Books like Getting Out — picked by fans

I’m an avid reader by day and a passionate writer by night. I found myself writing the stories I couldn’t seem to find. This topic is one I know from first-hand experience. I’ve dealt with drug abuse and domestic abuse in my family from a young age and although painful to speak about it’s helped shape my career and help my readers find healing through my characters. I want my readers to be pulled in by a work of fiction while still having the knowledge that for me, it wasn’t. Abuse comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and I’ve realized it’s not forever. Even in the worst storms, the sun will always shine. 

I’m an avid reader by day and a passionate writer by night. I found myself writing the stories I couldn’t seem to find. This topic is one I know from first-hand experience. I’ve dealt with drug abuse and domestic abuse in my family from a young age and although painful to speak about it’s helped shape my career and help my readers find healing through my characters. I want my readers to be pulled in by a work of fiction while still having the knowledge that for me, it wasn’t. Abuse comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and I’ve realized it’s not forever. Even in the worst storms, the sun will always shine. 

I’m an avid reader by day and a passionate writer by night. I found myself writing the stories I couldn’t seem to find. This topic is one I know from first-hand experience. I’ve dealt with drug abuse and domestic abuse in my family from a young age and although painful to speak about it’s helped shape my career and help my readers find healing through my characters. I want my readers to be pulled in by a work of fiction while still having the knowledge that for me, it wasn’t. Abuse comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and I’ve realized it’s not forever. Even in the worst storms, the sun will always shine. 

I’m an avid reader by day and a passionate writer by night. I found myself writing the stories I couldn’t seem to find. This topic is one I know from first-hand experience. I’ve dealt with drug abuse and domestic abuse in my family from a young age and although painful to speak about it’s helped shape my career and help my readers find healing through my characters. I want my readers to be pulled in by a work of fiction while still having the knowledge that for me, it wasn’t. Abuse comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and I’ve realized it’s not forever. Even in the worst storms, the sun will always shine. 

I'm an archaeologist and addicted to reading and writing historical fictions. My first big love is history and I prefer Victorian Era. I’m interested in women’s lives and their habits and relationships in the old times. I was born and raised in Hungary, I’m often stay in London. I was working for years in museums in different cities while I was writing historical short stories and my first novel. School of Ladies – The Debutantes is a historical romance which has won an Audience Award in my country.

As a child, I spent a lot of time with my head in a book – mostly Enid Blyton mystery stories. My ambition was to write my own mystery stories one day. Thirty years later, I discovered a love of detective stories, and when my daughter, aged ten, complained that she could not find enough mystery and adventure books in our local library, it was the spur I needed to start writing again. Eventually, Eye Spy, a detective novel for children, was born and became the first in a series. And writing these books – creating quirky characters and intricate mysteries to solve – is just such fun! 

I’ve always been a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy, especially anything involving superheroes or D&D-style adventure. For the longest time, I had to find queer representation through subtle glances and creative readings of characters. I loved these stories for the sci-fi and fantasy elements, but it was frustrating that every love story that came up was straight. It didn’t feel possible for queer love to be a part of a plot, and even when there was a queer character it had a “very special episode” vibe to it. Finally, queer characters are becoming part of the story, and it doesn’t have to be a “big deal.”

I spent all my teenage years daydreaming about being magical (cue a handful of sparkling glitter). Even as an adult, those daydreams haven’t stopped. Magic promises the ability to change the story. I revisit those teen years when I can because ultimately, what each of these stories of magic offer is a coming-of-age story. The struggle of being pulled between two different worlds has always felt familiar to me, whether those worlds are literally different worlds (magical vs non-magical) or figurative (childhood vs adulthood). I’ve felt some version of that struggle my whole life, and I think I always will, which is why these stories will always feel like home. 

I grew up on a steady diet of Disney movies, and while I knew they didn’t stay true to the original tales, that didn’t stop me from loving them. Fast-forward through an MFA in genre fiction from Seton Hill University, and I landed a gig writing study guides for fiction novels, where I put my love of fairy tales to good use. In particular, retellings fascinate me because they bring something new to something old. The books on this list stayed with me because of their deep ties to stories that shaped who I am, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

I’m an autistic person and mother of an autistic child and a huge part of my book-loving life is finding characters like us. Up until the last few years that’s not been easy, but this lack of fair representation has driven me to seek out books that shine a spotlight on neurodivergent children, smashing stereotypes and harmful notions that continue to be promoted and adored via mainstream media. Recommending books that portray neurodivergent characters in a way that does more harm than good and reinforces the stigma and treatment of neurodivergent people in real life, so I use my platform to talk about the right books telling the right stories.