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Hi guys. For a writing class I'm taking, I need to do a "competitive analysis" for my WIP. This is basically a list of 10 books that share similarities with my own.
Here's a brief description of my novel. My nerdy MC feels he's missing out on life. On his first day of junior year at an unfamiliar school, he makes a pledge to his equally dorky friends: to become one of the popular kids at school, and to kiss one particular girl (one he's admired from a distance for the past few years), all by New Year's Eve. A mysterious stranger, one who contacts my MC only by phone and email, offers help. His motives are unclear. Throughout act 2, my MC gets closer and closer to his goal, but loses himself in the process. He alienates his childhood friends, does some crappy things, gets involved to some degree with drugs. The stranger pushes him harder and harder, and shows himself to be dangerous and out of his mind, as does the sadistic personal trainer he contracts to work with the MC. Things spiral out of control. In the end, my MC's only shot at redemption pits him (and his friends) against the stranger.
If I had to nail it down to a sub-genre, I would say "YA coming-of-age suspense", although I realize that's not exactly a recognized category. While it starts with a quest for popularity, the stakes rise until my MC is fighting for his life. There's some violence on the part of the "bad guys", including gun-play and arson. There are no supernatural elements. The story is told mainly through my male MC, although there is a strong female character that gets a few POV scenes and becomes increasingly important as the story moves forward.
Can you think of any novels along these lines? Not an exact match, of course, more like "people who liked book X might also enjoy this story."
Help!
Here's a brief description of my novel. My nerdy MC feels he's missing out on life. On his first day of junior year at an unfamiliar school, he makes a pledge to his equally dorky friends: to become one of the popular kids at school, and to kiss one particular girl (one he's admired from a distance for the past few years), all by New Year's Eve. A mysterious stranger, one who contacts my MC only by phone and email, offers help. His motives are unclear. Throughout act 2, my MC gets closer and closer to his goal, but loses himself in the process. He alienates his childhood friends, does some crappy things, gets involved to some degree with drugs. The stranger pushes him harder and harder, and shows himself to be dangerous and out of his mind, as does the sadistic personal trainer he contracts to work with the MC. Things spiral out of control. In the end, my MC's only shot at redemption pits him (and his friends) against the stranger.
If I had to nail it down to a sub-genre, I would say "YA coming-of-age suspense", although I realize that's not exactly a recognized category. While it starts with a quest for popularity, the stakes rise until my MC is fighting for his life. There's some violence on the part of the "bad guys", including gun-play and arson. There are no supernatural elements. The story is told mainly through my male MC, although there is a strong female character that gets a few POV scenes and becomes increasingly important as the story moves forward.
Can you think of any novels along these lines? Not an exact match, of course, more like "people who liked book X might also enjoy this story."
Help!
