25 Books like The Kid

Whore

by Tanika Lynch • 2002

Abandoned at fourteen with two siblings, she turns to the streets to keep them alive.

4.47

2k+

📖 Street Lit 🏙️ Inner City 🏠 Found Family 🛟 Rescuer Romance 💔 Mother Wound

Whore 92%

Abandoned at fourteen with two siblings, she turns to the streets to keep them alive.

by Tanika Lynch 2002

4.47

2k+ ratings

📖 Street Lit 🏙️ Inner City 🏠 Found Family 🛟 Rescuer Romance 💔 Mother Wound

Auē

by Becky Manawatu • 2019

Abandoned on a remote New Zealand farm, a mute boy and a fierce girl must survive his violent uncle.

4.47

8k+

🔄 Generational Trauma 🌺 MāOri Storytelling 👬 Orphaned Siblings 💔 Domestic Abuse 🏠 Found Family

Auē 91%

Abandoned on a remote New Zealand farm, a mute boy and a fierce girl must survive his violent uncle.

by Becky Manawatu 2019

4.47

8k+ ratings

🔄 Generational Trauma 🌺 MāOri Storytelling 👬 Orphaned Siblings 💔 Domestic Abuse 🏠 Found Family

The Dopefiend

by JaQuavis Coleman • 2010

Her surrogate mother gave her heroin. Now two men are destroying each other to save her.

4.53

2k+

🏙️ Street Lit 💉 Addiction Spiral 🔄 Cycles Of Violence 👥 Surrogate Family 👑 Female Kingpin

The Dopefiend 90%

Her surrogate mother gave her heroin. Now two men are destroying each other to save her.

by JaQuavis Coleman 2010

4.53

2k+ ratings

🏙️ Street Lit 💉 Addiction Spiral 🔄 Cycles Of Violence 👥 Surrogate Family 👑 Female Kingpin

So Damn Sketchy

by Bonnie Kent • 2020

A girl loses her parents, then herself, in the arms of her brother's best friend.

3.93

218

🔥 Dark Coming Of Age 💔 Parental Abandonment ⚠️ Blurred Boundaries 💀 Self Destruction 🏚️ Homelessness

So Damn Sketchy 90%

A girl loses her parents, then herself, in the arms of her brother's best friend.

by Bonnie Kent 2020

3.93

218 ratings

🔥 Dark Coming Of Age 💔 Parental Abandonment ⚠️ Blurred Boundaries 💀 Self Destruction 🏚️ Homelessness

A Deeper Love Inside

by Sister Souljah • 2013

Her father's arrest dethrones a Brooklyn princess. Inside juvenile detention, survival is a hustle.

4.13

7k+

🏙️ Urban Fiction 🔒 Juvenile Detention 👥 Found Family 💕 First Love 💔 Parental Addiction

A Deeper Love Inside 90%

Her father's arrest dethrones a Brooklyn princess. Inside juvenile detention, survival is a hustle.

by Sister Souljah 2013

4.13

7k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Fiction 🔒 Juvenile Detention 👥 Found Family 💕 First Love 💔 Parental Addiction

Aller Retour

by Yves Beauchesne

Orphaned and abused, a boy escapes to Montreal and searches for anyone who will take him in.

2.43

119

🏃 Runaway Story 🩵 Found Family 💔 Orphaned Protagonist ⚠️ Abusive Guardian 🌱 Quiet Resilience

Aller Retour 90%

Orphaned and abused, a boy escapes to Montreal and searches for anyone who will take him in.

by Yves Beauchesne

2.43

119 ratings

🏃 Runaway Story 🩵 Found Family 💔 Orphaned Protagonist ⚠️ Abusive Guardian 🌱 Quiet Resilience

La Dernière Allumette

by Marie Vareille • 2024

Zoé loves a man haunted by his father's violence. Her sister marries it.

4.61

7k+

👻 Posthumous Narrator 🔄 Cycle Of Abuse 🏚️ Domestic Violence 🧬 Generational Trauma 👫 Sibling Trauma

La Dernière Allumette 90%

Zoé loves a man haunted by his father's violence. Her sister marries it.

by Marie Vareille 2024

4.61

7k+ ratings

👻 Posthumous Narrator 🔄 Cycle Of Abuse 🏚️ Domestic Violence 🧬 Generational Trauma 👫 Sibling Trauma

The Elements

by John Boyne • 2025

On a remote Irish island, a disgraced woman searches for the truth behind her daughter's drowning.

4.43

26k+

🧬 Intergenerational Trauma 🔄 Cycles Of Abuse 💔 Estranged Parent 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🏝️ Island Isolation

The Elements 90%

On a remote Irish island, a disgraced woman searches for the truth behind her daughter's drowning.

by John Boyne 2025

4.43

26k+ ratings

🧬 Intergenerational Trauma 🔄 Cycles Of Abuse 💔 Estranged Parent 😔 Survivor's Guilt 🏝️ Island Isolation

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver • 2022

Born to an addict mother, Demon navigates Appalachian foster care and the opioid epidemic.

4.46

828k+

🏔️ Appalachian Fiction 💊 Opioid Crisis 📖 Modern Retelling 👦 Orphaned Protagonist 🫂 Found Family

Demon Copperhead 90%

Born to an addict mother, Demon navigates Appalachian foster care and the opioid epidemic.

by Barbara Kingsolver 2022

4.46

828k+ ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Fiction 💊 Opioid Crisis 📖 Modern Retelling 👦 Orphaned Protagonist 🫂 Found Family

My Absolute Darling

by Gabriel Tallent • 2017

Her father taught her to survive the collapse of civilization; now she must survive him.

3.59

57k+

🏚️ Survivalist Upbringing 🖤 Abusive Parent 🌲 Remote Wilderness 🌱 Found Family 💔 Traumatic Coming Of Age

My Absolute Darling 90%

Her father taught her to survive the collapse of civilization; now she must survive him.

by Gabriel Tallent 2017

3.59

57k+ ratings

🏚️ Survivalist Upbringing 🖤 Abusive Parent 🌲 Remote Wilderness 🌱 Found Family 💔 Traumatic Coming Of Age

A Thousand Perfect Notes

by C.G. Drews • 2018

Beck plays piano to survive his mother's rage. August teaches him to play for himself.

4.16

5k+

🎹 Musical Prodigy 😰 Abusive Parent 🩹 Child Abuse Recovery ☀️ Grumpy X Sunshine 🏠 Found Family

A Thousand Perfect Notes 89%

Beck plays piano to survive his mother's rage. August teaches him to play for himself.

by C.G. Drews 2018

4.16

5k+ ratings

🎹 Musical Prodigy 😰 Abusive Parent 🩹 Child Abuse Recovery ☀️ Grumpy X Sunshine 🏠 Found Family

God Hates Us All

by Hank Moody • 2009

A cynical young man deals pot from the Chelsea Hotel, chasing love while avoiding adulthood.

3.46

5k+

🗽 Bohemian New York 💔 Toxic Love 😈 Dark Comedy 🌱 Coming Of Age 💊 Drug Dealing

God Hates Us All 89%

A cynical young man deals pot from the Chelsea Hotel, chasing love while avoiding adulthood.

by Hank Moody 2009

3.46

5k+ ratings

🗽 Bohemian New York 💔 Toxic Love 😈 Dark Comedy 🌱 Coming Of Age 💊 Drug Dealing

We Need New Names

by NoViolet Bulawayo • 2013

A Zimbabwean girl trades hunger for American abundance, only to discover what the journey costs.

3.75

24k+

👧 Child Narrator 🧳 Immigration Story 💔 Diaspora Longing 🦋 Loss Of Innocence 🫂 Found Family

We Need New Names 89%

A Zimbabwean girl trades hunger for American abundance, only to discover what the journey costs.

by NoViolet Bulawayo 2013

3.75

24k+ ratings

👧 Child Narrator 🧳 Immigration Story 💔 Diaspora Longing 🦋 Loss Of Innocence 🫂 Found Family

Trust Exercise

by Susan Choi • 2019

An elite theatre school, the 1980s: a teenage affair and a teacher who exploits every vulnerability.

3.12

40k+

🎭 Dark Academia 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Memory And Trauma ⚡ Power Dynamics 🔥 Adolescent Desire

Trust Exercise 89%

An elite theatre school, the 1980s: a teenage affair and a teacher who exploits every vulnerability.

by Susan Choi 2019

3.12

40k+ ratings

🎭 Dark Academia 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Memory And Trauma ⚡ Power Dynamics 🔥 Adolescent Desire

Open City

by Teju Cole • 2011

A psychiatrist walks Manhattan, collecting others' stories, until one makes him face his own.

3.49

18k+

🚶‍♂️ FlâNeur Fiction 🌏 Diaspora Fiction 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 📜 Postcolonial Identity ⚖️ Moral Ambiguity

Open City 89%

A psychiatrist walks Manhattan, collecting others' stories, until one makes him face his own.

by Teju Cole 2011

3.49

18k+ ratings

🚶‍♂️ FlâNeur Fiction 🌏 Diaspora Fiction 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 📜 Postcolonial Identity ⚖️ Moral Ambiguity

Girl Through Glass

by Sari Wilson • 2016

A dance professor's past as a child ballerina groomed by a collector returns with a letter.

3.38

3k+

🩰 Ballet Fiction 🕷️ Predatory Mentor 🎭 Artistic Obsession 🌫️ Haunting Atmosphere 🗽 1970s New York

Girl Through Glass 89%

A dance professor's past as a child ballerina groomed by a collector returns with a letter.

by Sari Wilson 2016

3.38

3k+ ratings

🩰 Ballet Fiction 🕷️ Predatory Mentor 🎭 Artistic Obsession 🌫️ Haunting Atmosphere 🗽 1970s New York

All Aunt Hagar's Children

by Edward P. Jones • 2006

Black Southerners in Washington, D.C. build new lives while old ghosts unpack beside them.

3.83

2k+

🧩 Linked Story Collection 🚂 Great Migration 💔 Generational Trauma 🏠 Found Family 🖤 Survivor's Guilt

All Aunt Hagar's Children 89%

Black Southerners in Washington, D.C. build new lives while old ghosts unpack beside them.

by Edward P. Jones 2006

3.83

2k+ ratings

🧩 Linked Story Collection 🚂 Great Migration 💔 Generational Trauma 🏠 Found Family 🖤 Survivor's Guilt

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward • 2017

A boy and his addicted mother drive to Parchman prison. The dead ride with them.

4.00

150k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic ✨ Magical Realism 🩸 Intergenerational Trauma 👦 Parentified Child 👻 Restless Spirits

Sing, Unburied, Sing 89%

A boy and his addicted mother drive to Parchman prison. The dead ride with them.

by Jesmyn Ward 2017

4.00

150k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic ✨ Magical Realism 🩸 Intergenerational Trauma 👦 Parentified Child 👻 Restless Spirits

Broken Glass Park

by Alina Bronsky • 2010

Her stepfather killed her mother. In a crumbling German housing project, a teenager plots revenge.

3.53

3k+

🧳 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🌑 Dark Coming Of Age 🗡️ Revenge Fantasy 🫂 Found Family 👧 Sibling Caretaker

Broken Glass Park 89%

Her stepfather killed her mother. In a crumbling German housing project, a teenager plots revenge.

by Alina Bronsky 2010

3.53

3k+ ratings

🧳 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🌑 Dark Coming Of Age 🗡️ Revenge Fantasy 🫂 Found Family 👧 Sibling Caretaker

We Were the Mulvaneys

by Joyce. Carol Oats • 1996

A daughter's sexual assault unravels the Mulvaneys, a family whose reputation was everything.

3.75

106k+

📖 Family Saga 📉 Fall From Grace 💔 Family Estrangement 🩹 Trauma And Healing 🇺🇸 1970s America

We Were the Mulvaneys 89%

A daughter's sexual assault unravels the Mulvaneys, a family whose reputation was everything.

by Joyce. Carol Oats 1996

3.75

106k+ ratings

📖 Family Saga 📉 Fall From Grace 💔 Family Estrangement 🩹 Trauma And Healing 🇺🇸 1970s America

God Help the Child

by Toni Morrison • 2015

A blue-black beauty mogul's body is shrinking, and the child her mother rejected is resurfacing.

3.78

33k+

🎨 Colorism 🥀 Maternal Neglect 🔗 Generational Trauma 🩸 Body As Trauma ⚖️ False Testimony

God Help the Child 89%

A blue-black beauty mogul's body is shrinking, and the child her mother rejected is resurfacing.

by Toni Morrison 2015

3.78

33k+ ratings

🎨 Colorism 🥀 Maternal Neglect 🔗 Generational Trauma 🩸 Body As Trauma ⚖️ False Testimony

The Happiest Girl in the World

by Alena Dillon • 2021

A gymnast's Olympic dream demands silence about her best friend's abuse and her own breaking body.

3.69

2k+

🏅 Elite Gymnastics ⚠️ Institutional Abuse 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Tension 💔 Best Friends To Rivals 🗣️ Survivor Speaks Out

The Happiest Girl in the World 89%

A gymnast's Olympic dream demands silence about her best friend's abuse and her own breaking body.

by Alena Dillon 2021

3.69

2k+ ratings

🏅 Elite Gymnastics ⚠️ Institutional Abuse 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Tension 💔 Best Friends To Rivals 🗣️ Survivor Speaks Out

Rah

by Jessica N. Watkins • 2025

A mother discovers her partner's secret family, and now his crimes threaten to bury her alive.

4.45

2k+

🏙️ Urban Fiction 💔 Toxic Relationship 🎭 Secret Double Life 🩹 Healing After Abuse 🤝 Chosen Family

Rah 89%

A mother discovers her partner's secret family, and now his crimes threaten to bury her alive.

by Jessica N. Watkins 2025

4.45

2k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Fiction 💔 Toxic Relationship 🎭 Secret Double Life 🩹 Healing After Abuse 🤝 Chosen Family

Stay with Me

by Nicole Fiorina • 2019

At a reformatory, a numb girl and an intense boy collide, risking the only forbidden thing.

4.01

19k+

🩹 Trauma Healing 🖤 Damaged Hero 👥 Found Family 🏫 Institutional Setting 😶 Emotional Numbness

Stay with Me 88%

At a reformatory, a numb girl and an intense boy collide, risking the only forbidden thing.

by Nicole Fiorina 2019

4.01

19k+ ratings

🩹 Trauma Healing 🖤 Damaged Hero 👥 Found Family 🏫 Institutional Setting 😶 Emotional Numbness

Home

by Toni Morrison • 2012

Escaping a psych ward, a veteran crosses the Jim Crow South to rescue his dying sister.

3.83

29k+

🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Survivor's Guilt 🛡️ Sibling Protector 💉 Medical Exploitation 🌿 Communal Healing

Home 88%

Escaping a psych ward, a veteran crosses the Jim Crow South to rescue his dying sister.

by Toni Morrison 2012

3.83

29k+ ratings

🏚️ Jim Crow South 💔 Survivor's Guilt 🛡️ Sibling Protector 💉 Medical Exploitation 🌿 Communal Healing

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