What are some books like (don't judge) Sarah Dessen's style, but more age appropiate?

I’m not familiar with Sarah Dessen, so this may not be much help. I have enjoyed Maeve Binchey’s books, as they are light, typically romantic, have a bit of mystery about them, and end up with a happy ending.

If looking for something with a bit more substance, but still an easy read, I recommend The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.

I don’t know those authors, but there’s a site where you can put books you like and it gives you suggestions along with summaries of other books you’d like. I put in Water for Elephants here’s the result:

http://www.tastekid.com/like/Water+For+Elephants

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The characters are Sarah Dessen like, but the story is from a boy’s point of view, and he’s received cassette tapes from a female classmate who committed suicide. So it’s not fluffy at all—as is most Sarah Dessen stuff.

Looking for Alaska by John Green has a lot of Dessen-like character development, but Green has more of a sense of humor than Dessen. Most of his books revolve around rich character development with a skeleton of a plot.

I’ll finally throw in a little Jodi Picoult in, just because a lot of the teens and adult YA readers I know consider Picoult to be a grownup Dessen. Personally, I think Picoult relies too heavily on schmaltziness and forced tearjerkers. However, almost all the Dessen fans I know really really like her.

@keobooks Looking for Alaska is one of my favorite books. I love John Greene.

@Finley I like John Green a lot. Out of all those authors, he’s my favorite. He mixes in the serious with the funny in a very good way. He’s got a big presence of youtube, btw. I know some patrons who are big followers of him.

I was just thinking of this author too. Chris Crutcher’s Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes It’s about a fat kid who made friends with a girl who had a severely burned face. As he gets older, his fat turns more into muscle (he becomes a swimming jock) and he’s dealing with becoming more popular, yet trying to stay friends with someone nobody accepts or likes.

I read a lot of Dessen for work, btw. To be honest, I know what you mean. She has some nice relationships, but after a while, you feel like you’re reading the same book over and over!

@keobooks you read for work? What exactly do you do?

I’m a librarian in the YA department. I need to keep up with all the authors!