What books are similar to Someone Like You?

The 10 closest matches to Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen on ReadingList include Faking Normal, If You Come Softly, The Silver Kiss, Breaking Boxes, and The Only Alien on the Planet. Each is scored on shared themes (pregnancy, unmarried mothers, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Someone Like You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Someone Like You

If you liked Someone Like You, read Faking Normal, If You Come Softly, or The Silver Kiss — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens — shares friendship, fiction

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Looking for books like Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of pregnancy, unmarried mothers, and friendship. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Faking Normalgrades 9–12: Shares themes of friendship, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
If You Come Softlygrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Silver Kissgrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breaking Boxesgrades 9–12: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Only Alien on the Planetgrades 9–12: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breathing Underwatergrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Define "Normal"grades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everything, Everythinggrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Girl, Stolengrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Hanging on to Maxgrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Someone Like You for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like Someone Like You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Friend the Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Hot and Cold Summer by Johanna Hurwitz · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Someone Like You for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Hot and Cold Summer by Johanna Hurwitz · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and friendship, fiction.
101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Someone Like You?: The 10 closest matches to Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen on ReadingList include Faking Normal, If You Come Softly, The Silver Kiss, Breaking Boxes, and The Only Alien on the Planet. Each is scored on shared themes (pregnancy, unmarried mothers, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Someone Like You reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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