Book picks similar to
No One Needed to Know by D.G. Driver


autism
fiction
illness
books-with-less-than-300-reviews

Second Best Friend


Non Pratt - 2018
    There’s nothing Jade is better at than Becky. So when Jade is voted in as Party Leader ahead of her school’s General Election only to find herself standing against Becky, Jade sees it as a chance to prove herself. If there’s one thing she can win, it’s this election – even if it means losing her best friend.

Flying at Night


Rebecca L. Brown - 2018
    And just when his diagnosis of autism sends her life reeling, she's dragged back into the orbit of her emotionally abusive father, Lance, after a heart attack leaves him with brain damage.Fred is in need of a friend. Lance is in need of care. And Piper just wants to feel stable ground beneath her feet. What she never expects is that Fred and Lance--both misunderstood by the world--will start to connect in the most miraculous of ways...

Break Any Woman Down


Dana Johnson - 2001
    An eleven-year-old black girl from South Central LA discovers the strangeness of moving to the suburbs and falling in love with a white boy. A pair of enthusiastic middle-aged Iranian sisters debate whether or not their futures hold children. A punk musician falls for a girl out of his league. A black lap dancer gives up her job to move in with her Greek actor boyfriend, who hasn’t managed to get roles in anything but porn movies. Whether bold or rueful, salacious or sweet, each voice in Break Any Woman Down is vibrantly authentic; together they add a fresh and welcome chorus to American literature.

The Things I Didn't Say


Kylie Fornasier - 2016
    I've used up every dandelion wish since I was ten wishing for the power to speak whenever I want to. I'm starting to wonder if there are enough dandelions.After losing her best friend that night, Piper Rhodes changes schools, determined that her final year will be different. She will be different. Then she meets West: school captain, star soccer player, the boy everyone talks about. Despite her fear of losing everything all over again, Piper falls in love - and West with her - without Piper ever speaking one word to him. But will it last?

Tongue Party


Sarah Rose Etter - 2011
    It was selected by Deb Olin Unferth as the winner of the 2010 Caketrain Chapbook Competition and is currently available from Caketrain Press.

All We Never Knew


Elena Aitken - 2020
    On the cusp of her fortieth birthday and with her only child almost grown, it's time to start putting herself and her marriage first. But when the butterflies in her tummy turn out to be morning sickness, Maren’s world is flipped upside down with an unplanned, high risk pregnancy—one she's ashamed to admit is unwanted.Overnight, everything changes and the ripple effect of the baby she's so unsure of is felt in every corner of her life. Her perfect life slowly disappears. Her teenage daughter looks for attention in the wrong places. Her best friend inexplicably blows up and stops speaking to her. And worse, her once doting husband pulls away when she needs him the most.Just when she's sure things couldn't possibly be worse, a shocking discovery rocks Maren's world. Faced with a devastating deception, a truth she can no longer ignore, and an impossible choice, can Maren stop her life from completely unraveling? Or is All We Never Knew too much for love to overcome?

Notes from a Liar and Her Dog


Gennifer Choldenko - 2001
    After all, the only one who appreciates her is her dog, Pistachio. But when a concerned teacher sees the truth behind Ant's lies, it seems as though she might be in for a change . . .

Letters To My Sister's Shrink


Heather Balog - 2014
    When she tries to kill herself on her wedding day, her fiance commits her to a mental hospital. Her psychiatrist is the best in her field, but Shannon will not speak to her. She will only communicate through letters. The doctor needs a new perspective on Shannon's tormented soul, so she calls on Kathryn. Kathryn is Shannon's twin sister who wants nothing to do with her. But she can't turn her back on her sister because she is drawn to the letters Shannon has written for some inexplicable reason. She is drawn to her sister's misery no matter how hard she fights it. why can't she turn away? What is it about Shannon that makes it impossible for Kathryn to ignore? It's a secret they share that only the letters will reveal."

East of the Sun, West of the Moon


Jackie Morris - 2013
    How many times had she dreamt of the bear…. Now, here he was, as if spelled from her dreams.“I will come with you, Bear,” she said.It is the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the girl. First to the bear’s secret palace in faraway mountains, where she is treated so courteously, but where she experiences the bear’s unfathomable sadness, and a deep mystery…As the bear’s secret unravels, another journey unfolds… a long and desperate journey, that takes the girl to the homes of the four Winds and beyond, to the castle east of the sun, west of the moon.This beautiful, mysterious story of love, loyalty and above all, freedom, is inspired by fairy tale, and is magically told and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

11 Before 12


Lisa Greenwald - 2017
    But for eleven-year-old Kaylan, the chaos of new locker combinations, cafeteria cliques, and potential first kisses is more than she can handle. She dreads the start of sixth grade and feels like she wants—no, needs—a winning game plan.Luckily, Kaylan and her effortlessly chill BFF, Arianna, have a fool-proof plan for tackling transitions: a list of eleven things they need to do to totally transform themselves before they both turn twelve in November.But between making guy friends, getting detention (and makeovers!), helping humanity, and having super-candid conversations with their moms about their flaws, the first 100 days of school turn out worse than Kaylan ever imagined. Kaylan and Ari forget to focus on their friendship and soon their loyalty to the list—what was meant to help them keep it together—becomes the very thing tearing their lives apart.

A Second Chance Summer


Katharine E. Smith - 2018
    How will he react to her return, and what changes have the intervening ten years meant for them both? Still recovering from a toxic relationship, Alice realises she has allowed life to become too predictable, while Julie has just ended things with the man she was due to marry. The two friends decide to throw caution to the wind; coming back to Cornwall, where they spent a long, happy summer before life got serious. As they return to the same small flat in the centre of town, and seasonal jobs at the Sail Loft Hotel, Alice harbours both hopes and fears of finding Sam, while Julie is determined to enjoy the freedom she’s been missing. A lot can change in ten years, though, as their friend Luke - now a handsome, successful businessman – proves. Back in Cornwall himself to spend time with his seriously ill mum, he and Julie form a close relationship. Alice is worried that her friend is making a huge mistake and, all-but-abandoned, starts to spend time with single mum Casey. Sam, meanwhile, proves elusive but slowly reveals that, although he appears not to have changed at all, the previous decade has been eventful for him, too. It's not all about the boys, though. Alice and Julie's strong, honest friendship will quickly draw you to them. Alice can be opinionated, Julie reckless, but both are quick-witted, funny, warm and ambitious. The county of Cornwall, famous for its rugged coastlines, glorious beaches and picturesque harbour towns, provides a vivid backdrop for the perfectly paced beginning of this cracking new series. Is it possible to relive the best time of your life? Alice and Julie are about to find out. Book Two of the series will be out in Spring 2018 with the final book scheduled for release later the same year.

Ghostboy, Chameleon and the Duke of Graffiti


Olivia Wildenstein - 2015
    Still, Duke finds himself inexplicably drawn to her dark eyes and mysterious manner. She makes it clear she doesn’t return his admiration, but when a burst appendix lands Duke in the hospital, he and Cora will be forced to come together by the most unlikely intermediary: her eight-year-old brother, Jaime.So begins an epic tale—that of Ghostboy, Chameleon and the Duke of Graffiti. A tale of three normal kids who, against all odds, will become exceptional.A tale of hopes and dreams, of indelible friendship and first love.Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti is a gorgeous debut novel that will resonate with the thoughtful fans of John Green’s blockbuster The Fault in Our Stars.Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist!

High Heels in a Minefield


N.L. Paradox - 2017
    Eat, sleep, draw, and geek out over anime and manga with his small circle of friends. So when one of those friends suggested engaging in some cosplay for an upcoming Comicon as some of their favorite anime characters, it sounded like the perfect summer activity. That was until he found out just which character he was supposed to be. What started as a fun idea quickly turned into a mixture of inner conflict and self-discovery that Ray had never known even existed and served as the root for one of the most dramatic and uncertain changes in his young life. The question was, would this rollercoaster be a fun-filled thrill-ride, or a complete derailment of everything in his life.

Prim Improper


Deirdre Sullivan - 2010
    Likes: her pet rat, Roderick; her best friend, Joel; and being a little bit different (but not in the weird different sense—she wouldn’t like to be the only bald girl in her class or the only girl who always smelled of ham, or anything). Dislikes: living with Fintan (her mustachioed dad), the boy-school that Joel’s toddled off to without her, and not having her mother around any more. Hilariously and cleverly written, Prim Improper is the debut novel from Deirdre Sullivan.

Just Once


Lori Handeland - 2018
    It's her ex-husband, Charley Blackwell: a man she hasn't seen for nearly a quarter of a century. What's baffling is that Charley seems to think they are still married, and has no recollection of his current wife, Hannah. When medical tests reveal shocking findings, Frankie finds herself reluctantly caring for the man who left her twenty years earlier, while Hannah is relegated to the sidelines. How can Frankie forgive the man who abandoned her when she needed him most? And how can Hannah cope with the impending death of the man she's loved for the past twenty years - especially now she is faced with the shattering truth that he has never stopped loving his first wife, Frankie?