Novels like I Hate Being Twenty-Three in the Summer
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as I Hate Being Twenty-Three in the Summer, best match first.
- 51 Waiting for Winter to End, Longing for Spring 等冬尽，盼春来 Youthful Heartbreak | BE Aesthetics | Mutual Redemption | Fated by Life and Death Lose 10 pounds just from reading this [Quiet, Resilient Girl × Wild, World-Weary School Bully] In 2012, in a seaside town, Jiang Sheng and Nan Siye meet in the rundown Nanyang residential compound. She is a silent lamb to the slaughter, bullied by her classmates. Her mother has left home to work, her father disappeared ten years ago and never returned, and she lives under someone else’s roof. He is the school bull 1.6kReads8.2Score50314d adds
- 52 The Flowers Faded Before Spring Arrived 未见春来花已逝 [The main story has a tragic ending; the bonus chapters have a happy ending. Both are complete.] [Pure love + romance + angst + school life + a touch of ensemble cast + slice-of-life + depressed heroine Gu Xihuan and sunny hero Liang Suian] Gu Xihuan thought she would remain in pain like this forever, until the day she died. After entering Ling'an No. 1 High School, she meets many kind and lovable classmates. Most of all, there is Liang Suian, her friendly deskmate and class president, whose 437Reads6.4Score10214d adds
- 53 The Sound of Fine Rain on the Bridge 桥绵细雨声 [Depressed girl Qiao Mian x gentle doctor Wen Rouyu] Qiao Mian wanted to throw herself into the river, but Wen Rouyu pulled her out. Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to die. Was it fate? Tugging timidly at Wen Rouyu's clothes, she asked, “Can you love me?” “I do. I love you so, so much. I like you more than anything.” Qiao Mian's depression was caused by her family. To help Qiao Mian break free from her birth family, Wen Rouyu secretly made a plan. Qiao Mian's parents beat her until both 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 54 The Captive Beauty of the Golden Hall 金殿囚娇 1V1 + dual purity Li Jingsheng is a pampered, beloved princess of Great Yan. She has heard that a hostage prince is locked away deep in the palace, but paid it no mind. Then one day, she accidentally wanders into a dilapidated hall and discovers that the prisoner is her fourth elder brother, whom she has never met, and whose family has been at odds with hers for generations. His white cat is so adorable that she casually asks her father to let him out. She never expects that she has just release 1.2kReads8.7Score10014d adds
- 55 Waiting Half a Year for You 等你半年 [Campus Youth + Online Romance + Tragic Ending] [Cold, Distant Junior × Obsessive Senior] She spent her entire youth loving one person, only to lose herself waiting for him. When she was sixteen, Lu Xingchen told Lin Chuxia, “This star is called Chuxia.” She believed him. She waited three years and sent more than four hundred messages. He never replied to a single one. Later, he found someone else. He made their relationship public, flaunted his affection, and called someone else “baby.” He 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 Keep Moving Forward, Don't Look Back 向前走，别回头 At 18, Zhao Xingyang fell in love with someone. To her, the boy was a ray of light in her life, the best gift heaven had ever given her. He was brilliant and flamboyant, carefree and unrestrained. Unfortunately, he didn't know she existed, and she was too much of a coward... Perhaps because she'd met someone so dazzling in her youth, it took her a full ten years to let go. At 28, Zhao Xingyang told herself: “Keep moving forward. Don't look back.” 132Reads8.2Score2114d adds
- 57 You Won’t Remember Me 你不会记得我 [Simplified Chinese edition signed for publication] Chen Yuanwang can seem gentle even when he isn’t smiling. But he shows no one any special warmth. Qin Qiu’s unrequited love ends in regret. She never gets to taste the candied hawthorn Chen Yuanwang promised to treat her to, and he never remembers her. In her youth, he will forever be the male lead whose name fills her diary and whose initials cover her scratch paper. But she will never become his leading lady. 215Reads8.8Score5214d adds
- 58 The Day the Wind Blew 风吹过的那天 He Lin, congratulations on your wedding. On the day you got married, the wind blew. I thought I was finally ready to let go. 174Reads8.0Score3814d adds
- 59 The Green Mountains No Longer Hide You 青山不见你 The last time Jin Chi saw Xie Yao was on the way to Mount Wutai. On the mountain, she asked the Buddha if that would be the last time she saw Xie Yao. The Buddha said nothing; the temple's wooden fish drum answered her question. At the start of the year, she had prayed devoutly on Mount Wutai for Xie Yao to enjoy a lifetime of peace. This time, standing on the mountain, all she wished for was never to see him again. You are nowhere among these green hills. Let these miles of mountains be my fare 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 The Wind Will Remember Him for Me 风会替我记住他 [School life + mutual crushes + healing + Be] Don't look at my embarrassing past. Don't make me beg you. “Gentle and sensitive” Qi Zhiyou x “sunny and outgoing” Cheng Weizhui Ten years after Qi Zhiyou died, Cheng Weizhui learned of her death. He spent a year in a daze before finally taking his own life. Scenes from his life replayed in his mind. Early autumn. When they first met, he had smiled and asked her, “What are you doing here?” Later, at a temple, he had sincerely prayed, “May my girl liv 55Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 61 I’m the One Who’s Secretly in Love with You 暗恋你的人是我 This book is based on my own life. Once I finish writing it, I can finally let go. Su Xiaoxiao is insecure, sensitive, timid, a poor student, and painfully meek. When she meets He Chi, she does her best to get closer to him, but all she can do is run after him from behind. Why does Su Xiaoxiao work so hard to get into First High School, only to transfer out later? Su Xiaoxiao will never measure up to Xia Mo, and she can never catch up to He Chi. But Wang Bo is always behind her, and she forget 126Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 62 With You Until Twenty-Nine 陪你到二十九岁 By Your Side Until You're Twenty-Nine 78Reads—Score214d adds
- 63 Say Your Name Again 再念一遍你的名字 Midsummer, cicadas singing, and we met. “Xu Xiaomo, if you're cold, you should've brought a scarf.” Lu Jinan patted her head and wrapped his scarf around her. “Silly.” “Xu Xiaomo, come ask me if you don't understand something.” “Xu Xiaomo, if everyone else gets one, I'll buy you two.” “Xu Xiaomo, you're wonderful.” “Xu Xiaomo, Xu Xiaomo...” Later on, lots of people liked to call Xu Mo “Xu Xiaomo.” But she could never again hear the boy she loved most calling her that. Lu Jinan, the wind is r 105Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 64 The Camellia Tree 山茶花树 “A Huai, the camellias on the mountain back home are blooming. I really wish you could go see them with me again.” “The camellias on the mountain bloom and wither, then bloom again, but the camellia in my heart will never fade.” 89Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 One Hundred Do-Overs: Side Story 《任务重来一百次》番外 Extra Story for "The Mission: One Hundred More Tries" 636Reads—Score8314d adds
- 66 Loving You Is a Fool’s Dream 爱你是人间妄想 Mu Guicheng hated Shen Qing. At the height of his hatred, he wanted to cut her into a thousand pieces and reduce her bones to ashes. But later, when she turned to ash before his eyes, he would rather have his soul annihilated and suffer eternal ruin if only he could keep a wisp of hers… Shen Qing loved Mu Guicheng. She always thought he was her light, her faith, until the day she died and understood that, to her, he had always been nothing but hell. The man who gave her a ray of light in the end 382Reads7.4Score10614d adds
- 67 A Regrettable Outcome 遗憾成局 A wild, carefree boy vs. a cool, well-behaved girl [School life + city life + unrequited love] [Bad ending] The rain in Beicheng was warm and stifling. That year, she was seventeen and he was eighteen. "…I want to get…a tattoo." Wen Yuyan's slender fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling. Qi Yue leaned closer, smiling. "Good students aren't supposed to get tattoos." His teasing voice and warm breath washed over her. The following winter, a heavy snowfall blanketed Beiche 274Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 68 Yu Dongbie 于冬别 [Signed for publication in simplified Chinese] Yu Zhe said he'd wait for her, and he would keep waiting. But Shi Taoning had no way out. She couldn't go back. 875Reads9.2Score25114d adds
- 69 The Unease Hidden Deep in My Heart 藏匿在心底的局促 “What a pity the wildfire blazed through, and the spring breeze never came to make things grow again.” “My dear boy, I wish you peace and safety year after year.” Then I'll bury my secret love deep in my heart. [BE] [Collection] 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 Youth Burns So Bright 青春如此的热烈 [The full text has been revised. Thank you for reading!] In 2018, that summer was when Li Zheng first met Meng Qian. In 2023, Li Zheng received the last letter of Meng Qian’s life. It wasn’t youth that burned so brightly It was us A story about young people growing up and chasing their dreams. To passion, to freedom, to life. Dedicated to everyone in the world who loves their dreams. - *Introverted girl (Meng Qian) x free-spirited boy (Li Zheng) *Ensemble cast, realistic fiction 58Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 71 CEO: My Wife Says She Wants to Protect Me 总裁：媳妇说她要保护我 A confident career woman vs. a sweet younger guy A May-December romance with a four-year age gap Song Yuye only approached Zheng Yanlang to complete a mission. She never expected the sweet young pup to be so easy to tease. One simple basic attack made him unleash his ultimate, complete with a Flash. The innocent young pup leaves Song Yuye utterly disarmed. She only meant to have a little fun, then dump him when she returned to China. But she never expected… 1Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 72 Su Wan's Secret Crush 苏绾的暗恋 She Has a Secret Crush on Someone —Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 73 I Don’t Want the Bellflowers Anymore 我不要桔梗花了 Yu Nianxu, Wei Mu is still here, still protecting you somewhere else. Wei Mu, don't go! Yu Nianxu, wake up! I'm still here. Wei Mu, I'm awake. Where are you? Wei Mu, I'm willing. Wei Mu, goodbye! I'll live well from now on. 154Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 74 The Echo of a Secret Crush, and Then It Ends Badly 暗恋回声又be [A reckless, carefree young man vs. a sensitive, insecure girl] (Bad ending) One woman remains unmarried, trapped in the past. The other has a happy marriage and shines brightly. Zhao Huaili is a notorious playboy in Beicheng. He has an impossibly upright-looking face, yet lives a wild life. He may not be the darling of heaven, but he is surrounded by admirers. Lu Zhinan is the Lu family’s shameful illegitimate daughter. Bright-eyed and kind, she always gives people the impression of a girl with 661Reads8.7Score12414d adds
- 75 Mr. Mo, Your Wife Says You're Crazy 墨总，夫人说你是疯子 After three years in prison, Lin Xiaohan finally sees daylight again. On her wedding night, she is humiliated in every way and vows to become the CEO's wife. Mo Zhan despises the Lin family, yet loves Lin Xiaohan desperately. “If loving you can't make you stay, then I'll make you hate me. Hate is better than leaving!” “You're insane!” “That's right. Loving you drove me completely mad.” They torment each other even as they fall in love, locked in a bitter romance for years. Will this ill-fated re 280Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 76 Love That Came Too Late 迟来的痴爱 Yan Xizhi had always loved someone, keeping her feelings locked away in her heart. She didn't dare reveal them. She thought the two of them could never be together and would never cross paths, but she never expected one incident to bring them together and make her his wife. He was cold and indifferent toward her, and even resented her. Later, a checkup revealed that she had terminal cancer. His first love happened to return from abroad around the same time, so she chose to divorce him. After the 136Reads5.4Score—14d adds
- 77 The Child Who Couldn’t Reach the Stars 摘不到星星的孩子 Once upon a time, there was a small city called Xinghai. In the city lived a child named Luo Xi. He had a wish: to have a “star” of his very own. For him, getting this star was difficult. For you, getting this star is easy. This star is called home. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 The Eighth Winter 第八年冬 The first time the sensitive Li Xiting fell in love, it was with Chen Nian, the boy who seemed to glow as he stood in the crowd. She carefully held on to every interest they shared, and eventually turned those interests into a goal: getting into Nan University and being with him. But life is always cruel. She got into Nan University, but she didn't get him. She was like Cinderella in a fairy tale, except she didn't have the right glass slipper. Without that slipper, she could never enter his wor 211Reads8.3Score10114d adds
- 79 One Heartbreaking Story Per Chapter 一章一个虐心故事 [Regrets + tragic ending + angst + short story + complete] So many regrets become stories that can never be mended, destined to exist only in our minds. A love too difficult to put into words is life's greatest sorrow. 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 The Bluebird Flies Over Thorn Island 青鸟飞过荆棘岛 Her life was destined to be bleak, but there was someone willing to offer her his arms and warmth. She bore countless scars in this lifetime, but there was someone willing to hack through every obstacle for her and be her support. Yet would there ever be someone who could peel away her mask and see the cruel truth in her heart? She is an orphan in this beautiful world, a trapped beast in a warm cage. If you met her, would you cherish her? Would you love her? 1.2kReads9.3Score29814d adds
- 81 Half a Letter in Winter 冬天的半封信 They met in winter, grew close, parted ways, and found each other again. “See you in winter.” I’ll see you in winter. It turned out to mean goodbye until winter comes again. 70Reads—Score—14d adds
- 82 It Turns Out There’s No Light in the Deep Sea 原来深海没有光 Girls from the south, most of them love the romance of snow drifting through a northern winter night. But what they don't know is that once the snow has fallen, howling winds soon follow. In an instant, they sweep away all the romance, exposing the bone-chilling cold beneath. 184Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 83 Burning by Day, Reduced to Ash by Night 昼焚夜烬 Day Burns, Night Turns to Ash 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 84 Dear Oncologist 亲爱的肿瘤科医生 [Devastating romance + sickly male lead] That doctor treated her, saved her, stayed by her, and loved her... With his tenderness, he brought a warm ray of light into her cold, dark world. So she let herself go, living as hard as she could in the world he gave her... But one day, the man began to drift farther and farther away, until she happened to find a note he had left for her. It said: [I hope you remember that there was someone in this world who loved you deeply, and would have loved you f 143Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 The Final Seventy Days 最后七十天 [Two male leads + tragic ending + unrequited love + healing + quiet everyday life] [Gentle older brother Shen Qingzhou & Huang Yixing, who has albinism] After growing up wild and free in the countryside for twelve years, he was suddenly told he was an illegitimate child. Less than two days after his mother died, Shen Qingzhou was taken to live in the city by his biological father. Six years later, he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. His final wish in life was to return to the pla 220Reads8.1Score10014d adds
- 86 After the Divorce, I'll Live My Life Well 离婚后，我好好过日子 After the divorce, I'm living my life well 143Reads—Score114d adds
- 87 Half Ginkgo, Half First Snow 一半银杏一半初雪 [Two top students + school life + everyday moments + sweet at first, then bittersweet] [Arrogant, headstrong girl vs. cold genius] That summer, she escaped the abyss and met him. * That autumn marked the beginning of their happiness. She asked, “Do you know why I like ginkgo leaves and the first snowfall?” He said, “Someday, I'll take you to different places to see the ginkgo trees and the first snow.” Beneath the ginkgo tree, the boy looked serious as the wind sent leaves swirling across th 165Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 The Bellflower Is Not White 桔梗不白 Every moment spent near him was full of telltale slips. A performance called unrequited love is the hardest one to pull off. - (The male lead doesn't cheat. He appears as a ghost, hoping the heroine will finally give up on him and stop grieving. He also sacrifices his reputation so netizens will stop attacking her. If someone has to be swallowed up by public opinion, he wants it to be him. It's a self-destructive attempt to save her: he gives up his life and his good name, as long as she's all r 122Reads8.1Score10514d adds
- 89 Behave Yourself! 学乖！ School Life | Healing | Family of Origin | Bittersweet Romance | BE “That person stumbled into your lightless corner and stood before you, backlit, holding out a hand. It was salvation, and it was a god.” Gentle and sensitive × Cold on the outside, warm within He had always been the center of attention, born into a prominent family and exceptional in every way. She was as insignificant as a speck of dust. To everyone else, they were like parallel lines that could never meet, destined never to cr 1.6kReads8.9Score29314d adds
- 90 She Won't Comfort Me Anymore 她不哄我了 [Signed, awaiting publication] Inspired by the author's own experience of secretly loving someone for six years, even though he already loves someone else. Xu Ci is outwardly a cool, gifted young man, but inwardly sensitive. Wanyue is outwardly sunny and cheerful, but inwardly sensitive and insecure, a sweet, well-behaved girl. One summer, amid the buzzing cicadas, Xu Ci and Wanyue fell in love at first sight. Xu Ci had to leave early for something, and Wanyue thought she'd never see him again. 35Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 One-Man Show 独角戏 [Signed for simplified Chinese publication] I wish I were brave, but when it comes to loving you, I always feel so unworthy. 388Reads8.8Score10214d adds
- 92 Crimson Neon: The Tenth Shattered Pregnancy 血色霓虹：破碎的第十次怀孕 Blood-Red Neon: The Tenth Broken Pregnancy —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 A Love Letter from the Twenty-Fifth Time Zone 第二十五时区的情书 [Print edition now available] The love they felt as teenagers was buried in the sound of the wind on the day their hearts first stirred. By the time it crossed mountain after mountain to reach their hearts, the wind had died, leaving only unresolved longing. - Zhou Jingni's unrequited love wasn't like that of other girls left to act out a one-sided romance. She and Shen Yi were childhood friends, born into the same Beijing compound. They grew up and went to school together, and as teenagers they 18.3kReads9.2Score2.4k14d adds
- 94 Candy with a Tangy Bite 糖果偏酸 (The main story is complete.) The domineering, impossibly cool school bully vs. the beautiful, strong-willed, wounded little bookworm. School life, healing, and mutual secret crushes. Chutang was being bullied at school. The day she met Jihuai was the start of autumn. She was sixteen that year. Jihuai saved her, perhaps because he felt sorry for her. “You don't need to stick your nose into my business.” “Hey, I'm the one who helped you.” Desperate for a meal, Chutang shamelessly followed Jihu 89Reads—Score414d adds
- 95 Block Me, Then Hold Me Close 拉黑我，抱紧我 #UnhingedAndPerverse Everyone knows Lu Chenzhou is the ruthless, heartless king of the business world. Nobody knows he’s been my secret boyfriend for five years, so humble that he doesn’t even dare post about me on social media. Until that day, when he personally signed the contract to acquire my father’s company and watched my entire family, with nowhere else to turn, kneel before him. “Shi Nian, beg me.” He gripped my chin, not a trace of warmth in his eyes. I smiled. Right in front of him 21Reads—Score—14d adds
- 96 After Driving His Wife to Her Death, the Cold CEO Went Mad 虐死夫人后冷少疯批了 [Angsty romance + physical and emotional torment + devoted to each other + possessive love + forced love + a groveling pursuit after the wife] Wu Ying and Leng Hanchuan had been in love for three years. To the world, they were a perfect couple, and he had once said he loved her more than life itself. But the day after their engagement, he threw his “life” into an insane asylum. Leng Hanchuan said, “A life for a life. From now on, you’ll spend every second regretting what you’ve done.” In the 772Reads8.4Score10314d adds
- 97 Mr. Song, It's Hard to Hate You 宋先生，与你难生恨 When we kissed, our sticky saliva clung between us like a dying fish struggling for life. It had long since foretold the worst. Mr. Song, only you and I can know this hatred. | Words for Mr. Song, a whisper in the same hue as my beloved. Our memories flashed by like scenes from a film, and I remember every detail with perfect clarity. I hate that my feelings can’t be taken back, making it hard for you to choose and driving me to torment myself. 453Reads—Score10714d adds
- 98 Explosive! The Undercover Big Shot Has Fallen for Me 爆！卧底大佬他沦陷了 [BE] [BE] [BE] [Undercover police officer in Myanmar × genius doctor with a split personality] [No arguments, misunderstandings, or groveling] [Both leads are devoted only to each other] Myanmar, a rainy night, Guanyuan. A muffled thud came from the backyard. She saw him and glanced over without a trace of emotion. “Disgusting. Throw him out.” Lu Chen froze, then hurriedly spoke up. “I have money. Lots of money.” Su Qingyan stopped and glanced back at the man on the ground. “Take him inside.” .. 150Reads—Score10414d adds
- 99 Jinli: The Gardenias Haven't Fallen Asleep 烬璃：栀子未眠 Jin Li: The Gardenia Has Yet to Sleep 24Reads—Score114d adds
- 100 Bridge and Harmony 乔和 I came into this world alone, yet I could not escape falling secretly in love. Qieqie never imagined a boy would burst into her life and become an indispensable part of her growing years. The boy she loved was exceptionally talented, pure and untainted. But in the blink of an eye, fate toyed with him, and he fell into an abyss. He suffered torment, and she stayed by his side. Neither of them was the other's cure, but they became each other's lifeline. The clown became a warrior, and the princess 546Reads9.4Score8914d adds
