Books like Deadline

A fiercely funny, ticking-clock tearjerker about living a lifetime's worth of rebellion and love in a single year. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Deadline.

bittersweet
urgent
life-affirming
poignant

01
Breathless
Lurlene McDaniel
A devastating, tear-soaked exploration of bodily autonomy and the impossible burdens we place on those we love.
Shares:
- earnest
02
No Time to Cry
Lurlene Mcdaniel
A tender, tear-soaked exploration of survivor's guilt and the bittersweet journey of finding purpose after profound loss.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
03
By the time you read this, I'll be dead
Julie Anne Peters
A raw, unflinching look into the mind of a girl at the edge of her endurance, anchored by the fragile hope of unexpected human connection.
Shares:
- earnest
04
Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver · 2010
A poignant, time-bending exploration of teenage cruelty and the desperate search for redemption before time runs out.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- urgent
- poignant
- earnest
05
Crank
Ellen Hopkins
A visceral, free-falling descent into addiction told through sharp, breathless verse that refuses to look away.
Shares:
- urgent
06
Twisted
Laurie Halse Anderson
A darkly funny, unflinchingly honest dive into the pressure cooker of teenage masculinity and family dysfunction.
Shares:
- sarcastic
- earnest
07
Going Bovine
Libba Bray
A hallucinatory, darkly hilarious road trip through the absurdity of American culture and the terrifying reality of dying.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- poignant
- irreverent
08
Full Tilt
Neal Shusterman · 2003
A surreal, white-knuckle descent into a nightmarish amusement park where every ride is built from your deepest psychological fears.
Shares:
- urgent
- earnest
09
Catalyst
Laurie Halse Anderson
A tightly wound exploration of what happens when a rigidly organized life collides with unpredictable tragedy.
Shares:
- urgent
10
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:
- bittersweet
- earnest
11
Winger
Andrew Smith
A hilarious, hormone-drenched boarding school romp that unexpectedly shatters your heart into a million pieces.
Shares:
- irreverent
12
Hate list
Jennifer Brown · 2009
A raw, unflinching exploration of guilt, grief, and the agonizingly slow journey toward self-forgiveness in the wake of unimaginable tragedy.
Shares:
- earnest

Back to Deadline