Books like 'Thoughts & Prayers'
Readers who enjoyed Thoughts & Prayers by Bryan Bliss also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary realistic high-school social-commentary grief literary-fiction loner-mc
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Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMartin Luna, a new student at Bluford High, is at the center of this story. Haunted by the tragic death of his little brother, Martin seeks one thing: revenge. But his mother wants more for her only remaining child... -
![No Way Out by Peggy Kern]()
No Way Out by Peggy Kern
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBluford High freshman Harold Davis is trapped. Medical bills for his sick grandmother are piling up, and a social worker has threatened to put him in a foster home. Desperate for money, he reluctantly agrees to work for Londell James, a neighborhood drug dealer. The choice leads him into a world of dangerous streets where no one is safe... -
![This Lullaby/The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen]()
This Lullaby/The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTHE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER: Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. Shes stuck with a dull-asdishwater job at the library. And shell spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her fathers recent unexpected death...Categorized as:
high-school realistic audiobook book contemporary fiction womens-fiction young-adult -
![In the End, It Was All About Love by Musa Okwonga]()
In the End, It Was All About Love by Musa Okwonga
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe narrator arrives in Berlin, a place famed for its hedonism, to find peace and maybe love; only to discover that the problems which have long haunted him have arrived there too, and are more present than ever...Categorized as:
literary-fiction social-commentary fiction lgbtq contemporary family romantic-love book -
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![Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin]()
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPart of the Penguin 60s series, issued to celebrate 60 years of Penguin books. This collects "Sonny's Blues", "The Rockpile" and "Previous Condition", all taken from Going to Meet the Man (Penguin, 1991)...Categorized as:
grief high-school literary-fiction realistic social-commentary 20th-century book classics -
![Remember Me by Cheryl Lanham]()
Remember Me by Cheryl Lanham
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA new teen tearjerker in the heartwrenching Dear Diary series for young adults. Leeanne never thought she'd love working at the hospice so much, or that it would be so hard. Her new friend Gabriel isn't like other boys. He is dying. But in his final days, he has one last lesson to teach her... -
![A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin]()
A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSamantha and Juliana. Sam and Jules -- they've been best friends forever. Now, in the summer before their senior year, they're ready for whatevers coming. College? Professional dance careers? They'll share the triumphs and face the tears together. But neither of them are prepared for what does happen next. Jules is diagnosed with cancer. And there is no cure... -
![Love, Lost (Emi Lost & Found) by Lori L. Otto]()
Love, Lost (Emi Lost & Found) by Lori L. Otto
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTen years after his first encounter with the woman of his dreams, Jack spies Emi across a hotel lobby and reflects upon the missed opportunity of the one night they had together in college. In an effort to redeem himself, he attempts to rekindle the flame that had been ignited between them. Just as the two share a moment that leaves them both breathless, Emi's reality catches up to her...Categorized as:
high-school literary-fiction anthologies contemporary fiction male-mc new-adult young-adult -
![Her First Palestinian by Saeed Teebi]()
Her First Palestinian by Saeed Teebi
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElegant, surprising stories about Palestinian immigrants in Canada navigating their identities in circumstances that push them to the emotional brink.Saeed Teebi’s intense, engrossing stories plunge into the lives of characters grappling with their experiences as Palestinian immigrants to Canada...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic social-commentary fiction contemporary anthologies poc-mc poc-author -
![True Biz by Sara Nović]()
True Biz by Sara Nović
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsTRUE BIZ (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talkTrue biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic social-commentary fiction contemporary disability audiobook young-adult -
![The Gold Cell by Sharon Olds]()
The Gold Cell by Sharon Olds
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA dazzling collection of poems by the Pulitzer Prize and T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry winner, called "a poet for these times, a powerful woman who won't back down" (San Francisco Chronicle).A collection by the much praised poet whose second book The Dead and the Living, was both the Lamont Poetry Selection for 1983 and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award... -
![Rebelling with the Bad Boy by Sarah Sutton]()
Rebelling with the Bad Boy by Sarah Sutton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTrusting the bad boy… What could go wrong?It’s on my sixteenth birthday that I realize I've never had control over my own life.From my outfits to my hairstyles and even to my love life, my parents made every decision for me. And instead of fighting, I lived by my mantra: keep my head down and keep my mouth shut.That is until I’m paired with Brentwood High’s resident bad boy, Hudson Bishop... -
![Hurt Others by Sam Pink]()
Hurt Others by Sam Pink
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOh man, it just had to happen. Someone had to be a bagger at a grocery store and fantasize about hitting children in the head with wine bottles. Someone had to fear a puddle floating at him from across the street. Someone had to celebrate beating up a pregnant woman. Someone just HAD to be a nanny, and stare at giant motorized spiders...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic 21st-century adult anthologies contemporary fiction horror -
![We, The Wildflowers by L.B. Simmons]()
We, The Wildflowers by L.B. Simmons
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Their strength and ferocity stem from below the surface where their roots are forever tangled, interwoven in such a way that for the remainder of time they bloom together …”GenesisAdamChloeLukasNo one loves them, no one cares about them, no one even sees them until they end up in Mary Rodriguez’s home, an outpost for Sacred Heart’s troubled youth program... -
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![Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett]()
Breaking Walls by Tracie Puckett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s not about the rules anymore. It’s about the sacrifice. She’s already given up too much to lose faith now. Gabe has walked away, and Mandy’s fate with the Raddick Initiative is hanging in the balance. Media attention has the whole town talking. Friends are making wild assumptions, and one of her own teammates has turned on her... -
![Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color by Monique Fields]()
Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color by Monique Fields
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA young biracial girl looks around her world for her color. She finally chooses her own, and creates a new word for herself—honeysmoke.For multiracial children, and all children everywhere, this picture book offers a universal message that empowers young people to create their own self-identity...Categorized as:
realistic social-commentary children-books family fiction children poc-mc contemporary -
![Imani All Mine by Connie Rose Porter]()
Imani All Mine by Connie Rose Porter
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"With authority and grace" (Essence), Imani All Mine tells the story of Tasha, a fourteen-year-old unwed mother of a baby girl. In her ghettoized world where poverty, racism, and danger are daily struggles, Tasha uses her savvy and humor to uncover the good hidden around her...Categorized as:
high-school literary-fiction realistic social-commentary black-mc book coming-of-age contemporary -
![A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway]()
A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1933; it was also included in his collection Winner Take Nothing (1933).James Joyce once remarked: "He [Hemingway] has reduced the veil between literature and life, which is what every writer strives to do. Have you read 'A Clean Well-Lighted Place'?... It is masterly...Categorized as:
high-school literary-fiction realistic 20th-century audiobook book classics contemporary -
![World Cup Wishes by Eshkol Nevo]()
World Cup Wishes by Eshkol Nevo
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFour friends get together to watch the 1998 World Cup final. One of them has an idea: let's write down our wishes for the next few years, put them away, and during the next final - four years from now - we'll get them out and see how many we've achieved. This is how World Cup Wishes opens, and from here we watch what happens to their wishes and their friendships as life marches on... -
![the truth about fragile things by Regina Sirois]()
the truth about fragile things by Regina Sirois
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBryon died fifty years before his time. Charlotte grew up angry. I grew up scared. And Phillip- well, he never grew up. And now we are all bound together into one painful heap of humanity. Broken, but bound. And maybe it is only the fact that we are tangled in one terrible knot that will hold us together until we heal. This is unfortunately, and miraculously, my story...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic book coming-of-age contemporary female-author fiction young-adult -
![Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman]()
Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeclan Taylor is furious at the world. After winning state as a freshman starting pitcher, he accidentally messes up his throwing arm. Despite painful surgery and brutal physical therapy, he might never pitch again. And instead of spending the summer with his friends, Declan is forced to get a job to help his family out...Categorized as:
realistic social-commentary high-school loner-mc young-adult contemporary fiction audiobook -
![Dear Marley by Danielle Keil]()
Dear Marley by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.For Marley “Sunny” Sorenshine, a Secret Admirer might be just what she needs to put her recent, very public, break up behind her.Her optimism is dimmed when she reads the first note—her admirer was tricked into participating. He didn’t choose Marley, a dart did...Categorized as:
literary-fiction loner-mc romance contemporary young-adult coming-of-age fiction book -
![Твое сердце будет разбито by Анна Джейн]()
Твое сердце будет разбито by Анна Джейн
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsЯ вижу его каждый день в окне дома напротив. Он – самый крутой парень в моей новой школе. Красавчик, от которого все без ума. Опасный одиночка, который меня не замечает.Не думала, что наши пути пересекутся, но однажды он спас меня от одноклассниц, решивших превратить мою жизнь в ад. И сказал всем, что я – его девушка... -
![Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain, Myles Milliken]()
Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain, Myles Milliken
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBeneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble—but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mom pushes for a termination...Categorized as:
realistic literary-fiction social-commentary grief young-adult mental-illness contemporary feminism -
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![Every Pearl Has Its Oyster by India Lee]()
Every Pearl Has Its Oyster by India Lee
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe secret’s out and there’s no going back.Not that Gemma really wants to. After the stalker debacle and her big reveal, Gemma Hunter is ready for some big changes. With boyfriend, Tyler Chase, embarking on furthering his superstar status by taking a coveted Hollywood role, Gemma is looking for her own next big step.But nothing ever seems to come easy in the life of Queen Bee...Categorized as:
high-school realistic book celebrity contemporary fiction womens-fiction young-adult -
![Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda]()
Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTender and intense, Honeybees and Distant Thunder is the unflinching story of love, courage and rivalry as three young people come to understand what it means to truly be a friend.In a small coastal town just a stone's throw from Tokyo, a prestigious piano competition is underway...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic fiction contemporary 21st-century coming-of-age book adult -
![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... -
![Flight Season by Marie Marquardt]()
Flight Season by Marie Marquardt
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBack when they were still strangers, TJ Carvalho witnessed the only moment in Vivi Flannigan’s life when she lost control entirely. Now, TJ can’t seem to erase that moment from his mind, no matter how hard he tries. Vivi doesn’t remember any of it, but she’s determined to leave it far behind. And she will...Categorized as:
realistic grief literary-fiction social-commentary romance young-adult contemporary fiction -
![Light It Up by Kekla Magoon]()
Light It Up by Kekla Magoon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTold in a series of vignettes from multiple viewpoints, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up is a powerful, layered story about injustice and strength--as well as an incredible follow-up to the highly acclaimed novel How It Went Down.A girl walks home from school. She's tall for her age. She's wearing her winter coat. Her headphones are in. She's hurrying.She never makes it home...Categorized as:
realistic social-commentary grief high-school young-adult contemporary fiction audiobook -
![Just a Little Promise by Tracie Puckett]()
Just a Little Promise by Tracie Puckett
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the beginning, all she wanted was a sense of direction. Now, she’s fighting in the name of love. Seventeen-year-old Julie Little is under constant scrutiny. Try as she might, she can’t make a single move without her uncle’s permission—and Charlie will stop at nothing to keep her from Luke (even if that means putting her behind bars for an hour or two)...Categorized as:
high-school realistic book contemporary fiction forbidden-love womens-fiction young-adult -
![Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Somewhere Between Life and Death by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe celebration isn't supposed to end in tragedy. The night of their high-school drama group's cast party starts out as fun for sisters Amy and Erin. Their lives come crashing down when Amy takes the car to get more food and has a horrible accident. Erin and her family pray for Amy to awaken from her coma... -
![The Mission by Jason Myers]()
The Mission by Jason Myers
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWake up and do something! Kaden Norris's life is shattered when his older brother -- his best friend and hero -- is killed in Iraq. All Kaden has left of Kenny is a letter, urging him to break away from his sheltered life and to go to San Francisco to visit his cousin, James. Kaden is blown away, as James introduces him to a life filled with drugs, sex, and apathy...Categorized as:
realistic high-school grief young-adult fiction contemporary coming-of-age substance-abuse -
![Mahashweta by Sudha Murty]()
Mahashweta by Sudha Murty
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnupama looked into the mirror and shivered with shock. A small white patch had now appeared on her arm.' Anupama's fairytale marriage to Anand falls apart when she discovers a white patch on her foot and learns that she has leukoderma. Abandoned by her uncaring in-laws and insensitive husband, she is forced to return to her father's home in the village...Categorized as:
grief realistic social-commentary coming-of-age contemporary drama female-author female-mc -
![Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans]()
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBefore You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self offers a bold new perspective on the experience of being young and African-American or mixed-race in modern-day America. In each of her stories, Danielle Evans explores the non-white American experience with honesty, wisdom, and humor...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic social-commentary fiction contemporary poc-mc female-author poc-author -
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![Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt sixteen, Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way. As the school year begins, her grades are up and she's even landed a coveted spot on the high school Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.Then suddenly Melissa must face some devastating news about her health... -
![Ironopolis by Glen James Brown]()
Ironopolis by Glen James Brown
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStranded on the outskirts of Ironopolis — nickname to a lost industrial Middlesbrough — the Burn Council Estate is about to be torn down to make way for regeneration. For the future .. -
![Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson]()
Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"I wait for him, the cold seeping through my clothes, until it finally dawns on me that he's not coming back. And I wonder why he chose her instead of me? Why he went looking for her when I was right there." Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade. They understand each other in the way that only best friends can... -
![I Know Lucy by Melissa Pearl]()
I Know Lucy by Melissa Pearl
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her... -
![The Breakable Vow by Kathryn Ann Clarke]()
The Breakable Vow by Kathryn Ann Clarke
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne night will change her life . . . Annie McGowan is eighteen years old, smart, wisecracking, fun-loving . . . a typical teenager. Yet circumstances force Annie out of the security of high school and into a world of problems all her own. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy and a turbulent, violent relationship with her boyfriend, Kevin, Annie's life begins to spiral out of control... -
![And Then The Gray Heaven by R.E. Katz]()
And Then The Gray Heaven by R.E. Katz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsRE Katz’s And Then the Gray Heaven centers on Jules, whose partner B has recently died in a freak accident. Confronting the red tape of the hospital, the dissociation and cruelty of B’s family, and the unimaginable void now at the center of their lives, Jules and new friend Theo embark on a road trip to bury two-thirds of B’s ashes in the places they most belong... -
![A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden]()
A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHealing can take a lifetime...Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that threatens the fragile stability she has built.John Bowman is sick. Very sick. While he still can, he has some amends to make and some promises to fulfill... -
![Bear Necessity by James Gould-Bourn]()
Bear Necessity by James Gould-Bourn
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA heartwarming, poignant, and charming debut novel for fans of Nick Hornby and The Rosie Project, about a father and son overcoming their grief in surprisingly inventive ways.Danny’s life is falling apart. He’s become a single father to eleven-year-old Will—who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier—and Danny has just been fired from his construction job... -
![Teach Me to Forget by Erica M. Chapman]()
Teach Me to Forget by Erica M. Chapman
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEllery wants to die. Nothing is going right. Her younger sister is dead, and her family is in a shambles. But on the day that she tries to end it all, even the gun won't work. When she tries to return it, she's intercepted by a security guard who also happens to be a boy in one of her classes, Colter Sawyer. Colter recognizes Ellery's desperation and begins working hard to earn her trust... -
![Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler]()
Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne fall night off the coast of a remote island in Nova Scotia, an airplane plummets to the sea as an innkeeper watches from the shore. Miles away in New York City, ornithologist Ana Gathreaux works in a darkened room full of sparrows, testing their migratory instincts. Soon, Ana will be bound for Trachis Island, along with other relatives of victims who converge on the site of the tragedy... -
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![Wound by Oksana Vasyakina]()
Wound by Oksana Vasyakina
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor fans of Maggie Nelson and Eileen Myles, the lyrical and deeply moving story of a young queer woman’s journey across Russia to inter her mother’s ashes and to understand her sexuality, femininity, and griefFrom one of Russia’s most exciting new voices, Wound follows a young lesbian poet on a journey from Moscow to her hometown in Siberia, where she has promised to bury her mother’s ashes... -
![Imperfect Spiral by Debbie Levy]()
Imperfect Spiral by Debbie Levy
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDanielle Snyder's summer job as a babysitter takes a tragic turn when Humphrey, the five-year-old boy she's watching, runs in front of oncoming traffic to chase down his football... -
![Competitive Grieving: A Novel by Nora Zelevansky]()
Competitive Grieving: A Novel by Nora Zelevansky
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWren's closest friend, her anchor since childhood, is dead. Stewart Beasley. Gone. She can't quite believe it and she definitely can't bring herself to google what causes an aneurysm... -
![He Must Like You by Danielle Younge-Ullman]()
He Must Like You by Danielle Younge-Ullman
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn authentic, angry, and surprisingly funny and romantic novel about sexual harassment, from award-winning author Danielle Younge-Ullman.Libby's having a rough senior year. Her older brother absconded with his college money and is bartending on a Greek island. Her dad just told her she's got to pay for college herself, and he's evicting her when she graduates so he can Airbnb her room...Categorized as:
realistic high-school social-commentary romance contemporary young-adult feminism fiction -
![The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina]()
The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Heartbeat Library is a tender, contemplative, and uplifting novel about grief, friendship, and the many ways we heal, by the internationally bestselling author of The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World.On the peaceful Japanese island of Teshima there is a library of heartbeats, a place where the heartbeats of visitors from all around the world are collected...Categorized as:
literary-fiction grief realistic fiction contemporary audiobook magical-realism drama -
![Country Pursuits: Churchminister series 1 by Jo Carnegie]()
Country Pursuits: Churchminister series 1 by Jo Carnegie
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe gorgeous women of Churchminster know exactly what they want - a constant flow of champagne (on tap at the local pub) and the love of a good man. But faced with the likes of braying, beer-guzzling farmer Angus, foul-tempered Lord Fraser and suave banker Sebastian (devoted only to himself), their attentions are increasingly drawn to more attractive possibilities . .
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