Books like 'The Leavers'
Readers who enjoyed The Leavers by Lisa Ko also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery literary-fiction family realistic coming-of-age poc-mc social-commentary historical-fiction drama
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Finding Billie Romano by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsUSA Today bestselling author wants to take you to Ireland for a story that will leave you wanting more long after you turn the last page... Twenty-five year old Billie Romano is struggling. She is grieving the death of her beloved dad and nothing in her life is going right... -
![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...Categorized as:
drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc politics realistic -
![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... -
![Aue by Becky Manawatu]()
Aue by Becky Manawatu
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWINNER OF THE JANN MEDLICOTT ACORN PRIZE FOR FICTIONWINNER OF THE MITOQ BEST FIRST BOOK OF FICTIONWINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVELauē (verb) to cry, howl, groan, wail, bawl. (interjection) expression of astonishment or distress.Taukiri was born into sorrow... -
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![The Library by Bella Osborne]()
The Library by Bella Osborne
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTwo different generations. Two unusual people. Thrown together to save their local library.Tom is a teenager and blends into the background of life. After a row with his dad, and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library. Tom unwittingly ends up with a bagful of romance novels and comes under the suspicion of Maggie... -
![All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor]()
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJunior Library Guild Selection * Kids’ Indie Next List PickFrom Leslie Connor, award-winning author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch, comes a soaring and heartfelt story about love, forgiveness, and how innocence makes us all rise up. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a powerful story, perfect for fans of Wonder and When You Reach Me... -
![The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters]()
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a community, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years.July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama literary-fiction family coming-of-age poc-mc fiction mystery -
![Jaded by Ela Lee]()
Jaded by Ela Lee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA young lawyer wakes up the morning after a work gala with no memory of how she got home the previous night and must figure out what, exactly, happened—and how much she's willing to put up with to make her way to the top of the corporate ladder.Jade isn’t even my real name. Jade began as my Starbucks name, because all children of immigrants have a Starbucks name... -
![Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde returns with an unforgettable story of courage. Seventeen-year-old Ethan Underwood is totally unprepared to search for his father in the Blythe River National Wilderness. Not only is he small, scrawny, and skittish but he’s barely speaking to the man after a traumatic betrayal... -
![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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc realistic -
![Mink River by Brian Doyle]()
Mink River by Brian Doyle
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLike Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood and Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, Brian Doyle’s stunning fiction debut brings a town to life through the jumbled lives and braided stories of its people... -
![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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction poc-mc realistic social-commentary -
![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... -
![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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction journey literary-fiction poc-mc -
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![The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page]()
The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA charming, uplifting debut novel—full of humor and depth—that has taken readers around the world by surprise. Everyone has a story to tell. But does Janice have the power to unlock her own?She can’t recall what started her collection... -
![The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel]()
The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA woman embarks on an unexpected journey into her past in an engrossing novel about identity, family secrets, and rediscovering the need to belong.Meena Dave is a photojournalist and a nomad. She has no family, no permanent address, and no long-term attachments, preferring to observe the world at a distance through the lens of her camera... -
![Postcards from a Stranger by Imogen Clark]()
Postcards from a Stranger by Imogen Clark
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhat if everything you thought you knew about your life turned out to be a lie? A dark secret nestles at the heart of Cara's family but it is only when her dominating father becomes ill with Alzheimer's that the lies begin to unravel. When Cara stumbles across a box of old postcards, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her past...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook -
![The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb]()
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsGrowing up in rural NC, Ray McMillan’s life is already mapped out. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. Extra lucky, he’ll earn more than the minimum wage. But Roy has a gift-he’s determined to become a world class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc realistic adult -
![Friends with Secrets by Christine Gunderson]()
Friends with Secrets by Christine Gunderson
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn a funny and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship, and the haunting impact of secrets.What you see isn’t always what you get.Take Ainsley. The gorgeous mother of two lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, Ben—aspiring politician and heir to a candy fortune—in suburban Washington, DC... -
![Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly]()
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsAn accessible, character-driven story set in 2003 New York City about a genderqueer book conservator who feels trapped by her gender presentation, her ill-fitting relationship, and her artistic block, as she discovers a decades-old hidden queer love letter and becomes obsessed with tracking down its author. It’s 2003, and artist Dawn Levit is stuck...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction literary-fiction urban adult audiobook book contemporary -
![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... -
![June Bug by Chris Fabry]()
June Bug by Chris Fabry
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the best-selling author of War Room comes a Christy Award finalist, now a Lifetime original movie called Child of Grace."I believed everything my daddy told me until I walked into Wal-Mart and saw my picture on a little poster . . -
![92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber, Sandra Burr]()
92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber, Sandra Burr
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsOlivia Lockhart-GriffinCedar Cove, WashingtonDear Listener,I'm sorry to say that our good sheriff, Troy Davis, has suffered a disappointment in love. He was hoping to marry his onetime girlfriend, Faith Beckwith, who recently moved back to town. Well, the latest is that Faith ended the relationship last month, even though both of them are widowed and available... -
![Home Stretch by Graham Norton]()
Home Stretch by Graham Norton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn this "compelling, bighearted, emotionally precise page-turner" (Sunday Times), the New York Times bestselling writer and acclaimed television host explores the aftermath of a tragedy on a small-town to illuminate the shame and longing that can flow through generations--and how the secrets of the heart cannot stay be buried forever...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic urban -
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![Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow]()
Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThree estranged sisters reconnect in their Louisiana hometown to face an unresolved past in a heartfelt novel about family, grief, secrets, and forgiveness.Savannah was four years old when her twin sister, Georgia, went missing from their small Louisiana town, fracturing their family... -
![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... -
![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... -
![Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts]()
Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“Tragedy and blessing. Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart.”Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother’s abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook book -
![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 . . -
![The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland]()
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAn enchanting and captivating novel about how our untold stories haunt us — and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.After her family suffers a tragedy, nine-year-old Alice Hart is forced to leave her idyllic seaside home...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction abuse adult -
![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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction journey literary-fiction poc-mc -
![The Secret Daughter by Kelly Rimmer]()
The Secret Daughter by Kelly Rimmer
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAs I saw my new-born baby’s face for the first time I tried desperately to capture her face in my mind—to stamp it onto my eyelids. As she was taken from me I knew I might never see my daughter again. 38 years later… ‘You were adopted’. Three short words and Sabina’s life fractures. There would forever be a Before those words, and an After... -
![The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini]()
The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJulia, Megan, Donna, Grace, and Vinnie are cross-country friends who are about to begin work on a challenge quilt. A piece of fabric is divided among the women, with the understanding that the following year they will all meet at the Elm Creek Quilt Camp to sew the sections together into a single quilt...Categorized as:
drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic adult audiobook -
![A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball]()
A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTheir husbands were gone, their families were grown, and the future stretched out before them like an unfulfilled promise . . . Tired of always dreaming and never doing, Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget make a life-altering decision. Uprooting themselves from their comfortable lives in the suburbs, the three friends buy a run-down mansion, nestled in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley... -
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![Handling Sin by Michael Malone]()
Handling Sin by Michael Malone
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn the Ides of March, our hero, Raleigh Whittier Hayes (forgetful husband, baffled father, prosperous insurance agent and leading citizen of Thermopylae, North Carolina), learns that his father has discharged himself from the hospital, taken all his money out of the bank and, with a young black female mental patient, vanished in a yellow Cadillac convertible... -
![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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook -
![The Dork of Cork by Chet Raymo]()
The Dork of Cork by Chet Raymo
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Frank, an Irish dwarf, writes a personal memoir, he moves from dark isolation into the public eye. This luminous journey is marked by memories of his lonely childhood, secrets of his doomed young mother, and his passion for a woman who is as unreachable as the stars... -
![The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas]()
The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsApart from sharing the same zip code, Randi Howard, Anna Montano, Meredith Allen, Helena Whitworth and Crystal Howard have absolutely nothing in common—until a fiery explosion on a west Texas oil rig changes everything.Their husbands are men who live to search for "black gold," men who are willing to exchange backbreaking work and long days for danger and excitement—and money...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary female-mc -
![Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow]()
Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll-access doesn't mean no problems. The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves... -
![The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana: A Novel by Jennifer Banash]()
The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana: A Novel by Jennifer Banash
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn electrifying novel about a woman in thrall to the exhilarating rhythms of Manhattan, lost in the dizzying promise of youth, and fatally naive to the dark pressures of fame.When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem, Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé... -
![Postcards from Summer by Cynthia Platt]()
Postcards from Summer by Cynthia Platt
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Notebook meets Love & Gelato in this heart-wrenching novel about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever.Seventeen-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her...Categorized as:
historical-fiction realistic family coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary fiction -
![The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane]()
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the beloved author of the triumphant New York Times bestseller Ask Again, Yes comes a magnificently told novel about the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire.Malcolm Gephardt, the handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss is finally ready to retire, Malcolm is inspired to buy the place...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary fiction -
![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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![This Town is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris]()
This Town is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the critically acclaimed author of When You Look Like Us comes a page-turning YA contemporary novel about what happens when the latest “Becky” on the internet is your best friend. A lot is up in the air in Naomi Henry’s her spot as a varsity cheer flier, her classmates’ reaction to the debut of her natural hair, and her crush on the guy who’s always been like a brother to her...Categorized as:
realistic coming-of-age social-commentary poc-mc drama friendship contemporary young-adult -
![The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton]()
The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWhen her grandmother’s will wrenches Sara back home, she learns more about Margaret Van Buren in the wake of her death than she ever knew in life.After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags’s ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay, Alabama...Categorized as:
drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic adult audiobook -
![The Orphans of Race Point: A Novel by Patry Francis]()
The Orphans of Race Point: A Novel by Patry Francis
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSet on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a suspenseful page-turning saga of love, murder, and the true meaning of faith from the author of the acclaimed The Liar’s Diary...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic abuse audiobook -
![True to Form by Elizabeth Berg]()
True to Form by Elizabeth Berg
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn her 10th novel, True to Form, Elizabeth Berg finds her way into the year 1961 and into the head of 13-year-old Katie Nash at the start of her summer vacation. Katie's world is smooth and easy with endless possibilities and sunshine...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook -
![We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr]()
We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the acclaimed author of Hold My Girl comes a sweeping multi-generational story about motherhood, race, and secrets.When 24-year-old Kareela discovers she's pregnant with a child she isn't sure she wants, her struggle to understand her place in the world as a person who is half-Black, half-white—yet feels neither—is amplified...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama family literary-fiction poc-mc fiction contemporary audiobook -
![The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani]()
The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Storyteller’s Secret comes an unflinching exploration of betrayal, forgiveness, and the healing power of a second chance.Celine’s life is spiraling out of control. She’s in danger of losing the beloved equestrian farm that was her childhood home. Her distant husband, Eric, is devoting a suspicious amount of time to a stunning new colleague...
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