Books like How They Met, and Other Stories

A kaleidoscopic celebration of young love in all its messy, joyful, and heartbreaking forms. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with How They Met, and Other Stories.

warm
bittersweet
uplifting
nostalgic

01
Boy Meets Boy
David Levithan · 2006
A joyful, utopian queer rom-com that feels like a warm hug and a confetti cannon going off at the same time.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
- first love
- queer joy
02
The Realm of Possibility
David Levithan
A tender, kaleidoscopic exploration of teenage life told through a chorus of poetic voices.
Shares:
- uplifting
- earnest
- hopeful
- tender
03
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
A sleepless, music-fueled sprint through neon-lit streets in search of the perfect song and a sudden, unexpected connection.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
- wry
04
Let it snow
John Green, Lauren Myracle and others
A witty, snow-muffled romp through teenage romance where chaotic winter storms lead to cozy, serendipitous love.
Shares:
- earnest
- hopeful
05
Best Gay Romance 2008
Labont�, Richard
A tender and passionate mosaic of gay love in all its fleeting and enduring forms.
Shares:
- warm
- earnest
- hopeful
- tender
06
My True Love Gave to Me
Stephanie Perkins
A mug of hot cocoa in book form, brimming with twelve distinct flavors of winter magic and teenage romance.
Shares:
- warm
- nostalgic
- earnest
- hopeful
07
More happy than not
Adam Silvera
A heartbreaking, speculative exploration of whether erasing our deepest pains is worth losing the truth of who we are.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- nostalgic
- earnest
08
No One Belongs Here More Than You
Miranda July
A tender, delightfully weird exploration of lonely people fumbling toward connection in the most unexpected ways.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- tender
- wry
09
Love invents us
Amy Bloom
A tender, bittersweet exploration of a lonely teenager trying on different versions of love to find her way home.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- tender
10
This Is How You Lose Her
Junot Díaz
A raw, rhythmic autopsy of heartbreak and self-sabotage told by a narrator who can't stop breaking his own heart.
Shares:
- wry
11
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
John Green and David Levithan
A chaotic, big-hearted collision of teenage angst and theatrical joy that celebrates the messy reality of finding your people.
Shares:
- uplifting
- earnest
- wry
12
That Summer
Sarah Dessen · 1996
A bittersweet, sun-drenched exploration of the summer when childhood ends and the messy reality of growing up begins.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- nostalgic
- earnest
- wry

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