If you loved

Books like I Want to Live

A tender and emotionally heavy exploration of a young girl's fight for survival and her poignant appreciation for simply being alive. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with I Want to Live.

somber
hopeful
tender
emotionally heavy

01
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:
- tender
- earnest
- reflective
- compassionate
02
Breathless
Lurlene McDaniel
A devastating, tear-soaked exploration of bodily autonomy and the impossible burdens we place on those we love.
Shares:
- somber
- earnest
- compassionate
03
Ways to live forever
Sally Nicholls
A tender, tear-jerking exploration of what it means to truly live when time is running out.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
- poignant
- facing mortality
04
A time for dancing
Davida Wills Hurwin · 1995
An intimate, dual-perspective journey through the heartbreaking intersection of teenage friendship and terminal illness.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
- poignant
05
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You
Barthe DeClements · 1991
An empathetic, grounded look at the heavy armor kids wear to hide their deepest insecurities.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
06
The cave
Sol Andrews
A warm, inviting little gathering that offers emergent readers a cozy space to practice their new skills.
Feels:
- cozy
- festive
- safe
07
Jessi's wish. (Baby-Siters Club no.048)
Ann M. Martin
A gentle, tear-jerking exploration of friendship and courage in the face of unimaginable loss.
Shares:
- somber
- tender
- earnest
- compassionate
08
Hold Still
Nina LaCour
A tender, aching exploration of the quiet spaces left behind by loss, and the slow, messy art of learning to breathe again.
Shares:
- hopeful
- tender
- earnest
- compassionate
09
Deadline
Chris Crutcher · 2007
A fiercely funny, ticking-clock tearjerker about living a lifetime's worth of rebellion and love in a single year.
Shares:
- earnest
- poignant
10
Searching for David's Heart
Cherie Bennett
A poignant, tear-jerking journey through the messy landscape of survivor's guilt and the desperate search for a tangible piece of a lost loved one.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
- poignant
- reflective
11
How to live forever
Colin Thompson
A surreal, labyrinthine journey through endless library shelves that ultimately celebrates the fleeting, beautiful nature of a mortal life.
Feels:
- dreamlike
- labyrinthine
- quiet
12
Second Chance Summer
Morgan Matson
A bittersweet, sun-drenched summer of rekindled love and inevitable goodbyes.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
- reflective

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