Books like 'Without Warning and Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood'
Readers who enjoyed Without Warning and Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood by Kit de Waal also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
religion fundamentalism cults coming-of-age
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Beyond Intent by Karice Bolton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGabby has found the love of her life. Her bakery is doing better than she could ever imagine, and her two best friends each found love in the most unexpected places. But just when everything seems too good to be true, she realizes it probably is. Jason's hours have become longer, and there are mornings when she rolls over to find an empty bed... -
![I am Rebecca by Fleur Beale]()
I am Rebecca by Fleur Beale
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen she turns 14, Rebecca will find out who she is to marry. All the girls in her strict religious sect must be married just after their 16th birthdays.Her twin sister Rachel desperately wants to marry the boy she’s given her heart to. All Rebecca wants is to have a husband who is kind. But both girls know the choice is not theirs to make...Categorized as:
coming-of-age cults fundamentalism religion action-adventure book classics contemporary -
![Anna's Return by Marta Perry]()
Anna's Return by Marta Perry
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMarta Perry returns with a brand-new inspirational Pleasant Valley novel. After spending three years in the English world, Anna Beiler returns to the Pleasant Valley Amish with a baby girl, which will surely cause a stir since Anna is unmarried. What they don't know is that the baby is adopted, and Anna desperately needs to protect it from its violent father.. -
![Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov]()
Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlex Dimitrov’s third book, Love and Other Poems, is full of praise for the world we live in. Taking time, and specifically the months of the year as an overarching structure, Dimitrov elevates the every day and speaks directly to the reader as if the poem were a phone call or a text message... -
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![Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards]()
Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSet against the backdrop of a 1970s commune in Northern California, Clover Blue is a compelling, beautifully written story of a young boy's search for identity. There are many things twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn't sure of: his exact date of birth, his name before he was adopted into the Saffron Freedom Community, or who his first parents were... -
![Argosy Junction by Chautona Havig]()
Argosy Junction by Chautona Havig
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsArgosy Jct. Montana~ Pop. 13,223 Lane~ Five years after her family broke ties with The Brethren, the cult-like church still has firm ties wrapped around her heart and soul. The more she rejects them, the Lord, and anyone who claims a relationship with Christ, the more she realizes how empty life can be. Matt~ Fresh from the inner city, Matt arrives in Argosy Jct... -
![Break the Faith by M. Mabie]()
Break the Faith by M. Mabie
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings***BREAK THE FAITH is the continuation of Abraham and Myra's story and the finale of the Breaking Trilogy."Taking the easy way out was an option, but it wasn't our style. Together, we fought."I never expected to love Myra or for her to love me back, but something greater than either of us stepped in and forged us together. Soulmates, bonded as one...Categorized as:
cults fundamentalism religion law-enforcement contemporary christian suspense fiction -
![The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow]()
The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGentry Forrester feels lucky to live among God’s chosen people in the Prophet's compound, but when music is outlawed, Gentry and her older brother, Tanner, sneak out of the community. When they return, all bets are off as the Prophet exercises his control.Born into a polygamous community in the foothills of New Mexico, Gentry Forrester feels lucky to live among God’s chosen...Categorized as:
coming-of-age cults fundamentalism religion bullying children children-books classics -
![Quiver: A Novel by Julia Watts]()
Quiver: A Novel by Julia Watts
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSet in rural Tennessee, QUIVER, a YA novel by Julia Watts, focuses on the unlikely friendship between two teens from opposite sides of the culture wars...Categorized as:
coming-of-age cults fundamentalism religion abuse children-books contemporary female-author -
![His Only Wife by Melissa Brown]()
His Only Wife by Melissa Brown
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratings**Note to reader: You must read Wife Number Seven before you can enjoy this follow-up novella.** I didn’t think I’d ever want to devote my life to someone. That is, until Brin. I was twenty-six years old the day she entered my life, just when I’d given up hope, just when I’d given up completely on having any shred of happiness in my pathetic excuse for a life... -
![Come November by Katrin van Dam]()
Come November by Katrin van Dam
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’s not the end of the world, but for Rooney Harris it’s starting to feel that way. It’s the beginning of senior year and her mom just lost her job. Even worse, she isn’t planning to get another one. Instead, she’s spending every waking moment with a group called the Next World Society, whose members are convinced they’ll be leaving Earth behind on November 17... -
![I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale]()
I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA young girl is left by her mother with relatives she's never met who are members of a strict religious cult. Her name is changed to the biblical Esther, and she is forced to follow the severe set of social codes of the order. Soon, Esther begins to lose her own identity... -
![Grace by Morris Gleitzman]()
Grace by Morris Gleitzman
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the beginning there was me and Mum and Dad and the twins.And talk about happy families, we were bountiful.But it came to pass that I started doing sins.And lo, that when all our problems began... -
![People Might Hear You by Robin Klein]()
People Might Hear You by Robin Klein
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter her aunt, who is her guardian, marries the forbidding Mr. Tyrell, twelve-year-old Frances is introduced to the mysterious temple and its strange fanatical beliefs...Categorized as:
cults fundamentalism religion 20th-century children children-books classics contemporary -
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![Drifting into Darkness by J.M. LaRocca]()
Drifting into Darkness by J.M. LaRocca
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, that there was a path we were all supposed to be on and the choices we made led us to those paths. My path led me to work on the Johnson farm in Texas, where I met Landon, the owner’s son. He worked there during the day and raced cars for fun at night. He was a bad boy with a reputation that exceeded my own... -
![Live, Laugh, Kidnap by Gabby Noone]()
Live, Laugh, Kidnap by Gabby Noone
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of Layoverland comes another bitingly clever, laugh-out-loud funny novel, about a group of teen girls going up against an exploitative megachurch in their small Montana town.The only thing Genesis, Holly and Zoe seem to have in common is being stuck in Violet, Montana. Well, that and the fact that Hope Harvest Ministries is trying to ruin their lives... -
![American Gospel by Lin Enger]()
American Gospel by Lin Enger
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRadically personal and quintessentially American, an intimate drama at the heart of an apocalyptic visionOn a small farm beside a lake in Minnesota’s north woods an old man is waiting for the Rapture, which God has told him will happen in two weeks, on August 19, 1974...Categorized as:
religion cults fundamentalism fiction historical-fiction contemporary family politics -
![The Burning Season by Alison Wisdom]()
The Burning Season by Alison Wisdom
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe acclaimed author of We Can Only Save Ourselves returns with an urgent and unsettling story that journeys into the heart of religious fanaticism and cult behavior as it probes one woman's struggle to define life on her own terms.Here comes trouble, Rosemary's high school English teacher used to say whenever he saw her...Categorized as:
cults fundamentalism religion fiction contemporary literary-fiction audiobook realistic -
![Ritual by Graham Masterton]()
Ritual by Graham Masterton
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen restaurant critic Charlie McLean and his son, Martin visit the little town of Allen's Corners in rural Connecticut, little do they realise what they're letting themselves in for. In the mood to try something different they stop at Le Reposoir, unaware that most of the meals on the menu are not the a-la-carte range they're used to, but more a mixture of mundane dishes and human Hors d'oeuvre... -
![The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi]()
The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFilled with soulful humor and quiet pathos, Abby Bardi's boldly drawn first novel marks the debut of a joyfully talented chronicler of the quest for connection in contemporary life. Mary Fred Anderson, raised in an isolated fundamentalist sect whose primary obsessions seem to involve an imminent Apocalypse and the propagation of the name "Fred," is hardly your average fifteen-year-old... -
![The Summer Job by Adam Cesare]()
The Summer Job by Adam Cesare
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Mission, Massachusetts. Praying won’t save you, but it couldn't hurt. Claire is an alternative girl looking for an alternative. Her post-college prospects have fizzled and she’s looking for a new job, a new town, a whole new life. A summer position at a remote hotel may be just what she needs.Very soon, though, she begins to suspect the hotel may have decidedly sinister motives... -
![Watch How We Walk by Jennifer LoveGrove]()
Watch How We Walk by Jennifer LoveGrove
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlternating between a woman’s childhood in a small town and as an adult in the city, this novel traces a Jehovah Witness family’s splintering belief system, their isolation, and the erosion of their relationships. As Emily becomes closer to her closeted Uncle Tyler, she begins to challenge her upbringing...Categorized as:
religion cults fundamentalism coming-of-age fiction young-adult mental-illness spirituality -
![Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined by Linda Crew]()
Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined by Linda Crew
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn our defense, I can say only that nothing seemed so terribly strange in the beginning...When, in 1903, the fiery preacher Joshua arrives in sleepy Corvallis, Oregon, Eva Mae -- and the whole town -- is never the same again.Joshua is wonderful. He's charismatic. Insisting on simplicity, he commands his converts to burn their possessions... -
![Faking Faith by Josie Bloss]()
Faking Faith by Josie Bloss
Rated: 3.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDylan Mahoney is living one big unholy lie. Thanks to a humiliating and painfully public sexting incident, Dylan has become the social pariah at her suburban Chicago high school. She's ignored by everyone--when she's not being taunted--and estranged from her two best friends... -
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![Kidnapped by the Cult by Francine Pascal, Kate William]()
Kidnapped by the Cult by Francine Pascal, Kate William
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe power of persuasion... Jessica Wakefield's parents have grounded her, she's angry at her boyfriend, Sam, and her friends don't care what happens to her. Then, just when she's at her lowest, Jessica meets a magnetic stranger.Adam Marvel is the leader of the Good Friends, a mysterious cult that pretends to help the poor and needy... -
![State of Grace by Hilary Badger]()
State of Grace by Hilary Badger
Rated: 3.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEver since she was created, Wren has lived in an idyllic garden with her friends. Wren's deity Dot ensures the trees are laden with fruit and the water in the lagoon is crystal clear. Wren and her friends have everything they could possibly need right there, in Dot's Paradise.If only Wren could stop the strange, disturbing visions she's started having... -
![The Cult Called Freedom House by Stephanie Evelyn]()
The Cult Called Freedom House by Stephanie Evelyn
Rated: 3.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone but Sophia and Cyrus were going to die. They were all goners well before they knew it. And they certainly thought whatever was happening, they were helping others and saving the world doing it.Samantha was only fourteen and looking for what every fourteen-year-old looks for - freedom... -
![We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen]()
We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis stunning debut novel—drawn from the author's own life experience—tells the moving story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan...Categorized as:
religion fundamentalism coming-of-age fiction contemporary literary-fiction family spirituality -
![The Offering by Grace McCleen]()
The Offering by Grace McCleen
Rated: 3.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA stunning novel about faith, innocence and sin, the tale of an unusual rite of passage with terrible consequences by the prize-winning young author of The Land of Decoration.It was the year when Madeline's family moved to an island her father believed God had guided him to.It was a place where she revelled in the natural beauty of their surroundings...Categorized as:
religion cults fundamentalism fiction literary-fiction mental-illness female-author season-summer -
![Fierce Little Thing by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore]()
Fierce Little Thing by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Rated: 3.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“A Secret History-esque tale...All the ingredients for the perfect summer read.” —The Millions“Captivating, thoughtful, and tense, a great read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers and complex puzzles. Highly recommended.” —New York Journal Review of Books “It’s time to come Home. All five of you. Or else... -
![Coming of Age at the End of Days by Alice LaPlante]()
Coming of Age at the End of Days by Alice LaPlante
Rated: 2.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlice LaPlante's acclaimed psychological thrillers are distinguished by their stunning synthesis of family drama and engrossing suspense. Her new novel is an affecting foray deeper into the creases of family life—and the light-and-dark battle of faith—as LaPlante delves into the barbed psyche of a teenager whose misguided convictions bear irrevocable consequences...
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