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My favorite book recs

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Many of my book recommendations contain plot twists, psychological thrillers, family drama, romance, and historical fiction books. Happy Reading! 📖 🐛
 
Jocelyn Zapata profile picture
The writing really embodies what is it to be a teenager. How your upbringing affects how you see the world.
Looking for Alaska by John Green, Paperback
 
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Such a great thriller. One minute you THINK you know what’s happening and then BOOM! another twist. 10/10
The Surrogate Mother - Freida McFadden
 
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WOW!! WOW. WOW. It dives into the world of a teenager living in a communist country. Wanting to be free from oppression but unsure how to go about it. After all, he is only 17! This book left me in tears. Beautifully written
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, Paperback
 
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Would you go back to the past knowing that there’s nothing you could do to change the future?
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (B&N Exclusive Edition) ...
 
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Psychological thriller. Everyone wants fame and fortune. But what are you willing to sacrifice for that lifestyle?
Still See You Everywhere (Paperback)
 
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Family chaos. Family secrets. This author beautifully uses a weather metaphor to describe the events that occur throughout the life of the Alvarado family.
L.A. Weather: A Novel by María Amparo Escandón, Paperback
 
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Heartfelt & emotional book with a plot twist at the end.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Paperback
 
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10/10. No notes
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One) by Suzanne Collins
 
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An eye opener. I have learned many stories that our school systems have suppressed.
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
 
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Heartbreaking story about life in Japanese intermittent camps. Also, reflects a lot of the issues going on in America today
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
 
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The hard truth of individualism and marrying outside of your culture. We get so caught up in our new lives that we unintentionally lose sight of who, what, and where we came from.
Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins
 
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Rex (the main character) grows up in a hostile environment with a narcissistic mother. He deals with emotional and physical abuse, struggles with self discovery and self doubt. Due to his perseverance and love and motivation from his grandmother.. Re...
Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle
 
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We don’t get to choose our family. But we do get to choose how we cope with the traumas they’ve passed down
Between Two Trailers : A Memoir - J-Dana-Trent
 
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Our bodies are unique in the way they suppress bad memories to keep us safe. We must look internally to heal ourselves
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
 
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A young girls POV living in natzi Germany. Very important book to read especially during these times.
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank, Paperback
 
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Emotional book. Really puts into perspective the daily battles POC deal with. I enjoyed the movie as well
The Hate U Give (Printz Honor Winner) by Angie Thomas, Paperback
 
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Heartbreaking and insightful. The hard reality of many families till this day. The main character is resilient, he learns how to survive on his own and not let detainment define his whole life
Detained by D. Esperanza; Gerardo Iván Morales
 
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Anything Frieda McFadden is a 10/10. The writing draws you in for more. You don’t want to put the book down
The Housemaid (Paperback) - Books
 
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Relationships are more than just loving someone they can be messy, chaotic, entertaining, eye opening, fun, and everything in between! Would you be willing to risk it all even if it meant you don’t get to end up in the same timeline as the person you...
The Seven Year Slip (Paperback) - Walmart.com
 
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It really is these damn phones! 📞 ❌
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
 
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Immigration is important for a society to thrive. This book does an amazing deep dive as to how immigration benefits all.
The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome ...
 
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I grew up catholic. It’s all I’ve ever known. So, reading this book about Christianity from a Hispanic perspective was insightful & educational
Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective|eBook
 
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The biggest thing this book taught me was to question everything. Everything is not what it seems.
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
 
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RIP. Jane Goodall ❤️. Truly an inspiration and a light in this dark world
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times|Hardcover
 
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History rhythms. Educate before it’s too late.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
 
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A coming of age storyline. Exploring family tensions, sexuality, career goals, and, life goals. How much are you willing to sacrifice for your dream life?
My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero
 
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Amazing book. Would recommend a thousand times over
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, Paperback
 
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I had two theories on how this would end & I was wrong. So many twists and turns. Makes you second guess everything
Fifty Fifty: A Novel by Steve Cavanagh, Paperback
 
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Family secrets everyone has them. But what will happen when everyone has had enough of the lies and secrecy? What are they willing to sacrifice for true freedom?
We Were Liars Books & Family of Liars Novels
 
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Ultra rich family’s empire is staring to crumble. What secrets are they hiding?
We Fell Apart - (We Were Liars) by E Lockhart (Hardcover)
 
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If you’re in a book rut I would definitely recommend this book. It pulls you in from the first chapter & makes you question every character. Amazing twist around chapter 25. Left my jaw hanging open lol.
Never Lie by Freida McFadden, Paperback
 
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We’re introduced to a rich affluent family who takes a vacation visiting their daughter, who now lives on an island. Everything seems fine. Except the daughter is hiding something. Every other family member wants something, needs something or is hidi...
The Inheritance: A Novel by Trisha Sakhlecha, Paperback
 
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A profound investigation into the meaning of justice, empathy, and doing what is right even when the odds are against you.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Harper Lee, Paperback
 
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memoir on the authors experience growing up as a mixed-race Filipina in suburban Florida, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and family dysfunction through the lens of her relationship with her mother and the infamous mango tree that led to a f...
The Mango Tree: Memoir of Fruit & Felony
 
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a coming-of-age novel told through lyrical vignettes about Esperanza Cordero, a young Chicana girl in a poor Hispanic neighborhood of Chicago, exploring themes of identity, belonging, poverty, gender, and dreams of escape, all centered around her dis...
The House on Mango Street (Vintage Contemporaries)
 
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set in Nazi Germany during World War II, following young Liesel Meminger as she steals books and learns to read, finding solace and connection through words while her foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Paperback
 
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two polar-opposite best friends, Poppy and Alex, who take annual summer vacations together for a decade until a trip to Croatia ruins their friendship
People We Meet on Vacation by Henry & Emily
 
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a woman who finds her fiancé with his childhood best friend, only to end up in a fake relationship with the best friend to make their exes jealous, leading to unexpected feelings
Emily Henry - Funny Story
 
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A former alchemist with amnesia, who is imprisoned by necromancers in a war-torn world and must uncover her past while navigating a dangerous relationship with her captor, the High Reeve..
Alchemised (B&N Exclusive Edition) by SenLinYu, Hardcover
 
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a popular young adult dystopian science fiction series. following a group of teens trapped in a mysterious, deadly maze.
The Maze Runner Series Complete Collection Boxed Set (5-Book)
 
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The story follows Violet Sorrengail, a frail 20-year-old forced to become a dragon rider at the brutal Basgiath War College
Rebecca Yarros - Fourth Wing Series 3 Book Set
 
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the rise and fall, birth and death of a mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Classic Novel
 
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set in colonial Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and serving as a critique of South Africa's racial politics and the psychological toll of apartheid
The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing
 
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one ordinary day, June 16, 1904, in Dublin, following three characters—Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus—as they navigate their thoughts, actions, and interactions
Ulysses: 9780679722762: Joyce, James: Books
 
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memoir detailing eli wiesels survival as a teenager in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald
Night by Elie Wiesel, Paperback
 
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a queer couple, Charlie and Eve, who buy a house to flip, only for the previous residents to show up uninvited, leading to supernatural events, disappearances, and Eve's descent into madness as she questions reality and the true nature of the family
We Used to Live Here: A Novel by Marcus Kliewer, Paperback
 
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two couples whose lives intertwine when one husband, Jake, goes missing, leading to secrets, lies, and betrayals between the friends, Lily and Nina, and their husbands, Christian and Jake
Just the Nicest Couple: A Thrilling Suspense
 
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a young woman named Loretta who escapes an abusive "ranch" for troubled teens run by her parents in the 1990s, and later becomes an advocate for runaways as an adult in New York City
The Home for Wayward Girls by Marcia Bradley
 
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historical fiction novel that connects three women across different time periods (1900, 1966, and 2024) through a mysterious and valuable book, exploring themes of forbidden love, secrets, and the enduring power of literature
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton
 
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a humorous and heartfelt adult novel about the chaotic lives of teachers at a Texas high school, Baldwin High, following the death of a substitute teacher in the faculty lounge
The Faculty Lounge: A Novel - Jennifer Mathieu
 
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The story of the magonistas, the migrant rebels who sparked the 1910 Mexican Revolution from the United States
Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution
 
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popular baking influencer, April Masterson, whose seemingly perfect life is threatened by someone who knows her dark secrets, including a missing son and a buried secret in her backyard, leading to a story of obsession and deception..
Want to Know a Secret?
 
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a heartbreaking and emotional contemporary romance about a soldier who dies in action and leaves behind a letter for his best friend, Beckett, asking him to look after his sister, Ella, and her twins. Beckett goes to Telluride to fulfill the promise,...
The Last Letter - Yarros, Rebecca
 
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Ruby's journey through the acid rain apocalypse as she tries to navigate her way to locate her father. One day, Ruby Morris is at a pool party, hanging out in the hot tub with Caspar McCloud until they are urgently ordered to come inside.
H2o - Bergin, Virginia: Books - Amazon.com
 
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a post-apocalyptic novel by Belgian author Jacqueline Harpman about 39 women imprisoned in an underground cage, guarded by silent men, with no memory of how they got there
I Who Have Never Known Men (Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition)
 
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French historical fiction about a journalist, Julia Jarmond who uncovers a dark secret from the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in Paris, intertwining her life with the story of a young Jewish girl, Sarah, who tried to protect her brother during the raid
Sarah's Key: A Novel - Tatiana de Rosnay
 
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a psychological thriller about Rose, who discovers her private teenage diary, detailing a crush on a teacher and a horrific crime..
Finders Keepers: Gripping Psychological Thriller
 
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a divorced couple, Charlie and Vivian, who attempt to reconnect forty years after their split
A Forty Year Kiss - by Nickolas Butler - Target
 
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a firsthand account of Douglass's journey from bondage in Maryland to freedom in the North, proving his intelligence to contradict pro-slavery arguments. It details the brutal physical and psychological dehumanization of slavery, emphasizing that lit...
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave ...
 
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259-day imprisonment in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for their Christian faith. Despite facing interrogation and a death sentence for converting from Islam and spreading Christianity, the authors chose to share their faith with fellow prisoners and...
Captive in Iran: A True Story of Hope & Triumph
 
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struggling reporter Ellis Reed, whose career takes off after he photographs two children with a "2 Children for Sale" sign, but he and a newspaper secretary, Lily, later feel responsible and try to reunite the family after the photo leads to devastat...
Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris - Books-A-Million
 
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a YA thriller about a teenage girl who wakes up with amnesia after an accident, only to be claimed by a man who says he's her father, while her boyfriend is the prime suspect in her disappearance, leading to a dual-perspective story questioning ident...
That's Not My Name by Megan Lally, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
 
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thriller about three women murdered by the same man who team up from beyond the grave to stop him from killing again
Ask for Andrea: A Thriller eBook by Ihli
 
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a grieving poet, Wren Paisley, who escapes to a small town after her fiancée's death, seeking anonymity and healing through a local library's grief support group, where she finds friendship and new love while confronting her past.
The Last Poem: A Novel - Courtney Peppernell - Barnes & Noble
 
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two best friends, Emily and Kristen, whose annual reunion trip turns deadly when a backpacker is killed in Chile, echoing a similar incident from the previous year, forcing Emily to confront their dark, shared past and the true nature of their friend...
We Were Never Here (Reese's Book Club) by Andrea Bartz ...
 
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two women, Nic and Jules, who investigate the unsolved disappearances of their sisters, Kasey and Jules, from their small Indiana hometown years prior, uncovering secrets as they search for answers
The Missing Half: A Novel
 
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This is the story of an extraordinary young woman’s triumph over life-crushing trauma to build a life of peace and forgiveness
My Name is Mahtob: Story from Not Without My Daughter
 
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A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.
A Fever in the Heartland: KKK Plot & Hero
 
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a young adult (YA) thriller about a girl named Cleo who receives a mysterious scavenger hunt on her 18th birthday, leading her to uncover secrets about her abusive ex-boyfriend's death a year prior
Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D. Richards
 
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centering on four young refugees desperately fleeing advancing Soviet forces in East Prussia during the winter of 1945. Their paths intersect as they attempt to board the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, an ill-fated German ship that sank with over 9,000 casualt...
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®