Isn’t it always exciting to imagine and wander within a graphic novel that is filled with adventures? This is exactly what Emma Viecelli has created in her book Life Is Strange.
After a big storm has destroyed Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe start afresh. But will they be able to survive the new complications?
If you are looking for more books like Life Is Strange, you can take help from the following list that has several titles.
10 Books Like Life Is Strange
01# The Romance of a Christmas Card
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Kate Douglass Wiggin
- Genre: Fiction, Holiday Novel, Illustrated Book
This book is a sweet and heartwarming story about forgiveness and hope. Yet, it will still give you the same vibes as Life is Strange. The main plot is about a minister’s wife, Reba, who is a Christmas card designer.
Apart from her there are many other elements to the story. Such as, a small town setting that has similar mysterious themes as Arcadia Bay. Also, many nosy neighbors who create gossip out of everything.
All together, it’s a lovely Christmas story with themes and illustrations resembling Emma Vieceli’s Life is Strange. So, if you are looking for books related to Life is Strange, then do not forget to give The Romance of a Christmas Card a shot.
02# Christmas Every Day
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: William Dean Howells, Gina DiMarco
- Genre: Fiction, Holiday Novel, Illustrated Book
Reading this text is like getting lost in two stories in one book. Even though it was published in 1892, it still carries the true meaning of Christmas for the readers. With its beautiful story and illustrations, it’s a perfect pick if you are looking for more books like Life is Strange.
Even though Christmas Every Day screams festive themes out loud, it is quite similar to Life is Strange in terms of the cynical plot. In this short story, a little girl is granted a magical power by a Christmas angel. While in Life is Strange, Max Caulfeild also gets the unique ability to rewind time.
The framing components and the writing style of both of these books are also quite the same. Both of the books teach us an important thing by the end of the stories: the moral lesson of time. Hence, if you are looking for books similar to Life is Strange, then check out Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells and Gina DiMarco.
03# The Gift of The Magi
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: O. Henry, Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator)
- Genre: Short Story
The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry is a short story about a financially struggling married couple. The story specifically shows us their struggle to buy Christmas presents for each other with very little money.
As a sentimental text with a moral lesson at the end, it is a good match for books like Life is Strange. The plot is similarly twisted as Vieceli’s book. And the ending is written to portray a comic irony.
If you are looking for books similar to Life is Strange, then check out The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry.
04# Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Illustrator)
- Genre: Comics. Graphic Novel
If you were blown away by the stunning artwork of Life Is Strange, then you definitely check out Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. Rosemary Valero’s artwork gets full five stars all alone.
The whole story is mostly expressed through the art and the loose lines. Hence, it is very reader friendly given how easy it is to read. Also, the artwork is not your regular light hearted pictures. Just like the comic Life Is Strange, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is also very character focused and plot oriented.
So, if you liked Life is Strange by Emma Vieceli, then you should also check out Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki.
05# Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Kelly Thompson, Veronia Fish (Artist), Andy Fish (Artist)
- Genre: Teen Humor
This fun comic series will remind you of Life Is Strange in many ways. As well as the adventures of Sabrina will leave you refreshed and smiling. It has a light hearted trope with very bright colors of artwork.
The whole book is a splash of pink and purple, while the main character is a fun loving and awkward girl. The setting of Salem is as sassy as Arcadia. Although this is a light hearted story, in a lot of ways it resembles Life Is Strange.
Hence, if you are looking for books similar to Life Is Strange, then do not forget to give Sabrina The Teenage Witch a chance.
06# Paper Girls
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (artist)
- Genre: Comic, Mystery, Science Fiction
If you are a fan of books like Life Is Strange, Stranger Things, Saga – then this book definitely deserves a chance in your reading list. It’s about a squad of girls running around saving the world from mysterious troubles.
Starting from the sassy plot, the artwork, the clothing – this book has it all! You will fall in love with all the girls in this graphic novel. The art is so precise that the individuality of all the characters is expressed beautifully.
If you are looking for more books like Life Is Strange, then definitely give Paper Girls a read.
07# Skin and Earth
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Lights
- Genre: Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novel
Reading Skin and Earth is quite a mesmerizing experience on its own. It is written by Lights who is already an established singer. Skin and Earth is a comic book accompanying her concept album.
This book is set in a dystopian environment where mankind has destroyed the environment. Especially the elite class who have sucked all of the resources and left the unprivileged to rot. The main character of this book is En, who belongs to the middle class.
The first half of the story is about En and her summer love. Then we are introduced to Misuki who changes the plot of the story drastically. And then there is something about the art that will remind you of Life Is Strange.
If you are looking for books similar to Life Is Strange, then you should definitely check out Skin and Earth written and illustrated by Lights.
08# 1984
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: George Orwell
- Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Social Science Fiction, Political Fiction.
George Orwell’s 1984 is a legendary classic political fiction. This masterpiece deserves the top place in this list. It is because it has the most common themes with Life Is Strange
1984 takes place in a dystopian London (renamed as Oceania). The citizens of this place are under constant monitoring of the totalitarian government. This means, the common people hardly have any freedom.
The main character of this book is Winston, who gradually begins to question the role of “Big Brother” of Oceania. And it is with his imprisonment, we learn about the actual cruelty of the Big Brother.
This novel explores themes like – influence of individualism, adventures, risk taking, free will, etc. If you liked Life is Strange, then you will also like this political fiction by George Orwell.
09# The Power
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Naomi Alderman
- Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy Fiction
Since you are looking for more books like Life Is Strange, The Power by Naomi Alderman can be an intriguing option. This story puts women at a powerful position where they can radiate electricity through their fingers. And this makes them the dominant gender in the world.
With this placing of women, however, Alderman does not necessarily try to show girl power. Rather, her true focus comes on showing the cruelty of abuse and female subjugation. With its powerful portrayal of dystopia, this book also found a place in Barack Obama’s book recommendation in 2016.
Hence, if you are looking for a good dystopian novel like Life Is Strange, then The Power by Naomi Alderman is highly recommended.
10# Never Let Me Go
Check Price on Amazon
- Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Thriller, Psychological Fiction
Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is quite a popular book to miss out on, if you are looking for books similar to Life Is Strange. In this story, there are no such things as cancer or deadly diseases. Here, human beings are living the longest life away from the threats of illness.
The main protagonist of the book is Kathy H. Throughout the book we follow her coming out of her age in her school. However, it soon becomes apparent that something more bizarre is hiding underneath the simple coming of age story.
Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is not as dystopian as the rest of the books in this list. Yet, it is very much similar to Life Is Strae when it comes to teaching an important lesson about humanity and time.
Final Thoughts:
Time is a scary concept for human beings. And illustrated novels like Life is Strange help us understand why we are so afraid of it.
If you were amazed by Life Is Strange and want to read more, then this list will surely come handy.