Books like A Thousand Boy Kisses

A devastatingly emotional exploration of first love and inevitable loss that demands to be read with a box of tissues nearby. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with A Thousand Boy Kisses.

heart-wrenching
nostalgic
bittersweet
heavy

01
Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
Monica Murphy
A high-stakes, fiercely obsessive prep school romance dripping with angst and undeniable chemistry.
Shares:
- earnest
02
I'll Give You the Sun
Jandy Nelson
A vibrant, paint-splattered explosion of grief, first love, and the fierce, fractured bond between twins.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
03
Tearsmith
Erin Doom
A dark, fairy-tale-tinged romance steeped in shared trauma and the agonizing pull of forbidden love.
Shares:
- earnest
04
You've Reached Sam
Dustin Thao
A tender, tear-soaked exploration of first love and the agonizing, beautiful difficulty of saying a final goodbye.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
05
Letters to the lost
Brigid Kemmerer
An intimate, emotionally charged exploration of how two broken people can help piece each other back together through the safety of shared words.
Shares:
- earnest
06
The truth about forever
Sarah Dessen
A sun-soaked summer of chaotic catering gigs, found family, and learning to let go of the need to be perfect.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- bittersweet
- earnest
07
The Realm of Possibility
David Levithan
A tender, kaleidoscopic exploration of teenage life told through a chorus of poetic voices.
Shares:
- earnest
08
Two Boys Kissing
David Levithan
A tender, generation-spanning embrace that connects the ghosts of the past to the defiant joy of the present.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
09
Keeping 13
Chloe Walsh
A fiercely protective, emotionally raw exploration of first love acting as a lifeline in the face of devastating trauma.
Shares:
- heavy
- earnest
10
Where She Went
Gayle Forman
A raw, nocturnal journey through the streets of New York and the jagged edges of a broken heart, searching for closure and a second chance.
Shares:
- earnest
11
Along for the ride
Sarah Dessen
A warm, nocturnal summer breeze of a book about learning how to finally let go and just be a teenager.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- earnest
12
Can We Be Strangers Again?
Shrijeet Shandilya
A messy, emotionally charged exploration of what happens when the lines between platonic loyalty and romantic love blur beyond repair.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- bittersweet
- earnest

Back to A Thousand Boy Kisses