Looking for an unforgettable collection of books you’ll devour if you liked Dreamland by Sarah Dessen? As an award-winning author and blogger, I know the magic of a book so engrossing it keeps you up at night. Here are my top three recommendations:
Junior Missing by Khristina Chess - A seductive and chilling thriller about a runaway teen, drawn into an intoxicating relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
The Girl Who Fell by S.M. Parker - a hypnotic novel that shows how a girl can lose herself in a dating relationship that she believes is love.
Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy - a sad story about a girl from a bad home who falls in love for the worst kind of guy, and she is pulled into a crime with him.
You’ll find detailed reviews of these and many other favorites below.
So which books similar to Dreamland should you read next? Discover your next great read for National Reading Month in this roundup. All of them share the complex emotions of loving the wrong person and the fog of truth and untruth. I know you’ll love every one of these novels.
Junior Missing by Khristina Chess
“He kissed me again and again, and I began bargaining once more with the wind. I vowed to do better and try harder to keep this Quentin who loved me and kept me safe. The Quentin who I loved. Who loved me. Who didn’t treat me badly. Sex was the one place where he was always himself. His very best self. “― Khristina Chess, quote from Junior Missing
Wow! Readers who love the intense chemistry and unsettling seduction of a dark romance like Dreamland won’t be able to put Junior Missing down. What makes Junior Missing so special is the slow-boil depiction of how Grace’s forbidden attraction turns into a trap set by an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
The story starts as sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world with a bright future, is missing. At first, police assume she ran away. But when they find her abandoned phone along the highway, the truth becomes far more terrifying.
No one knows about Quentin Brock—the musician she met online. He’s charming, funny, and perfect.
Until he isn’t. Until she’s trapped in another state with no way out.
She doesn’t even have shoes.
If you devoured Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, I recommend this mesmerizing, authentic novel that depicts how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in a toxic relationship. Junior Missing will stay with you after the final page. Worth the read!
In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.
Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy
“But in remembering, and in telling them what they needed to know, that golden feeling I’d had with Dee came back over me—the feeling of being a kind of temple for him. I was someone who worshipped him and understood him, in all the ways he needed and deserved. I could feel them hating me, thinking I was wrong, but they’d never had Dee’s hands on them, never felt him as completely as I had.” ― Terra Elan McVoy, quote from Criminal
This book was so absorbing I read the whole thing on a Saturday afternoon. I couldn't put it down.
It's a sad story about a girl from a bad home who falls in love for the worst kind of guy, and she is pulled into a crime with him. How far will she go to protect him? Why?
I loved Nikki's character. I loved how blind she is by her obsession with Dee. She’s honest, not particularly likeable, but real. Her mother was terrible, and Nikki found friendship and safety for herself with Bird. It was no wonder that she found herself in this bad relationship with Dee. Her world is tragic, but she is strong and makes good choices, even if they're really, really late.
Criminal is not a YA book about abuse and relationship violence in the sense that Dee physically harms Nikki. Rather, it is the escalating nature of the psychological manipulation in the relationship which creates the harm.
If you enjoyed Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, you won’t want to miss this story about toxic love.
The Girl Who Fell by S. M. Parker
“Still, there’s a rumbling in the pit of my stomach telling me I’m missing out on something. Something I wouldn’t have missed for all the world before Alec.” ― S.M. Parker, quote from The Girl Who Fell
In this hypnotic story, Zephyr Doyle falls in love with the wrong boy. Only, he seems like the perfect boy. A boy she's willing to give up everything for: friends, her hockey team, even her future. He's saccharine sweet, but a bit jealous. Creepy. But she can't see his emotional abuse for what it is until it's too late.
I really enjoyed this one and read it quickly. Although I guessed the relationship was doomed (surely?!), I couldn't tell how it would fall apart and was surprised by the twists at the end. Creepy behavior just escalated into more and more aggressive awfulness. It shows how a person can lose herself in a dating relationship that she believes is love.
This is an important YA novel about love, emotional abuse, and losing yourself in a relationship. Fans of Dreamland will also enjoy this recommendation.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
“To be groomed is to be loved and handled like a precious, delicate thing.” ― Kate Elizabeth Russell from My Dark Vanessa
What a deeply disturbing book. I wondered what made 15-year-old Vanessa so malleable to Strane's grooming and manipulation. It seemed like more than just being a lonely kid in search of approval. Her confusion about what was happening in the early days of the relationship was clear. Did she imagine that? Was it real? And then, the first sexual encounter with them was so horrible. Even in that moment of being raped, she was confused and tried to explain what was happening to her.
It was sad that the adult Vanessa was so messed up. She couldn't break free of him and what he did to her. She even seemed bent on repeating the cycle with another teacher, and I'm not sure I really believe the hopeful notes at the end of the story. I'm not sure Vanessa will ever recover from Strane.
Also, I was confused about what actually happened with the other girls. Was she really the only one who was raped, or was that just something she told herself?
The psychological elements of this novel reminded me of The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison.
I know this review is all over the place, but it's a fitting reflection of this book. If you enjoyed Dreamland, be sure to give this psychologically abusive novel a look.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
“Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.” ― Kristin Hannah from The Great Alone
Leni is 13 when her parents decide to relocate to Alaska. It’s 1974. She’s used to moving around a lot and not fitting in, so her expectations about this place aren’t very high, either. Children of all ages share the same schoolhouse, and there is one other kid her age. A boy, Matthew Walker. They become fast friends.
Alaska is beautiful and beautiful. Although the new homestead is wonderful at first, the descent of winter and darkness brings out her father’s abuse. A former POW from the Vietnam war, he is now a violent, alcoholic, and paranoid man whose rage targets his fragile wife.
So many good and terrible things happen in this sweeping novel. Leni is a compelling character, and in fact, there is a whole cast of interesting people in Alaska who care for one another. Survival depends on community in this wild land.
If you like reading tough topics and want to explore YA books about domestic abuse and violence, The Great Alone is a fabulous and important read.
How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis
I love Mindy McGinnis' books. She has been a longtime favorite author. She’s amazing!
However, How Girls Are Made is such a radical departure from her work. I did not like this at all and could not stick it out. Instead of this one, I highly recommend that you check out The Female of the Species and Heroine by this author.
However, if you’re looking for books that address themes of bullying and dating violence like Dreamland, this novel includes those themes.
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
“I feel like I don't have all the ingredients a person is supposed to have.” ― Jane Hamilton from The Book of Ruth
I first read this novel when it became an Oprah's Book Club pick (a long time ago), and because I remember loving it, I decided to choose it for re-reading. It's funny how a person's taste in books changes over time. This time, I wasn't sure I liked it at all, but by the end, I saw why this book meant so much to me.
Ruth tells the story. From the beginning, she lets the reader know that she's trying to clarify something that happened, and to do that, she goes for a long time on tangents that don't seem to matter that much. It felt slow, but I kept going on the journey with her. A few times, I even went back to re-read that opening paragraph, where Ruth assures me that there's a point to all of this.
Ruth is poor. She lives with a mother who is poor and bitter about her life. Ruth meets and marries Ruby, who is "off", but who Ruth understands and appreciates. There are several other characters in the story who support and love Ruth: her aunt Sid, her boss at the dry cleaning store, her friend Daisy. Ruth shows us a world that is hard but not without beauty. She shows us the good that exists in all people, even in small portions, as well as the bad that's also there in all of us.
I stayed up late finishing the book. Readers who enjoyed the slow unraveling of relationship and domestic violence in Dreamland will also enjoy Ruth's story.
BONUS: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
It Ends with Us is not a YA novel about abuse and relationship violence; it is an adult romance novel about this topic.
Lily grew up watching her mother suffer from domestic violence, and after meeting the perfect guy, Rile, she finds herself sliding into the exact same pattern of violence.
This book is gut-wrenching. I did not want it to end (and in fact, there is a sequel). No wonder Colleen Hoover is a multi-bestselling author! The story between Lily and Ryle is heartbreaking and real, and there is a love triangle thing between the present and the past, between Lily and Atlas and Lily and Ryle, and this adult romance book is just so, so, so good.
Other YA Books Similar to Dreamland
If you are looking other books similar to Dreamland, check out the Books Similar to Dreamland, the YA Dating Violence list, and Abusive Relationships in YA Fiction list on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics for teens.
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.