Like This? Read This!

You know when you read an amazing book, you immediately want to find another book just like it? However, it's always frustrating finding something that can compare. Below, I have created pairs of books that are similar. If you've read and enjoyed one, you are likely to enjoy the other. Also, sticking with the survival & adventure theme, all these books have one or both of those elements in them.

Note: books written in purple I have not read yet but based off synopsizes and other people's reviews, I matched the two books. Just be aware that these may not be perfect matches.

Without further ado, let's begin!

If you liked Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman, you may like The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James.

Upon first look, these books look nothing similar. Dry is realistic fiction about what happens to humanity during an extreme drought, and The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is sci-fi about a girl who is alone on a spaceship heading to Earth II. However, the reading experience of these two books was very similar (in my opinion). When I was reading both of these books, I had such a bad feeling the entire time that something bad was going to happen. They were intense and the action was compelling. Both of these books are so suspenseful and leave the readers on the edge of their seats.

If you liked No Exit by Taylor Adams, you may like Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter.

These books are both survival stories that are gory, graphic, and intense. No Exit is about Darby, who is stranded by a blizzard at a rest stop with a few other strangers. While at the rest stop, she finds a kidnapped child in a car belonging to one of these strangers. She becomes determined to save the child but one of the strangers has a motive to stop her. Pretty Girls is about three sisters who are torn apart. Julia, the oldest, went missing twenty years ago. Now, in the present, a second sister is kidnapped. This book has a very strong sister relationship so if you enjoy those this would be a good pick for you. I paired these books together not because of plot, but because of their intense, graphic, descriptions that make the books so intense. I will note that No Exit is more fast paced action while Pretty Girls is more of twisty mystery. Both are not for the faint of heart.

If you liked Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay you may like Bird Box by Josh Malerman.

These are both intense horror survival stories. Survivor Song is about a rabies virus that has swept through Massachusetts causing anyone infected to go crazy in a matter of hours. Pregnant Natalie was just infected and is on a mission with her friend Ramola to save herself. Bird Box is about an unknown presence/creature that once you see it, you go insane. Malorie and her two children have been stuck in an abandoned house and have been longing to find a safer place. So they embark on a terrifying journey downriver to a rumored safe sanctuary. Both of these books are intense and scary. I did enjoy Bird Box much more but if you are looking for more horror, Survivor Song will fit. (Also, for people who have watched Bird Box on Netflix, the book is better and spoiler alert, has a different ending.)

If you liked Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis, you may like Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennet.

I have not read either of these, but from their synopses and other reviews, these YA books are both wilderness survival stories. Be Not Far From Me is about Ashley, who went hiking with a group of friends, only to find that in the morning she is all alone, in the wilderness. Starry Eyes is a romance between two teenagers who go on a hiking trip and find themself stranded in the wilderness. From a reviewer, I heard it is about 50% romance and 50% survival story. Be Not Far From Me is more survival focused and Starry Eyes is more romance and character driven (according to the reviews). The main reason why I paired these two together was because of the age group being YA and that they were both wilderness survival stories.

If you liked Lord of the Flies by William Golding, you may like Wilder Girls by Rory Powers.

This is an easy recommendation because Wilder Girls is supposedly Lord of the Flies-esque. That was how the book was pitched and though I have not read it yet, many reviewers have seconded this statement. Lord of the Flies is a survival type of story about a group of boys who are left on their own after their plane crashes on an unknown island. Together they try to make a functioning society but when it collapses, it is each boy for himself. Wilder Girls is about a group of girls who are on an island, enrolled in the Rater School for girls, when a sudden disease-like-illness spreads through the island, slowing killing the girls and teachers off. Then one of the girls goes missing and the plot takes off from there. Since I have yet to read these books, I cannot be fully confident that these are a perfect match. However, through my research and talk with other readers, they do claim these books relate.

If you have read any of these books, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Goodreads Links

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

No Exit by Taylor Adams

Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter

Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay

Bird Box by Josh Malermam

Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Wilder Girls by Rory Powers