Books like 'Patron Saints of Nothing'
Readers who enjoyed Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery realistic family coming-of-age poc-mc grief lgbtq crime social-commentary
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American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsJeanine Cummins's American Dirt, the #1 New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club pick that has sold over two million copies, is finally available in paperback.Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist... -
![Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult]()
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsRuth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child... -
![Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRaymond Jaffe feels like he doesn't belong. Not with his mother's new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father's wife. Not at school, where he's an outcast...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction lgbtq realistic social-commentary -
![Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley]()
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsAs a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team... -
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![This Is My America by Kim Johnson, Bahni Turpin]()
This Is My America by Kim Johnson, Bahni Turpin
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time--her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens... -
![A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti]()
A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run?So that’s what Annabelle does—she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She’s not ready to think about the why yet, just the how—muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth... -
![The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed]()
The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThree misfits come together to avenge the rape of a fellow classmate and in the process trigger a change in the misogynist culture at their high school transforming the lives of everyone around them in this searing and timely story.Who are the Nowhere Girls?They’re everygirl... -
![Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Imani Parks]()
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Imani Parks
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMonday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone... -
![Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAn Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a gripping and emotional novel about friendship, motherhood, and the journey toward finding a place to call home.Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta... -
![The Walk On by John Feinstein]()
The Walk On by John Feinstein
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBestselling sportswriter John Feinstein kicks off a new series for middle grade featuring Alex Myers, a student athlete who tries to take on the sports establishment in his new town. Alex Myers is a quarterback, but from the first day of football practice, it’s clear that that position is very much filled by the coach’s son, Matt... -
![Jude by Kate Morgenroth]()
Jude by Kate Morgenroth
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen fifteen-year-old Jude's father is brutally murdered, Jude is a witness. But to save his own life, he can't tell the police what he knows. Still, Jude is determined to clear his name and win the approval of his mother -- the district attorney he has not seen since he was an infant. At the urging of his mother's longtime companion, Jude agrees to a crazy scheme to protect her political future... -
![Gives Light by Rose Christo]()
Gives Light by Rose Christo
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"Skylar is my name, tragically."Sixteen-year-old Skylar is witty, empathetic, sensitive--and mute. Skylar hasn't uttered a single word since his mother died eleven years ago, a senseless tragedy he's grateful he doesn't have to talk about... -
![The How & the Why by Cynthia Hand]()
The How & the Why by Cynthia Hand
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, perfect for fans of Far From the Tree, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.Today Melly had us writing letters to our babies…Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for. They’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—except maybe the one thing she wants... -
![Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson]()
Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this striking new novel by the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he's still alive. Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed... -
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![Lost and Found by Anne Schraff]()
Lost and Found by Anne Schraff
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines.Darcy Wills is in big trouble. And she does not know where to turn for help. First there was the mysterious stranger who started following her. Then there was the threatening note left on her desk at Bluford High School... -
![One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite]()
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Hate U Give meets Get Out in this honest and powerful exploration of prejudice in the stunning novel from sister-writer duo Maika and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine... -
![The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi]()
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsRaised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men... -
![Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner]()
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat if you could spend one last day with someone you lost?One day Carver Briggs had it all—three best friends, a supportive family, and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts.The next day he lost it all when he sent a simple text to his friend Mars, right before Mars, Eli, and Blake were killed in a car crash... -
![What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi]()
What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree secrets. One decision. A friendship that will change everything.Mellie has always been the reliable friend, the good student, the doting daughter. But when an unspeakable act leads her to withdraw from everyone she loves, she is faced with a life-altering choice―a choice she must face alone.Lise stands up―and speaks out―for what she believes in... -
![Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley]()
Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIncludes an exclusive reader's guide from Zack SmedleyFrom the critically acclaimed author of Deposing Nathan comes an explosive examination of identity, voice, and the indelible ways our stories are rewritten by others.In the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice... -
![Tumble by Celia C. Pérez]()
Tumble by Celia C. Pérez
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk and Strange Birds, a dazzling novel about a young girl who collects the missing pieces of her origin story from the family of legendary luchadores she's never met.Twelve-year-old Adela "Addie" Ram�rez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption... -
![Till We Meet Again by Lesley Pearse]()
Till We Meet Again by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHow far would you go to save a friend?Susan Wright walked into a doctor's surgery and gunned down two members of staff in cold blood, then waited for the police to arrest her. Later that day a lawyer, Beth Powell, is assigned to defend her. Susan won't talk to anyone, even to Beth - until both women realise that twenty-nine years earlier they had been childhood friends... -
![I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez]()
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsPerfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role... -
![10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak]()
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsLonglisted for the 2019 Booker Prize A moving novel on the power of friendship in our darkest times, from internationally renowned writer and speaker Elif Shafak. In the pulsating moments after she has been murdered and left in a dumpster outside Istanbul, Tequila Leila enters a state of heightened awareness... -
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![Love on the D-List by J.R. Barker]()
Love on the D-List by J.R. Barker
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsActor William Chapman is beyond canceled. He doesn’t remember attacking his handsome co-star, but he does remember waking up in handcuffs.Now, ten years later, William hopes to mount a comeback and enlists the help of his mother’s hunky dog-sitter, James, who is all too happy to pretend to be William’s stable boyfriend... -
![Almost True by Keren David]()
Almost True by Keren David
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRuthless killers are hunting Ty so the police move him and his mum to a quiet seaside town. But a horrific attack and a bullet meant for Ty prove that he's not safe.On the road again, Ty's in hiding with complete strangers . . . who seem to know a lot about him. Meanwhile he's desperate to see his girlfriend Claire, and terrified that she may betray him... -
![Candy Colored Sky by Ginger Scott]()
Candy Colored Sky by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJonah Wydner has been in love with his neighbor Eleanor Trombley for years. He has watched her life play out from the sidelines—homecoming dances, football parties, and first dates. Her life seemed easy…simple…perfect. The complete opposite of his own... -
![You Don't Even Know by Sue Lawson]()
You Don't Even Know by Sue Lawson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlex Hudson is a good guy. He plays water polo. He has a part-time job. He’s doing okay at school.Then the thing that anchors Alex is ripped away and his life seems pointless... -
![Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe]()
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo matter how many times Kyle rewrites the scene, he can't get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Eastwood, all of his favorite directors—but regardless of the style, he can't remember what happened that day in the shed. The day Jason died... -
![Learning Not to Drown by Anna Shinoda]()
Learning Not to Drown by Anna Shinoda
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFamily secrets cut to the bone in this mesmerizing debut novel about a teen whose drug-addicted brother is the prodigal son one time too many.There is a pecking order to every family. Seventeen-year old Clare is the overprotected baby; Peter is the typical, rebellious middle child; and Luke is the oldest, the can’t-do-wrong favorite. To their mother, they are a normal, happy family... -
![I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña]()
I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKidd is running from his past and his future. No mom, no dad, and there’s nothing for him at the group home but therapy. He doesn’t belong at the beach where he works either, unless he finds a reason to stay. Olivia is blond hair, blue eyes, rich dad. The prettiest girl in Cardiff... -
![How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss]()
How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOur memories are what make us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to 'find himself" and Kat is in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend... -
![We Were Here by Matt de la Peña]()
We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe story of one boy and his journey to find himself.When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face... -
![Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt]()
Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn against-the-odds love story at the heart of a book for teens about prejudice, courage, and a dark, compelling mystery—shortlisted for a Romantic Novelists Association AwardUgly people don’t have feelings. They’re not like everyone else. They don’t notice if you stare at them and turn away. And if they did notice, it wouldn’t hurt them. They’re not like real people... -
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![The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston]()
The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOwen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money... -
![Familia by Lauren E. Rico]()
Familia by Lauren E. Rico
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhat if your most basic beliefs about your life were suddenly revealed to be a lie? In this compelling, emotional novel, two young women are brought together by a genealogy test and a haunting question that shakes their understanding of what family is and who they truly are . . -
![Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert]()
Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDanny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined... -
![What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard]()
What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA searing yet ultimately uplifting young adult novel about a teenage girl's recovery from anorexia.Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has honed a dangerous skill: starving herself. Even when her parents send her to a treatment center, she can't stop. Then she begins receiving packages from someone she doesn't know... -
![I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak]()
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsprotect the diamondssurvive the clubsdig deep through the spadesfeel the heartsEd Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery... -
![Q & A by Vikas Swarup]()
Q & A by Vikas Swarup
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsVikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest... -
![Jackpot by Nic Stone]()
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin --which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship high-school poc-mc poverty realistic social-commentary -
![Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta]()
Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Bish Ortley, a suspended cop, receives word that a bus carrying his daughter has been bombed, he rushes to her side. A suspect has already been singled out: a 17-year-old girl who has since disappeared from the scene.The press has now revealed that she is the youngest member of one of London's most notorious families... -
![The First Third by Will Kostakis]()
The First Third by Will Kostakis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLife is made up of three parts: in the first third, you're embarrassed by your family; in the second, you make a family of your own; and in the end, you just embarrass the family you've made. That's how Billy's grandmother explains it, anyway. She's given him her bucket list (cue embarrassment), and now, it's his job to glue their family back together. No pressure or anything... -
![When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris]()
When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"A high-speed story that will draw teens in and keep them turning pages until they reach the unpredictable and thrilling ending. A must for YA collections...Categorized as:
realistic family social-commentary crime high-school poc-mc friendship coming-of-age -
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![Here to Stay by Sara Farizan]()
Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice...Categorized as:
realistic lgbtq poc-mc friendship high-school coming-of-age family social-commentary -
![Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski]()
Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"Eddie's Bastard" is William Amos Mann IV, known as Billy -- the son of a heroic pilot killed in Vietnam and an unknown woman. The last in a line of proud, individualistic Irish-American men, Billy is discovered in a basket at the door of the dilapidated mansion where his bitter, hard-drinking grandfather, Thomas Mann, has exiled himself... -
![When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWhile duck hunting one morning, childless, middle-aged Nathan McCann finds a newborn abandoned in the woods. To his shock, the child—wrapped in a sweater and wearing a tiny knitted hat—is still alive. To his wife’s shock, Nathan wants to adopt the boy…but the child’s grandmother steps in... -
![Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn]()
Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom LA Times Book Prize Award Winner and Edgar Award Nominee Malla Nunn comes a stunning portrait of a family divided and the bonds that knit our communities.When Amandla wakes up on her fifteenth birthday she knows it's going to be one of her mother's difficult days. Her mother has had another vision... -
![Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz]()
Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn uplifting young reader debut about perseverance against all odds, Marie Miranda Cruz's debut Everlasting Nora follows the story of a young girl living in the real-life shantytown inside the Philippines' Manila North Cemetery... -
![The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman]()
The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSixteen-year-old Beau Willet has dreams of being an artist and one day leaving the Chicago projects she's grown up in. But after her older sister, Katia, is killed by an off-duty police officer, Beau knows she has to clear her sister's name by finding the only witness to the murder; Katia's no-good boyfriend, Jordan, who has gone missing...Categorized as:
realistic family friendship social-commentary poc-mc young-adult mystery contemporary
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