everybody else says I'm a freak... -
The Final Six by Alexandra Monir
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsWhen Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six who will be scouting a new planet...Categorized as:
aliens science fiction young adult dystopian mystery futuristic time travel contemporary -
Renegade Rule by Ben Kahn, Rachel Silverstein
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsPrepare for competitive gaming like you've never seen it!The Manhattan Mist have beaten the odds to land themselves in the national championships for Renegade Rule, one of the hottest virtual reality games in existence. But they're in for competition fiercer than they ever imagined, and one team member's entire future could be at stake...Categorized as:
new adult queer young adult f-f science fiction contemporary friends to lovers from hate to love -
Kissing Ezra Holtz by Brianna R. Shrum
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA fun, witty, light-hearted romantic comedy— The Rosie Project , for teensSeventeen-year-old Amalia Yaabez and Ezra Holtz couldn’t be more different. They’ve known (and avoided) each other their whole lives; she unable to stand his buttoned-up, arrogant, perfect disposition, and he unwilling to deal with her slacker, rule-breaking way of moving through the world... -
-
I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum
Rated: 3.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsFloe Ryan was frozen - or 'vitrified' - at sixteen. She and her parents had a rare disease, so it was their only choice until a cure was found. Now she's been thawed and it's ten years in the future - but she's still a teenager. And her parents are still chilling out... So now her little sister is her older sister, and she's making Floe suffer for every snotty thing she ever did... -
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsWhen Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered...Categorized as:
aliens young adult science fiction dystopian mystery futuristic suspense contemporary -
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a brand new epic novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eragon, Christopher Paolini.Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds.Now she's awakened a nightmare.During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move... -
Defect by Ryann Kerekes
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsLocked in the mental ward on her sixteenth birthday, Eve Sterling doesn’t think things can get any worse. They can. After failing the mindscan procedure that predicts future crime, she’s deemed a Defect and subjected to endless psychological and physical testing as the government tries to determine what’s different about her. The one bright spot is military guard, Will... -
This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsDon’t miss the breathtaking short story that connects the first two novels in the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars and This Shattered World. Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries...Categorized as:
aliens contemporary futuristic mystery dystopian young adult science fiction male-pov -
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsCan a girl who risks her life for books and an Ilori who loves pop music work together to save humanity? A beautiful and thrilling debut novel for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth.When a rebel librarian meets an Ilori commander...Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the death of one-third of the world's population...Categorized as:
aliens science fiction young adult dystopian from hate to love contemporary length-long -
The Calling by James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsTwelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played...Categorized as:
aliens young adult science fiction futuristic mystery dystopian contemporary suspense -
Karac by T.J. Yelden
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsOne phone call was all it took to turn Ashley’s world upside down. Aliens from outer space? Check. Government deal to mandate women sign up for alien courtship? Check. A woman willing to allow someone else to dictate her life? No way in hell. Screw the government. Screw the aliens. She makes her own decisions on how her future plays out...Categorized as:
aliens science fiction futuristic alpha male young adult insta-love contemporary m-f -
Mirror X by Karri Thompson
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCassie Dannacher wakes up in a hospital over 1,000 years into the future after her space capsule is retrieved from space. She soon learns that 600 years prior to her arrival, the earth was struck by a plague, killing over half of the world’s population...Categorized as:
aliens contemporary dystopian futuristic science fiction young adult time travel length-medium -
Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA high school outcast spends his life hoping to be abducted by aliens in this funny, quirky novel about finding your footing in a world that sometimes feels like Mars. Convinced his mother has been abducted by aliens, Charlie Dickens spends his nights with an eye out for UFOs, hoping to join her. After all, she said the aliens would come back for him... -
-
Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis
Rated: 3.73 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it’s hard to escape it. So when a group of men shows up at her house uninvited, she assumes it’s just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired... -
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsIt is the French Riviera in the 1920s. Nicole and Dick Diver are a wealthy, elegant, magnetic couple. A coterie of admirers are drawn to them, none more so than the blooming young starlet Rosemary Hoyt. When Rosemary falls for Dick, the Diver's calculated perfection begins to crack. As dark truths emerge, Fitzgerald shows both the disintegration of a marriage and the failure of idealism... -
The Kindred by Alechia Dow
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsTo save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan... -
Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos
Rated: 3.60 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Marla Klein and Ivy Wilde’s world, teens are the gatekeepers of culture. A top fashion label employs sixteen-year-old Marla to dictate hot new clothing trends, while Ivy, a teen pop star, popularizes the garments that Marla approves. Both girls are pawns in a calculated but seductive system of corporate control, and both begin to question their world’s aggressive levels of consumption... -
She, Myself, and I by Emma Young, Marlain Angelides
Rated: 3.46 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRosa’s got a whole new shot at life…in someone else’s body.Rosa—an eighteen-year-old from London—is quadriplegic. Her doting (if a bit stifling) parents and charming older brother are her entire world. But Rosa yearns for more; so when a doctor from Boston chooses her to be a candidate for a risky experimental surgery, she and her family move to Massachusetts in search of a miracle... -
Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good by Nancy Werlin
Rated: 3.48 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA buttoned-up overachiever works overtime to keep her inner nerd at bay—failing spectacularly—in Nancy Werlin’s hilarious and heartfelt return to contemporary realistic fiction.Planning is Zoe Rosenthal’s superpower. She has faith in a properly organized to-do list and avoids unnecessary risks...
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.