Books like “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”

What to read after “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

About “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”

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1
Eleanor & Park
Rainbow Rowell · 2012
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Slow Burn”
Eleanor is the new girl on the bus, with mismatched clothes and a chaotic home life; Park is the quiet boy who lets her sit beside him. Their friendship grows through shared comics and mix tapes into a cautious first love, threatened by her abusive stepfather.
2
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson · 1999
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Melinda begins high school as an outcast after calling the police at a summer party, and barely speaks. Through art class and small moments she slowly confronts what happened to her that night and finds the words to name it.
3
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green · 2012
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Hazel Grace, a teenager with terminal cancer, meets Augustus Waters at a support group. Their cautious romance grows through shared wit and a planned trip to Amsterdam, while both confront what they can and cannot control.
4
Fangirl
Rainbow Rowell · 2013
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Slow Burn”
Cath starts college separated from her twin sister for the first time and takes refuge in writing fan fiction. Between a new roommate, a classmate who keeps showing up, and her father's struggles, she slowly learns to live beyond her stories.
5
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky · 1999
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
Through letters to a stranger, shy teenager Charlie describes his first year of high school. He is taken in by a group of older friends who introduce him to music, love and heartbreak, even as he struggles with grief and memories he cannot fully face.
6
Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher · 2007
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Clay Jensen receives a box of tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who has taken her own life. As he follows her voice around town, she explains the thirteen reasons behind her decision, and Clay learns his own place in her story.
7
They Both Die at the End
Adam Silvera · 2017
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
On the day they both receive a call saying they will die within twenty-four hours, Mateo and Rufus meet through an app for people facing their last day. The two teenagers spend it together, trying to live a lifetime in the time they have left.
8
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston · 1937
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Janie Crawford tells her friend the story of her life: three marriages, a long search for love and independence, and the storm that changes everything. Set in the Black towns and farms of Florida, the novel follows her from a silent girl to a woman who speaks for herself.
9
It Ends with Us
Colleen Hoover · 2016
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Friends to Lovers
Lily moves to Boston, opens a flower shop and falls for Ryle, a confident neurosurgeon. Their relationship seems perfect until she notices patterns she recognises from the house she grew up in, and the return of her first love, Atlas, makes her question what she is willing to accept.
10
Looking for Alaska
John Green · 2005
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Miles Halter leaves his quiet Florida home for a boarding school in Alabama, drawn by the last words of famous people. There he joins a tight circle of friends, falls for the reckless Alaska Young, and is forced to reckon with loss and guilt.
11
Love and Other Words
Christina Lauren · 2018
Shared in the plot: books, friend
As teenagers Macy and Elliot spent every weekend trading books in a closet and slowly falling in love, until one night tore them apart. Eleven years later they meet again in San Francisco, and the friendship and heartbreak they buried come rushing back as they decide whether to try once more.
12
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak · 2005
Similar atmosphere: “Melancholic”
- Melancholic
- Coming of Age
Narrated by Death, the story follows Liesel Meminger, a girl sent to live with a foster family in Nazi Germany. She steals books, shares them with a Jewish man hiding in the basement, and grows up amid bombs, loss and small acts of kindness.