Bunting has written two novels akin to Surrogate Sister in story line, Will You Be My POSSLQ? and The Haunting of Safekeep. Each deals with a female character who is struggling to come to terms with an inner conflict while developing an intense romantic relationship with a newly acquired male friend. There is a strong temptation toward sexual intimacy but in each case the protagonist, like Cassie, postpones sexual involvement.

In Will You Be My POSSLQ? Jamie McLaughlin, a freshman at UCLA, lives with the fear of recurrence of the cancer she had at fifteen. The fear translates into a nightmare that frequently disrupts her sleep. When Kyle Pendleton, a fellow student, asks her to be his POSSLQ (person of opposite sex sharing living quarters), Jamie agrees. The arrangement is strictly business in the beginning, but quickly becomes something more. Jamie is able to talk to...