Books Like I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Elizabeth Acevedo

Like Julia, Xiomara is a Dominican American teen pushing against strict religious and family expectations, and the verse novel carries the same fierce, funny, unflinching teenage voice that makes this book hard to put down.

Jennifer Latham

Its dual timelines and a present-day teen digging into a buried past mirror Julia's search for the truth about a family history that others have smoothed over, with a similarly tense emotional pull.

Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda's guarded, bitter narration about a traumatic event and the silence around it shares the raw honesty and sharp observation of Julia's voice, and it addresses how a teen's pain is dismissed by those around her.

Ernesto Cisneros

A Mexican American teen struggles with family duty, immigration fears and the pull of his own ambitions, offering the same tension between cultural expectations and a young person's desire to define themselves.

Gabby Rivera, Gaby Rivera

A Puerto Rican queer teen navigates family, identity and first experiences of independence in a witty, candid voice that will appeal to readers who enjoyed Julia's sharp self-awareness.

Nic Stone

Justyce's story of being judged by others and seeking his own place within expectations at home and school carries the same blend of heavy subject matter and direct, engaging narration.

Nicola Yoon

Two teens meet during a single day that will change everything, and the emotional weight of family loss and uncertainty, paired with youthful romance, echoes the grief and first love at the heart of this novel.

Jay Asher

A teen uncovers the hidden stories behind a death and the people around it, a premise that will resonate with readers drawn to Julia's quest to learn what her sister was really like.

Gayle Forman

Mia's grief after a devastating loss and her attempt to understand the person she lost give this novel the same mix of sorrow, honesty and self-discovery that drives Julia's story.

Julia Alvarez

This novel about sisters and the political and family forces that shape their lives shares the emotional depth of Julia's relationship with Olga, and its focus on women defying what is expected of them will feel familiar.

Sandra Cisneros

A multigenerational Mexican American family story full of humour, memory and tension between tradition and individuality, it offers the same warmth and cultural specificity that readers value in this book.

Sandra Cisneros

Esperanza's short, lyrical vignettes about growing up in a Chicago Latino neighbourhood, and her wish to escape expectations, speak directly to the city and the coming-of-age longing at the core of this novel.