Books like “Fangirl”

What to read after “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz · 2012
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Slow Burn”
In 1987 El Paso, two Mexican American boys meet at a swimming pool and slowly become friends. Over long summers they share books, secrets and fears, and each begins to understand the love and longing he has been afraid to name.
2
Vision in White
Nora Roberts · 2009
Similar plot moves: “Cinnamon Roll” and “Slow Burn”
- Cinnamon Roll
- Slow Burn
Wedding photographer Mackensie has built her life and the Vows wedding business with three childhood friends, but her parents' failures have left her wary of commitment. When she meets shy English teacher Carter, a steady romance slowly teaches her to trust and to want a future of her own.
3
Beach Read
Emily Henry · 2020
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Grumpy Sunshine”
Romance writer January and literary novelist Gus become summer neighbours in a lakeside town, both blocked and both skeptical of each other's genre. They make a bet to write in the other's style and slowly trade barbs for late-night talks, discovering the grief and hope behind their different worldviews.
4
The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang · 2018
Similar plot moves: “Cinnamon Roll” and “Friends to Lovers”
- Cinnamon Roll
- Friends to Lovers
Stella, a successful econometrician with autism, finds dating and physical touch bewildering, so she hires escort Michael to tutor her in intimacy. The arrangement is meant to stay businesslike, but their lessons turn into genuine feeling, and both must work through the past before they can trust it.
5
Icebreaker
Hannah Grace · 2022
Similar plot moves: “Cinnamon Roll” and “Friends to Lovers”
A rink scheduling clash forces competitive figure skater Anastasia to share the ice with the hockey team and its captain, Nate. What starts as irritation grows into friendship and then something more as she chases a national title and he tries to hold his team together.
6
The Roommate
Rosie Danan · 2020
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Grumpy Sunshine”
- Friends to Lovers
- Grumpy Sunshine
Clara leaves her buttoned-up East Coast life to move across the country to the man of her dreams, only to find he has sublet her room to someone else. Sharing the apartment with easygoing Josh, whose job would scandalise her family, forces an uneasy friendship that slowly becomes more.
7
Eleanor & Park
Rainbow Rowell · 2012
Same genre: “Young adult fiction”
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.
8
The Charm Offensive
Alison Cochrun · 2021
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Grumpy Sunshine”
- Friends to Lovers
- Grumpy Sunshine
Anxious tech genius Charlie is the reluctant star of a reality dating show, and producer Dev is tasked with helping him connect with the contestants. Behind the cameras their unlikely friendship turns into a romance that neither can script.
9
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert · 2019
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Grumpy Sunshine”
Chloe, who lives with chronic pain and a careful routine, draws up a list of things she wants to do to get a life. To tick off the first item she asks Red, the tattooed handyman who looks after her building, for help, and their cautious friendship deepens into more.
10
Twice Shy
Sarah Hogle · 2021
Similar plot moves: “Grumpy Sunshine” and “Slow Burn”
- Grumpy Sunshine
- Slow Burn
Maybell inherits her great-aunt's crumbling house in the Smoky Mountains, only to learn the grouchy groundskeeper Wesley is a co-inheritor with very different plans. Forced to renovate together, the dreamer and the shy, scowling loner slowly find in each other the safety they have always wanted.
11
Bet Me
Jennifer Crusie · 2004
Similar plot moves: “Grumpy Sunshine” and “Slow Burn”
- Grumpy Sunshine
- Slow Burn
Minerva overhears her ex-boyfriend bet the charming Cal that he can get her into bed within a month, so she accepts his dinner invitation to turn the tables. The sceptical actuary and the commitment-shy businessman keep colliding through meddling friends and sheer bad luck, resisting an attraction neither of them wants.
12
Yours Truly
Abby Jimenez · 2023
Similar plot moves: “Friends to Lovers” and “Grumpy Sunshine”
- Friends to Lovers
- Grumpy Sunshine
ER doctor Briana blurts out that she is dating a colleague to escape an awkward moment, and anxious Dr. Jacob plays along. Pretending to be a couple at his family gatherings brings the two reserved people closer, one quiet gesture at a time.