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If you loved
Books like Kendra
A striking, emotionally resonant exploration of a fractured mother-daughter bond and the difficult work of building a family. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Kendra.
- emotionally charged
- tense
- hopeful
- realistic
- 01
Tyrell
Coe Booth
A raw, ticking-clock portrait of a teenager forced to carry the weight of the world while navigating the razor-thin line between survival and ruin.
- 02
Push
Sapphire
A harrowing but ultimately triumphant descent into the darkest corners of abuse, illuminated by the radical, life-saving power of language.
- 03
The first part last
Angela Johnson
A tender, poetic exploration of sudden adulthood and the fierce, terrifying love of a teenage father.
- 04
What we lose
Zinzi Clemmons
A fragmented, deeply intimate meditation on the shattering weight of grief and the search for a self between two worlds.
- 05
Jason & Kyra
Dana Davidson
A tender, opposites-attract high school romance that peels back the layers of teenage popularity to reveal the vulnerable hearts underneath.
- 06
One for the Murphys
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
A tender, tear-jerking exploration of a guarded heart slowly learning to trust in the warmth of a found family.
- 07
The Mothers
Brit Bennett
A lyrical, sun-drenched exploration of how the secrets we keep in our youth become the ghosts that haunt our adulthood.
- 08
Crank
Ellen Hopkins
A visceral, free-falling descent into addiction told through sharp, breathless verse that refuses to look away.
- 09
The Test
Peggy Kern
A fast-paced, emotionally grounded exploration of a teenager's world turning upside down under the weight of a life-altering secret.
- 10
Precious
Sapphire
A devastating, visceral diary of trauma that transforms into a fierce testament to the power of finding one's own voice.
- 11
Concrete Rose
Angie Thomas
A gritty yet profoundly tender exploration of Black boyhood, legacy, and the heavy, beautiful burden of choosing your own path.
- 12
Pecan pie baby
Jacqueline Woodson
A warm, autumnal embrace of a book that validates the messy, grumpy feelings of becoming an older sibling.
