Books like What If It's Us
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli reads as hopeful, funny. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What What If It's Us is like to read
A charming, witty dual-POV summer romance between two teens who meet by chance in NYC and spend months untangling whether fate or coincidence binds them. Warm, intimate, and gently humorous—Albertalli's signature blend of earnest emotion and arch banter applied to a high-stakes first love. Best for: readers seeking romantic, character-driven YA with LGBTQ+ representation; fans of Albertalli's voice.
They Both Die at the End
Adam Silvera · 2017
A ticking-clock day-in-the-life told in short alternating chapters as two teens race to actually live before midnight — earnest, tender, and engineered to devastate.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli · 2015
A warm, funny, epistolary-tinged coming-out story with an irresistibly earnest teen narrator whose email flirtation with the mysterious Blue is the beating heart of the book.
Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston · 2019
A banter-drenched, email-punctuated queer rom-com where the fake-friendship-to-real-love arc is braided with genuine political stakes and coming-out anxiety.
Two Boys Kissing
David Levithan · 2013
A Greek-chorus of AIDS-generation narrators watches over contemporary queer teens as two boys attempt a record-breaking kiss — reflective, communal, and quietly hopeful in tone.
Felix Ever After
Kacen Callender · 2020
A contemporary YA narrated by a Black trans teen navigating identity and first love — emotionally resonant and hopeful in register.
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz · 2012
A tender, interior coming-of-age told in short spare chapters and quiet white space, where a lonely boy's friendship slowly cracks him open to family secrets and first love.
I Fell in Love with Hope
Lancali · 2022
A lyrical, grief-soaked hospital story where terminally ill teens steal moments of joy against the certainty of loss — prose that reaches for the poetic, an ache that never fully lifts even when love returns.
The Vast Fields of Ordinary
Nick Burd · 2009
Reads hopeful in the same way — and goes just as deep on first love and self discovery.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Saenz · 2012
A quiet, aching first-person coming-of-age told in short chapters and spare, lyrical sentences — the friendship deepens by inches until the emotional payoff lands with unexpected force.
Who I Was with Her
Nita Tyndall · 2020
Runs the same comingofage current through a different story, at steady pacing.
Blackout
Dhonielle Clayton · 2019
A warm, feel-good mosaic of intertwined teen romances unfolding across one blacked-out NYC night, light on stakes and heavy on charm and community feeling.
If I Was Your Girl
Meredith Russo · 2016
An intimate, emotionally charged YA romance about a trans girl weighing safety against the vulnerability of being fully known.
About What If It's Us — what the genome says
Who is What If It's Us for?
It's young adult — teen protagonists with crossover appeal.
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