I read rlfj's A Fresh Start, Al Steiner's Doing it all Over and Gruinard's Living Two Lives (books 1-10).
I'm looking for similar coming of age stories (could be do-over too) but in today's age; the 21st century, and the more recent the better.
I like it with some good romance :)
Swish starts a 4 book series by Aroslav that fits the bill. So does Double Take which is a do over but the MC is restarted the year he died and not sent back to the past. Both are great stories and he has several other coming of age in different time periods to enjoy.
I would humbly suggest my own Paul Robertson Saga for your consideration.
The story begins in 2010, with 18-year-old Paul starting his final year of High School, and then follows him through university. I'm currently posting book 4, set in early 2014.
That is an enjoyable tale, but I have trouble with the concept of a 'coming-of-age' story that starts at 18. Granted I can see some doing so - but that is more due to the infantilization of teenagers and those in their early 20s than anything else.
I suppose it depends on how you define "coming of age." Does one define it strictly in terms of reaching the age of majority, in which case 17/18 would be too old, or does one define it as a period of significant personal growth and development, in which case, that phase from about 18 through to mid-twenties is arguably when people undergo the most essential changes, transitioning from a protected (in many ways) adolescent/young adult into fully fledged adulthood.
Personally, the period I spent at university was when I noticed the most significant change in myself. I was a completely different person after just one term in Aberystwyth than I was before I arrived. By the end of my three years in Aber and one year in Swansea, I was much more self-sufficient, politically aware, and prepared for what lay ahead than I was after my A-levels. I was a boy when I left home to go to Uni. After graduation, I was a man. I felt, in myself, far different at 22 compared to 18, than I did at 18 compared to 14.
Maybe I'm an outlier. I don't know. That's just my personal experience. But I will say that I've seen a similar significant change in my son after his first year at university compared to, say, the period between his GCSES at 16 and his A-Levels at 18. He's more mature, more confident, and more aware of the world around him. I'm fortunate that we've always had a good relationship and have frank and open conversations about all sorts of things, but our discussions are now far more "grown up" than they were even this time last year.
Just the necessity of dealing with classes and homework without the nagging of teachers and parents will help many to mature. Maturity is a necessary part of coming of age. Some haven't matured after 4 years of college.
Some haven't even matured after 20+ years in the workplace either. Which explains the mess that both the US and the UK is in.
I spent 24 years doing income taxes for one company. I would estimate that about 20-25% of my clients under 50 would have multiple W-2 statements from different employers that changed every year. I don't know if they got fired or they quit.
For our friends outside of the USA, a W-2 is an annual statement of wages and withholding for purposes of doing their income tax filing.
For our friends outside of the USA, a W-2 is an annual statement of wages and withholding for purposes of doing their income tax filing.
See, I knew this from watching "The Shawshank Redemption" many, many times. The Guards from other prisons all remember to bring their W2s to the baseball games. ;)
I agree with that sentiment, as everyone matures at a different weight, though typically, women mature much earlier and then are tasked with dragging their boyfriends into a mature relationship kicking and pouting. Which it itself a fascinating dynamic, the emotional mature yet sexually inexperience young lass has always been a stock in literature, either with or without any sex scenes.
So, if someone's essentially been sheltered for most of their life, they'd only mature emotionally once they gained some degree of independence. Yet for most, they're actively chomping on the proverbial bit, long before graduating high school.
Different people, different life experiences. Again, there are many who peak in high school and then spend the rest of their days recalling their 'glory years', letting their lives sweep them aside once mature. Though again, the whole 'seeking their way in the world' is yet another long-cherished literary staple, and in those cases, their lives typically don't start until they've left the safe, comfort of their homes.
An example I'd give from here on SOL is BlueDragon's "Ordinary Sex Life" series.
That series became far more interesting once Ben and his girls moved to University. It was good while he was in high school, but it got better once he moved on and no longer had the safety and security of his parents right there with him.