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Quick answer: If you liked We Are Okay, read Nina LaCour's Hold Still, then try I'll Give You the Sun, The Sky Is Everywhere, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and All the Bright Places. All are quiet, honest young adult novels about grief, love and healing.
Nina LaCour's novel follows Marin, who has run from home to college after her grandfather's death and spends winter break alone in a nearly empty dorm. It is spare and moving. The books below share that quiet emotional honesty. All are young adult novels, and all are real, in-print books. Many deal with loss, so read when you are ready.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold Still | Nina LaCour | Teen | more LaCour |
| You Know Me Well | Nina LaCour and David Levithan | Teen | friendship stories |
| Everything Leads to You | Nina LaCour | Teen | queer romance |
| I'll Give You the Sun | Jandy Nelson | Teen | sibling stories |
| The Sky Is Everywhere | Jandy Nelson | Teen | grief and love |
| Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Sáenz | Teen | friendship that grows |
| All the Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Teen | love and mental health |
| Speak | Laurie Halse Anderson | Teen | finding a voice |
| Eleanor & Park | Rainbow Rowell | Teen | slow-burn romance |
| If I Stay | Gayle Forman | Teen | life and loss |
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Stephen Chbosky | Teen | letter format |
| Looking for Alaska | John Green | Teen | coming-of-age grief |
| They Both Die at the End | Adam Silvera | Teen | living fully |
| Girl in Pieces | Kathleen Glasgow | Teen | recovery stories |
| With the Fire on High | Elizabeth Acevedo | Teen | food and hope |
1. Hold Still by Nina LaCour
A girl copes with her best friend's suicide while finding her way. LaCour's debut, quiet and honest.
Best for: more LaCour.
2. You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
Two teens in San Francisco become friends during Pride Week. Warm and funny.
Best for: friendship stories.
3. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
A set designer in Los Angeles follows a mystery and falls for a girl. Sweet and stylish.
Best for: queer romance.
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Twins narrate their lives before and after a family tragedy. Lyrical and colorful.
Best for: sibling stories.
5. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
After her sister's death, Lennie falls between two boys and her grief. Warm and poetic.
Best for: grief and love.
6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Two Mexican American boys become friends in 1987 El Paso. Tender, slow and beautifully written.
Best for: friendship that grows.
7. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Two teens who struggle with their own darkness meet on a bell tower. Tender and tragic.
Best for: love and mental health.
8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being assaulted, Melinda stops talking at school. Short and honest.
Best for: finding a voice.
9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Two misfits fall in love on a school bus in 1986. Tender and painful.
Best for: slow-burn romance.
10. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
After a car crash, Mia is in a coma and decides whether to live or die. Short, sad and hopeful.
Best for: life and loss.
11. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Charlie writes letters about his first year of high school, his friends and his past. Tender and awkward.
Best for: letter format.
12. Looking for Alaska by John Green
A boy at boarding school falls for a wild girl, then faces a loss that changes him.
Best for: coming-of-age grief.
13. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Two teens get a call that they will die today and spend their last day together. Moving and unusual.
Best for: living fully.
14. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
A teen who self-harms learns to heal after leaving a hospital. Raw and brave.
Best for: recovery stories.
15. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
A teen mother and gifted cook dreams of a culinary career. Warm and hopeful.
Best for: food and hope.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with We Are Okay: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more LaCour, begin with Hold Still. For lyrical grief, Jandy Nelson. For quiet romance, Aristotle and Dante and Eleanor & Park. For harder topics, Speak and Girl in Pieces. We Are Okay is a short book, so read it in a cozy spot on a cold day.
Related: 26 Reasons Why Books are Important in Our Life · 10 Reasons Why Are Books Better Than Movies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is We Are Okay about?
Marin spends winter break alone at college, avoiding her best friend and facing the grief she left behind.
Did it win awards?
Yes. It won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2018.
Is it sad?
It is quiet and sad, but it ends with a sense of hope.
What age is it for?
Most readers are 14 and up.
Is it a love story?
It includes a relationship, but the focus is on grief and friendship.
Who is Marin in We Are Okay?
A girl who left California for college in New York after the death of her grandfather and her guardian.
What is the setting?
A nearly empty college dorm during a snowy winter break.
Is it a good first LaCour?
Yes. It is her best-known book and shows her quiet style.
Is We Are Okay LGBTQ+?
Yes. It features a queer main character and relationship.