In recent years, books like Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why, which was adapted into a somewhat controversial Netflix Original television series, have become hot topics, but it was first published as a young adult novel in 2007 as a young adult novel. Clay Jensen, a teenager bereaved over the suicide of his friend Hannah Baker two weeks prior, is the focus of the story.

For a long time, Clay had no idea what prompted Hannah to take her own life, until he received thirteen tapes from her detailing the reasons why. At sixteen, the author depicts the terrifying experience of going to high school and dealing with the pressures of peer pressure and sexual harassment that many teens face today.

In spite of the backlash, I think the novel raises some uncomfortable truths about the stigma surrounding mental health that need to be addressed in light of the series' popularity. Thirteen Reasons Why is just one of a number of books that deal with similar issues, such as love, grief, sex, and suicide, in the lives of teenagers.

Consider these suggestions if you liked 13 Reasons Why and want to read more of what it's like.

Books like Thirteen Reasons Why

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

When it was released in 2012, The Perks of Being a Wallflower quickly became a cult favorite among young people all over the world. Adolescence is examined without restraint in this novel, which has been banned from some school libraries since its release in 1999.

He becomes friends with Patrick and Sam's younger sister as a freshman in high school. Sam, who he later falls in love with, is one of Patrick's seniors. The novel's focus is on relationships, particularly toxic ones, and Charlie suffers from PTSD, even though it isn't clear why at first.

There are a number of issues that are brought up in the book, revealing the dark and lonely aspects of being a teenager and how these difficulties can have disastrous consequences if they aren't discovered. Charlie's story, like those of Patrick and Sam, has moments that any reader can identify with, and this book contains many of those moments for readers everywhere.

Every Day, by David Levithan

Every Day takes a different approach, but it still examines the intimacy between young people in the modern world.. A is a kind of spirit; it doesn't have a physical body; instead, A wakes up every morning inside a different human being and lives their life as that person. A is accustomed to such a life and has no desire to stay inside one person for more than one day – until he meets Rhiannon.

As soon as A wakes up in Justin's body, he feels an immediate connection to Rhiannon's boyfriend and wants to stay there to be close to her. A must, however, find a way to be with Rhiannon and convince her to accept and love him regardless of the body he is in.

To a large extent, this book deals with the existential crisis that many young people face today, and it is exemplified in the storyline of A, who is forced to switch bodies and thus is unable to be himself and express his own innermost thoughts and feelings.

Looking for Alaska, by John Green

When it comes to writing young adult novels, John Green is the undisputed master. Miles, a new student at a boarding school in Alabama, is the focus of Looking for Alaska, a coming-of-age novel. In his new school, he quickly makes new friends, including the elusive Alaska, because he is obsessed with famous last words and can be himself around them.

While he quickly falls in love with her, like how Clay fell in love with Hannah in 13 Reasons Why, Alaska, like Hannah, tries to cover up her deepest feelings and struggles.

Even though John Green writes about the trials and tribulations of adolescence without diminishing or trivializing them, he never acts as if his characters are too young to feel the depths of the emotions they experience in his works.

It never felt as if Green didn't know his stuff, as he did in other books like 13 Reasons Why. As someone who read Looking for Alaska as a teenager, I can attest to that.

Have you read and enjoyed this book before? We've compiled a list of books that are similar to Looking for Alaska.

Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult

It is well known that Jodi Picoult examines the lives of both teenagers and adults who have been affected by trauma and strife. There's a dark side to their lives that she delves into in Nineteen Minutes: on an ordinary day in March, a high school student in the United States opens fire, killing ten people and injuring dozens more over the course of just nineteen minutes.

Each chapter of the novel is written from the perspective of someone who has been affected by the tragedy, whether that be fellow students or the judge who will preside over Peter's case.

A deeper understanding is gained of Peter's life's trials as the story progresses, just as in Thirteen Reasons Why.

Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver

With its magical realism, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver perfectly captures the emotions and aspirations of adolescent girls and boys. Because of her strong network of friends, swoon-worthy boyfriend, and loving family, Sam is the epitome of the well-liked. On the eve of Valentine's Day, she attends a party, but the festivities are marred by a girl Sam and her pals brutally bully.

After that, they get into a terrible car accident on their way home and Sam is killed. It's all over for her the next morning on the eve of Valentine's Day, when she wakes up in her bed and has to relive it all over again.

At some point, Sam comes to realize she must find a way of ending the cycle, and she does so by trying new things in each reliving. Unlike books like 13 Reasons Why, which focus on the oppressed, this novel focuses on the oppressors and their motivations.

Although the story focuses on Sam, the reader begins to sympathize with her as she realizes the errors of her ways and deals with the consequences by repeatedly dying.

Paper Towns, by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher share many similarities. The mirroring of Margot and Quentin's and Hannah and Clay's friendships is perhaps the most significant.

During high school, Margot loses interest in Quentin because she sees him only as the boy next door, and he becomes infatuated with her. Margot shows up at Quentin's window one night, determined to exact vengeance on the classmates who have wronged her after years of not speaking at all.

As a result, Quentin is concerned for Margot's well-being and enlists the help of his other friends to find out who kidnapped her. Both Quentin and Margot, as well as Clay and Hannah, have a devotion that isn't fully reciprocated, and this one-sided love gives the audience a sense of what it's like for teenagers to lose their first love.

This time around, John Green tells a story about how easily interchangeable and elusive teenagers can be not only to others, but to themselves as well.

Please tell me if you've already read this book. More books like Paper Towns can be found on our recommendations page.

Asking for It, by Louise O’Neill

Asking for It by Louise O'Neill also touches on many of the same issues as Asher's novel.

Similar to Sam in the film Before I Fall, Emma is the most popular student at her high school. Despite the fact that many of her closest friends dislike her, she maintains her authority and is unafraid to say what she thinks. While her parents are away, Emma attends a party where she drinks and takes drugs, and where she is gang-raped and sexually assaulted by a number of her peers.

Despite Emma's best efforts, the next morning she has no recollection of what happened, despite the photographic evidence. Despite this, Emma is frequently accused of asking for it because of her reputation as an open promiscuous woman.

There are many similarities between Emma and the characters Jessica and Hannah in 13 Reasons Why, and both novels examine the hypocrisy and double standards behind such a behavior.

The Pact, by Jodi Picoult

Like in 13 Reasons Why and Asking for It, Jodi Picoult's second book on this list deals with the complexities and difficulties of consent and the long-term effects of suicide.

The Pact centers on the blossoming romance between childhood sweethearts Chris and Emily as they enter their adolescent years. Their families are close, and there's a good chance the two of them will get married someday. Until one night, when Chris is found with a head wound and Emily is found with a bullet in her skull, everything seems fine. Chris dies shortly after.

In spite of the fact that everyone who knows Chris can attest to the fact that he was in love with Emily, the suicide pact between the two is soon revealed. But, with one teen dead and the other still alive, who made the pact and did anyone get the willies?

Thirteen Reasons Why-style novels like this one show how Emily and Chris and their families are pitted against one another after the death of a young woman causes a rift in their community.

It is possible to enjoy and understand these books at any age, even if they are categorized as YA literature. Even though Thirteen Reasons Why and the novels on this list reveal many terrible truths about what it is like to be in your early 20s and 30s (as they do), there are also a few moments of humility that bring us back to our own adolescent years.

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