First Like, First Love

Is it love or like? A friendship? Something more? Books with teen relationships can be about friendships, exploration, and love. They can be romantic, realistic, tragic, heartwarming, and heart wrenching.  Sometimes these books are referred to as romance books, but really they can be about finding yourself just as much as they are about finding someone else.

As a reader, you need to decide the level of intensity you would like in a "romance" book - some will make you cry, some will make you feel good, some will help you understand another person or yourself better, some will make you laugh.

When looking for a book about friendship, love, or romance, you can use the following keywords to search for a book: friendship, love, romance, dating combined with middle grade or young adult or middle school or high school.

Here are a few examples of books about finding a "first love":

Shug

By Jenny Han

As she starts middle school, Annemarie, also known as Shug, realizes that things aren't quite the way they used to be particularly when it comes to old friends and her once best-friend Mark.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A middle grade story about taking a fresh look at old friends and longing for your first kiss.

Guitar Notes

by Mary Amato


Tripp, aka Mr. Odd, and Lyla, aka Ms. Even, think of themselves as being polar opposites, but become friends over time as they write notes, texts, and emails while sharing the same music practice room on alternating days; both end up providing each other the courage to make changes in their lives.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen:  First a friendship and then a romance that blooms over time between two people who think they don’t have much in common.

Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli


Leo is faced with the conflicts of first love: does he pursue the girl of his dreams and risk being shunned by his whole school or does he try to change her; and why can't he just get her out of his mind?

Found at:  public library.

Why chosen: The main character faces conflicting feelings of being true to oneself and loving the one you want or following the crowd.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante start out as unlikely friends, and over time, both must make difficult decisions about what it means to be a friend and what it means to love someone.


Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A book about self discovery, friendship, and love between two teen boys.

The Smile

By Donna Jo Napoli


Set during the Italian Renaissance, Elisabetta is faced with honoring her family in an arranged marriage to someone she does not love or with honoring her own desire to marry the man she loves.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A bit of history, a bit of romance, the book gives a different perspective on being able to love the one you want.