i've read looking for alaska and paper towns next to one another so here are some similarities/differences i'd like to talk about*:
similarities:
both main groups are: the main boy (miles,quentin), their two boy best friends (chip&takumi,ben&marcus) with one being closer to the main character than the other (chip,ben), the (girl) love interest (alaska,margo) and one girl friend (lara,lacey)
and side characters: two boys who are the "rivals" (kevin&longwell chase,jason&chuck) and the girlfriend of "the smart one" from the boy best friends (sara,angela)
the main characters parents are "nice people"
nicknames
pee. this includes pranks with pee: peeing in other peoples shoes (looking for alaska), getting shooted with pee in a water gun (paper towns). and also peeing into bootles (paper towns)
strawberry hill wine and mountain dew
differences:
while both girls (alaska,margo) are known in school, alaska hangs out with "the less popular" people and margo hangs out with the "more popular" people besides both seem to not like "the popular kids"
i think both show different ways of escaping the "labyrinth of suffering" while alaska escapes by dying, margo escapes by running away
*i didn't read the books in english so some quotes might be inaccurate















