We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez is one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let go. The themes of immigration and diversity are definitely a big part of the appeal, but it’s not the only part. This is an action-packed novel with a compelling plot and characters that kept the pages turning until the very end. We Are Not From Here is an emotional and thought-provoking novel.

Find your next great read for National Reading Month by exploring my reviews of these books you’ll devour if you liked We Are Not From Hereby Jenny Torres Sanchez. I hope you find something that catches your interest.

Property of Nobody by Khristina Chess

“No one is coming for you. No one is missing you. And no one will mourn you if you’re killed.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Property of Nobody

Freedom is not free.

Wow! Property of Nobody hooked me from the first page and never let me go!

Teódulo is a compelling and resonant male voice in a genre dominated by female characters. What makes Property of Nobody so special is the gripping, slow-boil depiction of how he falls into the trap of debt bondage and can’t escape. I worried about him. I loved seeing his journey and choices as he befriends various characters. This is the kind of thrilling, authentic novel that really shows the dark underbelly of immigration, human trafficking, organized crime, and the desperation of children caught in this web.

If you are looking for YA books like We Are Not From Here, this one is definitely a page-turner! In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

“The trouble with getting your hopes too far up is: it's a long way down.” ― Nicola Yoon, quote from The Sun Is Also a Star

I loved Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything, so when The Sun Is Also A Star released, I couldn’t wait to read it. This novel is a star-crossed love story between two teens of different backgrounds: Daniel Jae Ho Bae (a middle-class US citizen of South Korean descent) and Natasha Kingsley (a Jamaican girl who is being deported at the end of the day).

The timeline of the novel is 12 hours, and in that time, the characters fall in love. With every page, I kept hoping that something would change and something would stop the inevitable from happening. Because it wasn’t fair. Daniel and Natasha just found each other.

Fans of We Are Not From Hereby Jenny Torres Sanchez will love this page-turning YA novel about immigration and doomed love.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

“And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.” ― Elizabeth Acevedo, quote from The Poet X

What a surprising and lyrical story!

I wasn’t sure I’d like this book, which is told entirely in verse, but I couldn’t put it down. Xiaomara is a young girl whose traditional Catholic mother prohibits her from doing anything. Xiomara is a good and dutiful daughter. But she wants to participate in the poetry group.

The mother-daughter relationship was well-developed, and there was a powerful moment when the mother did something truly awful. Moments like those between mothers and daughters are the ones that can define the relationship forever. I liked the choices Xiaomara made in response to that. In fact, all of the primary and secondary characters played important roles in her journey. I loved her father, the teacher, the priest; it was refreshing to see so many supportive adults in a young person’s life in a YA novel.

In a list of YA novels you’ll devour if you liked We Are Not From Hereby Jenny Torres Sanchez, this one might seem like an odd choice. However, this award-winning YA book about immigration definitely deserves all the accolades, hype, and great reviews it has received. Check it out!

Bordereless by Jennifere De Leon

Maya lives with her mom in Guatemala and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. She has a real shot, too. Her creations are inventive, and she's going to be in this year's show. I liked the descriptions of her dresses and her approaches to solving design problems. These elements really made her character shine.

On the one hand, Maya seems like a well-grounded, mature teen with "a good head on her shoulders" about her future. On the other hand, she says and does the stupidest things. This makes here relatable as a teenager, but many of the cases felt forced and overblown. I also didn't like the tic where Every. Word. Is. A. Separate. Sentence. Gah! And the exclamation marks! Ugh! :-)

Most of the plot points are realistic and true, especially as events escalated. I won't give spoilers about the ending except to say that it was good.

If you liked We Are Not From Here and you're looking for another emotional story about illegal immigration and the impact on young adults, this novel is worth picking up.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

“She has compared me to my sister every single day of my life, so why should I expect that to change now that she’s dead?” ― Erika L. Sanchez, quote from I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

I loved the cover on this novel, and with so many stars and enthusiastic reviews, I figured I would love this story. There is an interesting mystery about what happened to Julia’s older sister Olga, who died in front of a truck. There is an interesting view into Mexican culture.

But.

The mother-daughter relationship (which is the title of the book) is not the real focus of the story. The mother is portrayed as traditional and strict, but she’s also mostly a shadow and underdeveloped character. Julia, the daughter, is a hard character to like because she has so many hard edges, and I never reached a point of real empathy or connection with her—even though she is a grieving person. Instead, I felt like the book was a checklist of YA book “issues” without any depth or focus on any of them: immigration, depression, first-time sex, death of a sibling, food, Mexican culture, drug usage, attempted suicide, rape… The list could continue.

You will probably feel differently. Literally thousands of readers on Goodreads loved this book.

Still, this YA book about immigration definitely belongs on the must-read list for books in this category. It was a finalist for the National Book Award, after all. If you liked We Are Not From Hereby Jenny Torres Sanchez, check it out.

The Border by Steve Schafer

Four teenagers in Mexico escape a birthday party massacre with their lives and nothing else. Their families are dead. They are wanted as fugitives by drug cartels. They have nothing. With little resources, they head on a journey into the desert to seek asylum in the United States.

This is the premise of Steve Schafer's novel, The Border.

Despite the terrible things that had happened and were happening, I had a hard time connecting with the characters on a deep level. Too much time was spent in superficial dialog. Still, the plot and pacing made the pages turn. I wanted to know whether or not they would make it (or who might not make it), and what they planned to do once they crossed. The constant threat from the gangs who were chasing them was real. Death from thirst, heat, and exhaustion was real.

There were some truly horrific moments in the book that the author could have handled more deftly, such as the young man's body that the group encounters. There are several such scenes.

Still, if you liked We Are Not From Here, you’ll find that The Border delivers a similar wild ride.

Other YA Books Like We Are Not From Here

If you are looking other YA books like We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torrez Sanches, check out the Readers Who Enjoyed We Are Not From Here list on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books by type of tough topic.

Do you have any personal favorites to recommend to me? I’m always looking for another great read in this category.

Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several YA novels about troubled teens turning corners. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter as an active daily contributor in the #5amwritersclub.