Books like 'The Rise & Fall of Great Powers'
Readers who enjoyed The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery action / adventure literary-fiction family coming-of-age historical-fiction friendship urban politics
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The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsOne unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended—for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well—into grief, guilt, and addiction...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship literary-fiction realistic action-adventure adult audiobook -
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsAn utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate and a boy’s coming of age, set in 1980s Australia and infused with the originality, charm, pathos, and heart of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.The mind can take you anywhere you want to goEli Bell’s life is complicated... -
Framed! by James Ponti, Brian Holden
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratings*from Publisher's Weekly*The middle-grade series is about a boy with “amazing observation skills” and his genius female best friend; it was pitched as “part Watson and Holmes, and part Watson and Crick... -
The Law of Finders Keepers by Sheila Turnage
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPirates, family, and the truth about Mo's Upstream Mother collide in the conclusion to the Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling Three Times Lucky When the Colonel and Miss Lana share the clues about Mo's watery origins that they've been saving, it seems the time is finally right for the Desperado Detectives (aka Mo, Dale, and Harm) to tackle the mystery of Mo's Upstream Mother... -
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Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. by Jennifer Li Shotz
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis movie novelization of the soon-to-be major motion picture tells the story of a canine hero.When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind…Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure animals audiobook book -
Marie Force The Fatal Series Volume 1: Fatal Affair\Fatal Justice\Fatal Consequences by Marie Force
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling author Marie Force, the first three books in The Fatal Series, now available in one box set!Fatal Affair Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career—and her confidence—after a disastrous investigation... -
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFour children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country... -
Heirs of Falcon Point by Traci Hunter Abramson, Sian Ann Bessey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the early days of World War II, the Lang family lost everything. Eighty years later, it’s time to take it back.The Nazis have taken control of Austria, and wealthy widower Leopold Lang faces a difficult decision: join the ranks of the foreign power that has taken over his homeland or flee with his children to safety. Leopold makes his choice—but too late...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Redeeming Ryker by Kelly Collins
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsImagine finding out that everything about your life is a lie. Imagine falling for the man who thinks he killed you. Imagine having to remain dead so you can keep him. Twenty-four-year-old Ana Barrett knows who she is. She’s a struggling artist, a loyal friend, an orphan raised by loving grandparents...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction action-adventure adult angst book contemporary -
Seeking Shadows by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if the woman I fell for was in love with someone else? The man who claimed her heart is my VP, the same man I need to respect and follow his orders. But now that I'm no longer a prospect, it's difficult to find my place... -
Bad Beat by Giulia Lagomarsino
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBad Beat is book 7 in the series A Good Run Of Bad Luck and should be read in order. This book also precedes Parker and GoodKnight from The Reed Security series.FinnMy wife and child were gone in the blink of an eye, and I wasn't there for it. I gave up all I owned, sold everything I had just to find them, but after two years I had no more resources. I finally admitted they were never coming home... -
Isolate by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe was the girl next door.Then she broke my heart.When she fell for my best friend instead of me.Unwilling to come between them, I left LA. Found sanctuary in New Orleans with a brotherhood who calmed my storm.She should have been safe.She was his to protect.The problem is—she should have been mine.And now his mistakes have come back on her... -
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... -
Believe Like a Child by Paige Dearth
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHome isn't safe for young Alessa because her uncle lives there...unfortunately neither are the streets.Alessa's uncle is a child predator, and she's one of his victims.At sixteen, after the death of her only friend, Alessa finds herself isolated at home with her uncle. Unable to live there, she runs away.Alone on the streets of North Philadelphia, she encounters more people who hurt her... -
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A Gallagher Wedding by Ally Carter
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic action-adventure boarding-school book contemporary -
Secretive by K.E. Osborn, Addison Jane
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey see me as weak.Just a scared kid.The moment my big sister took me away from the club, it sealed my fate as a burden.As the son of a president for the Houston Defiance MC, I was born into power. I’m destined to lead. My father and older brother before me, I should follow in their footsteps. But they don’t see me that way.The only path to keep me safe is to ship me off... -
Luring Light by K.E. Osborn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if the life you had was a lie? That the virtuous person you tried to convince yourself you were, isn't anything like the woman you are deep inside... -
Among the Free by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsENOUGH GAMES.Luke Garner is a third-born in a restrictive society that allows only two children per family. Risking his life, he came out of hiding to fight against the Population Police laws. Now, in the final volume of Margaret Peterson Haddix's suspenseful Shadow Children series, Luke inadvertently sets off a rebellion that results in the overthrow of the government...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction politics realistic action-adventure apocalyptic -
A French Affair by Jennifer Bohnet
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratings*Brand new from the bestselling author of Villa of Sun and Secrets*What will be will be...Belinda Marshall’s idyllic teenage life in Brittany, France, fell apart when her parents dramatically separated and her mother took her backto England.Fast forward thirty-five years when Belinda’s world is once again turned upside down... -
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 family friendship historical-fiction realistic secrets urban action-adventure -
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... -
Wicked Revenge: A Wicked Angels MC Novel by Zoey Derrick
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom Bestselling Author, Zoey Derrick, comes a BRAND NEW Standalone novel about getting back at the ones who've hurt you the most. This story is filled with bikers, biker antics, an Alpha Hero and sassy, feisty, get it done yourself, Heroine... -
The Fort by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of RESTART, the story of a middle-school "band of brothers" -- five friends who need to stick together after they set up a hideout in an abandoned bomb shelter and discover that the only way to be true friends is to reveal their secrets and help each other out...Categorized as:
realistic friendship family secrets coming-of-age middle-grade audiobook young-adult -
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsThe Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings... -
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Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsElise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in... -
First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsDarrell's off to her new school.But what has she packed?1. Tennis racket? Yes2. Pocket-money? Yes3. A lid for her temper? NoOh dear! Malory Towers has a whole trunkload of trouble to come!Darrell and her friends grow together as they share their school days. There are new students to induct, sporting matches to be won, tempers to control and tricks to play on teachers... -
The Rise by Shari King, Shari Low
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen we bury our secrets, they always come back to haunt us...Their rise was meteoric.Only a few years before, they had been three friends from Glasgow, just trying to survive tough lives of danger and dysfunction.But on one Hollywood evening in 1993, they were on the world’s biggest stage, accepting their Oscar in front of the watching world.That night was the beginning of their careers... -
Break Us by Jennifer Brown
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNikki Kill doesn’t see the world in black and white. Her synesthesia shades everything in view, transforming numbers, words, and emotions into colorful clues. Which means she’s a dangerous commodity to anyone with something to hide.Nikki has already taken on the Hollises—one of L.A.’s most powerful families—for murdering her half sister, Peyton... -
Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA thrilling mystery set against a stark landscape and the inspiration of Nome's real-life dog hero, Balto.Twelve-year-old Tee didn't think she believed in ghosts . . . until a walk in the woods around her new rural Alaskan home changes her mind. She and her beagle, Henry, are stalked by a wolfish, decidedly spooky shadow. There's something out there - and it's not of this world...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure animals book -
If You're Reading This by Trent Reedy
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister Mary feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family," Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"WHEN YOU GREW UP IN THE PROJECTS, THERE WERE NO CHOICES. NO GOOD ONES, AT LEAST." In the Frederick Douglass Project where DeShawn lives, daily life is ruled by drugs and gang violence. Many teenagers drop out of school and join gangs, and every kid knows someone who died. Gunshots ring out on a regular basis... -
The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThere's something about asking for Impossible Things. For one little second, they feel Possible. Take two sisters making it on their own: brainy twelve-year-old GiGi and junior-high-dropout-turned-hairstylist DiDi. Add a million dollars in prize money from a national cooking contest and a move from the trailer parks of South Carolina to the North Shore of Long Island... -
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...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family realistic friendship historical-fiction romance young-adult contemporary -
The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"Delightful. . . funny and poignant." --People With a kick like the best hot sauce, this is the laugh-out-loud story of a girl determined to keep up with her aging, crazy-as-a-fox mother"If you ever pined for a mother who would take a hunting falcon as her wingman to a parent-teacher conference, Polly is the gal for you. Delicious... -
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Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAbandoned at birth and brought up by a succession of failing foster parents, Dallas and Florida are the 'Trouble Twins'. But when they're adopted by Tiller and Sairy and brought to the beautiful and mysterious Ruby Holler, all four lives take very different turns...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction realistic abuse action-adventure audiobook -
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... -
The Defense by Steve Cavanagh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsEddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turns out the two aren't that different.Former con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn gave up the law a year ago after a disastrous case, and he vowed never to step foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn't have a choice... -
She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEleven-year-old Polly is smart far beyond her years. But she's a loner. Her mother tells her she has 'gunfighter eyes', like the father she's never met. In prison, about to be released, Nate runs afoul of the powerful leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. Marked for death on his release, Nate soon realizes that everyone he has ever loved is a target - including his daughter, Polly...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family kidnapping literary-fiction realistic action-adventure audiobook book -
A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn her way to visit her best friend, Autumn, Jenni Green suddenly finds she's been transported exactly one year forward in time. Now she discovers that in the year that's gone by, tragedy has struck and her friendship with Autumn will never be the same again...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship realistic action-adventure book children children-books -
Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA magical breadbox that delivers whatever you wish for—as long as it fits inside? It's too good to be true! Twelve-year-old Rebecca is struggling with her parents' separation, as well as a sudden move to her Gran's house in another state. For a while, the magic bread box, discovered in the attic, makes life away from home a little easier... -
The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsKira Bennett's earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs found her. Adopted into the Bennett family, Kira still struggles with human interaction years later, but she excels at the family business: search-and-rescue... -
Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom Saving Lucas Biggs authors Marisa de los Santos and David Teague comes another heartwarming middle grade adventure about two misfits who discover the importance of just being themselves.When thirteen-year-olds Aaron and Audrey meet at a wilderness camp in the desert, they think their quirks are enough to prevent them from ever having friends... -
The Way of Women by Lauraine Snelling
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn the verge of Mt. St. Helens’ historic eruption, three women must face the mountain: two to search for their missing husbands; the third, to rediscover her life…After a local mountain becomes a deadly and imminent threat, three strikingly different women become linked in a desperate mission...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction action-adventure adult book christian contemporary -
The Unusual Suspects by Dominic Carrillo
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNia’s young heart is broken– and someone’s going to pay.Who could’ve predicted where it would all lead? A teenage girl and a wise old writer, both driven by love, are now entangled in an apparent murder. Fate has bound these two strangers together in ways they never imagined.Alex was Nia’s first real boyfriend. Just as their summer romance heats up, he makes conflicting announcements... -
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Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDate night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise... -
Cathys Traum by Maeve Binchy
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratings"Whatever made us think that a catering business had anything to do with producing food?" asks the exasperated heroine of Maeve Binchy's Scarlet Feather. Cathy Scarlet and her partner Tom Feather had wanted to open their own catering firm ever since they attended college together...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 21st-century action-adventure adult -
Moon Palace by Paul Auster
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMarco Stanley Fogg is an orphan, a child of the sixties, a quester tirelessly seeking the key to his past, the answers to the ultimate riddle of his fate. As Marco sets out on a journey from the canyons of Manhattan to the deserts of Utah, he encounters a gallery of characters and a series of events as rich and surprising as any in modern fiction...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA suspenseful new psychological thriller from the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisted and Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author of Remote Sympathy, Catherine Chidgey.Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age friendship family oceania new-zealand fiction -
The Whites of Their Eyes by Andrew Clements
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAndrew Clements delivers the latest in his adventure-filled school series. This could be the last great Memorial Day weekend on Barclay Bay, and Ben knows it. This time next year, he might not be able to stand in the yard of the Oakes School and watch the harbor shake off winter—boats buzzing just beyond the bulkhead and families spreading picnics in the fields...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure audiobook book children -
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
Rated: 3.99 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsGrowing up on Long Island, Shelby Richmond is an ordinary girl until one night an extraordinary tragedy changes her fate. Her best friend’s future is destroyed in an accident, while Shelby walks away with the burden of guilt...
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