Looking for the best books like We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez? As an award-winning author and blogger about issue-driven YA fiction, I know how stories can take us to other worlds, allow us to see through the eyes of other characters, and develop empathy. Here are my top three recommendations:
Property of Nobody by Khristina Chess - a searing novel about an unaccompanied minor from Honduras who flees murdering coyotes, only to become ensnared by human traffickers.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo - a powerful story about a mother-daughter relationship in which the Afro-Latina heroine uses poetry to find her way.
The Border by Steve Schafer - four teenagers in Mexico escape a birthday party massacre with their lives and flee to the United States to seek asylum.
Below, you will find book reviews of all my favorite books similar to We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. Find your next great read for National Reading Month here. I’m confident that you’ll find something new to love in this roundup.
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
Wow! Property of Nobody seized me from the first page and never let go.
In a genre where male voices are rare, Teódulo stands out—a gripping, unforgettable protagonist trapped in the insidious web of debt bondage. His descent is slow, suffocating, inevitable. I worried for him. I fought alongside him. I clung to every choice he made, knowing escape might never come.
This novel doesn’t just tell a story; it forces you to see the brutal reality—the dark underbelly of immigration, human trafficking, organized crime, and the children who are swallowed by it. It’s haunting. It’s raw. And it’s painfully authentic.
Freedom is not free. And for Teódulo, it may never come at all.
A breathtaking and unforgettable novel, Property of Nobody has sparked conversations across book clubs and reader communities—solidifying its place as one of the most talked about and memorable YA books of the decade. If you’re searching for YA books like We Are Not From Here, Property of Nobody is an absolute must-read.
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.
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.