A few weeks back, I wrote a post called Recommending Music Artists Based on My Books. While that’s all fine and dandy if you’re a music lover, I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and decided that it may be more fun for y’all if I dig a little deeper and recommend BOOKS based on my own books.

Go ahead and open your Goodreads app, my friends. 😛

If You Loved Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl…

…Then I Recommend Faith Under Pressure by Courtney M. Whitaker

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of reading the debut novel of one of my newest friends in the indie Christian author community, Courtney Whitaker! Faith Under Pressure was a five-star read for me, and it centers around an ex-missionary kid named Katie Carter who is moving from Africa to California where her dad is now taking on a pastoral role in a local church.

Why Do I Recommend This Book?

For some reason, I guess because Katie is going to an American high school for the first time in this book, Faith Under Pressure reminded me so much of Riley’s experiences during her freshman year of high school in Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, even though the girls have much different experiences at their schools. Both books also feature a found family/friend group and have scenes that take place during youth group, though Faith Under Pressure has more faith elements than my debut novel and covers tougher topics (which are both amazing things!).

If You Loved Speak Your Mind…

…Then I Recommend Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

I’ll be honest here… in Speak Your Mind‘s blurb, I had listed Flipped as a title with a similar feel to it a few years back, but had never read the book before this year. I basically chose to market the book like that based on what other readers I know on Goodreads had to say about Flipped. I was so glad that I ended up nailing the comparison upon reading (and LOVING) Flipped earlier this year.

If you haven’t read Flipped, it’s an upper middle grade novel told in two points of view from two kids named Juli and Bryce. Juli has had a crush on Bryce forever, but Bryce can’t stand her. It’s basically an incredibly wholesome romantic comedy for middle schoolers that also covers tough life topics.

Why Do I Recommend This Book?

Well, for one, the genre and target audience are nearly identical to Speak Your Mind. Juli and Bryce are in the 8th grade in Flipped, while Victoria and her classmates are in the 7th grade. Flipped also has a very innocent romance going on, which, if you shipped a certain couple in Speak Your Mind, you’ll fall head-over-heels for Juli and Bryce’s story. Like I mentioned before, Flipped covers some tough topics, such as bullying, mostly within the family unit. Speak Your Mind covers bullying within the school system, so they’re also similar in that aspect.

 If You Loved The Crush…

…Then I Recommend In 27 Days by Alison Gervais

It’s crazy to me that I’ve literally read all of these recommendations (so far) for the first time this year. XD

For those of you who may have never heard of it, In 27 Days was once famous on Wattpad, and was traditionally published a few years ago by Blink. It’s a contemporary fantasy book that follows a girl named Hadley who makes a deal with Death to go back in time and prevent a schoolmate, Archer, from taking his own life.

Why Do I Recommend This Book?

While, no, The Crush does not have fantasy elements like In 27 Days, and In 27 Days does not have music elements, they are both contemporary YA romances that deal with the topics of depression and suicide. Some of the interactions between Hadley and Archer in In 27 Days reminded me so much of Emery and Sawyer in The Crush. If you’re looking for a book that has a very similar relationship dynamic, I highly recommend checking out In 27 Days.

If You Loved The Fall…

…Then I Recommend Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Important Note: If you don’t want The Crush spoiled for you, please don’t read this section!!!!

CONTENT WARNING:  While The Fall would be rated PG, Once and For All would be rated PG-13 for content and language.

Out of all my published books, for whatever reason, the most recent release was the most difficult to think of a recommendation for. 😛

Once and For All is a contemporary YA romance (also set in North Carolina, by the way!) by the queen of contemporary YA romance, Sarah Dessen. The book follows a girl named Louna who is mourning the recent unexpected death of her boyfriend while she works in the wedding business alongside her mother and her business partner for the summer.

Why Do I Recommend This Book?

Um… so if you read my brief little description of Once and For All, and recall what happened at the end of The Crush, you should be able to figure out the main reason why. 😦 Once and For All covers the topic of grief, which Emery deals with heavily in The Fall.

Plus, like I mentioned before, this book is also set in NC, and the The Fall also includes a dash of wedding planning, which brings humor to the stories of both The Fall and Once and For All to counteract the sad parts.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

If you’re a fellow author, what book recommendations do you have for us based on your books?

If you’re a reader, I hope you enjoy these recommendations as much as I have. 🙂

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀