Looking for an unforgettable collection of books similar to The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade analyzing and recommending the impactful novels about tough topics such as relationship violence, secret shame, and powerful women who triumph over evil.
Top Three Recommendations
Domestic Abuse & Relationship Violence: Junior Missing by Khristina Chess - A seductive novel about a runaway teen, drawn into an intoxicating relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
Historical, Generational Shame: Purge by Sofi Oksanen - a stunning novel about two women in Estonia in 1941 and the way their lives are bound through silence, shame, and betrayal.
Justice, Historical: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - set in New England during the early days of America, a midwife finds herself in the middle of solving a rape and murder.
You’ll find detailed reviews of these and several other favorites in the roundup below. In all of these novels, you will find strong women who struggle against intense, often traumatic situations, including twisted love. Some are historical. Some are set in winter. Some deal with violence and murder. I’m confident that you’ll love these books if you liked The Great Alone.
Junior Missing by Khristina Chess
Why You’ll Love It - Domestic Abuse & Relationship Violence
“He called me the most willing kidnapping victim in history. I’d invited him to my house, he’d said. I’d climbed into the car. I’d packed a bag. And a parakeet.” ― Khristina Chess from Junior Missing
Wow! Readers who love the intense chemistry and unsettling seduction of a twisted romance won’t be able to put Junior Missing down. What makes Junior Missing so special is the slow-boil depiction of how Grace’s forbidden attraction turns into a trap set by an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
The story starts as sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world with a bright future, is missing. At first, police assume she ran away. But when they find her abandoned phone along the highway, the truth becomes far more terrifying.
No one knows about Quentin Brock—the musician she met online. He’s charming, funny, and perfect.
Until he isn’t. Until she’s trapped in another state with no way out.
She doesn’t even have shoes.
Readers who empathized with Cora and Ernt’s unhealthy love story in The Great Alone should give Junior Missing a look. I recommend this mesmerizing, authentic novel that depicts how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in a toxic relationship.
In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.
Purge by Sofi Oksanen
why you’ll love it - Historical, generational pain
"The only thing left alive was the shame." ― Sofi Oksanen from Purge
I picked up Purge to add to my list of YA books about human trafficking, but this novel is pure literature, a stunning international masterpiece that spans decades of history, generations of pain, and dark twisted family secrets.
Set in Estonia and bouncing between 1941 and 1992, two protagonists tell their tales in a long and dizzying narrative that weaves between present terror and past horror. These women are bound to each other in multiple ways. Their mutual distrust them unreliable narrators, so that only the reader really only has the full picture, and sometimes even that picture is murky.
As I think back on each of these women's experiences, I see so many parallels in what happened to each, even though the details are very different on the surface. For example, both are raped. Both are silenced. Both are shamed. One is betrayed. One is a betrayer.
This is the kind of epic novel that I can think about for a long time and even read again. I missed things and know that I would see even more in a second reading because the book is so sweeping and full of such meaningful symbolism and detail.
If you loved The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and want another sweeping historical novel, be sure to add Purge to your TBR pile.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Why You’ll Love It - Justice, Historical
“It’s an unimaginative accusation and one that I am frankly tired of hearing. Witchcraft. As though there is no other explanation for a woman who excels at her work.”― Ariel Lawhon from The Frozen River
What a wonderful book! Historical fiction isn't my usual genre, but the cover and the accolades for "The Frozen River" made me give it a try.
On a high level, this mystery is about a midwife named Martha Ballard. The body of an accused rapist is found frozen in the river, and after examination, Martha says that the victim was murdered. She becomes a key witness in a trial for the woman who was raped because she treated the woman's wounds after the assault. The other accused man is a judge.
This novel has many layers. Beyond the mystery, there is the social commentary on women, family, sexual assault, and society during early days of America in New England. Paul Revere is mentioned as a friend of the family. The author depicts a rich setting of cold winter, warm homes and hearts, young love and pre-marital relationships, and the early court system. I couldn't put it down.
Fans of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah will love this one.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
why you’ll love it - early American historical
I have read several of Laurie Halse Anderson's books, and I found this one to be ambitious, compelling, and heartfelt. I learned things about slavery during the American revolutionary war that were new since most literature I've consumed has been during the later period of the civil war. The author’s research into the book made it rich and come alive.
Readers who liked The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah will love this amazing historical novel about friendship, class difference, race, and slavery in early American history to your reading list. In fact, Laurie Halse Anderson is such a great author that she’s on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she’s all-around amazing!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
why you’ll love it - historical, literary
“If there was only one tree like that in the world, you would think it was beautiful. But because there are so many, you just can't see how beautiful it really is.” ― Betty Smith from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I first heard about this book from Oprah Winfrey and picked it up during the book club years. A classic YA novel published in 1943, before YA was really “a thing,” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn tells the story of a poor young girl growing up in Brooklyn, a child of struggling immigrant parents.
This classic historical book about immigration, class, and poverty, and Francie, has remained with me for decades. There’s a reason why this novel has stood the test of time. If you liked The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, you’ll devour this one.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
why you’ll love it - Location, Isolation
This novel is beautiful, thrilling, sad, surprising, and engrossing. Kya Clark is a resilient child who is abandoned by her mother at six in a rural no-man’s-land. Her alcoholic father is barely a parent, and he soon leaves her as well. Somehow, she finds a way to survive on her own, even thrive, despite an aching loneliness.
But a beautiful young girl who lives in solitude in the woods is destined for danger. And heartbreak.
Most people in the town call her “Marsh Girl” and ostracize her. She’s an outcast from society: poor, uneducated, and strange.
The mystery surrounding the death of Chase Andrews is the inciting incident of the novel, and it's soon clear that he was not such a swell guy. Foul play is suspected. Is Kya a murder? Or someone else?
There's plenty to love here, and the pages definitely turned quickly for me. Kya’s character and voice is compelling.
If you’re looking for a wonderful coming-of-age book like The Great Alone, you won’t want to miss Where the Crawdads Sing. The movie is also great.
Other Books You’ll Devour If You Liked The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
If you’re looking for other books like The Great by Kristin Hannah, Goodreads also offers a great book list: Readers Who Enjoyed The Great Alone.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads.
Author Bio
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.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
