Books like Crush by Nicole Williams

Twenty‑five year‑old Belly Conklin returns to the family summer home on the coast, where a cancer diagnosis forces her to confront love, loss, and growing up amid the familiar rhythm of beach life.

Misha and Ryen, a mismatched pen‑pal partnership from fifth grade, grows into a deep friendship that challenges identity and trust as they navigate high school, online secrets, and the pressure of growing up.

In a quiet South Carolina town, 16‑year‑old Ethan meets new student Lena, and they share a psychic bond that reveals a family secret set to surface on her 16th birthday.

Forever is a 1975 Judy Blume novel that explores teenage sexuality, family dynamics, and the challenges of adolescence in a New Jersey high school setting.

Kit Lowell, a popular high‑schooler, teams up with socially isolated David Drucker to unravel the mystery behind her father's tragic car accident, forging an unlikely friendship that tests their courage and compassion.

A graphic‑novel exploration of middle‑school friendship dynamics, where a boy navigates changing group expectations and his own desires amid the pressures of popularity and club life.

Abby Abernathy, a college student, is attracted to Travis Maddox, a wealthy man, but they end up living together after a bet to abstain from sex.

A girl with the power to search alternate futures lives out six weeks of two different lives in alternating chapters.

Miki Yoshida navigates a high‑school romance while uncovering Hiro Sakurai’s hidden mission, forcing her to balance trust, secrecy, and teenage love.

When fifteen‑year‑old Jean learns she has a crush on Johnny, she musters courage to dance with him—raising questions about confidence, first love, and high‑school expectations.

Rhiannon feels overlooked by her boyfriend Justin, until a stranger reveals the real truth about the one special day she shared with him.

In her final year at a prestigious boarding school, artistic girl Jinx faces heartbreak when the charming, privileged peer she trusted turns out to be a cruel rival.

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare… Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core. Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached. But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

In 1959 Virginia, a Black student named Sarah and a white student named Linda, both products of a newly integrated high school, are forced to confront the harsh realities of race and identity while working together on a school project.

364 pages ; 22 cmHL730L Lexile

Lily Graves, raised among funeral directors, uncovers hidden truths and deadly secrets in her high‑school town when a senior‑class president is murdered, forcing her to navigate love, suspicion, and the shadows of the past.

At Abigail Adams Junior High, friends drum up dreamy dates for the big dance, but rival crushes and unexpected alliances turn the night into a playful maze of teenage romance.

Nine Valentine’s Day–focused romances unfold at Cutter's Forge High as students, especially B.J., make plans for the Sweetheart Stomp.

A young woman with a deep-seated secret of love, and a small-town girl’s quest to find the courage to ask the right questions, is met with unexpected challenges and surprising outcomes.

High‑schoolers Jude and Lucy navigate love, rivalry, and the challenge of balancing school, ballet, and cheerleading while dealing with jealousy, a difficult trigger, and an increasingly attached cheer squad teammate.

At Southpointe High, ballet‑practicing Lucy Larson’s senior year is set for Juilliard—until a chance meeting with trouble‑making Jude Ryder turns love into a potential heartbreak.

After the death of her best friend Aubrey, Dara faces her senior year of high school while grieving and navigating the painful sight of Aubrey's brother Ethan each day.